Personal background: 28 year old female, average height and weight (5'5", 165lbs), nearsighted, history of chronic pain since I was 13 - migraine-like headaches of increasing severity/frequency. At least some level of pain every day, with major headaches every week. Headaches come with nausea and occasional vomiting (once every month or two). Initially ID'd several years back as a general Occipital Neuralgia but all MRIs and other tests have come back negative/inconclusive. Headaches worse upon extending my neck and or repetitive movements (looking up and down, for example). The only treatment its responded to is the occipital nerve blocks. i have a poor sleeping history (takes an hour to fall asleep, wake up easily and frequently). The neurologist I saw noted that I have unusually cold extrmities, but nno history of numbness.
Current situation: During a routine eye checkup last month I was found to have bilateral optic nerve hemhorrhages. Not extensive, but obvious enough to a basic optometrist. Follow up exams with a neurologist and opto-neurologist (neuro-opthamologist?) found signs of papillodema, but they weren't sure if it was just my normal, myopic anatomy of if it really was increased pressure. So this past Friday I had a lumbar puncture - they took an opening pressure and two vials of fluid. I just found out today that the test came back with higher than normal pressure. I'll find out the culture test results next week at my follow-up. I will also be going for an MRV (MRI of the venous/circulatory system) in the next week or two.
I've been doing a lot of research, and I've found increased spinal pressue to be a symptom but not really a cause of other medical problems. Basically I'm trying to figure out what could be causing it, and if my chronic neck pain/headchache problems could be related.
Based on what I've described, can anyone give me any ideas as to what could be going on? Many thanks in advance!