Scotts On The Rocks Blog

[pics incl] [EDITED: 10/17/13 12:00pmMT] Wanna see some very interesting, yet very scary images? I had Jeff take some pictures of the screen… I’ll try to give plenty of details but feel free to ask questions… if it was “private” it wouldn’t be on my blog 😉

After some questions, I added some graphics to the images to help you “see” what I am talking about. AND, YES, you can show other people… I get it, really, I do! It’s one of those morbid curiosity things! 🙂 AND, I know many of ya’ll had/have me on prayer lists and this makes a nice visual to go along with your crazy story of how I am doing. 🙂

Basically, I have been having pain again for the past 10 days or so [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/10/16/mri-scan-101613/ ] but it’s “not quite” the same as it has been in the past. It’s hard to explain but it’s sharp enough it often takes my breath away but usually only lasts a short time (several seconds but lately lasting much longer, last night was several hours). However, it is significantly enough that it stops me in my tracks from doing any type of “inversion” of my head. It’s harder than you might think, to try and unload the dishwasher or washer/dryer, without tilting your head down/sideways even ever so slightly. [ 🙂 go ahead… try it! 🙂 ] It has all but prevented me from putting/getting items from lower cabinets. This is all new because, as I have said before, as of a couple of weeks ago, I was plugging right along doing these things (maybe slower than before but it was getting done).

I had the MRI scan (below). Comparing these results to the previous scans, they are pretty much the same and more importantly, NOT WORSE. Based on this information, we are being cautiously optimistic that maybe the pains are being caused by those tiny blood vessels trying to reassert themselves (or as I keep saying… pistons are refiring 🙂 ). Using that as my assumption, I’m just gonna keep on with how we’ve been proceeding all along, slow and steady. Hopefully, in time (and probably a lot of time), at least a portion of these blood vessels will start providing relief to the left side.

TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE SCANS: Imagine this… I am laying down on my back, and you are looking through my feet toward my brain. Therefore, my left brain is on YOUR right side. GOT IT?! The first scan is of bloodflow, where WHITE is the blood and it’s GOOD to see the white. See “no white” on the left (or your right)? That’s where the blockage is located. Imagine that the left side should be a mirror image of the right side. The second scan shows a small dark area on the left (your right)… that’s THE BLOCKAGE. In those scans in the first few days in April, this area was much larger and contained visible blood leakage, that is gone and the clot remains.

One Year Ago:  http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2012/10/17/a-day-of-rememberance/

I had an MRI scan of brain/neck this morning. The last one was in May, so when I saw the neurologist last week he ordered an update to see where we are [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/10/09/neurological-appointment-100913/ ] .

This MRI was done with contrast dye… which requires an IV… in ME, the queen of “can’t be stuck no matter what!” [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/09/24/new-hematocrit-levels/ ] HOWEVER, I had a great guy who LISTENED and was EXTREMELY patient. A couple rubber bands, some thumping on the veins and hot compresses later (25 min later) and finally he was able to get the IV in the first try! Those veins didn’t want to appear for any reason! AND then… never stopped bleeding 😉

Aside from the jack-hammer in my head and nausea from the dye 😉 all went smoothly! He VERY TIGHTLY bandaged my “boo-boo” with NEON-GREEN sports wrap… I feel special 🙂

I have an appointment with the neurologist again in the morning to get the results. [AND… yay me, for thinking to ask if they had an office by my house instead of driving across country… and they do! so both the MRI & appointment tomorrow are “right” here!!]

Several of ya’ll have been asking for “more often” and “more detailed” updates but I figured I would wait until after my appointment this morning, to write a novel. It’s been 6 months since this all started [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/10/08/6-months-later/ ]

On the scope of all that’s happened since that fateful April morning [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/04/08/its-not-a-head-achy/ ], I’m doing spectacularly better. However, compared to the last several days, ever since this weekend, my head has been hurting… let’s just categorize it as, “enough it interferes with my life & back to looking for something to make it stop.” I’m not trying to start a panic because my head actually hurts on/off all the time, but I don’t necessarily verbalize, it would be like complaining all the time AND, I do think I have improved and become more tolerant. For the past few days, the pain has been more on, than off, and enough that just plain tylenol isn’t doing the trick. I tried “real drugs” over the weekend, alas… “real drugs” just don’t work on me, never have… they kinda do the opposite.

