"Fishbowl Head"

[WHWT]

Does anyone else have "Fishbowl Head"?

I'm 14 months past surgery.  I have some vision issues, too.
I have what I call "fishbowl head".  My head is the fishbowl, my brain is the water, and my eyes are the goldfish.  When I walk, everything sloshes around, and the fish (my eyes) can't stay on course.  The person carrying the fishbowl (me) tries hard to keep it steady, but no dice.  As long as the water doesn't spill out, I guess I'll be OK.
I still have trouble tracking moving objects; I can't focus on things that are far away; and I still have some double vision on the surgery side.  Eye doctor says eyes are fine.  Things could be worse..................

[jerseygirl]

Hi,

I also felt like this for a few months after surgery that I had 18 years ago (also suboccipital). This feeling started improving and eventually went away after the lumbar-peritoneal shunt was installed for normal pressure hydrocephalus. Could it be the case with you, too? I hope you brought it up with your doctors. In any case, good luck and let us know how it works out.

                Eve

[Captain Deb]

GL
How much PT are you doing? Are you walking a lot? Losing the "wonkyhead" depends a lot on your activity level. The more you use it, the quicker you lose it!! The whole theory with PT is that the more stuff you do to make you symptomatic makes the symptoms go away. Sort of like desensitizing people with arachnophobia by putting spiders on them!!! A friend of mine with the same balance impairment that I have has spent a lot of her time on her sailboat and is way ahead of me in the wonkyhead department. Go Figure!

Capt Deb

[jerseygirl]

For me the "fishbowl effect" was distinctly different from the "wonkyhead" feeling that I still have to this day. The latter is proportionate to the amount of exercise I do: the more I exercise, the better I feel. However, the "fishbowl effect" was not amenable by exercise. In fact, exercise created the weirdest sensations. I can also describe the " fishbowl effect" as the awareness of the anatomical structures. I learned that it is not a good thing because normally we are not aware of them. I became "aware" of my spinal column right after I came from the steroids after surgery. Reported it to the surgeon - he shrugged his shoulders and said it was nothing. I was back at the hospital in three days with aseptic meningitis. After I was treated for that, I developed this "fishbowl effect" and kept coming back to the hospital 3 more times until the doctors decided it was normal pressure hydrocephalus and installed a lumbar-peritoneal shunt. That started my healing process. The only thing I can say is that the doctors tend to ignore patient's discomfort so it is really important to convey t them how strange, abnormal and limiting they are  not  get intimidated by their answers because under normal circumstances nobody is aware of their internal organs.

         Eve

[Zanybrainy]

From what I have experienced, part of the problem is your vision is taking over for your balance nerve. Now your vision is trying to handle two functions.  I did some exercises in the hospital that seemed to help.  Look at at an object on the wall and focus on that object while turning your head side to side. Don't turn your focus with your head, keep your eyes forward.  I know it is harder for me to balance when I turn my head to the side while I am walking. Hope this helps, Cath

[Patti UT]

Dear GL,

   One of the best descriptions of the sensation we feel that I've heard yet. Captain Deb came up with "Wonky Head" Now I can use Wonky head and fishbowl head, depending on the intensity of the sensation.

Patti UT

[Patti UT]

OH,  Must add  "Balloon Head" to the list that GL mentioned in an email.  Not to be confused with Fishbowl Head or Wonkey head, this is what you feel when the wind is blowing.   LOVE IT  GL, Great descriptions    LOL

Patti UT

[nannettesea]

Fishbowl, perfect.

I say I have a constant swimming motion in my head, and extreme head pressure.  I do have left-beating nystagmus(movement) of my eyes, also. 

Get this, when I touch my left calf in the right place I get an increase of whirring sensation in my head...my doctor's jaw dropped when I told him.

Nan

[Patti UT]

Hey GL,   How's the fishbowl head these days.?  We ave stormy weather, major fishbowl head.

Patti UT

[WHWT]

Hey Patti!
Fishbowl head is still sloshing.  I notice that when I get tired, the double vision worsens.  I have to close one eye to see things properly.  People think I'm winking at them!  And I let them think whatever they want. 
Maybe I'll make new friends.
How are you doing?  Sorry your weather is making you slosh.
Every day is an adventure!
GL

[markojarvis]

Oh!  Remember the drive home from the hospital!?!  Slosh!  Slosh!  That tapered off fairly quickly for me.  I anticipated that I would need to use a cane following surgery, but within a few weeks, I was pretty steady.  Eventually, the fishbowl settled down to what I call Camcorder Vision.  There is still the tiniest jolting of my visual image when I am walking--a bit like someone who is filming something through a camcorder while walking, only not nearly as pronounced.  In fact, it's almost never noticeable now--5 years post-op.

Marko

[roub1]

I didn't think the drive home was nearly as bad as sitting in the hospital lobby waiting for my wife to get the car. All that noise and all those people moving around. Talk about getting an overload. I was glad to get into the car.

[WHWT]

My trip from the hospital was a cross between Weekend at Bernie's and the I Love Lucy episode when she got lost on the subway with the loving cup on her head.  I laughed (from the absurdity of it) and cried (from the pain and fear) all the way home from the city to the suburbs..  I was picked up by an ambulette, whose driver contemplated taking me and my wheelchair down the hospital stairs!  (Oh, look.  There's an elevator!!)  That was after he burst into my hospital room and asked to use the bathroom.  My daughter, who accompanied me on the trip, was horrified!  The ambulette was run-down, smelled funky, and had no air conditioning (during a particularly hot spell in NYC in Summer 2005).  He bounced and shoved the wheelchair down the street, then up the ambulette ramp, with my head bobbing and flopping.  The wheelchair was placed sideways in the vehicle with just the wheelchair brakes holding it in place.  If there was an accident, I was a goner.  Then the driver asked me for directions!  I couldn't see straight, let alone see where I was.
Some day, my daughter and I will write a short story about the details of that day.
Yeah, the ride home is fun.
 
 

[Battyp]

I bet between all of us we really have some tales of our an adventures!
My neighbor who's 90 told me to close one eye while driving like he does to avoid the vision problems.  I now check to make sure his car is in the garage before I leave home  LOL  It took a long time for my eyes to settle down.  I actually wore an eye patch for a while as it helped with the vision stuff.  Plus I looked like a pirate )

[WHWT]

Yeah.  Driving with your eyes closed is a great idea!!!!
I wore the patch for a while, too.  And the eye doctor gave me a special patch to slip over one lens of my eyeglasses.  The only problem was the fact that the only patch the doctor had was for a child, so it was light blue with a bunny on it.  And it was for the opposite lens, so the bunny was upside down.  Very attractive.  I'm amazed at all the ridiculous things that occured in conjunction with the surgery.  Gotta keep laughing.