10 years ago I had a medical issue I wanted help with. I was young and asked my mom to help me find a doctor.
She booked me with a NP. I recognized at 19 this isn’t who I needed to speak to and was shocked this was who she used.
Fast forward to today. My mother has a plethora of health issues. Worsening as time goes on.
Most recently it’s been ear ringing, head pressure, etc.
Turns out her CSF pressure is too high.
She found this out after getting a lumbar puncture at a reputable medical school about 4 hours from where she lives. She’s working with a neurologist/neurosurgeon there. (Not positive which).
They offered a treatment (branded fluid pill) and she refused. She doesn’t get why they’d recommend a fluid pill when she’s already on one.
She doesn’t understand that their recommendation isn’t like her other fluid pill and is designed to lower CSF pressure.
So she has decided she will no longer deal with the medical school and neurologist.
She checked herself into the hospital last night and had a FNP prescribe a medication she read about on the r/iih Reddit.
I know nothing of medicine… but after a quick search, it appears the drug she wanted and has now been prescribed is very powerful and could overcorrect her CSF pressure downward. It would typically be a 3 or 4th line treatment.
I tried to talk with her, but she’s refusing to listen to the medical school and neurologist, and is going to continue working with a FNP in a small town of coal miners instead.
Oh, and she’s obese. Which is likely the cause of much of this. And the FNP has to be 300lbs. I’m guessing she flips out anytime a Dr. mentions she needs to lose weight.
Hence the need to pick and choose doctors… and constantly end back up working with different NPs until she has someone say what she wants to hear.
It’s sad to see, but I can’t change it. This is not good for the future of medicine or patients.