Sick leave

I was on kind of a roll for a few weeks on Steemit and then...wooosh. I had to pause. Why, you ask? It's complicated...
It all started in the last days of March, this year. It was Wednesday. My head started to hurt. I took some painkillers and thought nothing of it, my head tends to hurt quite often. I have three small kids and don't really get lots of sleep. But a headache persisted and got worse in the next few days. So Friday morning, my mom took to E.R. They gave me more painkillers and sent me home.

The pain worsened. So I went to the E.R. again. And they kept me in the hospital. Neurology department. The next week was a painful haze for me. I don't remember much besides the pain. Nothing worked from all the painkillers I was given and the pain was quite heavy. After all tests under the sun and a MRI that showed some changes in the brain that looked like a partial inflammation of the meninges. It was my middle kids birthday. So I was transferred to another department, for infections. After they too didn't find anything they sent me to otorhinolaryngology department because my symptoms could be a sign of a heavy and untypical sinus infection. I was then scheduled for an emergency operation. It was the birthday of my oldest that day. That day was the first time in almost two weeks I woke up without pain. I thought the agony was over. Little did I know it was just starting. It turned out that it was not that the pain stopped but the anesthetics and pain meds that I got during the operation ware really strong. The pain returned in the evening and began to worsen again. I was let home and told the pain would gradually go away.

Right after my sinus operation.

But it didn't. I was kind of ok for a few days until I finished my post-op therapy but then it took a turn for worse. In the next two weeks, I went to the E.R. a few times only to be sent home each time. The test came out ok and nothing new could be seen. A headache wasn't my only problem then. Neck pain, vision problems, arm tingles...the pain then became so severe that I couldn't really chew, get up to go to the toilet, sleep. Blink. Every movement hurt badly. Finally, my husband went to the hospital without me. When the doctor saw him and ask where I was he told him that I couldn't even go to the toilet let alone come for a check-up. That's when they admitted me to the hospital again. This time I got a proper diagnosis and started the proper therapy. Intracranial hypotension.

Intracranial hypotension, also known as craniospinal hypotension is defined as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure <7 cm H2O in patients with clinical presentation compatible with intracranial hypotension, which are a postural headache, nausea, vomiting, neck pain, visual and hearing disturbances, and vertigo. It most commonly results from CSF leaks somewhere along the neuraxis.

The therapy worked. I celebrated the birthday of my third in the hospital as well. I was in the hospital for maybe two weeks that time. Things got better. I went home. But then it worsened again. I went in for a control MRI that showed no signs of improvement and I got transferred to Zagreb, Rebro, the clinic for neurology. I had two tests done. Cisternogram and cisternography.

Cisternogram: This test is used to diagnose a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. It can be ordered with pledgets (for CSF leaks of the head) or without (for spinal leaks or normal-pressure hydrocephalus). A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is done first. Small amounts of radioactive material, called a radioisotope, are injected into the fluid in the lower spine.
One is scanned 4 - 6 hours after receiving this injection. A special camera takes images that show how the radioactive materials travel with the cerebrospinal fluid through the spine and if the fluid leaks outside the spine.
One is scanned again 24 hours after injection, and possibly at 48 and 72 hours after injection.

Cisternography: Computed tomography (CT) cisternography is an imaging technique used to diagnose CSF rhinorrhea or CSF otorrhea (CSF leaks), as CT allows the assessment of the bones of the base-of-skull. Pre-contrast CT is performed with thin slices. 3-10 mL of an iodinated nonionic low-osmolar contrast agent is installed into thecal sac after lumbar puncture. One is then tilted with foot-end elevation and a CT scan is performed with thin slices; maneuvres that provoke an active leak, such as head hanging or sneezing, are performed to visualize intermittent or occult leaks
post-contrast images are then compared with the pre-contrast image to see where the CSF and the contrast are leaking out
radionuclide cisternography is more sensitive but has poor anatomic resolution compared to CT cisternography

The first test came positive for a leak and the second one should have had determined the exact spot of the leak so I could have an operation that would close whole so the leak would stop and the symptoms would go away. But that did not happen. I was happy it was over but also So I was discharged after a month in the hospital. It was at the beginning of July. I was told it would probably heal on its own and if it doesn't, or if the pain worsens again I should come back to Zagreb. I came home a day before my birthday.

The leaking of cerebrospinal fluid through my nose also know as rhinoliquorrhea.

I go to the doctors for follow-ups every few weeks and am expected to have a control MRI soon. The leaks are still active but the pain is bearable. I even got off my pain meds. I take them maybe once or twice in a week.That is a huge improvement from one every six hours. But the illness is quite exhausting. My blood pressure tends drastically to fall every few days so I kind of collapse to bed. One of the things typical of my condition is that the headaches are orthostatic which means my head hurts when I'm upright, sitting or standing, but it goes away when I lay down. Well, most of the times. So steeming, writing and researching on my computer can be challenging. Last few weeks ware very tiring and my headaches got a bit problematic and the leaks got a bit more frequent. I hope for the best now and I will write another post about my condition, the ''leaky cauldron syndrome'' as I call it. I certainly don't mean to give up on this lovely community.

This all sounds creepy and dangerous but it's really not that bad. It's just tiring and complicated to explain as it is to endure.
I'm glad to be back and I hope to get back on track with daily posting.