A long, long time ago (well, maybe not that long ago) I was driving my taxi on a run from the home base in Bradford, VT to White River Jct, VT where the Vermont VA medical center happens to be located. As I was under strict orders at that time (my BP was still out of control in 2002) to stop in and have my blood pressure checked, I dropped off my customer at their destination, radioed in to the dispatcher my intentions and headed for the VA.
The whole procedure usually lasted at most about 15 minutes from getting into the clinic, having my BP tested and walking out to the parking lot, grabbing my cab and getting back to work. That time, however, was different.
On this particular visit my BP decided to act up in a rather major way. So much so that I was, much to my annoyance, immediately admitted to the hospital end of the VA for an overnight stay so I could be pumped full of an intravenous solution of Atenolol (a rather major BP medication–stomps all over it).
Upon being released the next day with more strict orders to take the next 3 days off I headed home. Later that very evening, while I was sitting in my easy chair in my bedroom, I suddenly noticed that my arm, starting at the point where the IV had been inserted, had begun to swell at a rather massive rate. By the time I got to the kitchen where my sister was figuring up some bills, my right arm had swelled to twice it’s normal size. Had a sort of Popeye look to it.
At that point I went into a massive seizure which basically took me out for the next two weeksand had me staggering around with a walker for an entire month after I was discharged from the hospital. I also lost control of the left side of my face which to this day still twitches more or less uncontrollably. Especially when I smile.
I tend to scare children because of this although with my long hair I’d make a hell of a decent looking pirate, twitch and all.
Fast forward to a a few weeks ago when I happen to mention to my doctor that this business with the facial twitching was becoming extremely annoying (I hate scaring children), I ended up talking to a neurologist who put me in for a brain MRI.
Brain MRI? I always thought that phrase should be pronounced with a Boris Karloff type accent.
To keep this rather long post as short as possible plus the fact it’s past time for lunch, I received a call from yet another neurologist yesterday who, after mucking about the bush for 5 minutes, informed me that they found a cyst near the area of my brain that controls the facial muscles–now who would have guessed?
He kept asking me if he was scaring me. I told him no, he wasn’t, so he needed to try harder.
Turns out it’s just a tiny little thing. Lot’s of people have them. In fact, many are born with them and are completely unaware of it. Of course, this might very well explain why humans act the way they do. It’s the cysts in our brains. Makes us go crazy every once in awhile.
Thankfully I’m crazy all the time so no one notices any change.
Anyway, this is something that would normally be ignored as a common anomaly, etc, etc. In my case However, since I already have this problem with the left side of my face ( and the fact I tend to scare little children when I smile at them) the results of the brain MRI are being sent off to the VA campus in Boston, MA so a neurosurgeon can have a look-see.
They say they’ll get back to me with his/her opinion.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for it as there’s much more important things in my life right now. Like hoping it will stop raining long enough for me to get the lawn mowed. I just paid over $300 to get the damn lawn tractor fixed and I’d like to see if the thing works properly now.
