Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disorder related to high pressure in the brain. It causes signs and symptoms of a brain tumor. It is also sometimes called pseudotumor cerebri or benign intracranial hypertension. The fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain is called cerebrospinal fluid or CSF. To remove the fluid we have to have a needle in our spine, this is called a lumbar puncture. 

Why do we need to have this? Because if we do not we can go blind. Infact some of us have lost some of their sight and still been denied pip or esa. Why? Because they cant see us in pain on the day or because we don't look ill on the day. Why is it so hard for the examiners to actually examine our medical records? 

Even after our lumbar puncture it is possible for our pressure to go up again and many of us have had to go back the next day, week or month for another lumbar puncture to get, more fluid removed from the spinal cord, brain. 

Many of us have suffered nerve damage and continued back pain from constantly having to have needles stuck into our spines. 

I myself am sensitive to light, i can only spend short periods of time in bright lights suchs as the sun or fake lights before i get excruciating pain in my head and eyes.

We have needles stuck into our heads and neck for our neurologists to try and find the best "pain management". We have nerve blocks where they also stick huge needles into our scalps every 3 months, trying to ease off the pain that we suffer from every day.

On top of this we have to take strong pain killers everyday to keep the pain at bay. Most days it doesnt even work and it hurts to lift our heads off the pillow.

I ask you? Would you be able to sit in parliament everyday with our conditions? With the pain we go through? And yet we are denied any help, all because our illness is rare and unknown and because you cant see the pain that we go through. 

I have had this pain since i was a little girl, from the age of 6. Doctors always told my mother i would grow out of it. It was a misdiagnosis and it is shocking to say the least. When im not in pain i start to believe that there is something wrong with me as all ive known is pain. 

We need to stop pip and esa from discriminating against invisible illnesses. Just because you cant see it doesnt mean it isnt there. 

Questions are asked about single mothers. How they take their children to school. The examiner's actually looked up my daughters school on google maps. This has nothing to do with my actual illness. You make people feel like they are criminals because they are sick!!

Discrimination is still here and its clearly taking affect against single disabled parents and those that you are unable to see are sick.