What the heck????

I have this new thing in my life..I don't like it..I don't want it...

I now have to deal with it...

I have Intracranial Hypertension...I have to double check the spelling everytime I type it....

I have a shunt in my head....

My head hurts all the time....

No one seems to understand, least of all me....





So what the heck is all this??

I promise this will be the last boring stritly medical post I do...LOL

Taken from the Cleveland Clinic website

Pseudotumor Cerebri(Also Called 'Benign Intracranial Hypertension')


What is Pseudotumor Cerebri?
Pseudotumor cerebri literally means "false brain tumor." It is likely due to high pressure caused by the buildup or poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain

In other words my brain makes too much spinal fluid.

Taken from the http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Definition
Pseudotumor cerebri (SOO-doh-too-mur SER-uh-bry) occurs when the pressure inside your skull (intracranial pressure) increases for no obvious reason. Symptoms mimic those of a brain tumor, but no tumor is present. Pseudotumor cerebri can occur in children and adults, but it's most common in obese women of childbearing age.
When no underlying cause for the increased intracranial pressure can be discovered, pseudotumor cerebri may also be called idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
The increased intracranial pressure associated with pseudotumor cerebri can cause swelling of the optic nerve and result in vision loss. Medications often can reduce this pressure, but in some cases, surgery is necessary.



Symptoms:
Pseudotumor cerebri symptoms may include:
Moderate to severe headaches that may originate behind your eyes, wake you from sleep and worsen with eye movement
Ringing in the ears that pulses in time with your heartbeat
Nausea, vomiting or dizziness
Blurred or dimmed vision
Brief episodes of blindness, lasting only a few seconds and affecting one or both eyes
Difficulty seeing to the side
Double vision

Causes
The exact cause of pseudotumor cerebri in most individuals is unknown


It is listed on NORD, the National Organization of Rare Disorders


Anyone can develop Intracranial Hypertensionegardless of age, gender, ethnicity, race or body type. However, it does effect more women than men.

There is no cure, there is no magic fix but it is treatable.....

There is a research foundation http://www.ihrfoundation.org/ that has a lot more information. I have just touched on the basics.

Whewww....from now on we will just talk about me, my family and day to day stuff.

Brandy