Diagnosis? Dunno. Take Baby Aspirin

[dreiser]

Yesterday around 11 a.m. at work the entire right side of my body went numb. Not all at once but slow and steady and I mostly noticed it right at that time. I told some of my coworkers and they freaked out because, you know, can't feel face, head, chest, arm, and leg.

Thus they call the ambulance. And I sit in the hospital from noon until I'm released at 8:45 p.m. after taking a deluge of tests which included an MRI and two CAT Scans. First they thought it was neurological, hence MRI. Nothing there.

Then they thought it could be a blood clot. CAT Scan but the first CAT Scan was inconclusive and they thought something went wrong so second CAT Scan. Again, nothing. So they do a series of poking and prodding tests to prove I'm not lying about being numb. I'm saying... there's very little that can be as freaky as seeing multiple needles go into your body and not fucking feel it when no drugs have been given to you to induce this fucking state.

But they finally let me out at 8:45 p.m. without knowing what the hell was wrong with me and me feeling the exact same as when I got in. I got a pile of discharge paperwork that included orders I see two neurologists, general md, and I think a vascular doctor. I forget the last one. What was my diagnosis? Peripheral Neuropathy.

Basically means body can go numb for no discernable reason at all and don't worry about it. But because you have no feeling at all in your right side make sure not to injure yourself because if you do, you won't feel it and that would be bad. Oh yeah! And take lots of baby aspirin until you can see your required four doctors.

Baby aspirin.

Michi went nuts when she heard that. "You've kept her here since noon, you want her to see four different doctors, but in the meantime take lots of baby aspirin?! She can't feel the right side of her body!"

I seriously thought she was going to attack someone. We finally get out of the hospital and she's ranting about stupid doctors and not knowing what was wrong. Cutest thing was her turning to me and saying she was driving me right to her apartment and I could take a shower like I wanted then she would go out and buy the baby aspirin for me.

Baby aspirin again. lol.

Not ten minutes ago she had been yelling about the stupidity of baby aspirin but now she was going to buy it for me. I pointed this out sort of teasing and she looks at me all irritated and cute huffy, "Be quiet! Those doctors ARE stupid but they told you to take baby aspirin and I'm buying it for you!"

And yeah. That was my Thursday evening. Needless to say I missed my Grammar class. I think perhaps that was the one "good" thing to come out of this experience.

I still can't feel the right side of my body but I am at work. Funnnn.

Comments

[danish79.livejournal.com]

wow, that actually sounds very scary. My first thought was a stroke. Cause it sounded like what had happened to my dad a few years ago. But good to hear that it's nothing like that. I hope you feel better soon.

[vertige.livejournal.com]

Freaky!

I hope you get better really soon. And that those stupid doctors figure out how to help you. Ugh. There is only so much incompetence I can take from doctors (and on a global basis even) in one week:

- My doctor has lost all of the x-rays of my foot I spent a day getting done last week.

- My friends doctor says she can't move her left arm because of stress. She's been having pains in her arm ever since moving to her new flat eight months ago (from carrying lots of things) and now she can't even move it. Sure, Mrs. Doctor... It's stress!

- Your doctors are stupid! I agree with Michi. Even if she had attacked someone.


= they are all* stupid!


*Except my friend Lisa. She's a good doctor. Only she wants to specialise in cutting guts open. Crazy, yes. Stupid, no.

[adelefiz.livejournal.com]

OMG, I'm glad to hear that you are ok and back at work, despite the lack of feeling. That's crazy and would have totally scared the shit out of me. I don't have anything to say about doctors, except for the fact that I actually like all of mine. Even my dentist. Now I don't like going to him, but I like him.
Baby asprin, that's pretty funny, though.

[(Anonymous)]

Next time u feel that again, I read that you must stick out your tongue. If it leans to the side of your numbness, you may be suffering from a stroke! But if they found nothing wrong, there must be nothing wrong (I hope). Do take care! Maybe some ginko would help?

Kel

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

Your medical maladies are way more serious and dramatic than mine. My most recent medical malady involved me tripping over my own two feet while barefoot and falling down and scraping my knees and elbows.

Stop being so freaking competitive about medical stuff, okay? You win, I tell you. You win! So no need for any of that facial numbness stuff, again, ya hear?


(In all seriousness, I hope you are okay and that it doesn't happpen again and they suss out what happened in the first place)

[ssot.livejournal.com]

Hi,

Have the doctors excluded MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis

it's tricky and difficult to diagnose