Edit (Update) Diagnosis

The second radiologist has said that when he examined the MRI results he saw no chiari malformation (brain herniation/cyst). In other words there is nothing wrong with my brain. However, after a day of testing they think they've found yet something else that may be at the root of this--back to a potentially serious diagnosis, but perhaps not. They tricked me once into getting worked up over a diagnosis and I'm going to try to stay calm this time around. If they find nothing with this other thing then I'm back to step one with no explanation for the symptoms, but at least I got a script for a half decent pain killer which does seem to work on many levels.

I am tired of this. This is rapidly becoming a medical soap opera at my extreme emotional expense.

I have some blood tests that still need to get done and I think I'm being passed off to another kind of specialist for more testing that I will elaborate on if anything serious comes of it.

The personal problems have not dissipated.

Your support and comments have been very meaningful to me. Really.

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Never having a physician spend more than ten minutes with me it was a surprise the neurologist spent an hour checking me out and asking questions.

Basically the MRI showed that the back of my brain is dropping out of the hole in the back of skull into the area where the spinal cord belongs. That's the short story and I don't remember all the fancy medical terms to label it properly. At least I know why the back of my head hurts. Also, I also have a cyst on my spinal cord and the theory now is that all of this is disruptive to spinal fluid. They want a different radiologist to spend a bunch of time looking at these specific problems since the first radiologist (paid $1500) was only requested to look for MS lesions and simply made a note that he found these other problems--he wasn't paid to examine them in detail, you see, and now someone else gets to do that.

They have an entire day of testing planned in the next few weeks which will include EKG, more blood tests to double check for Lupus, they want to check out my blood circulation because there is evidentally a problem with that also, and a bunch of other tests to rule in or out this, that, or the other. Sept 2 they'll go over all the tests results with me.

Meanwhile, and independently of the medical issues, I have personal issues that need to be attended to which are sapping any concentration I have left so I think I'll be taking a short break so I can take care of things that need to be taken care of.

I will have some awesome books to review for you when I come back.

Don't forget about me.