Don't Back Down

After the my seventh seizure, I was pretty sure I was going to have to have another MRI. As luck would have it, I didn't. Just an ambulatory EEG. Despite the name, an ambulance is not involved - this is a process where you get a whole bunch of wires glued to your head, then run down to a control box that you get to carry around for a while. In my case, about eighteen hours. Supposedly this tells them something about what's happening inside. We'll have to wait and see about that part of it.

The last time that I had one of these procedures done, I had my head wrapped so tightly I thought I'd pass out. I swear that the person doing the wrapping was a sadist. Maybe the Marquis de Sade himself. But this time, there was no wrapping a tall - just a plethora of wires glued onto my noggin. So I left the office with a bunch of wires trailing down my back, wrapped in gauze. It's like an odd sort of pony tail, I guess. Actually it wasn't too bad, except for the looks I got on the way out of the building and on the ride home.

Read "I Survived Another Ambulatory EEG" »

As if all the fun we had Sunday morning wasn't enough, it didn't end there. Trying to keep things calm, we figured we'd just hang out and do nothing except sit around and decompress. With any luck, by the time the kids did come home and we had to speak to another human being, it would be late in the day and the events of the morning would just be long gone. Unfortunately, someone out there decided that just wouldn't do.

Around noon we were kicking back and watching an old movie when I was visited by yet another unwelcome visitor. At least, I guess that's what time it was, because I really have no idea. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the back of the ambulance, on my way to the hospital. That's right, I had a seizure. Joy of joys - could the day get any better? At least the ride wasn't a horrible one, but I still had to go through the whole barrage of questions in the back of the bus while they determine if I've come out of my stupor. It took a while, but eventually I came around.

Read "Seven Seizures Down, How Many Left?" »

I really try not to take too many medications, mostly because I've had pretty bad luck with them. I don't know how others look at medications, but I believe that most people probably don't look at over-the-counter medications as a problem. Unfortunately I have allergies, and a couple of years ago I just could not shake a cold, so I ended up taking just about anything I could get my hands on (legal items, thankyouverymuch). By that I mean I was looking for any sort of decongestant to provide some sort of relief.

In the end, I found out that decongestants could have a bad interaction with Dilantin, but not before having at least one seizure that we could attribute to it. Now that's not to say that a decongestant by itself can cause seizures. I don't think that they can. I also don't take Dilantin any more, and I don't know that decongestants cause problems with Zonegran. But it certainly made me gun-shy, you know?

Read "Ibuprofen is My Friend" »

Not long ago, I ran out of Claritin, and it took me a few days to get back to the store and pick up a new batch. Since it was the middle of winter, I figured I was safe to go for a few days without - I mean really, how much pollen can there be in the air in mid-January? If it's not safe to go without Claritin then, when will it be safe? I guess the safe answer is "never", because after I went a couple of days without, I felt like I had had my brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick (bonus points for anyone who knows where that comes from).

While I've been on daily medication for a while now for epilepsy (first Dilantin and later Zonegran), and I am well aware of the consequences of not taking that medication every day, I wouldn't think that an allergy medication could cause such severe pain. Of course, I can't say with complete confidence that the pain came from the (lack of) Claritin in my system either, but after I picked up a new bottle and started taking it again, the pain went away. So what else am I to think?

Read "What Do They Put in Claritin?" »

In 1986, I was in high school when I had my first seizure. I was at a friend's house and we were playing Boggle. That's about all I remember. According to him, I sort of half-stood and then leaned over, as if I was playing some sort of other game, and shortly thereafter he realized that I wasn't. That's when he got his mom, who realized that I was having a seizure. I'm glad that she had worked in a day care environment and knew what it was, as I had no idea. It was my first.

I went to the doctor and some time later was diagnosed with epilepsy, which doesn't really help - it just means that you are prone to seizures. Thanks, doc. For the next twenty or so years I took Dilantin of varying strengths. My mom tells me that when I was in high school, I had so much in my that I slept. It may have just been school. I don't really recall. But about eighteen months ago, my neurologist decided that it was time for a change. He suggested Zonegran.

Read "Eighteen Months of Zonegran and I Feel Fine" »

According to the Simple English Wikipedia, Asperger Syndrome is a term that is used when a person has a hard time talking with other people in the usual way. Doctors see Asperger syndrome as a mild form of autism. It is sometimes called "high-functioning autism". This means somebody with autism who looks like they do not have autism, but their brains still works differently than that of other people. Doctors often make mistakes about whether someone has Asperger syndrome, and they often believe by mistake that the person has schizophrenia, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, or mental retardation instead.

