In the summer of 2008 I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, after a very long intense episode of chronic pain and fatigue that lasted for months. There is little known in the medical community of Hampton Roads, Virginia area, where I live, about this condition. No one ever informed me that patients with EDS may also have secondary conditions such as Chiari 1 Malformation. Though I have had a headache for the last five years that has been difficult to manage, it began to worsen and display other attributes such as pressure in the back of my head and neck. An avalanche of other unusual symptoms began to manifest as well. The specialists were perplexed and unable to explain the cause, therefore dismissed any further testing. Through social networking, my mom mentioned the symptoms and were led to a young woman who had recently had decompression surgery for Chiari. She referred us to Dr. Fraser Henderson, who ordered an MRI and saw me, confirming the Chiari 1 Malformation.

On May 7th, 2010 Dr. Henderson successfully performed the decompression of my brain and corrected and stabilized the damage it had caused. Immediately, the pressure pain left me. Even on the drive home, the clarity of my vision had made such a significant improvement that it made me realize how bad my vision had actually been hindered in the past few months leading up to the surgery. The staff at Doctor’s Community Hospital provided excellent care before, during and after my surgery. The surgery was with minimally invasive, requiring a shorter hospital stay and included stabilization of the top three vertebra. I am very grateful for specialists like Dr. Henderson, who has taken great interest in people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and perfected his surgical craft for Chiari 1 patients. I look forward to many better days ahead.