To be honest, YOU probably wouldn’t even notice that anything is wrong with me, because all along, I have been walking and talking. HOWEVER, just because I SOUND convincing, does NOT mean that I am correct (especially with numbers and dates/times). Trust me, I am wrong A LOT. Ya’ll have also commented that my typing/language has improved. It certainly has, but I also have learned to use spell check a lot faster than before (and I NEVER used it before because “I know better than spell check!”, at least… I used to!). My language skills have greatly improved but I still get stumped on recall. Once I have “remembered” something a few times, it sticks, but if I haven’t encountered something, I have to pause and really search for it (and usually, I need help with a reminder). It seems so much better because I’ve already broken the curve, I have encountered enough obstacles that I can remember more than I have forgotten. (not sure I’m making sense) Since my head has been hurting for a few days, those closest to me (spending the most time with me) have noticed that my speaking/language is ? slower (maybe stuttered is the right word). I notice that my vision is not as “crisp” on days my head hurts (or when I don’t sleep well). AND… right now, this second, I am taking A LOT LONGER to type and making tons of mistakes and it’s REALLY IRRITATING/FRUSTRATING. YOU don’t see that, but I do. If you were in the room, you’d hear me talking to my computer 😉 (actually, hollering at my keyboard would be more accurate 😉 ).

When we first started talking to the neurologist this morning, he was already indicating that he’d like to get an updated scan of my head (last one in May) [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/05/31/friday-night-dates/ ]. But after talking with us more (Jeff went with me because, as I have indicated, I am not necessarily saying the right information), he ordered an MRI for “soonest” (not emergency, just not next month). He also suggested that I should NOT try to work back into “things that are loud” and refrain from aggravating my head. Loud certainly is not the cause of my clot, nor would it make anything worse, but it’s obvious, that exposure to loud noises is not assisting my recovery. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t attempted it though and birthday dinner with friends was definitely worth the attempt! [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/10/05/birthday-dinner-with-jaime-100513/ ]

To recap, I was taken off the anti-seizure meds [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/08/21/change-in-meds/ ] during my last neuro appointment the end of August. I’m convinced those meds were not helping with the vision (or actually making it worse), they were making me very dizzy and not helping with sleep. Earlier on, I was taking Fiorcet (it’s a migraine med) but it has caffeine in it, so that too was interfering with sleep. I haven’t taken that in months. He prescribed another medication (previously failed as an anti-depressant but had the side effect of helping those with head injuries… at low doses). So basically, if you are wanting to keep track, I am taking Thyroid meds (remember… no thyroid [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/09/17/thyroid-ultrasound-091713/ ], Xarelto (this is the anti-coagulant, because I cannot take coumadin/warfin [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/05/22/officially-a-coumadin-failure/ ]), and the anti-depressant thing for my head/sleep. FYI, ever since I started taking that, I have been sleeping much better! I also attribute better sleeping habits with a lot of the improvements that I have had. I feel like I can say that because when I don’t sleep… I can’t get much done because my head hurts and vision is not as good… and saying that I am “irritable” would be an understatement 😉

Today, we discussed all the different drugs I’ve tried and decided to go back and retry the Fiorcet during the day. I’ll have the MRI whenever insurance/imaging get together and make an appointment (within a few days). Then, go from there.

Overall, I’m doing so much better and have tried to get a routine of getting something done everyday (like dumping out a drawer 🙂 ). If my appointment had been last week, I’d have told him, I’m definitely on the right track. But the past few days… and today in particular… have changed that assessment a bit.

I’m sure I have jumped all around and probably confused ya’ll. Feel free to ask questions! I’ll keep you posted on the MRI. In the meantime, “shhhhh, be vewy, vewy quiet…” 🙂

It’s been six months since that day that I went to the doctor for a headache. It was a headache I’d had for several days… only it wasn’t a headache! Believe it or not, I’m almost at a loss for words to explain all the emotions, partly because it’s overwhelming and partly because I cannot necessarily remember all the words 😉 It’s been six months since that FIRST surgery but it’s only been about three since the last… just pluggin’ right along! 🙂

April 8, 2013: http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/04/08/its-not-a-head-achy/

I’ve always truly appreciated nurses, so how do you increase that admiration?!? They are ANGELS! http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2013/04/25/an-amazing-insight-into-icu-nurses/

I also KNOW how fortunate I am; the what if’s could go on forever!

I cannot even begin to thank EVERYONE! The best I can do is promise to pass it on!