Brain Stuff

Tomorrow is my ambulatory EEG, which means the neurologist is going to attach a bunch of wires to my head. I get to wear a recording device attached to my waist for 24 hours to record all of my brain activity.

I'm in denial about the entire neurology issue. They found a cyst in my brain in Hilton Head, but no one ever followed up on it or told me anything else about it. I just figured it wasn't important. Once I saw the immunologist here, he quickly realized that a fair amount of my symptoms were neurological in nature and sent me for a consult.

The neurologist discovered that I have limited sensation and reflexes on my left side, which wasn't a huge surprise. I've had numbness and tingling in my left arm for a few years now, and the headaches are all on the left side. David was very entertained by one of the doctor's tests - he had me stand up with my feet together and close my eyes. I promptly fell over. Whoops.

The MRI, MRA, and contrast dye imaging showed that I have a 2cm (like a gumball) cyst on my pineal gland, at the base of my brain stem. These can be asymptomatic, but mine is 4 times the size of a "normal" cyst. That, combined with my other symptoms, means a consult with the neurosurgeon.

I'll know more after the EEG tomorrow, but it's such an awful waiting game. I'm supposed to go on my honeymoon in 5 weeks! Am I having brain surgery? I have no idea. Even if they want to operate, it may not fix everything - not to mention the assorted risks. I desperately want my life back, so it's an incredibly difficult choice.

I'll post pictures of "Robo-Jen", covered in wires and sensors.