Neurology Followup

For as long as I can remember, I have always joked around with others (and probably ultimately teased myself) that UVA Hospital is my “home away from home” and that the hospital and staff is my “second family.”   The thing is, everything about that statement is true.   I see/know nurses who remember me since I was a baby; I have doctors who have worked with me since I was no more than 3 years old or even some who has known me as a baby (and still in practice!).   This healthcare team will never be forgotten.  I’m always grateful for these wonderful UVA caretakers.

As most of you know for the past 4 ½ years, I’ve struggled a lot physically.  I’ve been bounced from doctor to doctor.   Finally, I think I’ve found doctors (at UVA) who is willing to work with me, spend time with me, work with my other doctors, and NOT give up on me.    Today, I had a follow up appointment with one of my (many favorite) doctors.  Today, I saw my neurologist, Dr. Leone, for my usual 6 month follow-up.

You all know about my chronic (unexplained) pain that I have been experiencing.   Lately, it has been really rough on me and the past 6 weeks, it actually suddenly increased.  I’m not saying: one day it got worse then gradually got worse, I’m saying it just started to get worse all together.   I’ve also had another situation that is a bit scary.   There are times that I will experience a “zoning out/mental block” period, especially when I have one of my severe head/neck shooting pains.   You may think to yourself “oh, everyone gets a ‘zoning out’ once in a while”; but believe me, this is VERY different than typical “zoning out.”   My zoning out would occur suddenly; I could be sitting down and watching TV and suddenly not be aware of my surroundings, not know what day it is or the time, or sometimes not even know what I’m doing or why am I doing it.”  There was a time that I was at the grocery store with my Mom one morning and I was suddenly talking about “something” with my Mom, and she had no clue what I was “gabbing” about (I keep telling her this never happened but she said it did); then there was a time that I was sure it morning but it was actually night.   Dr.  Leone was extremely concerned about all this, especially since all my CT, MRI, and X-ray came back normal.  We spent a good long time (an hour at least) talking about what could be the possible causes.  The first step he is trying is decreasing one of my medications; however, the downside of that is that it may cause increased muscle spasms, which is not a good thing.  If it’s not medication that is causing the mental block, we will probably look into other things as well.    [ Oh, just to ease your mind.  I was advised to be very careful about driving since these mental blocks have increased, especially since they come up/sneak up without warning.  I’ve always been careful about my limitations in driving but I am being more careful now].  Dr Leone also spent much time talking to me about other treatment options; He gave me time to answer my questions; He made sure that I was ready to end the appointment.   I have a 4 month follow up with him.  What a wonderful doctor!

The sudden increased pain has been very bothersome, but the mental clarity has been a bit scary.   By God’s grace, I haven’t had any episodes when I drive.  Please pray that I continue to not have issues when I drive; please pray that my doctor can figure out what is going on with these sudden increased pain and mental clarity.

God continues to be gracious on Good!