What does this have to do with anything? We have frequently been told to have our youngest son should be treated for ADHD, and we don't really subscribe to the idea. So we went looking for some alternate explanations. One of the best descriptions we came upon was Asperger Syndrome.

Read "Asperger Syndrome" »

For better or worse, we recently had the opportunity to visit Carolinas Medical Center when my wife went in for a brief operation. We went in on a Friday morning, and by lunch time, she was being wheeled in for the procedure. A couple of hours later, she was out and in her very own room. By Sunday, she was headed home. Overall, it was a good experience (more details below).

Contrast this to the three day surprise visit to Presbyterian Hospital, and I'd have to say that we were pleasantly surprised.

Firstly, let me say that we fully understand that in one case (CMC), we had an appointment, while in the other we did not. I know that makes a difference. But there are other differences as well, that cannot be solely blamed on the conditions under which the patient was admitted.

Read "Carolinas Medical Center versus Presbyterian Hospital" »

I have to say that Thanksgiving is, hands down, becoming my favorite holiday. Yes, this is at least partially because I like to eat. But it's also because there is very little work involved. And no, this does not mean that I don't do any work for Thanksgiving. But every other holiday requires a reasonable amount of effort - at least for the amount of enjoyment that I receive. Not Thanksgiving.

I will also admit that when I was younger, I received a decent amount of enjoyment from Halloween. But as I grow older, Halloween has lost some of its luster. I suppose you could chalk this up to maturity, but let's face it. Would you put me and maturity in the same sentence? I didn't think so. It simply must be something else.

As the years go by, I simply find myself enjoying the other holidays less and less. They involve so much more work and there is less to get back out of them. Perhaps I'm getting selfish in my old age. But not Thanksgiving. Sure, there is some cooking involved. But once that is done, it's all about sitting back and enjoying the feast with family. Unfortunately this year, even Thanksgiving was a bit of a disaster.

Read "The Great Thanksgiving Food Poisoning Virus From Hell" »

For the first time in quite a while I seem to have no headaches whatsoever. It's actually quite a nice feeling. I also finished off the antibiotics this morning and had the best night's sleep in recent memory (nearly six hours). Perhaps I've had a lingering infection for a while and it only recently flared up. I've also noticed a bit of blood when I blow my nose, so I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Well, the good news is the nasal congestion has cleared up and I can breathe again. The bad news is that my left nasal cavity is really starting to hurt and I don't think I've slept much for the past two nights because of it. Going to the doctor today.

Update: Doctor prescribed some azithromycin (z-pak) antibiotics. Take 2 today, then 1 each the next four days. Hopefully that will clear things up.

My nose started running. Thus far, I haven't been able to catch it. It seems like the more I blow, the more it keeps running. So far it's all clear, which hopefully means that it's just allergies, but I'll keep an eye on it.

Today was my make-up day for the MRI. After rescheduling from last week, we arrived with plenty of time beforehand to take my sedative and get ready. We even had time not only to get gas in the car, but to get a bagel first. I think I was secretly hoping that we would arrive and they would tell me that I wasn't supposed to eat anything after midnight, whereby I could go home again. No such luck.

So we arrived, I was given a Xanax, and I got to wait. And wait. And wait. About forty-five minutes later, I went into the back, where I was able to wait some more.

Finally I made it into The Chamber, and a very nice nurse helped me up onto the table, covered me with a blanket (it was chilly!), even gave me a rag for my eyes. I slid into the machine and was doing okay until one of the sounds made me think that the thing was broken. It was like a giant record player was getting ready to collapse on me. Something gave. I pressed the panic button and said I couldn't do it.

I was afraid that I was going to have to go into the hospital, where they can actually administer a serious sedative via IV, but we decided to give it one more try and my wife came in with me, to make sure that I was okay. I decided to skip the cloth over my eyes, and I guess they forgot the blanket. As it turned out, I think it was better. Both made it seem even smaller than it actually was inside that beast they call a machine.

On the prior go-round, I had actually made it through a couple of small tests, so I only had to do another half-dozen or so, and I made it through those (barely), with my wife faithfully helping me through.

I really hope that I don't have to do that again anytime soon, though I suspect I will, just as soon as the Dilantin is all out of my bloodstream and they want to see how I do on just the Zonegran.