A couple of neurosurgeons visit me and do some motion tests.

Now who was it that ordered the MRA? Since I already had an MRI with some “contrast”, I couldn’t have another one that day. So it was scheduled for the next morning.

A MRA is also called at CT angiography.

Thursday I was gently woken up by my PCP. I was pretty excited to see him. He couldn’t give more details since the MRA wasn’t done yet. (An MRA is an MRI looking at specific arteries in the back of the brain.) A couple hours later I was wheeled down to the MRI trailer. (I think it was literally a semi-truck trailer.) (bang! bdrrrrr! and other MRI noises) After that I went back to my room for a diagnosis.

Finally I was given some information! I had a stroke! Wha-wha-what!? This thing that I suspected actually happened!?

Ok, so I learned I had a stroke. My brother (a radiologist) wants to see the scans so I request a CD from the hospital. I wait a few days and then pop the CD into my computer. Luckily it had a viewer included on the disk. I looked at the scans and I think I see the problem. I’m just guessing at this point. I uploaded some images on Facebook, but don’t share it with anyone but my family. At some point I hope to include some images on this site and discuss what happened in more detail. (Like how the right vertebral artery that was twisted closed preventing blood from reaching my cerebellum and how 30-40% of my right half of my cerebellum is now dead.)

I was also hoping to tell them about easy-speak.org and this:

You can be in Toastmasters and not speak. I’ve been in for 2 1/2 years now and still haven’t finished my CC. I’ve only given 3 speeches in 2 years. How? By filing meeting roles. If you pick large enough roles, no one expects you to give a speech.

So why am I still in Toastmasters when I don’t work on speeches? Because I know I should. I gave a speech Tuesday (#9 Persuade with Power) and was nervous as hell. My mouth was dryer than Death Valley. I know I need to improve.

Plus, I like the members of my Toastmasters club. Good people. Good folk.

Oh, by the way, some people (those in my carpool on the way to the meeting today) expect me to be the next club president. I originally thought I would run for VPE (Vice President Education) again and Lou would be president. But then Lou decided to be an area governor and Jay said he was interested in being VPE. So… I don’t know. If only Toastmasters let Presidents serve for more than a year at a time. Ann is and Travis was a good president. (Who was before that? Hmm…)

Oh, another thing, my Competent Leader (CL) certificate came today! Yea! (Now who was it that dropped the ball and didn’t have it sent to their house so it could be presented?)

Monday was a holiday (New Year’s observed) so I did nothing.

Tuesday afternoon I went to see the PA (physicians assistant) at the ENT. The regular guy was too busy. Christi dropped me off and I waited for a couple of minutes. A little girl Alyssa went before me. I was led to the examination room by the PA (who didn’t introduce himself until we were in the room – weird). He asked some questions, but I think he was mostly going by what notes were sent to him. (From clinic doctor, ER, Christi? I don’t know.) When he left to get something to remove some excess ear wax I really didn’t feel like I had any answers. I had a hearing test done and then went to a different examination room to meet with the PA again. I was determined to get more answers. And I did. He answered all my questions and then gave me his 3 guesses: Ménière’s, labrynthitis or headache. (He only thought of the 3rd after I complained about headaches.) He knew there was a connection between headaches and vertigo. I don’t think he was going to do anything but after complaining about my headaches he ordered an MRI. It was supposed to get a better look at the vestibular something-or-other. Forward to…

Wednesday I drove myself to the imaging center to have the MRI done. I’ve had an MRI done before so I wasn’t too concerned. The machine was loud. It was long. Blah blah blah. It was over and I changed into my “street” clothes. The nurse said the doctor called and asked for me to stay a couple of minutes in case he had any questions. Sure. (whistle, whistle) Yep, the doctor is on the phone in the MRI room. Weird, especially because there was another person getting an MRI beyond the glass. And it wasn’t the doctor at the ENT practice I was going to see nor the PA. It was another doctor from the same practice. He saw something in the MRI that concerned him and he wanted to get a second opinion because it was “outside [his] area of expertise”. Ok. I waited a few more minutes. He calls back, again I’m in the MRI room, and he says that I should get someone to drive me to the hospital right now. He talked to a neurologist and he agreed. If I needed an ambulance, he would get one for me, but for legal reasons, I should not be driving. (expletive) I call my wife and she says yes she can come get me. We get to the hospital and wait for what seems like forever when finally I’m taking to a room in the observatory (“short stay”) unit. At this point I still don’t know why I’m at the hospital since it was “outside his area of expertise”. They call for a neurologist, a neurosurgeon and my PCP to visit me.

More to come…

I reached down into the car and grabbed the 2 dollars. When I stood up I felt “off”. I was slightly dizzy. I’m not sure if my neck “popped” as it usually does or if it just hurt. I noticed that the right side of the back of my throat felt icy cold and I was walking with a slight gait to the right and was bumping the right wall if I didn’t consciously pull myself to the left.

I noticed my right thumb and index finger “go numb” as if they had “fallen asleep”.

