Additional Needs
Age Appropriate
by Jodi Shenal
on 26th April, 2024
Feeling the Pressure
It has been an eventful few months and for once the crisis wasn’t Sam-related. This time, it was me.
I like to think of myself as a cautionary tale for other people, an example of what not to do if you will!
I promise it’s not done deliberately, but this past two years I do feel that I’ve had more than my fair share of health issues over and above the usual coughs and colds.
It does, however, serve as a reminder as to why basic health check-ups are so incredibly important – yes, I know parents are incredibly busy and it’s all too easy to forget to look after ourselves.
I won’t bore you with the details other than the key facts; in July, my eye became very sore.
Pharmacist, GP and optician all agreed things needed looking at, so sent me off to the eye clinic at the hospital for a thorough eye check-up.
6 hrs later I had an urgent referral to neurology and was awaiting a CT scan as my optic discs (the point where the optic nerve joins the eye at the back) were swollen.
I was diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a condition where the pressure in and around the brain is too high.
While going through my history, all the little niggles that had plagued me for months suddenly made sense – more frequent, excruciating migraines; waves of nausea on moving together with being physically sick on occasion.
Awful pins and needles in my hands and feet. Extreme tiredness that I’d put down to life and being busy at work.
And the strange, rippling/tingling sensations that I’d been getting across my head, face and into my back.
I’d never heard of IIH before, and yet a simple eye test had been the key to identifying the condition, before it destroyed my vision.
I know we’re all very busy but please, make sure you keep up to date with GP check-ups, eye tests and the rest. Use me as a cautionary tale.
