DR. MARK BURKE = AMAZING!

Do you see your optometrist regularly?
In my opinion, Optometrists are very underrated. Health Insurance often covers less for the eyes than any other health areas. It just doesn't seem right.

I'm sure those of you who know Dr. Burke would agree that he is an amazing optometrist. He is extremely smart, thorough, professional and ever so kind. He's done so much for me in the last 9 months and I will be forever grateful...

For the past 5 years I have been struggling with constant dizziness, head pressure and headaches. To make a long story short, I visited the ER and doctors offices on a regular basis struggling with my symptoms and begging for answers. Yes FIVE years of being told it was caused by a number of different things; Vertigo, Inner Ear Infections, Miniere's Disease, Sinuses, Nerve/Muscle Problems, Anxiety,  and my favourite... Depression. It got to the point that the anxiety definitely hit me, but was only caused from me knowing something wasn't right and not getting any help. I even saw two different neurologist who both blew me off and told me I just had migraines. By the end of it, I had given up and just accepted that I would have to just live with my symptoms. That is until Dr. Burke saved me!!!

Last March (2011) my family and another family went to California for a vacation. We ended up getting robbed and lost EVERYTHING we had with us. Yes, passports and all. When we returned home I immediately went to see Dr. Burke since my glasses had been stolen and I thought I should recheck my prescription before getting new ones because I had been noticing my eyesight seemed to be getting worse. That evening Dr. Burke called me to inform me that he found that I had papilledema (swelling of the optic disk).  Of course, I had no clue what it was. He explained to me that it was cause by intercranial pressure. He said it could be from a Brain Tumor or something called Pseudotumor Cerebri which he had never seen before. He asked me a few more questions about my headaches and vision. He referred me to my Neurologist who I saw two days later and after a few more tests and a spinal tap, I finally got my diagnosis. I have Pseudotumor Cerebri.

Pseudotumor Cerebri literally means "false brain tumor" It is due to high pressure within the skull caused by the buildup or poor absorption of the spinal fluid. It is quite rare. I now take quite a bit of medication to keep the pressure down. I have regular visits with my neurologist and visit Dr. Burke's office every 6 - 8 weeks for some scans and Visual Field Testing. I definitely have my bad days but for the most part, I'm feeling great!!!

And listen to this... I've been in contact with a lady from here in Summerside who was recently diagnosed with the same thing. Her story is very similar to mine. She was told she had most of the things that they were telling me and brushing her of as well. In the end, guess who found it??? Her optometrist!

 Now I hope everyone see the importance of a good optometrist!

READY OR NOT, HERE I BLOG!

So here I go! I've entered the world of Blogging. I never thought there would come a day that I would have a desire to do this. I was never a straight "A" kind of student and creative writing... Yeah, no thanks! So before I go any further, if you are one of those people who cringe when you read grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes, this blog may not be for you. Although I consider myself a perfectionist... I have MANY imperfections!

My life to this point has been full of many blessings. I was brought up in a loving home with my tight family of four. My dad, mom, brother and me. In 2001 I had a beautiful baby boy, Bennett. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Blessed doesn't even seem like a strong enough word to describe my love for him. His father and I were very close friends for many years. I truly consider him my soul mate. When Bennett was born we were only 20 and as you can imagine, things weren't always butterflies and roses. With time, patience, and the loving support of both our families we somehow pulled through and realised we really were meant to be together. On December 31, 2008, Adam and I finally got married with our beautiful 8 year old son standing at the alter as the best man. It almost felt magical. It was certainly a day that most (including myself) would have never saw coming, but they good things come to those who wait. In the end, I truly believe Bennett was given to us, not only to enrich our lives, but also to bring Adam and I together.