• astronaut on blurred nowy background lookinng up through helmet
    Intracranial Hypertension

    Gravity & Its Bizarre Effect on Spinal Fluid

    Did you know that two-thirds of astronauts who are in space for a lengthy amount of time come home only to report vision problems such as papilledema? Why? Because spinal fluid is very positional. And gravity – or lack thereof – plays a crucial role in keeping levels balanced. “On Earth, this spinal fluid system is designed to accommodate changes whether a person is sitting, standing or lying down. But in space, ‘the system is confused by the lack of the posture-related pressure changes,’” ¹ My Experience When I first developed a spinal fluid leak, the tell-tale sign for my doctor was the fact that my pain was relieved when…

  • close up of woman's light brown eyes
    Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    A Strange Way of Healing

    Last month, I relapsed. What I thought would end as beautiful memories of the zoo and park with my family turned out to be days of pain and pressure. I overdid it, and I relapsed. You may be wondering how that can be. What happened to being healed? Trust me, I was asking God the same thing. I knew I couldn’t doubt what God had promised, but was I expected to ignore the way I was feeling? There was certainly no doubt there when it came to the stiff inflammation building in my back. There was no ignoring the pressure pushing on my eyes and tightening my neck. How could…

  • close up of a blue and green capsule surrounded by long white tablets
    Intracranial Hypertension

    Medication Options for Intracranial Hypertension

    Having lived with Intracranial Hypertension for almost four years, I must say learning the ropes comes very slowly – but it does indeed come. Year one was mostly spent being misdiagnosed while trying all forms of relief in the wrong direction (allergies, migraine, etc). Year two was nothing but being a guinea pig for what helped and what didn’t, this included both noninvasive and invasive treatments (medications, weight loss, surgery). Year three was thankfully the beginning of finding successful answers – very, very slowly. Now with year four at its close, I hope to share with you some of what I have learned that has helped me manage this condition,…

  • back of woman's head lying on side with dark hair and earring
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    The Auditory Symptoms of Intracranial Hypertension

    Did you know that the first sign I experienced of something being wrong was hearing trouble? I was two days post-blood patch from my CSF leak when my hearing became completely muffled. It felt as if they were stopped up entirely. And I only grew increasingly frustrated with having to constantly hear my own breathing and heartbeat louder than the sounds around me. This pressure was only relieved by lowering my head, which obviously I couldn’t do in casual conversation. This symptom seemed to come on in the morning, shortly after waking and starting my day. It would then typically disappear on its own around lunchtime. Meanwhile, work phone calls…

  • Chronic Illness

    The Truth About Medical Trauma

    ⊗ Trigger Warning: The following post discusses Medical PTSD & Trauma. Please proceed with caution. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank There are many reasons I write. Outside of it being my calling, writing can be incredibly therapeutic. Like seeing a therapist, it brings clarity to the situations in my life. Oftentimes, it can feel as if bees are swarming around in my mind. I can’t think straight, and speaking is almost completely out of the question. But writing allows for these “bees” to fly out one at a time and land on each page accordingly. It allows…

  • spoonful of white tablets with medicine bottles in the background
    Body,  Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    Have You Tried…

    We’ve all heard it. You don’t even have to have a chronic illness to have been asked this question in regards to all your problems. “Have you tried…” Have you tried losing weight? Have you tried this diet? Have you tried yoga? Have you tried essential oils? It didn’t take me long to realize how tiresome this question can be. For many who do suffer with a chronic illness, this question can almost seem like an insult. Because in truth, they have likely tried everything you can name. Personally, this question has never bothered me because I look at it as a way to research more into both what works…

  • Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    By His Stripes, I Am Healed

    To say it was a Sunday like any other would be a lie. In truth, I should have realized something was different early on. Though my husband made no comment to me, he didn’t even want to go to church that morning. Even I lacked the usual energy and excitement that I usually had in going to my place of freedom. The music didn’t reach me the same. I barely sang, and I could only manage a sway while everyone danced and clapped around me. I still had no idea of what was to come. Though my body was only a few feet from the alter, my mind was elsewhere.…

  • black and white photo of girl with shaved head wearing a hospital gown taking a selfie in a mirror
    Chronic Illness

    What We Wish You Knew

    Not everything is easy to say – especially for someone who battles sickness and pain on a daily basis. But there are many things that we wish you knew. I ask that you take the time today to read through what so many of us with chronic illnesses struggle with on a daily basis. Help us break that silence. I cannot speak for everyone, but I do believe this can speak for many: 1.) Sometimes we don’t want to take medicine. You’ve seen the commercials. We don’t need to tell you the side effects that can come with the medications we  take. Some of us can barely even keep track…

  • girl with shaved head in hospital bed making a peace sign with hand and holding phone
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    My Shunt Surgery – Healing

    Apparently when my neurosurgery team told me, “If you feel anything at all, let us know.” They meant, “It can take even eight weeks before your body adjusts to the shunt.” So by three weeks post-surgery, I was back at the hospital once again begging for relief. As I stood hunched against the corner of the elevator trying to stretch out the pressure, who do you think was to enter the elevator that Friday morning but my neurologist – my God-sent angel – the only one who could ever convince my neurosurgeons to help me. And despite ridiculous feuds with my neurosurgery team that day, my shunt was adjusted and…

  • young woman post-surgery sitting and smiling with a shaved head
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    My Shunt Surgery – Recovery

    I remember the moment I woke up in recovery and was told I just had shunt surgery. Part of me felt like I was still in and out of consciousness in the ER. Part of me thought I had passed out from the pain, and they had performed an emergency shunt surgery. Within a few minutes though, my husband and his sister were at my side, and I began to remember that it was all planned. Nurses came by to take bedside X-rays, and I rested, soaking in the new information that was now a part of my life: I had a shunt. I had a medical device inside of…