Hi there!

OMG I have been diagnosed with exactly the same thing! Benign Intracranial Hypertension.

I haven't really noticed many symptoms yet - I just noticed a few blotchy spots in my right eye mainly but I put that down to being tired. I get headaches and stuff which pain killers don't really do anything for, but I thought what they hey - it's been 5 years, why not get my eye checked out!

I went to my optom - there was some concern there he says. So he refers me to the Eye specialist who finds that my optic nerves are definitely swollen. He gives me some reasoning for this but the only one I heard was TUMOR! And I'm only 25!!!

From here he refers me to get a MRI scan, then it turns into a CT scan first then maybe MRI. Then it's changed again - a CT scan, then a LUMBER PUNCTURE! Holy crap!

I'm pleased to say I had an MRI done about a month ago and it's not a tumor! So I have been diagnosed with Benign Intracranial Hypertension.

They have to take a Lumbar punture to measure the pressure to see if that's definitely the cause. My first 5 lumbar punctures failed I had a horrible headache for days but I put that down to incompetence of the New Zealand Health System. I go back for hopefully a successful one on Tuesday....

IF this is the case, I've been told weight loss healps (i'm 90kgs and should be about 65 for my height) which makes me the perfect specimen for benign intracranial hypertension! go figure. My doc is going to put me on weight loss, and then to reduce the CSF (cerebrial spinal fluid) accumulating around my brain to relieve the optic nerve swelling that could eventually lead to blindness, there is the option of drugs or a shunt being surgically installed in my neck to ask as a pump to push excess fluid out of the brain!

God that was a marathon writing that - but I hope that helps you and any one that could help me out as well with any information they have that would be so appreciated! As to be honest - I'm not keen about lumbar punture number 6 on Tuesday