As I reached my desk I looked up the systems for a stroke which included dizziness and numbness along with a crooked smile and slurred speech. I checked my smile with a small mirror at my desk. Nothing different – I naturally have a slightly crooked smile. I mumbled to myself and thought I sounded ok, but to be sure I called my wife at home. She concurred that I sounded ok, but mentioned my company’s in-house doctor’s clinic and suggested I stop by.

I got quite a stare suggesting to the intake person that I suspected a stroke, especially at age 34, but they took me back and took my blood pressure. It was a “normal” reading, under 80 for the first number — I don’t remember the second.

The nurse asked for a list of meds which I produced from my Blackberry and we went through the whole scenario again. She led me back to an examining room and I had a seat. When the doctor came in I was feeling foolish for coming in, especially this late on a Friday make her and her staff have to stay later than usual.

The doctor and I ran through my meds and the scenario again — best if I just go with the flow and try to repeat it each time. She thought she remembered a reaction between my RLS medication (Mirapex) and one of my antidepressants. She called the pharmacist for confirmation but he didn’t remember seeing this publication within the last couple of days. “Shoot” the doctor said, “I didn’t really read through it because none of my patients are on [RLS medications].”

My thumb and finger were back to normal and although I was still feeling a little dizzy, nothing was majorly wrong. The doctor had me hop onto the examination table. She went through some basics like temperature and blood pressure and asked me what year it was, my name, who was president, etc. Then she asked a seeming innocuous question of why people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks. I tried to spit out a comprehensible explanation, citing that it was an idiom, when «BAM» my world was spinning!

The room was quickly spinning and my body was moving along with it. I felt as if my body was rotating in its place. The X-Y plane was rotating along the z-axis, my angle fluctuating from a normal 0° to a little-past-sideways degree of 120.  This was happening at an alarming rate of many (10?) times per second.

I shut my eyes as the scene was too excruciating to see. I was given a vomit bag since I was now very nauseous.

Blood pressure went up, but nothing too alarming.

My eyes were dancing back and forth. (Nystagmus?)

“Vertigo” and “Ménière’s” mentioned.

I did some severe sweating.

Feelings subsided, but I knew I couldn’t get myself out of there.

They called Christi and told her where I was and asked if she could come get me. She said she could. The doctor, or nurse, or both, told me that if it got worse I should go to the ER.

Two prescriptions were written. If only Christi got there before 5:00. At ¼ til, she showed up and I immediately told her to get the prescriptions. She got those and then it was asked where my car was so she could drive me home.

I was pushed up to the door, eyes closed still, to be picked up. As I waited I vomited. The doctor now thought it would be best to go to the ER. I got in the car. Christi ran back to the other car she arrived in and told them she would be taking me to the ER. Just who was with her? Did she drive her car? Which kids were with her?

We drove to the ER. Christi went past the street where I would have turned. Oh well, bigger things to worry about.

Eyes still closed she summoned someone with a wheelchair to carry/drag me in. I was placed in front of an intake window. A lot of good that would do me I humored. They needed my insurance card so I gave Christi my wallet.

I was moved to another room and placed on a bed. Answered more questions, trying to keep it light. “Why do we treat tetanus? If men all had lockjaw, we would have the perfect husbands” joked a nurse.

Blood drawn. Saline drip with medication started.

Eyes still dancing. Nurses fascinated. I’m not.

EKG. Then CAT scan. All with eyes closed.

I apologize to one or two people for not looking at them.

I tried to use the “urinal” in the room. I was too pee-shy. With help from Christi we went across the hall and I was successful … eventually.

Then I just waited.

They gave Christi some prescriptions. We dropped them off at the 24-hour Walgreens and she took me home. Linda was there and stayed until Christi came back with the meds.

I made it upstairs where I puked again.

That was Friday night.

Saturday was better. I was able to open my eyes for longer periods until evening when I felt like I could keep them open if I stared at things close enough to me. Further things were (well, are) still moving slightly back and forth and made me dizzy. I took the anti-dizziness medications pretty much as prescribed – 3 times a day. I used the anti-nauseous medication once on Sunday and haven’t taken any since.

We decided we couldn’t sue because no one was hurt until… Alyssa put her hand on the counter later and a shard that had stuck to the edge of the counter went right into her finger. Poor thing.

(Note to self: typing on an iPad sucks!)

Dedicated and fights for what is right.

Focuses on quality in his work.

I like his listening skills. Adam is always ready to help others.

Always provides excellent out of the box thinking for technical problems.

Excellent and well rounded technical skills. Amazing code documentation. Very good at trying out new technologies and integrating them into your projects. I learn things from him! I can tell he has a passion for this stuff, which is a rare commodity.

If I ever have any tech questions Adam is the first person I would ask. I appreciate how he gets things done without complaining.

Adam seems to always have a positive, happy attitude. Sometimes things at work can burden us, but Adam will say something funny and everyone will laugh even early on a Monday. Thanks!

Great sense of detail and ability to find things that others overlook. Passion for the job, quality, and the people is evident in everything he does.

A patient collaborator that values your input.

Mom: If you could have anything for your birthday, what would you pick?

Me: … it would be to wake up in the morning rested and jumping out of bed instead of dreading getting up and cursing life.

Mom: (no response yet)