Lift with your head: the other 90% of my brain
In the past I have viewed exercise as a chore. Repetitive weight lifting and mindless jogs on a treadmill were never my idea of fun. But I still have cancer in my brain–so I need to do something to feel like I am fighting back. I strongly believe in the power of advocacy as an important...
Over-thinking everything
Yesterday evening I was overwhelmed with a significant feeling of déjà vu. According to Wikipedia, déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the previous encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined. What creeps me out about the déjà vu is that I...
Mind over matter
Throughout my life I’ve developed a mantra for whenever I have to do something unpleasant. I tell myself, “You will do this right now. It will suck for right now. But when it is over you will never have to do it again.” I developed this mantra when I got my first tattoo. I went...
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...
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,...
Our sixth sense: a lesson on proprioception
When I was reading My Stroke of Insight by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, she said no self-respecting neuro-scientist would allow a surgeon into their brain. I believe she was alluding to how important this organ is to our functioning and overall sense of self. After my first brain surgery I did not notice anything...
Happy surger-versary, to me!
Best friend Mel fed me ice chips after surgery because I was starving. Today is the one year anniversary of my second craniotomy. Remember how I couldn’t walk after my second surgery? Remember I how I had to do physical therapy and use a cane? Remember how slow I had to take it on...
Photos: My brain as of May 21, 2009
Note to MRI newbies: Scans are always viewed as a mirror image; what appears on the left is really on the right, and vice-versa. See that empty spot in the left parietal lobe? That’s my brain hole. Actually, it’s more like a missing layer in my brain. Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?...
Plenty of neurons left
I emailed my neuro-oncologist with a silly question. I asked, “With all the surgery I’ve had in my left parietal lobe, do I still have anything left in that spot? Do tumors eat up good brain or just squish it around?” He replied, “I don’t think you will have any new neurological problems as a...
