NPH

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
adult onset 'water on the brain'

The triad of symptoms for NPH are:

Gait Disturbance, including balance problems, shuffling walk (often described as a feeling of the feet being stuck to the floor), sudden falls;
Urinary Urgency or Incontinence
Short term memory loss/dementia.

A CT scan will reveal enlarged ventricles (cavities in the brain containing cerebral spinal fluid). The good news is, it is treatable with the installation of a shunt to drain off cerebral spinal fluid. The bad news is, it is frequently misdiagnosed as dementia, Parkinson's or Multiple Sclerosis.

Here are some peoples' experiences with NPH:

phooeyf
eldoracs
bocananajoy
madam_curry
Pat Sabin
timserp (updated 11/20/2007)
sawhite (updated 01/30/2008)
Joanna (added 02/01/2008)

Email your story

NPH Links:
http://www.patsabin.com/NPH.html
http://www.nhfonline.org/aboutus.php
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NPH_Friends/
updated 02/01/2008