Gigi looked like she was going to blow away! Speaking of which... this actually this happened to a chihuahua I read about in a funny (funny/sad?) news story... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30448774/
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Finally...
Most everybody who knows me also knows that I have had some odd health problems for several years. Generally I have a dull headache with neck and shoulder problems and a difficult time sleeping. While it is typically mild pain it would often be so much I could hardly get out of bed. Lately it has been worse than usual and my hands and feet have been going numb. It has been hard on both me and Romi to have to deal with this and at the same time, get through school. Honestly, it has pretty much crippled my chances of moving on to Med-School. Romi and I had become pretty desperate for an answer for what has been causing the problems. We got our answer a little different than expected.
On my birthday (June 11) we went out to eat. Towards the end of our meal I began to feel sick. I looked up at Romi and collapsed on the table. I couldn’t move anything for about 30 seconds. Although I was conscious I felt paralyzed. When I was able to pick myself up, I could barely see due to my eyes filled with tears. The waitress had come up in the mean time and was rushing off to call 911. I stopped her but couldn’t speak correctly. Although I was clear inside my head I could only get out slurred sounds. After about 3 minutes, it went away instantly as if it never happened. I didn’t really know what to think so we went home.
Five days later I met up with a neurologist. I had actually made the appointment prior to the episode. He ignored everything I had made the appointment for and focused on what happened on my birthday. He diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder and suggested an anti-depressant called nortriptyline (it made me hallucinate). As can be imagined, I was pretty mad. As he was explaining that he wasn’t qualified to deal with this and that I should see a psychologist, I passed out on his table. He changed his mind a little and allowed for the possibility of something else but was sticking to anxiety. I passed out again at the scheduling desk before I could leave the office. I was ticked that he ignored all the symptoms I have had over the last several years and based it off of one incidence. I knew I didn’t have anxiety problems. His plan of attack would have taken 9 weeks just to see if he was right.
Everyday after that appointment I passed out. It was getting scary and they were lasting longer and were now associated with shaking. I even had to pull off the freeway because I felt one coming and so stopped driving entirely. After seven days of passing out in a row, Romi finally convinced me to go to the ER.
While in the ER I had blood work, CT, and an EKG before I was admitted at midnight. I had three episodes while in the ER. On Tuesday the 23rd, they had me have an Echo, MRI, and drew blood many times. I passed out five times that day. The next day I had and EEG to determine if they were seizures. The hospital neurologist reviewed all the tests and came in to talk to my mom and me. He had contacted the previous neurologist and came to the same conclusion. He said all my tests were clear and suggested seeing a psychiatrist. Again, I was fuming mad that he was even insinuating the possibility. He left with my jaw literally hanging down and devastated.
Minutes later my father-in-law came in. Earlier that day he and I discussed what I felt it might be. Six months earlier I had used a four year old MRI (which was also supposed to be clean) and diagnosed myself with a neurological disorder called Arnold-Chiari Malformation type 1 or Chiari for short. This is a herniation of the lower portion of the brain into the spinal column which creates a blockage of the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and pulls on the brain stem and is typified by every symptom I have displayed. I felt it was a strong possibility because my brother was diagnosed with it 14 years earlier. We had never considered it because the old radiologist report said I was clean. I showed the MRI to my father-in-law and he agreed with me.
The neurologist returned to release me from the hospital and my father-in-law questioned him on his diagnosis and asked about Chiari. Being put on the spot by another physician, the neurologist finally admitted that the radiology report stated that I did in fact have Chiari along with sinus problems. He then said some things which lead us to believe he knew very little on the subject and stuck his ground on anxiety. He was just being prideful because an OB put him in his place.
I now had two neurologists telling me I had an anxiety disorder despite a diagnosis of a neurological disorder by the radiologist. Fortunately for me, family and friends had some connections. On top of a father-in-law who advocated for me, a co-worker of Romi’s who is associated with a pediatric neurosurgeon (peds neurosurgeons actually deal with Chiari more often) had him look at my images and said I have a moderate to severe problem. Also my sister’s brother-in-law, who is my primary care physician, agreed with me that the two neurologists were clueless.
For now, due to insurance protocol, I wait for a referral to come through. Most likely I will end up at Barrow Neurological Institute. I can also expect brain surgery by the end of the year. If all goes well I should be free from this nightmare. Success rates for this surgery are high and recovery time is surprisingly quick. Hopefully this corrects everything and Romi and I can move on.
