On this episode of "Behind Diagnoses: Patients", a Peer Med Podcast special series we hear from Morgan Lewis, also known as Mo. is a Chicago native, now NJ resident for 20+ years, a terrible singer, and mother to 2 amazing children. She currently works as an administrative assistant with a degree in Applied Sciences in Massage Therapy from The Swedish Institute in New York that was received in 2009.
In 2019, she began a new job and shortly after became very ill. She was unable to turn her head, blinding headaches, blurred vision, and extreme nausea. She went to the ER, and after hours of tests, (including her first spinal tap), was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus (Pseudotumor Cerebri). After numerous spinal taps and months of medications, in October 2020 she underwent her first shunt placement. The surgery itself was fairly easy, but the recovery was anything but. She was discharged with a walker, and began having seizures throughout the day, and was advised that the seizures were due to "stress" and diagnosed as "pseudo seizures". Many tests were to follow, but the prior symptoms began to settle in, including slight vision loss. The thing that doctors fail to tell you about is the emotional toll all of this takes on their patients. How difficult, painful, and at times unrecognizable recovery can be. How recovery can have good and bad days... How you have to learn the new body you're in and it's adjustments to even the smallest tasks... How to make peace with the old and now the new. It wasn't until she reached out to the community around her (Facebook groups, non-profit organizations, therapy) that she was able to make the breakthrough in her treatment and receive the care she needed.
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Follow Morgan @iammolewis
