the begining

I was diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension in jan 2001.
i had woken up 1 morning in late october 1999 unable to move my head, i called the doctor out who said i had trapped a nerve. I was given pain medication and was told it be ok after a few days, well that was the start of my journey to a diagnosis.  I was constant pain with my neck and shoulders for the next 2 months, i went to my own gp and emergency doctors several times being told different things each time, its a trapped nerve, its muscle spasms, i had slept in a draught. I was given a variety of different pain meds and muscle relaxents but none would ease the pain. The only way i could get any releif from the pain was laying in a hot bath with the water upto my chin, i was doing this several times a day. I hardly ate because i was in so much pain.
By mid december 1999 i was starting to have problems with noises in my ears, doctors said it was an ear infection so i got more meds. The week before christmas things went from bad to worse, not only was i still in pain, had the strange noises in my ears but my sight was all strange, the only way to describe it is to imagine starring at the sun and only seeing shadows out of the brightness, so u guessed of to docs i went, all my gp did was check ears and tell me it was a reaction to the strong pain meds i was taking, so they gave me stronger 1s.
After over 2 months of pain i couldnt take anymore, my family didnt know how to help, so on new years day i phoned nhs direct, once i explained all my symptons they called an ambulance for me and i was rushed to hospital. The docs in a&e first thought i was drunk or on drugs because my pupils were fully dialated but after they looked closer into my eyes they called for a nerologist.
i was sent upto a ward where they did my first lumbar pucnture (lp), they thought i had meningitus, but once the needle was in place all i heard from the docs was "o so thats why you have been in so much pain" my pressure was through the roof.
Thats how i was finally diagnosed with iih, i had numerous lps (too many to remember) but wasnt helping my vision as the csf was building back up so quick.
i had an optic nerve fenistration on 1 eye to save my vision, altho i am left with impaired vision i got back more than the doctors expected, and was on meds uptil late 2003 (i think)
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a serious neurological disorder where the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) builds up within the skull, causing pressure which can lead to severe headaches, vision loss, blindness and alters your life, there is currently no cure for this. Treatments vary from meds to surgery.
Not many people have heard of this illness, and not many doctors know enough about it, that is why im doing this blog, i want to help raise awareness of iih,