Patient Perspectives

Abstract

It is important for health-care professionals, who deal with Chiari malformation and syringomyelia, to have some appreciation of what the patient goes through, in terms of both physical and emotional distress. Many of these experiences may not be obvious to the doctor, working in the clinical environment and with limited consultation time. In this chapter, four individuals give brief summaries of their own experiences as patients and can teach us a good deal about the many needs of people who find themselves having to live with these rather frightening conditions.