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| UmbraaeternuS Chile. August 24 2012 13:19. Posts 441 | Profile Blog # |
So, unamazingly, I was attending the ER yesterday. Nothing relevant was going on, it was just another standard day. People consulting with 2 days-long coughs, or fever, or diarrhea, or whatever simple thing that was making them ill. I was on my 20th patient of the day at around 10:00 AM, when all of a sudden, I feel a sharp, intense pain on my right eye.
As most of you know, I'm an ER doctor, so I know my way around a headache quite well. But not only as a doctor... as a patient, too...
You see, I've been under treatment for migraines for over 4 years. Migraines are a very specific kind of headache, in which the pain presents itself on only one side of the head, and may or may not be preceded by random symptoms called 'auras'.
But this pain was different.
![[image loading]](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2150/2189803492_8ef3b28667_z.jpg?zz=1) Yeah, I know I don't look like Barbie, and I'm a dude, and that's not the most accurate depiction of a migraine...
My headaches are usually on the left side of my head, and before one, I always have a symptom called 'photopsia'; that means I see lights on my visual field, always on the same side in which the pain presents.
![[image loading]](http://www.alsurinforma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/fotopsia_.jpg) An 'almost' accurate depiction of what photopsiae are
This time, I didn't have any of that. And the pain was on my right side, right behind my eye socket.
Being on the ER, I asked the attending EMT to put me on a saline sollution with Ketorolac and some Hydrocortisone for my pain. He quickly gave me an IV access and started the saline drip with the meds. I called a colleague to cover the ER for me for a few minutes while I recovered... So I went straight to our residency, and laid down on the couch, covering my eyes because the light was just unbereable. So I stood there, trying to rest, waiting for it all to go away...
Or so I thought.
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0-6esYIOAmE/T4Qwpq5kzdI/AAAAAAAAAE4/29vNKaos71w/s1600/30-minutes-660x360.png) Thirty minutes later...
... My colleague came into the residency to see if I was ok. I was still in pain, and he lifted the blanket off of my face and asked "how you doin' mat... What the fuck???..."
![[image loading]](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7mp8qChY31rttxvx.jpg) My colleague's face. It wasn't a very comforting thing to see...But wait, there's a twist on this...
... I instantly noticed there were only not one, but TWO colleagues of mine. Yes, I was seeing double. That's called dyplopia. He said "dude, your right eye is pointing up and outwards and your right eyelid is partly shut... Are you feeling ok?"
![[image loading]](http://usmlegalaxy.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/face.jpg) That's sort of how I looked. Only the patient on this picture has her left eye partly shut and with a lateral deviation of the stare... Mine was upwards and outwards, and it was on the right eye.
He gave me a quick neurological examination. I happen to like neurology quite a lot (I want to do my residency on neuro)... So my mind was racing thinking of possible diagnosis:
"Carotid synus anneurysm... Carotid synus dissection... Carotid synus thrombosis... Multiple Sclerosis debut... Giant cell artheritis... Encephalitis... Tolosa-Hunt syndrome... Internuclear ophthalmoplegia... Brain tumor... An ophtalmoplegical migraine..."
My colleague then shouted loudly "HEY DUDE! PAY ATTENTION! WE'VE GOT TO GET YOU TO THE CLINIC, YOU'RE GONNA NEED AN MRI, I'M CALLING A NEUROLOGIST I KNOW!..."
For the first time in my life, I became a patient being the attending physician at the ER. And a patient of something that could be potentially, very, very bad... For the first time in my life I felt real fear, actual fear. I knew I could die of some of the things that could be my actual diagnosis.
My colleague hopped into the ambulance with the ER's EMT and rushed me to a private hospital 20 miles away.
Got my neurological consult as soon as I got in the clinic's ER. 10 minutes later I was getting my MRI. An MRI is actually a machine consisting in a giant magnet which generates a magnetic field (duh) of 1.5 teslas, and without using radiation in any way, provides with very high resolution images of whatever you might need. In this case, my fucking scumbag brain.
![[image loading]](http://web.securityinnovation.com/Portals/49125/images/MRI-machine.jpg) This is an MRI machine. It's kind of a giant sarcophagus, very tight in the tunnel. And very noisy and loud too, you have to wear ear protection in it...
20 minutes later, I was admitted into the NEICU (neurological intensive care unit), and I was getting a lumbar puncture. Now, as an intern and as an ER doctor I've performed HUNDREDS of them, but never got one myself. I now look at the procedure with different eyes, since it's the MOST FUCKING PAINFUL THING I've ever been through.
![[image loading]](http://www.umm.edu/graphics/images/en/19078.jpg) A lumbar puncture depiction. It's basically when a doctor puts a giant needle through your spine and extracts a bit of cerebrospinal fluid... Yeah, very nice. Very fucking nice indeed... Ouch.
