The headache that changed my life

Four years in the past david Stanley Baldwin awoke with a crippling headache that has completely changed his life.
David, from ross-shire, can not sit up straight or walk with out experiencing excruciating ache and he need to keep away from giggling or sneezing due to the fact they're a risk to his fitness.
The 37-yr-old is one of 50 humans a 12 months who increase a cerebrospinal fluid leak (csf leak).
The condition occurs while fluid leaks from the membrane that surrounds the spinal cord or mind, leaving the mind less supported.
It could be because of trauma or surgical operation, such as receiving an epidural throughout childbirth, and its effects can be devastating.
George clooney stated that when he suffered an damage to his backbone on the set of his 2005 drama, syriana, the resulting csf leak led him to recall suicide.
'all of the sudden'
However, despite his tale, the condition remains in large part unrecognised by way of maximum frontline medical workforce.
David informed bbc radio scotland's kaye adams programme: "for me it pretty lots got here instantly.
"i used to do white-water kayaking. I used to be kayaking one evening and that i just didn't feel nicely.
"i had a shortness of breath and that i had coronary heart palpitations and i felt a bit bit dizzy, but i could not actually positioned my finger on it.
"i went home and went to sleep and didn't really assume too much approximately it."
David stated that the next morning he had a terrible pain in head.
"it wasn't your everyday sort of headache that you can take a paracetamol and neglect about it," he said.
"it was a totally prominent headache and it stored getting worse.
"as i used to be getting ready to go to paintings this headache changed into ramping up and by using the stop of the day i couldn't even stand.
"i could not walk between the bedroom and the toilet. I needed to crawl, it turned into that severe."
David Baldwin
Image caption
Docs assume david's leak is somewhere in his upper spine
Because the days passed, david, who's 37, began to broaden other signs and symptoms.
His vision began to go blurry, his hearing began to go, he had tinnitus constantly and his concentration and reminiscence have been additionally affected.
He stated: "one of the very bizarre signs that humans with csf leak get is that this abnormal feeling that your mind is being pulled down your backbone.
"it is a completely difficult symptom to express to anyone that hasn't felt it.
"it's a form of unrelenting strain, as if there's bricks in your head, pushing your mind down."
Medical doctors have because attempted unsuccessfully to deal with david's csf leak, that is notion to be somewhere on his top backbone.
He has additionally been handled in la by dr wouter schievink, the equal health care professional that efficiently treated george clooney's situation.
'returned with a vengeance'
But, david is but to resume his former existence and says since developing csf leak, he has misplaced his activity and located that the best manner he can get relief is through lying down.
"when you're lying down, you don't have [the symptoms] or they're a good deal reduced," he stated.
"but as quickly as you sit up straight or arise, they arrive back with a vengeance.
"it is that detail that makes it one of these disabling condition and you simply can not stay your lifestyles like that."
David said that become one of the cruellest elements of csf leak.
He stated: "you could feel like you could get up and go to work, you could live your lifestyles.
"however as soon as you sit up, it's like an egg timer, it's only a depend of time earlier than these terrible signs and symptoms come again and pressure you lower back to mattress once more.
"it is a very hard one to stay with. It is very disabling for plenty human beings and for most it's really very lifestyles-changing."
Dr schievink from cedars-sinai los angeles david Baldwin
Picture caption
David turned into dealt with via dr wouter schievink, who also treated george clooney
Inside the beyond two and a half of years, david has left home no greater than 10 or 15 times and most of that has been on a stretcher or in an ambulance to move for treatment or scans.
After first developing his existence-converting headache, it took 3 months for david to be recognized.
But, he turned into one of the lucky ones. On common scots with csf leak face a 13-month wait before they know what is inaccurate with them.
James walkden, a neurosurgeon who's now assisting to deal with david, stated there has been lots to be finished to teach scientific group of workers on csf leak.
'early level'
He stated: "i have to mention the teaching approximately this circumstance at medical college and even at put up-graduate is zero.
"it's truely most effective a small sub professional place of neurosurgery or neurology that even recognises this condition and that's why unluckily there may be often more than one visits to medical specialists, more than one mis-diagnosis before they attain any individual who does apprehend this circumstance.
"but through then months have changed into years and your fulfillment rate of the investigations and the treatment diminishes as time goes on.
"so, it's not that we're stumped, it's unluckily reputation of this condition at an early level and getting the individual to the right branch with the proper knowledge."
Greater data about the condition is to be had on the csf leak association.