Friday, February 6, 2009

The Little Blue Men in My Head

Ok, you're gonna have to track with me here, but hopefully it will all make sense in the end.

Yesterday, was my appointment with the ear, nose & throat doctor to see if he could shed any light on the cause of my dizziness and double vision. First they tested my hearing, which appears to be intact. Next the doctor questioned me, quite thoroughly, about my symptoms. He seemed to really listen to me and he even took notes. Then he prescribed a very low dose of Valium because it is suppposed to help combat dizziness and he ordered an MRI.

We were able to go immediately to the imaging center. I realize that thousands of people get MRIs every day, but as I've mentioned before, I've always been blessed with good health and therfore don't have a lot of experience with these types of tests.

So I go in and the nice man in blue scubs tells me to have a seat on the table. He then proceeds to explain that the test is really very simple, but that its very loud. He instructs me on inserting spongey earplugs in my ears. Then he continues to explain things to me, but I really couldn't hear very well (because he'd done such a good job teaching me how to put in the earplugs). He did mention several times that it would be LOUD.

I laid down and he inserted an IV. Not a pleasant experience due to the small, rolling, collapsing veins that I inherited from my mother. Next he clamped the metal cage-thingy over my head and tightened down the screws. I felt a little like Hannibal Lector, or maybe Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie The Man in the Iron Mask. He warned me again that it was going to be LOUD.

I had no idea what he meant by that, but I think I assumed it would be like a jet engine roar or maybe even a freight train. But if you've ever had an MRI, then you know that LOUD refers to repeated banging and thumping noises for 30-45 minutes. With an emphasis on repeated, banging, thumping and 30-45 minutes. At one point, the thumping had a pretty catchy rhythm that reminded me of the two times I've gone to see The Blue Man Group. So from then on, I just closed my eyes and imagined I was in Boston or Chicago at a Blue Man show. This is what was going on inside my head:



I realize that 3 minutes is a long time to watch some freaks pounding on PVC, but you kinda get the idea now of how I spent 45 minutes of my time yesterday.

And then that reminded me of the song Destroyer by the Kinks. The abridged version goes a little like this:
Dr. Dr. help me please, I know you'll understand...
There's a red, under my bed
And there's a little green man in my head
And he said, you're not goin' crazy, you're just a bit sad

I'm not really sure what a "red" under my bed is...probably some sort of drug reference... like maybe say...valium? And the men in my head were blue, not green, but overall the doctor told me that I'm not going crazy...or deaf or blind. He said I have Bell's Palsy...which is what we already knew. But he said its just going to take while to fully recover.

He sent me to an eye doctor today who did lots of "fun" tests (read: extremely painful drops and excruciating bright lights). And guess what? She said the same thing. "You have Bell's Palsy and its just going to take a while to recover."

So I'm relieved that there are no masses in my head or permanent injury to my eye. Now I just have to wait. Well, at least I have valium...

Even if it doesn't STOP the spinning, maybe it will take the edge off so that I don't mind the spinning quite as much. That should make the little blue men in my head happy.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, I hope they figure out what's making you dizzy. Have you tried acupuncture? It works wonders for me!

Cheryl Hyatt said...

Glad to hear that you are not permanently damaged and that recovery is expected!! Love you. Can we do anything?

KatBouska said...

Congrats on your sits day yesterday! My mom and I just had a conversation about Bells Palsy the other day when I explained to her that the left side of my mouth went numb for no apparent reason. It was really strange. I hope you recover quickly!! Migraines and head stuff really sucks because you literally can't do anything. At least when you're sick you can watch tv...when it's your head and vision all you can do is lay there and wait. YUCK!

Jerilyn said...

Yeah for MRI's..NOT I have had 4 in the last 6 months...I request high power drugs to sleep through it which I do, Thank God..I am just too clostrafobic? to handle going in that thing. I'm glad the DX was something that will go away in time (my sister in law had Bells Palsy while she was pregnant with my nephew. If you need anything let us know :)

Rachel Sue said...

I missed you on your sits day but at least I caught you today. I'm glad that everything worked out with the tests (read: nothing was seriously wrong. those tests don't sound like fun at all.)

Laura said...

Weird I had one today and when they said "it's noisy" I did not realize exactly HOW loud they meant. It was freaky especially having giant 1970 earphones clamped on my head before they explained stuff. I swear I thought the room was blowing apart. Good luck and take care!

kris said...

Sweetie, I feel for you still. Thanks for making me laugh while you suffer. You always describe your life so that is fun to listen to and read. If you are still sick next Tuesday I will come to you.

Sarah said...

I've always wanted to see the Blue Man Group! I'm a huge fan of Stomp too. Now as for the dizzy, did anyone look at vertigo? I understand that that can send you spinning too. Just curious.

Rebecca Jo said...

I have inner ear problems & dizziness is a part of my life too - its not fun!

And yes, I would actually make a tune with the thumping noises on my last MRI - & you're supposed to stay still... oops! Needless to say, my procedure took longer than normal!

Hope you feel better!

Sheryl said...

My sister had Bells Palsy and recovered nicely. Hang in there.

G Pierce said...

I still get the sweats when I think back to my MRI experiences. When I went in the tube the first time, I made the mistake of opening my eyes to see how close I was to the top of the tube...and panicked. Had to come out...have a little freak out session, then go back in. I never opened my eyes again! I'm glad your results didn't show any surprises...praying for speedy recovery.

Ruby Red Slippers said...

I will be keeping you in my prayers-
The MRI experience is not one I have had (yet-) and banging and pounding sounds not like so much fun...
Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog.
(I love your blog too-)

Brittany said...

Glad to hear it's not anything too serious! I'll be praying the Bell's Palsy goes away quickly.

That constant thumping would annoy the heck out of me!

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Melinda said...

HI, I'm visiting from Pink-ink. That is really interesting that you have Bells Palsy and it is giving you dizziness. My mom had it and it caused the nerves on the entire side of her face to collapse, so she looked like a stroke patient. It's interesting that there are different symptoms. Thankfully, it does get better with time.

Melinda said...

Hi, I thought if I commented back here, it would be easier for you to find it. :-)

My mom still has lingering symptoms. It's been about four years now. But, she's probably not a good person to compare with because she has other health problems like high blood pressure and thyroid disease, so I think she would in a different situtation healthwise, if she took care of herself. (She never goes to the doctor or exercises or eats well.) Her face seems to get better or worse depending on how stressed out she is... sometimes, I can't even tell, and other times her drooping face is very obvious. I don't know if that is normal or not.

Rachel Ann said...

What group is your husband with that they visit the Puyallup Fair? I would probably know who they were...I not only attend every year, but have worked there in many capacities over the years!

Anonymous said...

I'm such a visual learner and your description of your appointments is priceless! Glad you received some answers and hope your symptoms heal soon!