A few minutes later, nurses came into my room to draw some blood for multiple tests.
And here I am, hospitalized. With my right eye covered in order to see the world in a single image (seeing double is the most hideous thing ever!)... With my mom and dad, which brought my my laptop for me to keep studying and writing and to stay in touch with my friends...
I try to keep them calm, because they're scared of what's going on. They don't know a lot of medicine (my mom is a nutritionist, my dad is an agronomical engineer) so I'm kind of feeding them data along with my attending doctors to keep them calm...
Although I'm scared shitless myself. The two worst things were already put out of the question, and that is calming. But there are also bad things which are still on the table. And I'm waiting for the last exam results to come in to be sure...
Being a patient is tough. I forgot how it was like. And being ill of something which nobody is sure of what it is, trying as fast as they can to exclude all the worst possible ones, isn't really comforting at all...
So I'm scared, guys.
What are you supposed to do when you're a doctor who needs another doctor?
Life is very strange indeed. The bitch puts you on a paradox when she's in the mood.
I'll update later when I know what the fuck is wrong with me, as soon as the neurologist and my treating team pay a visit to me with the latest test results... I just thought I should let you guys know... :/
UPDATE:
So my neurologist came this morning to pay me a visit.
Spinal tap turned out OK, all blood tests were OK. He brought my MRI pictures along for me to watch with him, since he heard I'm into neuro...
The first thing I noticed was my right 3rd cranial nerve (the oculomotor nerve) was kind of fuzzy and crushed in my right eye socket. It was precisely that: I have an ophtalmoplegic migraine, which compromised my right 3rd cranial nerve.
So he put me on corticosteroids, upped my Topamax dose, and discharged me with 1 week-leave and rest.
![[image loading]](http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/winters_host/scumbagnerve.png) Scumbag oculomotor nerve...
Afterwards my mom and dad came in to listen to the good news. I'm not a very expresive dude, so giving a long hug to my mom and dad was a really nice, calming thing for all of us.
Luckily, there's nothing so incredibly bad wrong with me. I just happen to be one of those people who have bizarre medical conditions that are very annoying, very painful, but benign.
Thanks to everyone who has expressed their support either here or on my Facebook page, or those here in Chile who have been worried about me. It really warms my heart to know that so many people care for my well-being.
Thank you guys. This is why TeamLiquid is so goddam awesome ♥ ♥ ♥ Last edit: 2012-08-26 00:44:02
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| | therealwinters - Skype / @Umbraaeternu5 - Twitter // SC2 Smurf: Pink Spider (say hi if we bump in ladder :3) |
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| Aerisky United States. August 24 2012 13:28. Posts 9212 | Profile Blog # |
Oh wow dude... stay healthy damn :/
Hope the results come back showing you're essentially well. I know the feeling when you're just suddenly in an ER and you thought it would never have happened and it's sort of bizarre. I'm not a doctor though so there wasn't that paradoxical feeling.
Spinal taps hurt like $#@! though :X wow hope you're alright T_TLast edit: 2012-08-24 13:28:44 |
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| Probe1 United States. August 24 2012 13:30. Posts 16445 | Profile Blog # |
You're in my thoughts. Get better soon.
As you said, it is worse for a doctor because your mind churns over the greatest hits of the worst horrors. Keep loose.
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| | 우정호 KT_VIOLET 1988 - 2012 While we are postponing, life speeds by | |
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| Shady Sands United States. August 24 2012 13:47. Posts 3572 | Profile Blog # |
| It's a learning experience man. You'll come out of this knowing a lot more about how your own future patients will be feeling when they're getting treated. That's a powerful tidbit of knowledge to have as a doctor. |
| | Check out my buddy's startup: http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/13/strikingly/ |
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| tec27 United States. August 24 2012 13:51. Posts 2536 | Profile Blog # |
This sounds pretty much spot on like what happened to me when I was 12. Was optic neuritis for me, but ever since then I've gotten a similar pain once or twice a year that feels very similar but lasts longer and apparently doesn't have any effect on the size of my optic nerves =/ Hopefully you feel better in a day or 2, but spinal taps really suck  Just make sure you lay flat for a little while so it doesn't suck even more! |
| | Can you jam with the console cowboys in cyberspace? |
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| Battleaxe United States. August 24 2012 13:54. Posts 746 | Profile Blog # |
| Damn man, best of luck, I'll be hoping for a speedy recovery for you. Your blogs are incredibly interesting, and this one may possibly take the cake. |
| | Without a community, we're all just a bunch of geeks. |
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| 3FFA United States. August 24 2012 14:15. Posts 2651 | Profile Blog # |
Dang... I did NOT see this coming. GL to you! Remember, the most important thing is to stay calm.
