Health update
Jun. 3rd, 2013 08:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pride_of_erinWell, Dad got through the biopsy without having a meltdown, so now we just have to wait for the results. I can tell how stressed he was though - it's like a huge weight has been lifted off him now that the surgery is over. He was more freaked out by that than the possible test results.
You may remember me posting in February about my Mum possibly having leukemia. Well, further blood tests showed some better results, so now it looks that possibility is off the table, thank God. Unfortunately, while we were still waiting to solve that medical mystery, another one popped up. My Mum has always been prone to really bad migraines, usually set off by bright lights, or just moving her head the wrong way because she has arthritis in her neck (hell, she has arthritis all over her damn body).
Anyway, the migraines have now progressed to really bad vertigo (as in can barely get out of bed, clutching the walls to remain upright while staggering to the bathroom bad). This resulted in Mum being basically bedridden for over 2 months, which was really hard for her, as she's the type who's constantly on the go and looking after everybody she knows. She also ended up having a few... well, I can only describe them as 'seizures' although the doctors claim that tests show they weren't actually seizures. She'd start shaking and stammer uncontrollably when she tried to speak, and finally end up on her back in convulsions. Pretty damn scary.
Anyway, she ended up being shuttled around from doctor to neurologist to physiotherapist and back again (with a couple of trips to the ER thrown in), and after a million tests, they still have no idea what's wrong with her. They ruled out strokes, mini-strokes, brain tumors, neurological disorders, inner ear issues, etc. It was incredibly frustrating for Mum to essentially be told over and over again, "There's nothing wrong with you", when most days she couldn't even manage to get herself dressed. At one point, every doctor was telling her it must psychological, that maybe it was anxiety (if you knew the kind of person my Mum is, you'd know this suggestion was laughable), Mum nearly went nuts trying to convince them that yes, it was real, and no, it wasn't just all in her head. She kept begging for an MRI on her neck because she was convinced it was an issue with her nervous system. When they finally gave her one, they found a tiny 'something' in her neck - they don't know what it is, but it could possibly be pressing on a nerve, so maybe she was right after all. Basically it's inconclusive, but egotistical doctors hate admitting there's a possibility she was right while they were completely wrong about everything.
After weeks of trial and error, they finally managed to find a medication that effectively treats the symptoms if not the cause (which we'll probably never know), so Mum is not exactly 100%, but way better than she was. It's hard watching her pop a handful of 7 or 8 pills at a time, but at least she can actually function now. She still doesn't trust herself to drive long distances, but she's gone back to basically living a slowed-down version of her normal life. Except on days when she pushes herself too hard, then it can take 2 or 3 days in bed to recover again.
This post is already mind-bogglingly long, so I'll save the rest for tomorrow. Thanks to those who sent their good wishes, *mwah*.
You may remember me posting in February about my Mum possibly having leukemia. Well, further blood tests showed some better results, so now it looks that possibility is off the table, thank God. Unfortunately, while we were still waiting to solve that medical mystery, another one popped up. My Mum has always been prone to really bad migraines, usually set off by bright lights, or just moving her head the wrong way because she has arthritis in her neck (hell, she has arthritis all over her damn body).
Anyway, the migraines have now progressed to really bad vertigo (as in can barely get out of bed, clutching the walls to remain upright while staggering to the bathroom bad). This resulted in Mum being basically bedridden for over 2 months, which was really hard for her, as she's the type who's constantly on the go and looking after everybody she knows. She also ended up having a few... well, I can only describe them as 'seizures' although the doctors claim that tests show they weren't actually seizures. She'd start shaking and stammer uncontrollably when she tried to speak, and finally end up on her back in convulsions. Pretty damn scary.
Anyway, she ended up being shuttled around from doctor to neurologist to physiotherapist and back again (with a couple of trips to the ER thrown in), and after a million tests, they still have no idea what's wrong with her. They ruled out strokes, mini-strokes, brain tumors, neurological disorders, inner ear issues, etc. It was incredibly frustrating for Mum to essentially be told over and over again, "There's nothing wrong with you", when most days she couldn't even manage to get herself dressed. At one point, every doctor was telling her it must psychological, that maybe it was anxiety (if you knew the kind of person my Mum is, you'd know this suggestion was laughable), Mum nearly went nuts trying to convince them that yes, it was real, and no, it wasn't just all in her head. She kept begging for an MRI on her neck because she was convinced it was an issue with her nervous system. When they finally gave her one, they found a tiny 'something' in her neck - they don't know what it is, but it could possibly be pressing on a nerve, so maybe she was right after all. Basically it's inconclusive, but egotistical doctors hate admitting there's a possibility she was right while they were completely wrong about everything.
After weeks of trial and error, they finally managed to find a medication that effectively treats the symptoms if not the cause (which we'll probably never know), so Mum is not exactly 100%, but way better than she was. It's hard watching her pop a handful of 7 or 8 pills at a time, but at least she can actually function now. She still doesn't trust herself to drive long distances, but she's gone back to basically living a slowed-down version of her normal life. Except on days when she pushes herself too hard, then it can take 2 or 3 days in bed to recover again.
This post is already mind-bogglingly long, so I'll save the rest for tomorrow. Thanks to those who sent their good wishes, *mwah*.
