The 24-Hour EEG

So, my MRI, Contrast MRI, and MRA all came back as normal. These results have been surprising to everyone and I seriously question whether the imaging machines were working properly. I mean, there might not be anything wrong, but it is fairly well established (and certainly documented) that I'm far from normal. The long and short of it is that I get to walk around with the following setup for the next 24 hours:



Cool huh?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too!

Okay, I am going to blatantly copy this from my parents' blog, but I've seen several iterations of the following "trick" and I've always thought it was cool. Here you go:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I wasrdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mind! Aoccdrnig to arscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdrthe ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht thefrsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be ataotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs isbcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, butthe wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhotslpeling was ipmorantt!

MRI & MRA

Well, we were back into Western Neurological today for some additional follow-up testing and imaging. I had a contrast MRI done on my brain (which requires an injection of Gadolinium or a similar metallic compound -- cool stuff) and an MRA, also on my brain. For the uninitiated, here is the lowdown on MRAs:

Magnetic Resonance Angiography is the imaging of flowing blood in vessels using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is used to generate images of the arteries in order to evaluate them for stenosis (abnormal narrowing), occlusion or aneurysms (vessel wall dilatations, at risk of rupture). MRA is often used to evaluate the arteries of the neck and brain, the thoracic and abdominal aorta, the renal arteries, and the legs (called a "run-off").

Thank you Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Resonance_Angiography

Diagnosed...

The neurologist calls it Idiopathic Seizure Disorder (which is a more politically-correct way of saying "epilepsy" or "idiopathic epilepsy")... The prognosis is good: the condition is very treatable and there do not appear to be any tumors, strokes, aneurysms, physical deformaties, scars, or other injuries to my brain (which are all potential causes of an epileptic disorder). It is "idiopathic," which means that they don't know exactly what is causing it. I have a bunch more tests lined up and we'll see if the doctors can't add any clarity. The real bummer is that I can't drive for a while. Oh well. Could be much worse. Hooray for TRAX.

Yes, We're Still Alive

So, it has been a while since we posted. I've had some medical issues recently, so lots and lots of tests for me. Sara has been a champ and has been driving me all over the place for the random tests. She has also done a tremendous job taking care of me. But no worries. I am back at work and am smack dab in the middle of trial preparation (which means long hours and even longer days -- and sometimes reading depositions in bed at night). It is a fine life. I've been doing quite a bit of "soft IP" or IP litigation (Intellectual Property Litigation). For you laymen, that involves litgating copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, and other forms of unfair trade practices, such as antitrust and monoplies. I really like it. Sara refers me work since she spends the majority of her time each day prosecuting patents.

My Dad's birthday is tomorrow, so Happy Birthday Dad! I hope life is treating everyone well at the moment and that you are all having as much fun as Sara and I. Bye for now (and "for now" may be a while considering the trial prep -- we'll just have to wait and see).