Also, you remind me of this quote.
Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.
Michael Caine
I hope you feel better some time soon! I also hope this isn't life threatening. Last edit: 2012-08-24 14:16:21 |
| | I no longer expect the best in people. Sadly, I am beginning to expect much worse. |
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| RiceAgainst United States. August 24 2012 15:15. Posts 1366 | Profile Blog # |
| Wow, I wasn't expecting something like this to happen to you. Hopefully you get well soon. |
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| HULKAMANIA United States. August 24 2012 15:41. Posts 1186 | Profile Blog # |
| Sounds like some seriously scary shit to go through, and I'm sorry to hear that a fellow TLer is ill. Hang in there, man! I'm sure your colleagues will be certain to get you the best care possible. |
| | If it were not so, I would have told you. |
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| jupidar United States. August 24 2012 15:46. Posts 224 | Profile # |
| Just hope its a good thing you were in that situation and maybe whatever is/was ailing gets fixed now. I'm assuming a lumbar puncture is the same as a spinal tap? If so, I've had one of those. Last edit: 2012-08-24 15:46:36 |
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| spinesheath Germany. August 24 2012 15:54. Posts 5151 | Profile Blog # |
What the hell is that good for, anyways? The lumbar puncture.
Also, of course, get well soon!Last edit: 2012-08-24 15:54:55 |
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| PH United States. August 24 2012 16:34. Posts 6077 | Profile Blog # |
| I'm hoping for the best for you. Interesting read, thanks for sharing! |
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| Antimatterz United States. August 24 2012 16:41. Posts 998 | Profile # |
| Good luck man, really like your blogs (so don't die because I want more of them.) Also that lumbar puncture just looks fucking awful, did they have to med you up for that or was it a straight needle in needle out? |
| | It's not a witchhunt if you have KR: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=371282#1 "HotBid [11:45 AM]: i dunno i kinda like the big muta shooting smaller mutas out" |
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| bGr.MetHiX Bulgaria. August 24 2012 17:37. Posts 366 | Profile # |
| i hope you are well,dude.i always enjoy your blogs,even if im a bit scared to read things about hospitals,medical procedures and doctors. |
| | Grandmaster Protoss from Bulgaria on both EU and NA servers. Proud member of team [gizmo] . Streaming everyday with commentary @ twitch.tv/hwbgmethix |
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 kollin United Kingdom. August 24 2012 17:49. Posts 4154 | Profile Blog # |
| Get better soon dude. What you do is fucking amazing and inspiring. |
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| VenomBRA Netherlands. August 24 2012 17:51. Posts 168 | Profile # |
I had an MRI of my shoulder once, and it was a terrible experience.
And I thought the part before the MRI was bad, with this doctor struggling to guide this flexible needle/tube thing from my chest all the way to my shoulder socket, to then inject this VERY THICK contrast substance. But being inside this coffin listening to those loud clicks and bags was very scary. The ear protection was also some sort of headphones, the techs kept telling me all the time it was almost over. Time would not pass. I was trying not to keep my eyes open, as the "roof" was so close to my eyes that it was hard to focus. I kept counting up. From 1 to 100, then back again from 1. And on the next day my chest was full of bruises from the doctor pushing it trying to guide this tube to my shoulder. But hey, at least I didn't need surgery!
BTW, I don't know how to call it in English. Help would be appreciated  . I had my arm frequently fall off the socket, they called it "luxação recidivante" in Portuguese. Is "recurrent discolocation" the correct English medical term?
I always feel very strange being in a hospital as a patient, but I can only imagine what it must feel like to you who is so familiarized to it from the other side, as a doctor.
Hang in tight there, you have my thoughts and best wishes. |
| | "We got a lot of nothing to say" |
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| nttea Sweden. August 24 2012 18:47. Posts 4066 | Profile Blog # |
| I had some trouble with my eye too almost a year ago now! followed by various nasty neurological symptoms. All went away after getting some b12 vitamin hope yours turn out something not so serious as well! |
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| iaguz Australia. August 24 2012 21:13. Posts 1249 | Profile Blog # |
| I guess your only option is to wear an eyepatch and scare the fuck out of children patients who refuse to take their medication. |
| | Australian terran user stream twitch.tv/mfiaguz |
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| radscorpion9 Canada. August 24 2012 23:45. Posts 1321 | Profile # |
| man...it sounds so serious, but you manage to keep a great sense of humor throughout, I loved the pictures XD |
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| SoSexy Italy. August 25 2012 01:22. Posts 622 | Profile Blog # |
| Get better man! I'm sure everything will turn out fine |
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