Rhode Island Woman Finally Diagnosed with Little-known Neurological Disease

Roberta Healy, a retired nurse, was in her late 40s when a debilitating set of symptoms grabbed hold of her and wouldn’t let go. It started with incontinence and over nearly two decades progressed to difficulty walking and even concentrating enough to read a book or pay her own bills.

“I went to a lot of doctors,” Healy said. “I went to four or five neurologists over the years. I’d go for a while and get no diagnosis, and find someone new.”

Healy, the mother of one grown daughter, was told her incontinence was probably due to childbirth, and that she might have something “Parkinsons-like.” She was put on a never-ending trial of antidepressants that never worked. As her search for a diagnosis continued, the years went by, and Healy’s health declined further. She experienced balance issues and sometimes fell, had difficulty driving, and lost her focus and concentration.

Finally, an East Providence, R.I.-based neurologist suspected that Healy was suffering from a difficult-to-diagnose neurological disease called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and referred her to Petra Margarete Klinge, MD, PhD — a neurosurgeon and internationally renowned expert on the subject. For more information, click here to read the full release.