Dilemma

Hey everyone,

I have a dilemma, last Thursday (12/05/11) I ended up in A&E after four days of a high pressure headache and two months of high pressure symptoms. I ended up having a lumbar puncture with my opening pressure being 35 and closing pressure 18 (normal CSF pressure is 15).

My dilemma is that I need to take Acetazolamide to keep my pressure down problem being it makes me ill. The side affects are terrible! I ended up throwing up and feeling nauseous all the time. I was constantly thirsty (more then normal) and was going to the toilet more then a pregnant women. I could eat or drink anything due to the sickness as well of tasting nothing but metal, I also had really painful pins and needles in my hands and feet like an electric shock.

These side affects on top of the symptoms I have is awful but the difference between my symptoms and the side affects is that I can stop the side affects by stopping taken the medication. Only one problem I need the medication to keep my pressure down.

So what do I do? Do I not take the medication and run the risk of my pressure going up and going blind (although the pressure could go up even with the medication) or life with the side affects but lose the little life I have left?

I sleep a lot, am constantly in pain and hardly there for my boys as it is so I don't want to miss out of more time with my boys due to something I CAN control. My neurologist, neuropsychiatrist and GP want me to go back on the medication but I just can't seem to bring myself to take them, I want to keep the little bit of life I have.

I wish there was other treatments to IH instead of horrible medications and surgery. I don't want to have a shunt and I don't want to take the medication but my only other option is having regular lumbar punctures which is bad for me and I'll have to live with the side affects of them.

IH sucks!