Like it was yesterday...it's scary how quickly, yet how slow, the year goes by. It felt like everyday was a week long, but looking back it felt much faster. I also felt sad that I still wasn't feeling well. It was emotional for me. I had an appointment on the aniversary of the day before I got sick, I was looking back remembering what it was like to have had my last normal day (sorry I didn't know how to word the beginning of the sentence, hope it makes sense). I got sick on January 4,2011, it was a Tuesday. It was weird because my best friend had gotten sick on Sunday and I had spent Saturday and Sunday with her. I thought that I had caught what she had. Her doctors thought she had mono, and so when I went to the doctors I told them my friend was sick. Well...turns out neither of us had mono...but she got better and I stayed sick.
How do you feel about your one year anniversary coming up?
Hugs to you.
Mallory

My one year is approaching, too. And I'm kind of blue. I thought things would be so much better by now!

Lisa

I'm trying to stay positive because it just seemed like yesterday I was crying my eyes out in the eye doctors office after he told me what I had but this has been the toughest year I have ever had I never thought this would be my life I never thought I would had brain surgery at the age of 22 i never thought i would have to take pills so i can just get out of the bed and act like a normal person nothing in my life is the same from one year ago I used to love my life now I'm just trying to get through it but I always think It could be worst Mallory did you do anything to celebrate it I know couple people got tattoos of the iih ribbon on their one year

I spent my one year anniversary frustrated as heck and still so very, very sick. I was diagnosed July 5th, 2009 and on July 5th, 2010 I was not even close to remission. My first brain surgery was not even until December 2010!!!

I have been in remission a little over four months now. When I hit a year of remission, I sure as hell will celebrate!

Cowgirl, you're such an inspiration! I'm working hard to get into remission by losing weight; I'm down around 40 lbs since diagnosis. I want to be off of Topomax so badly! Please keep posting; you're such an inspiration!

Lisa

My one year anniversary is also coming up in a few weeks. It was the last week of September I think that they saw the optic nerves out of whack but I didn't get offically diagnosed until the end of October. Why is it that you can go from no symptoms at diagnosis to dealing with it everyday now. I never pictured it would turn into this. The way they made it sound at diagnosis was that I would be "cured" quickly, since I was still symptom free.
In some respects the year has gone quickly but in others I feel like it's been forever.

i was diagnosed on my birthday so i get a reminder every year!

Lisa congrats on the weight loss

Amy I am so sorry you got diagnosed on your birthday! You make me feel lucky in that I at least got diagnosed on St.Patrick's Day..

Lisa - Thank you so much for that! That made my day, you just have no idea how much!

I am working on the weight loss now. I never lost a pound and went into remission! Granted my PTC did not go away on it's own, I still am pain free. I actually gained weight in the process (eek!) and I couldn't even hardly eat for over a year of it! So weird...

Anyhow...again, thank you, lady. :)

Mal - I think birthday cake is a better way to celebrate IH than green beer!!

So true Amy!! :) cake is absolutely better!

I'm right at my one year diagnosis also and I can't bring myself to "celebrate" in any manner. I never had any health issues, didn't take pills for anything, and actually hadn't seen a doctor (besides my OB) in about 10 years - there wasn't anything wrong with me! I'm a normal weight and 44 years old, so when my eye doctor saw paps, the other docs didn't think I had IH, but I do. I've lost so much this past year. Moderate hearing loss, non-stop ringing, vision problems and now can't drive at night, daily head / neck pains, problems from the meds, reynauds syndrome, hair loss, inability to do much of anything at night (I do still work all day), and the loss of many activities due to inability to deal with sounds or lights.

I held on to the denial phase for a long time, but after my short-lived success with stent surgery reversed, I've lost hope in medical resolution. I'm now just holding on to see how much hearing and vision I have left by the time I hit menopause and hope that it's most of what I've got now.

Instead of a wine for happy hour, I'll drink my water, and instead of a fancy dinner, I'll take my seven nightly pills and deal with one more IH day.

I remember the day I was diagnosed like yesterday. I was so happy that it wasn't a brain tumor that I thought IH would be a piece of cake in comparison. I look back on that day and see how different my life is a year later. I'm almost at the 2 year mark and my IH is pretty much under control but I'm no where near the same person I was before Feb 2011.

I find myself in state of depression even though I don't really think I'm depressed. It's hard to explain. My actions are those of a depressed person but my mind refuses to believe that I am. I've become two different people since diagnosis. The one my coworkers see and the one I am after 5:00. When I'm at work, I'm me. My work keeps me focused and I love my job. When I'm home, I can't get outta bed. I literally lay in bed until it's time to go back to work.

A year ago, I was a great mom. I worked, I came home and cooked for my kids, and I was involved in my kids lives. Now I feel like I have given them free range. I want to fix this but I don't know how. The only bright side is that I have great kids. It's so many ways they could exploit this but they haven't. They are raising themselves the way I started even though I haven't been able to finish it.

November 15th will be a year since I got really sick. I wasn't diagnosed with PTC until late June. They thought I had Meniere's disease and sent me through balance therapy. Lol.

Anyway, I'm dreading it. I went from a totally normal person- wife, mother, employee- to a train wreck. I just wish I could be better for my children. I don't even care about myself anymore.

So yeah, I'm not planning anything special. Still holding out hope that I'll be cured by then. Lol.