- Intracranial Hypertension
- Interviews
Kelly's interview
How did all start?
I got a headache that never went away.
Do you already have a diagnosis? How long did it take you to get it?
It took 7 months to get a diagnosis.
I persisted in going to the Drs every 1-2 weeks until I got an answer!
For what medical specialties have you been treated? What has been the most useful specialty for your?
GP & specialist GP
Neurologist, Neurosurgeon
Neuro-opthalmologist
Endocrinologist, OB-GYN
Bariatric specialist, dietician, exercise physician
Psychologist, Psychiatrist
What has been the most useful thing for you so far?
I got a VP shunt. While it didn't solve all my problems, it dramatically minimised many of my symptoms, and increased my day-to-day functioning
What have been your biggest difficulties?
Learning to adjust and adapt the way I do things.
How has your social and family environment reacted? Have your social or family relationships changed?
My partner has virtually become my carer.
My family and friends don't understand the severity of the condition
What things have you stopped doing?
I cant do much around the house, etc anymore because I am become really fatigued and it means that i cant do other things.
Exercising increases my symptoms, so i avoid it.
So far, which years have been the best years in your life? What have you done during them?
After I was diagnosed and got my shunt I took 2 years off everything and went travelling on a mid-life gap year. I did it at my own pace to manage my fatigue, etc, but it was the BEST 2 years of my life, and i ticked off many of my bucket list items.
