Tumoriffic! Moves to the Unused Doctor Garvey's Health Blog

Tumor fans, after a 6 year hiatus (or 4 and a half, depending on how you count),  it is now time for  

Tumoriffic!, Part IV

Chapter 1: The Fifth Tumor?!?!

Since Wednesday, March 14, I have been posting my exciting news on Facebook, but I realize that has left out some of my most loyal tumor fans. I will now repost what news I have had so far, and from now on, I will use both this blog and Facebook.

For those of you who need to review, the story of my earlier adventures in Tumorland can be found at Tumoriffic.org. (I won't add to that site since it was written in a program that is no longer available, and I am too lazy to redo it.)

March 12, 2012: Taking a Spin on the Yorktown Express. . .

Reporting from brigham & womens ER. Instant transformation from doctor to patient this morning. One minute, I'm talking to a 92 year old about her orthostatic hypotension, the next, the room is spinning, my hand is clutching my mouth, and I'm on the express train to yorktown.(1)

Yippee!

(Before I made it out the door, breakfast was spraying out my nose and through my fingers. So much for bedside manner.) 

I ran into my office and began to vomit enthusiastically into my trashcan.  For some reason, my colleague down the hall, Artemis, became concerned.  In short order, she called K, and K put her foot down and called an ambulance.  Continuing to vomit and spin, I thought this was excessive.  I just wanted to get back to work, and of course, this should stop any minute.  But I went along with it.

 That was not my favorite ambulance ride.  Spinning and puking all the way to Neighborhood Hospital.  They plopped me into the emergency room.  My good pal, ER Guy gave me some ondansetron for my nausea and some meclizine for my vertigo, and I was right as rain and ready to go back to work.  "Oh, no you don't," said K.  "Oh, no you don't," said ER Guy.  "This is not just a stomach bug.  I think something bad might be happening.  You need to go somewhere with fancier stuff. 

And so, after a much more pleasant ambulance ride, I found myself back at Ben and Jerry's Hospital, where I had had many a tumoriffic adventure.  There, I had an MRI.  The MRI showed an itty-bitty. stroke.  However, my symptoms were gone, and we already knew the reason for the stroke--ridiculous amount of radiation.  Nothing to be done.  I was already on the stroke prevention medicine.  I was doing all that could be done.  Ho, hum.  We went home that night.

March 14, 2012: . . .Which Somehow Ends Up in Tumorland

Holeeeeeeey spit! That dizzy spell signaled my return to Tumorland!

My primary care doc called yesterday to tell me that the MRI done in the ER 2 days ago showed a 'small' mass in my clivus. The clivus is not the scientific name for some naughty part, nor is it the name of a minor character from the Beverly Hillbillies. It's a bone that sits between the back of my nose and, as Woody Allen said, "my second favorite organ"--my brain. Ruh roh. More updates to follow.

 

(1)  Remember when, as a small child you would spin around to feel dizzy?  That kind of dizzy feeling, like the room is spinning around you, is vertigo.  That's what I had.  For some reason, that's less enjoyable as an adult.  Incidentally, the other kind of dizziness is called 'lightheadedness.'  That's a kind of floaty feeling like you might get if you haven't eaten all day or maybe chugged too much cough syrup.  The difference is very important to your doctor.