BALTIMORE, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Imagine one day waking up with a headache so strong you can’t think, a pain in your neck so severe you can’t move and your eyesight suddenly turns blurry. That’s what happens with people who suffer from pseudotumor cerebri or PTC. Now, doctors are finding ways to relieve the symptoms and give patients their lives back.
Patrice Cooper was headed for a girl’s night out with her best friend when a car from behind slammed into them.
“Instantly, my neck started hurting,” she explained.
Then…
“I would see dark spots look like bugs were like crawling up the walls, sounds still bothered me. Lights still bothered me,” Patrice said.
Steroid injections to relieve the pain made things worse.
“My headaches have been absolutely astronomical,” Patrice told Ivanhoe.
A CT scan and an MRI revealed Patrice was also suffering from pseudotumor cerebri or PTC.
“It’s a condition where there’s elevated cerebral spinal fluid pressure in the brain that causes headache and loss of vision,” explained Jon McIver, MD, neurosurgeon at the Brain and Spine Center at Mercy Medical Center.
Diagnosed usually by the eye doctor who sees swelling of the optic nerve, PTC is treated in several ways. Recently researchers have learned that losing weight helps some patients.
“We think that this has something to do with the hormones produced by the fat cells. So decreased activity or volume of the fat cells can indirectly influence spinal fluid production in some people,” Dr. McIver said.
Neurosurgeons also can perform a lumbar puncture, where a needle is inserted into the back to withdraw spinal fluid.
Although Patrice has not had surgery yet — she is ready to make the move to be pain free — and bring the fun back into her life.
“I’m missing out on like, I’m about to get emotional ’cause I’m missing out on life,” she said.
The cause of pseudotumor cerebri is unknown. Women, especially those of childbearing age, are at a higher risk. Hormonal changes might play a role. Recent studies suggest that narrowed veins draining the brain might contribute to PTC. Treating these narrowed areas could potentially help relieve symptoms.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dan Collins
Senior Director of Media Relations at Mercy Medical Center
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
