"Well, your brain's okay"
Aug. 22nd, 2002 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geminigirlSomewhere, in his book The Kid, Dan Savage talks about how he likes to think about the absolute worst possibility, and how that reduces the chances of those bad things happening. He makes reference to things like never having been walked in by his mom when he was masturbating, and how he's never been in a plane crash. I'll admit, that I employed the same technique when dealing with getting these CAT scan results.
Back in July when they thought they'd found out what was going on, and they thought it was toxoplasmosis, among the things I had to do was see the eye doctor.
So, I saw the eye doctor, who did a slit lamp exam, to look for toxoplasmosis lesions on my eyes. While she was doing this, she noticed that the nerve in my right eye looked "prominent", which meant a follow up with a visual field exam (where they look at the vision that's not central and not peripheral) and a CAT scan. This morning was the follow up exam. And the doctor said, "Well, your brain's okay." Which was reassuring. They went through some other exams, checked my color vision, and dilated my eyes. (That would be why I'm sitting in my office wearing sunglasses. And everyone is making fun of my dilated eyes. Especially A. who keeps sending people to me to look at my scary eyes.)
Okay. Long story short? The nerve is still "prominent" and she wants to watch it kind of carefully for the next six months. Since nothing's changed in the last six weeks, and the CAT scan found nothing, if, a short ways down the road, it looks fine, she'll consider it an "anomaly" that I've probably had for a long time, and while it does need to be watched to make sure that nothing else changes, there's nothing actually wrong with it. (As in, it's not sick. I don't have a tumor back there.) I have to have another visual field test in September to see if it matches the results of the first (which showed something going on, but she said, it might have been just because I'd never done it before)
The eye doctor pulled up the pages and pages of tests that I've been through on the computer, and ordered a bunch more tests for rheumatology-type things. I'm amazed. I'm amazed that an eyedoctor who saw me for such a specific thing took the time to listen, to consider and consult and think about why I might still not be well. And to order more tests. (Okay, just what I need, another hole in my arm!)
And, for all you localfolks...driving from Springfield, by the Mall, to my office, near the Pentagon sucked, with dilated eyes.
Still haven't heard anything from the regular doctor, but I haven't checked the messages at home either. We'll see. Did pick up new allergy script this am. Taken one dose, not sure if speedy-heart feeling is that or the caffeine or sugar in the iced tea.
It's time for snack.
Back in July when they thought they'd found out what was going on, and they thought it was toxoplasmosis, among the things I had to do was see the eye doctor.
So, I saw the eye doctor, who did a slit lamp exam, to look for toxoplasmosis lesions on my eyes. While she was doing this, she noticed that the nerve in my right eye looked "prominent", which meant a follow up with a visual field exam (where they look at the vision that's not central and not peripheral) and a CAT scan. This morning was the follow up exam. And the doctor said, "Well, your brain's okay." Which was reassuring. They went through some other exams, checked my color vision, and dilated my eyes. (That would be why I'm sitting in my office wearing sunglasses. And everyone is making fun of my dilated eyes. Especially A. who keeps sending people to me to look at my scary eyes.)
Okay. Long story short? The nerve is still "prominent" and she wants to watch it kind of carefully for the next six months. Since nothing's changed in the last six weeks, and the CAT scan found nothing, if, a short ways down the road, it looks fine, she'll consider it an "anomaly" that I've probably had for a long time, and while it does need to be watched to make sure that nothing else changes, there's nothing actually wrong with it. (As in, it's not sick. I don't have a tumor back there.) I have to have another visual field test in September to see if it matches the results of the first (which showed something going on, but she said, it might have been just because I'd never done it before)
The eye doctor pulled up the pages and pages of tests that I've been through on the computer, and ordered a bunch more tests for rheumatology-type things. I'm amazed. I'm amazed that an eyedoctor who saw me for such a specific thing took the time to listen, to consider and consult and think about why I might still not be well. And to order more tests. (Okay, just what I need, another hole in my arm!)
And, for all you localfolks...driving from Springfield, by the Mall, to my office, near the Pentagon sucked, with dilated eyes.
Still haven't heard anything from the regular doctor, but I haven't checked the messages at home either. We'll see. Did pick up new allergy script this am. Taken one dose, not sure if speedy-heart feeling is that or the caffeine or sugar in the iced tea.
It's time for snack.