The image below is an MRI that was taken in Jan. 2005. It clearly shows the herniation at the lower portion of the skull which should have been caught.
On my birthday (June 11) we went out to eat. Towards the end of our meal I began to feel sick. I looked up at Romi and collapsed on the table. I couldn’t move anything for about 30 seconds. Although I was conscious I felt paralyzed. When I was able to pick myself up, I could barely see due to my eyes filled with tears. The waitress had come up in the mean time and was rushing off to call 911. I stopped her but couldn’t speak correctly. Although I was clear inside my head I could only get out slurred sounds. After about 3 minutes, it went away instantly as if it never happened. I didn’t really know what to think so we went home.
Five days later I met up with a neurologist. I had actually made the appointment prior to the episode. He ignored everything I had made the appointment for and focused on what happened on my birthday. He diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder and suggested an anti-depressant called nortriptyline (it made me hallucinate). As can be imagined, I was pretty mad. As he was explaining that he wasn’t qualified to deal with this and that I should see a psychologist, I passed out on his table. He changed his mind a little and allowed for the possibility of something else but was sticking to anxiety. I passed out again at the scheduling desk before I could leave the office. I was ticked that he ignored all the symptoms I have had over the last several years and based it off of one incidence. I knew I didn’t have anxiety problems. His plan of attack would have taken 9 weeks just to see if he was right.
Everyday after that appointment I passed out. It was getting scary and they were lasting longer and were now associated with shaking. I even had to pull off the freeway because I felt one coming and so stopped driving entirely. After seven days of passing out in a row, Romi finally convinced me to go to the ER.
While in the ER I had blood work, CT, and an EKG before I was admitted at midnight. I had three episodes while in the ER. On Tuesday the 23rd, they had me have an Echo, MRI, and drew blood many times. I passed out five times that day. The next day I had and EEG to determine if they were seizures. The hospital neurologist reviewed all the tests and came in to talk to my mom and me. He had contacted the previous neurologist and came to the same conclusion. He said all my tests were clear and suggested seeing a psychiatrist. Again, I was fuming mad that he was even insinuating the possibility. He left with my jaw literally hanging down and devastated.
Minutes later my father-in-law came in. Earlier that day he and I discussed what I felt it might be. Six months earlier I had used a four year old MRI (which was also supposed to be clean) and diagnosed myself with a neurological disorder called Arnold-Chiari Malformation type 1 or Chiari for short. This is a herniation of the lower portion of the brain into the spinal column which creates a blockage of the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and pulls on the brain stem and is typified by every symptom I have displayed. I felt it was a strong possibility because my brother was diagnosed with it 14 years earlier. We had never considered it because the old radiologist report said I was clean. I showed the MRI to my father-in-law and he agreed with me.
The neurologist returned to release me from the hospital and my father-in-law questioned him on his diagnosis and asked about Chiari. Being put on the spot by another physician, the neurologist finally admitted that the radiology report stated that I did in fact have Chiari along with sinus problems. He then said some things which lead us to believe he knew very little on the subject and stuck his ground on anxiety. He was just being prideful because an OB put him in his place.
I now had two neurologists telling me I had an anxiety disorder despite a diagnosis of a neurological disorder by the radiologist. Fortunately for me, family and friends had some connections. On top of a father-in-law who advocated for me, a co-worker of Romi’s who is associated with a pediatric neurosurgeon (peds neurosurgeons actually deal with Chiari more often) had him look at my images and said I have a moderate to severe problem. Also my sister’s brother-in-law, who is my primary care physician, agreed with me that the two neurologists were clueless.
For now, due to insurance protocol, I wait for a referral to come through. Most likely I will end up at Barrow Neurological Institute. I can also expect brain surgery by the end of the year. If all goes well I should be free from this nightmare. Success rates for this surgery are high and recovery time is surprisingly quick. Hopefully this corrects everything and Romi and I can move on.
The image below is an MRI that was taken in Jan. 2005. It clearly shows the herniation at the lower portion of the skull which should have been caught.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
one year older (and hopefully wiser too!)
first birthday...
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eighth birthday....jpg)
twenty-second birthday
jason doesn't have any birthday pics i could find but these are adorable...
and still adorable at 27
(he had imaginary candles)
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