may 14 - 20 | 2014
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An invisible illness By KYLIE WILSON
GOOD OUTLOOK:
Lyndal Cherry can manage her IIH now that her symptoms have been diagnosed.
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IMAGINE you’ve got the most intense headache, are rapidly losing vision and feel apprehensive about not knowing what’s wrong. Welcome to Lyndal Cherry’s world, prior to her diagnosis 18 months ago of suffering from ipidiopathic intercranial hypertension (IIH). The Oxley resident thought her constant debilitating headaches and blurred vision were from her busy life, and stress as a workplace trainer. She sought stronger eye glasses, but once tested by her optometrist, was told she had a papilledema, or swelling of the optic nerve – which the optometrist explained only have two causes. “It was either a brain tumor, or IIH, neither of which were remotely appealing,” Lyndal said wryly. She was swiftly subjected to a battery of tests, including MRI and CT scans, which confirmed IIH, and in the months that followed, her life was a whirlwind of lumbar punctures and other treatments to try and manage the symptoms. Lyndal said her symptoms began to worsen, including extreme sensitivity to light and loud noises. “It didn’t matter what they did, I was still in severe pain,” she said. “I couldn’t even make out the top letter on an eye chart. “If I hadn’t been treated, I could have lost my vision.” By Christmas 2012 she had been rushed to neurology specialists in Melbourne, who fitted her with a lumbar peritoneal shunt. continued page |
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