Originally Posted by jezzka

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

Originally Posted by Leemarie

Hey guys havnt been on here for a while well I have come out of the hospital for a month now I have had a repeat lumbar puncture and the opening pressure was 30cm's instead of 38 which it was when I first was presented to the hospital. I have been put on Diamox which is going fine they told me to take 2, 4 times a day but that was causing so much trouble for me such as bad pins and needles to the point where I would wake up at night, my taste buds were going crazy and I was sooo sensitive to heat. I have chosen to lower it to 1, 3-4 times a day instead and are going fine with only a little thingling now and then which doesn't disrupt me. My eye site has improved, I may only get a fast heart rate once every 3 weeks now, still have migraines nearly everyday constantly but don't no where near as bad as a normal head ache which is awesome. And I no loner hear the ringing in my ear or feel pressure in my head, maybe every week I may feel pressure in my head only once. So, everything is healing this is so awesome and I have realized that this has all happened because I was 100Kilos and only 19 Years Old and my height is only 5 foot 5. So, I am thankful in a way that this has happened as I have now changed my lifestyle and eating sooo healthy and losing weight. I will begin working out as well with an aim to atleast lose a kilo a week to 2 kilos a week over 5 months will take me down to 54 Kilos which is a perfect bikini body for me so I am so happy. How is everyone else going?

p.s Whoever has this and is over weight then I am telling you it is deffinately because of the weight what happens is the weight or fat pushes on the abdominal and in a way squishes the circulation of the blood and the heart circulation connects to the brain and then the CSF builds up in your head lol sorry I am trying to explain it and that is the best I can so that is why you may as an obese or overweight person with this dis-ease, experience fast heart rates, pulsating sound in the ear, pressure in the head, feeling of hot flushes, dizziness, pulpatations, tingling in the body somewhere, head aches, visual disturbances and more as the squashing and tensing of the blood flowing through your body causes the dizziness and heart to race to get blood flowing around to the body and causes sweaty palms and more and the pressure in the head caused by this builds up and causes the head aches, pressure, pulsating sounds in the ear and then presses on the optic nerve in the eye so I hope this helps! I may not be correct with what I am saying exactly but I hope you can catch my drift!