Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension or Pseudotumor Cerebri

What is IIH? A severe condition with no cure that produces too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) causing a build-up of pressure in the brain and optic nerves. Symptoms of IIH Severe headaches, dizziness, floaters in the eyes, whooshing in the ears (tinnitus), sickness, blindness, balance issues, blurred vision, double vision Some more information on some of the first tell tale signs are located here . Medical Treatments Common Prescriptions are: Diamox, Topamax, Neptazane, and Furosemide. Common procedures are regular Lumbar Punctures, MRIs, CTs, and Ophthalmology exams. Lumbar Punctures however, only last for so long then it continues to rebuild fluid and pressure. Eventually Lumbar Punctures are effective for a few short weeks or less. Next thing doctors perform is surgery. There are several different types of surgery doctors perform to try and control the build-up, here are a few examples;  Optic Nerve Sheath Fenestration (ONSF), Lumbo Peritoneal (LP) Shun...

It's twenty-seven days since surgery and I've discovered some new things that have developed, which, unfortunately, are good, bad, and ugly. Waking up in pain was no new symptom for me. However, waking up not being able to see and have more than one area that hurts now is more than debilitating, it's excruciating. I was told that once I had this surgery my sight would return permanently and there would be no more visual impairments of any kind. We were all wrong. Since the shunt was placed it has done a fabulous job at diverting fluid from collecting in my brain, putting dangerously painful pressure onto my optic nerves to my abdominal region. When I had my original CT’s done they showed two collections of fluid; one behind my eyes, another by my cerebellum (which controls balance and motor function). When I woke from surgery the right side of my body was weak. The doctors said it was normal and that it would dissipate within a few days to a couple of weeks. Afte...

My mind feels trapped, unable to speak out from the daily pains, no one to talk to. This is my only way to speak out. I was cast out from family for no reason and this continuously haunts my thoughts. They didn’t want to deal with my downfalls or tragedies for having nearly everything that was stolen and no place to call home. We were entrusted with the communication and assurance that we would have a place to stay until we got back on our feet. Instead, we were thrown to wolves, cast out from a people I once called family. Now, they are mere blood relatives and nothing more. Two days away from surgery and I am terrified, frustrated, angry, and scared. I had another doctor's appointment today and during the million questionnaires from the office staff. One question that was asked and I had no idea what the word meant after they asked the questions, "do you use contraceptives?". My interpretation of it at first was drugs. Any other day I walk into a doctor's offi...