Take Me for a Spin - MRI

As a follow up to my hospital stay last weekend, I have been scheduled for a couple of additional tests. Today I am getting an MRI of my head area to determine if I suffered any stroke like damages or possible MS. I saw three different Neurologists while in the hospital and Dr. Safdar, from MSU Medical Clinic has ordered this test and an EEG. I will follow up with him to go over the results and determine any future treatment or prognostications as may be required.

I am at Sparrow Hospital for my MRI. This will take about two hours and I will have two scans, the second being after they process a dye through my brain and head area.

Now this is my first MRI of any kind and I had no idea what to expect. I was told I could bring my own CD and would be provided headphones and could listen to my music. This would help me as I was to lay motionless for the total time. NOT! This thing was so damn loud when it was running.

LOUD is not a true description. I just happened to have a hearing exam scheduled the next week and told them about how it may have affected my hearing, Gave a hearing test, and compared to a year ago and I had suffered additional hearing loss. Follow up in three weeks. Hopefully only temporary.

Anyhow - my recollection of the MRI. Similar to a CT scan machine, I get placed on a bed like table and strapped down. Headphones that have trouble staying in place and the beautiful music begins. "Is it loud enough" and I say "Yes" - I do not want so many decibels I can't relax and fall asleep. WHAT A FOOL I AM!

The bed slides into the tunnel and then, And Then, AND THEN...well it sounds like I am standing right next to a railroad crossing and the gates have just come down for a train to pass. A two hour train, clickity-clack, clickity-clack it goes and the gate bells are chiming louder and louder. On top of that right next to where I am standing there is a road crew working, digging several holes in the road and several jackhammers are blasting their hammering noises. What music. Impossible to hear anything but this DAMN TUNNEL MACHINE! It's not claustrophobic - just loud. AND THEN...just as I am trying to adapt to the increased decibel levels another train comes through with all of its additional sounds - blasting it's horn as loud as possible - but still the constant drumming and hammering of the jack hammers. Finally - the table recedes out of the tunnel. Now for the injection and rest prior to the second pass.

And - yes - the same thing all over.

I can't wait for golf league at 4 o'clock with the other champ and some good old Bloody Mary's.

When I get the test result I will let everyone know. Not expecting anything additional at this time as I have felt fine since getting out of the hospital on Saturday.

A Not So Good Day

It's Friday, Carol and I tried to get the ceiling fan in our bedroom to work properly. Ever since our house was re-modeled eight years ago it hasn’t been right and I got the bug to fix it. There is a small antenna wire that enables the remote operation and when the electrician re-mounted it he had the antenna tucked inside of the bezel. Seems simple enough to fix. Loosen two screws after turning off the power, lift the fan and have Carol fish out the antenna – ahhh – there it is – and then remount it on the two screws. We couldn’t get it to line up, it get’s heavier and heavier. At this point I do not know how long we have been holding it over our heads. I couldn’t see as I was just standing on a step stool, Carol was kneeling on the bed. Went and got our ladder and with a couple of books on top and it was the right height to balance and shift around to get it re-mounted. But it was still too heavy so we unwired it, took it completely down and then I took off the blades and the lamp fixture. It then went back up easily, re-installed the blades and the lights and now it all works perfectly.

But……

As I was returning the ladder through the house to the garage I noticed that our carpeting was missing in the den/office/guest room. It didn’t make sense. Carol said that Paul took it. I said, “Paul who?” and then I don’t remember anything. Well – I don’t remember getting the fan back up either. Carol got with a neighbor who was a nurse. LOOKS LIKE A STROKE. This was sometime Friday afternoon – I do not remember much until after 11:00 pm. By now I am in emergency at Sparrow Hospital via Ambulance after first responders and pera-medics (six) had been working on me. Carol told me most of everything that I am writing.

It turns out that I had an episode of Transient Global Amnesia. Had a cat-scan and an EKG before I remembered. You can look this up by googling and the Mayo Clinic seemed to describe it best. Lasts six to ten hours, rarely re-occurs, caused by stress or extreme exercise and looks as though it was a stroke – but no loss of muscle strength. I spent the night in the hospital, was released a little after noon on Saturday and will have a MRI and an EEG as an outpatient next week. This would be to verify that I didn’t have a stroke or any other stroke like symptoms.

I am doing fine. No restrictions. No additional medication. Just a quarter of a day of my life that I have no recollection of.

What a Great Day

It seems as though everything is fine. Paul and his partner, Eric, just completed painting the interior of our home. We are changing the design of Carol's office and converting it into a Den/Guest Room.

I'm looking forward to many golf outings and excursions that are coming during the rest of the summer. A golf trip to Yarrow, Lakeshore Resort and of course, the Newberry Open.