"Absolutely appalling"

Dear Sir / Madam, I am sorry to hear of your sister’s recent diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and for any pain or discomfort she has experienced as a result of this. My limited understanding of the diagnosis of IIH is that it is made by identifying the typical symptoms of the condition and ruling out all others which can cause similar symptoms. Often a standard neurological examination is normal, with the exception of cases where swelling of the optic disc of the eye is present. Imaging procedures such as CT scans and MRI scans also present as normal. I am sorry about the frustration you experienced waiting for a definitive diagnosis- I am assuming your sister received this after a lumbar puncture was performed? We take your concerns very seriously indeed. Unfortunately because this post is anonymous I do not have any further information about your sister, when she came in and who saw her so I can’t respond to your post as I would like to. I would therefore be grateful if you would, with your sister’s consent, get in touch to share some more details. My email is annie.laverty@nhct.nhs.uk I look forward to hearing from you, With thanks again, Annie Annie Laverty – Director of Patient Experience.