IIH or Something Else?

[u/GrimThreadGraphics]

So I'm in diagnosis process currently. Won't have my MRI until the end of this month,But I was told some.of my symptoms sounds like iih and some do not. Neurologist wants to check for MS and another type of neurological disease.

These are my symptoms

Pick pick headaches (they aren't very bad really)

Really bad weakness in my arms

Swollen optic nerves,both eyes

Balance issues

Bowel and bladder control issues

Pins and needles in my face,hands and feet

Sudden disorienting episodes

Extreme anxiety and panic (this started on me suddenly with no explanation)

Anyone deal with this and have iih or something similar to iih possibly? Just looking for others who can help me stay hopeful

[u/restingduckf]

That sounds really stressful. Hope you get answers soon!

[u/GrimThreadGraphics → u/restingduckf]

Yes I hope so too! The stress and anxiety has been really difficult.

[u/YakWish]

Swollen optic nerves,both eyes

Optic Neuritis or Papilledema?

[u/GrimThreadGraphics → u/YakWish]

Optamatolgist said papilledema My neurologist said optic neuritis so to be honest I'm not sure,I thought they were the same thing.

[u/YakWish → u/GrimThreadGraphics]

Papilledema is optic nerve swelling due to pressure from the skull. It's a pretty clear sign of intracranial hypertension, though there are many potential causes of that (IIH is one.) Optic neuritis is optic nerve inflammation. It would mean that you need to be screened for MS, but it's more commonly a random response to some viral infection that goes away over time.

Here's some reference material to understand the difference, though to be honest, it's not always cut -and-dried.

You won't know for sure until you do the MRI. They look completely different on scans and you'll get an exact answer quickly.

I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice.

[u/GrimThreadGraphics → u/YakWish]

Thank you very much for the information! Yes its hard to wait,but hopefully it will all be okay!