Update:
Since the beginning of May I haven’t been feeling well. At first I thought it was just because I was
out of shape and had been aggressively working at getting back into shape since
the beginning of April. While I enjoyed
working out six days a week, I was extremely tired and worn out all the time. I figured that I’m just older and I haven’t
been able to be too active over the last four years, so it was natural that it
would take a lot out of me to get back into shape.
I would feel so worn out after exercising that I had to sit in the
truck for up to an hour to feel good enough to drive home from the gym. But then I started getting dizzy and almost
passing out and I knew that something was going on and I needed to be checked
out medically.
So far I’ve worn a heart monitor, had an EKG, and had a ton of blood
work done. And so far everything has
come back normal; but that’s not the way I feel. I have a constant headache. If I do the slightest activity I become a bit
dizzy or become mentally foggy (thinking slows down, etc.). I feel a constant pressure on my head like I’m
wearing a tight stocking cap that’s too tight.
Pain meds don’t help. Sitting
still in my recliner reduces my symptoms somewhat, but the moment I get up they
come right back. I usually can do one or
two short things a day and then I’m done.
I haven’t even been to church for the last month because I wasn’t
feeling up to it. I actually made it to
the worship service one week; but had to leave immediately because the music
was so overpowering loud to me (my wife told me it was no louder than
usual). I’ve stopped going to the gym
and curtailed most other activities, some of which I dearly miss.
I was just seen by a neurologist
and I’m having a MRI of my brain done in the morning (6/15). After his exam, he told me that he thinks “the
MRI will show that I have a ‘normal’ brain.”
Ha! Ha! He’s in for a surprise—I’m
definitely not “normal”. He obviously hasn’t
heard any of my jokes or seen any of my memes on FB!!!
Right now, tentatively, my symptoms line up with something called “New
Daily Persistent Headaches”. The good
news is that for some people the symptoms go away after a few months to a
couple of years. Of course, for some
people the symptoms continue for years or decades. Most
of the time medication has little to no effect.
The doctor told me the best thing to do is to minimize the things that
trigger the symptoms and take it easy.
Who knows? Tomorrow’s MRI might
show some other cause for what’s going on.
Or if nothing shows up on the MRI, another test that my primary doctor
lines up might pinpoint a diagnosis.
At first, I really figured it was something wrong with my heart. Then I figured my arteries must be
blocked. Those don’t seem to be the
problem, so now we are checking out the head (tumors, cancer, stroke,
etc.). The neurologist doesn’t think we’ll
find any of those things wrong with me either.
I really don’t know where this is headed. I don’t have any answers right now. I’m just trying to make it through each day
as we search for a diagnosis and hopefully a solution.
The past month and a half have been hard on me emotionally. My doctor has been taking good care of me but
the medical system seems designed to test your patience. Like most of us, I want answers right away
and I want my problem solved quickly. I
also know that after I get this resolved that I am headed to surgery for my
carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel (in both arms eventually). So I feel like my summer is already
gone. This certainly isn’t the summer
that I had planned. And yet I can still
say that life is good!
I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
I got the results of my brain MRI back...and the doctor said they didn't find anything!
