![\"Patient](\"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/2007_05_Patient_Discovers_Neurological_Condition.jpg\" "\\"2007_05_Patient_Discovers_Neurological_Condition\\"")
An initial scare, a revelation and, ultimately, a surgery that changes life for the better.<\/p>\nAn initial scare, a revelation and, ultimately, a surgery that changes life for the better.<\/p>\n
Andrea Beicht remembers vividly the bizarre, out-of-the-blue event that signaled something was wrong. It actually sounds like a special-effects scene from a movie.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was five years ago, and I was working at the police department, filing papers and sitting at my desk as usual,\u201d says Andrea, who lives in Bayonne, New Jersey. \u201cThere was an officer standing in the middle of the room, telling a group of us a funny story about his day on traffic duty. My colleagues and I were enjoying the moment and laughing.”\u201cAll of the sudden, everything started dragging in slow motion,\u201d Andrea explains. \u201cI could see the officer gesture and my colleagues smile and laugh\u2014but at an extremely slow speed\u2014and I couldn\u2019t hear a sound. At the same time, the entire left side of my body went numb.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen, just as quickly as it started, it stopped\u2014and I snapped back to normal.\u201d Andrea says nobody in the room noticed any change in her or perceived there was a problem at all. She immediately called her doctor, who examined her, ordered a few imaging tests and referred her to a neurologist.<\/p>\n
As many people might, Andrea fully expected to hear that she\u2019d had some kind of stroke. Instead, her neurologist delivered an entirely different diagnosis: Andrea had a form of hydrocephalus, which is excessive buildup of fluid in the head. What\u2019s more, Andrea was told she had probably had this condition from birth, yet here she was, being diagnosed at age 50.<\/p>\n
As Andrea learned more, the diagnosis began to make sense. One of the key symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a shuffling type of walk, where it\u2019s difficult to pick your feet up off the ground. \u201cI always shuffled my feet,\u201d Andrea says, \u201cfor as long as I can remember. I just dealt with it and got by.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Alan R. Turtz, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Cooper University Hospital, Andrea\u2019s mid-life discovery of her condition was unusual. \u201cSome people with congenital [present at birth] hydrocephalus may compensate and do fine for years. These individuals generally aren\u2019t even aware that they have a condition,\u201d Dr. Turtz explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen, for reasons we don\u2019t quite understand, some individuals may decompensate,\u201d and symptoms arise that prompt them to seek medical help. \u201cWe do brain scans and discover excessive fluid that\u2019s probably been there for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes Confused with Alzheimer\u2019s or Parkinson\u2019s<\/strong> As Dr. Turtz explains, there are three classic signs of NPH:<\/p>\n Sadly, because NPH symptoms are similar to symptoms of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and Parkinson\u2019s disease, some people are wrongly diagnosed with those other conditions\u2014and don\u2019t get the treatments that could help them most. Some other people assume that their symptoms are part of aging that they \u201cjust have to live with,\u201d and they don\u2019t see a doctor until symptoms get severe.<\/p>\n The good news is NPH may be treatable, but requires a surgical procedure. The key is to get a correct diagnosis.<\/p>\n A Less Invasive Surgery<\/strong> Even more worrisome, about once a year she would have a seizure and collapse, winding up in her local emergency room. The last time this happened, her brother happened to be visiting, and he urged her to consider the surgery for NPH. \u201cI agreed that I couldn\u2019t go on living like this,\u201d Andrea says, \u201cespecially because I live with and look after my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n A few phone calls and some internet research pointed to the neurosurgery experts at Cooper University Hospital. Cooper also seemed a good choice because it was close to her brother\u2019s home, where she would recuperate after the surgery. (\u201cHe\u2019s at Exit 2 off the Turnpike,\u201d Andrea explains like a true New Jerseyan.)<\/p>\n Andrea was also fortunate in finding Dr. Turtz, who is a nationally recognized leader in minimally invasive cerebral endoscopy. In most cases, NPH is treated with surgical implantation of a CSF shunt, a device that stays in the body and continuously drains excess brain fluid to the abdomen, or other body cavity, where the fluid is absorbed. Andrea, however, was a candidate for a less invasive surgery, endoscopic ventriculoscopy, through which Dr. Turtz was able to drain the fluid once without needing to leave a device in place.<\/p>\n Today, a Better Quality of Life<\/strong> Andrea stayed with her brother and his wife for two weeks after the surgery \u201cso someone could watch over me,\u201d but feels her recovery was nearly immediate and dramatic.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of the problems improved after the surgery, and I still feel great,\u201d Andrea says. \u201cI\u2019m not forgetful. There\u2019s no more incontinence. And I can walk much easier\u2026and without a cane.”<\/p>\n \u201cI can get around town, take care of my mother\u2026do whatever I need to do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For more information on the Cooper Neurological Institute, please call 1-800-8-COOPER (800-826-6737) to speak with a member of our physician referral and information service. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. to assist you in finding the Cooper doctor that is right for you.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An initial scare, a revelation and, ultimately, a surgery that changes life for the better.<\/p>\n Andrea Beicht remembers vividly the bizarre, out-of-the-blue event that signaled something was wrong. It actually sounds like a special-effects scene from a movie.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was five years ago, and I was working at the police department, filing papers and sitting at my desk as usual,\u201d says Andrea, who lives in Bayonne, New Jersey. \u201cThere was an officer standing in the middle of the room, telling a group of us a funny story about his day on traffic duty. My colleagues and I were enjoying the moment and laughing.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[173,460],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"has-excerpt","5":"has-more-link","6":"post-2563","8":"format-standard","9":"category-ehealth-connection","10":"post_tag-cooper-neurological-institute","11":"post_tag-normal-pressure-hydrocephalus-nph"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nIn NPH, a fluid known as CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) builds up in the brain\u2019s open spaces, called ventricles. This excess fluid causes the ventricles to enlarge and distort the brain.<\/p>\n\n
\nWhen Andrea was diagnosed, she and her neurologist decided to try to manage her NPH with medicine. Over the next few years, however, her symptoms gradually became worse. The three classic NPH symptoms were more evident: She was becoming forgetful, experiencing some bladder problems, and feeling less steady on her feet. She started using a cane.<\/p>\n
\nAndrea entered Cooper University Hospital on a Friday morning, had her operation that day, and was discharged the next morning. \u201cI got right up and out of bed that Saturday and was feeling fine,\u201d Andrea says. She was impressed with the courtesy and attention she received from nurses and doctors during her short stay at Cooper. \u201cIt seemed as though they couldn\u2019t do enough for me,\u201d she remarks.<\/p>\n