Spinal Tap

I had a spinal tap Wednesday. It all started when I began to lose sight in my right eye. I went to the Optometrist and you know its never a good sign when they call in their colleagues to consult. They decided that I had papilledema--my optic nerve was swollen and that was caused by pressure in the brain. I went a couple of days later to an Ophthalmologist who agreed with their finding and was told that the causes of this were, brain tumor, encephalitis, meningitis, and something called pseudotumor cerebri--too much spinal fluid. So--off to the Neurologist. The Neurologist ordered an MRI which showed an empty sella (if you look it up it looks way scarier than it is). This is actually a sign of pseudotumor cerebri which is actually the lesser of evils. So off to the hospital for a spinal tap. It wasn't that bad--just some weird sensations. My spinal pressure was over twice normal. They drained 25 cc of spinal fluid. Although everything I read said it would take time for my symptoms to subside, when I went out in the parking lot my vision was clear. I had to stay in bed all day and drink caffeine (yeah!!) to avoid headaches--which I have anyway. But--all in all it went well. I have to take a diuretic to keep my spinal pressure down and take off some weight because that adds to the problem. So after a couple of weeks of worry and a lot of prayer, everything seems OK. For those of you that knew about it and were praying--thank you with all my heart.