I have been signed off work as my head pain is ridiculous, I can hardly hold my head up for long, but lying down hurts more. I am sensitive to light and my walking isn't great.

We have decided I need a recliner chair, as my couch has a low back so I cant rest my head and this way I can get some rest as I am shattered.

The next challenge we face is getting to the shops in my condition to find the right one. It will need to be electric as I cant push it back with my feet, oddly that will just cause my head pain.

Mum and dad will take me with hubby is working, I feel hopeless.

For 6 years pre 2011, Gilly my best friend and I had a large allotment plot at the bottom of many steps which with help from family we turned from ruin into a productive yet peaceful space, with a veg side and young orchid.

In our first year we won best newcomer and went on to win heaviest cucumber in the allotment competition which was all for a bit of fun. It got us out the house, working hard and gave us great enjoyment. I particularly found weeding very calming and relaxing. Plus loved taking my niece down to play in her mud patch and do a little growing.

As soon as I became ill we had to let it go as I could not function properly, head pain, sensitive to light, poor vision, poor balance and more. I was gutted, this was the one thing I did for myself, it was my space, why was it being taken from me? but we all thought it would be OK I would get some health back and I could grow again in the back garden which was always kept neat and tidy and has a pond.

Lets hope this is sooner rather than later.

Driving was something I had done from the age of 17 and loved doing. Grandma was never able to drive and gave me the opportunity of learning as she knew it was a skill of freedom and independence so to have this taken away in 2011 was heart breaking on a number of levels.

Don't get me wrong it was the right thing to do, I was having seizures, my vision was unreliable and pain uncontrollable but it was my independence.
I had only just bought my new car and I was always the one go to visit friends and family, the car is where I listened to music and sing and I love singing, of course it is how I travelled to work, to my allotment. All of this lost and I was not in a fit state to use public transport.

We where lucky that my husband and parents drive so essentials like work and appointments were covered but I truly lost the freedom and independence grandma had provided the day I lost my licence.

I hope one day to regain some of it. 

In November 2011 I was taken onto hospital due to what we all believe was an allergic reaction to fish (thai take away). Who knew that was going to be the start of such a painful journey in my life?

While the doctors and nurses where dealing with the swelling from the reaction, I was also complaining of knee pain and then my head began to feel like it was being crushed, as my vision started to blur.

With allergic reactions the swelling will reduce they come back needing a course of steroid treatment but it was really my other symptoms that left me in hospital for 3 week.

Some of this time is due to the local hospital not having a neurology department so they only visit twice a week but I had many blood test, CT, MRI a lumbar puncture which lead to my diagnosis of IIH, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and started on a medication called acetazolamide.

Having never had heard of this neurological condition before, I knew it was going to become a big part of my life so I found a charity to learn about it and that was IIH UK.

Then to top it all of nicely as I was about to go home I started to fit so that will mean more tests as an outpatients in the future.

As time goes on I will let you know about my conditions, how they effect me and the support I get.