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Solutions!
Mar. 11th, 2013 11:50 pmSo a quick update since my last post a... month ago. Wow.
I went to the optician who looked at my eye with three different cameras, one of which required the use of dye that had me literally seeing everything in red and feeling nauseous from all the bright flashing lights, and he told me that the back of my left eye was being pushed from behind and flattened.
At the same time he asked me about any other symptoms I may or may not have been having, at which point I had also mentioned that I felt a pressure in my left ear. It felt as if there was some water trapped in it and I could hear my heartbeat quite loudly but had been ignoring/pushing through it since I'd always had sensitive ears and had thought it would pass.
The optician told me that he could not see anything wrong with my eye itself and that the symptoms were resulting from something deeper in my head. He set me up with a Neurologist as well as an appointment to get a CT scan of my head.
This of course took the better part of a week and a half, during which all I could think of was 'there's something in my head, la la la.'
Anyway, come time for my neurology appointment, my CT scan's come back clean (yay) but my symptoms had actually worsened. The pounding in my ear was so loud by then that I had trouble falling asleep because of it. The Neurologist, and awesome lady by the name of Dr. Patterson, took note of my symptoms, came up with a tentative diagnosis, and then sent me off to get an MRI of my ear (more detail than CT to make sure that the ear and eye symptoms were connected/not connected) and a Lumbar Puncture to check her diagnosis.
The MRI came back also clean (yay again)...
The Lumbar Puncture was last Tuesday.
Let me say that if anyone tells you an LP is a quick procedure and you can be active again after a day of rest is a dirty filthy liar.
The LP did confirm the doctor's diagnosis. It also left me almost incapable of moving for three days, due to a combination of sever back pain and crippling headaches and endless nausea, after which my Mom drove me to an 'emergency' appointment with my Neurologist. It was a 30 min. drive and I managed to fill 3 plastic bags full of bile along the way, which I'm actually honestly impressed with since I hadn't had anything but water for the past two days due to my nausea and not being able to sit up to eat.
After checking me over the doctor said that my continued and sever symptoms came from the fact that the site of the LP was still leaking spinal fluid (FFFFFffff!) and that was causing fluid to build up inside my abdominal area. This combined with the nausea from the headaches (which themselves were a result due to the decrease of the spinal fluid) had pretty much left my back in a cramp.
She prescribed me medicine to help with the nausea, a set of muscle relaxants, and caffeine to fight off the headaches (that last one was actually a big deal since I don't drink any coffee, tea, sodas, or other caffeinated beverages). After a day on the medicines and being able to actually keep some food in me I was finally starting to feel slightly better.
Still, tonight's the first night that my back/head have felt good enough for me to sit in front of a PC and type a lot.
The cause for all this?
My diagnosis is 'benign hypercranial tension.' Which means that my body either produces too much spinal brain fluid, or does not absorb back enough, which leads to a build up in pressure. And it was that pressure that was affecting my eye sight and which I was feeling in my left ear. The caffeine helps my headaches because they are a result of the absence of pressure and it kicks it back up. Once my spine stops leaking and the headaches fade I have to take two honking huge horse pills a day to keep the fluid production/retention in check.
Alternatively... the doctor said that weight is a major impact on this condition and that if I lost it I might not have to take pills to keep the pressure within a 'harmless' range.
I had stuff planned for this week (mainly writing!) but I've obviously not been able to get around to it due to these reasons. Now I'm hoping that my symptoms will clear up within the next few days because me and my Mom are going oversees and if car rides can leave me feeling ill I don't want to know what a plane ride will do.
On the flipside, cut off from the internet, I'll be able to do a whole plenty lot of writing then.
I went to the optician who looked at my eye with three different cameras, one of which required the use of dye that had me literally seeing everything in red and feeling nauseous from all the bright flashing lights, and he told me that the back of my left eye was being pushed from behind and flattened.
At the same time he asked me about any other symptoms I may or may not have been having, at which point I had also mentioned that I felt a pressure in my left ear. It felt as if there was some water trapped in it and I could hear my heartbeat quite loudly but had been ignoring/pushing through it since I'd always had sensitive ears and had thought it would pass.
The optician told me that he could not see anything wrong with my eye itself and that the symptoms were resulting from something deeper in my head. He set me up with a Neurologist as well as an appointment to get a CT scan of my head.
This of course took the better part of a week and a half, during which all I could think of was 'there's something in my head, la la la.'
Anyway, come time for my neurology appointment, my CT scan's come back clean (yay) but my symptoms had actually worsened. The pounding in my ear was so loud by then that I had trouble falling asleep because of it. The Neurologist, and awesome lady by the name of Dr. Patterson, took note of my symptoms, came up with a tentative diagnosis, and then sent me off to get an MRI of my ear (more detail than CT to make sure that the ear and eye symptoms were connected/not connected) and a Lumbar Puncture to check her diagnosis.
The MRI came back also clean (yay again)...
The Lumbar Puncture was last Tuesday.
Let me say that if anyone tells you an LP is a quick procedure and you can be active again after a day of rest is a dirty filthy liar.
The LP did confirm the doctor's diagnosis. It also left me almost incapable of moving for three days, due to a combination of sever back pain and crippling headaches and endless nausea, after which my Mom drove me to an 'emergency' appointment with my Neurologist. It was a 30 min. drive and I managed to fill 3 plastic bags full of bile along the way, which I'm actually honestly impressed with since I hadn't had anything but water for the past two days due to my nausea and not being able to sit up to eat.
After checking me over the doctor said that my continued and sever symptoms came from the fact that the site of the LP was still leaking spinal fluid (FFFFFffff!) and that was causing fluid to build up inside my abdominal area. This combined with the nausea from the headaches (which themselves were a result due to the decrease of the spinal fluid) had pretty much left my back in a cramp.
She prescribed me medicine to help with the nausea, a set of muscle relaxants, and caffeine to fight off the headaches (that last one was actually a big deal since I don't drink any coffee, tea, sodas, or other caffeinated beverages). After a day on the medicines and being able to actually keep some food in me I was finally starting to feel slightly better.
Still, tonight's the first night that my back/head have felt good enough for me to sit in front of a PC and type a lot.
The cause for all this?
My diagnosis is 'benign hypercranial tension.' Which means that my body either produces too much spinal brain fluid, or does not absorb back enough, which leads to a build up in pressure. And it was that pressure that was affecting my eye sight and which I was feeling in my left ear. The caffeine helps my headaches because they are a result of the absence of pressure and it kicks it back up. Once my spine stops leaking and the headaches fade I have to take two honking huge horse pills a day to keep the fluid production/retention in check.
Alternatively... the doctor said that weight is a major impact on this condition and that if I lost it I might not have to take pills to keep the pressure within a 'harmless' range.
I had stuff planned for this week (mainly writing!) but I've obviously not been able to get around to it due to these reasons. Now I'm hoping that my symptoms will clear up within the next few days because me and my Mom are going oversees and if car rides can leave me feeling ill I don't want to know what a plane ride will do.
On the flipside, cut off from the internet, I'll be able to do a whole plenty lot of writing then.
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