Traveling with brain cancer and epilepsy
I just returned from a trip to Rome! (Hence the lack of posts.) Yay! It was my first time out of the country, except for a day trip I took to Tijuana when I was seven. But that doesn’t count. And like any responsible person with a significant medical condition who will be traveling out of...
Oops
I short-changed my Keppra dosing this week by mistake. I’m supposed to have 1,500mg in the morning and 2,000mg in the evening, but I must have filled up my Old Man Pill Case wrong. All this week I’ve been taking 1,500mg in the evening. The good news is that I’m feeling fine. I always told...
Five-dollar word: electroencephalography
In an earlier post I mentioned my neurologist was thinking about having me hooked up to an EEG thing-y. According to Wikipedia, “Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp produced by the firing of neurons within the brain.” According to Shannon, a friend studying neurology, the EEG is a badass at detecting...
A recent interaction between the neurologist and me
Dr. G.P., Twice this week I experienced an odd sensation. I don’t think I was having a seizure because I didn’t have an aura and I didn’t have any Jacksonian-march sensations characteristic of all other seizures I’ve had. What happens is I suddenly become confused about what constitutes the left and right sides of my...
Laughing in the face of the “worst-case scenario”
Hey, everyone. I have a new $5 word for you: nystagmus. Now, before you run off to look it up on Wikipedia, give me a chance to tell my story. Over the past six weeks I have been experiencing a weird sensation when I look at something up close, including my cell phone, books and,...
Mystery solved
Well, well, well. It turns out that the shaking/tremor sensation I was experiencing was neither tumor or seizure-related. My neurologist and Super Awesome Nurse were able to deduce this because the tremors were in both hands, as opposed to materializing in just the right hand (as would be normal for my seizures). The tremor was traced...
Sacks is the man
I just started reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by world-renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sacks. If you have a brain-related malady or are just fascinated with the mind, Sacks’ books are intriguing, educational, and easy to understand. Sacks’ starts this book with a quote that spoke to me. If you...
This is the first doctor who knew I had a brain tumor
Here he is. The head of Kaiser neurology in Roseville, California… the doctor who told me I was going to have a brain surgery… the man who prescribed me the medical mantra: First save your life. Then worry about everything else. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present you… Dr. Palma, neurologist and total...
Partial seizure? I can deal
I forgot to mention that I had a simple partial seizure on Dec. 9. I was on the computer (probably using Facebook or something equally time-wasting) when suddenly my right hand felt like it didn’t belong to me. I’ve had a tiny bit of limb agnosia on my right side ever since the second craniotomy,...
Not so bad
Dr. P says, Thanks for the update Liz. I don’t recommend any change in regimen at this time. These events will happen from time to time. Whew.
Putting the "point" in appointment
From me to my neurologist: Dr. Palma, Thanks for seeing me today. I left the office without asking you an important question: will you allow me to drive a car?! It has been 9 months since I last lost consciousness from a seizure; and six months since I’ve felt anything significant. I submitted all the...
This is your skin on drugs
I’ve had an interesting past 10 days or so. I finished taking Dilantin on April 6, an anti-epileptic drug that does not work for me and decreases the effectiveness of a drug that does work well for me–Lamictal. Exactly one week later, April 13, I started hanging out with Suzanne and her dog Prudence at...
