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).

How Aware Are You?

Got this in an email from a friend. Amazing.

FHE w/ the Princes

FHE is usually a quiet, somewhat formal affair in our house. Sara and I, an Ensign, and a lesson. Not tonight. The boys were loose, the sugar levels were high, and everyone was fueled up on chicken nuggets and tater tots. Now that is how you do FHE. The pictures prove it:

Click the slideshow and you can go through the lovely and attractive pictures one by one (and even comment on my wife's good looks -- but don't get any ideas).

Earlier Easter Egg Hunt

My sister (Melissa) and brother-in-law (John) and all the nephews came piling into town for a wedding this week. We decided to do Easter a little early since they are going to be gone by Sunday. Fun, obviously, was had all around. I didn't get nearly as many eggs as anyone else, but I had more fun chasing everyone around with the camera. Enjoy a taste of Easter-egg-hunting, Snow family style (as always, click the slideshow to actually go see the pictures):

Long Time - No Update

Jet recently told me that she could tell I am busy because the site hasn't been updated in so long. She was right. I am busy. Long days extending into long nights. Billing 12+ hours means working 15+ hours. Fortunately, I have the greatest and most supportive wife (who has her own long days to deal with) and the experience is great. If I ever dig myself out, we will all have a huge bowling party.

Happy Birthday Leaplings!

Ahhh... Leap Day... Wikipedia has taught me much. For example:

February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, in years evenly divisible by 4, such as 1988, 1996, 2008 or 2016 (with the exception of century years not divisible by 400, such as 1900) for the Gregorian calendar, which is most widely used in the world today. These are called leap years, and February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of that year. February 29 is also known as bissextile day or Leap Day.

Also:

There is a tradition that women may make a proposal of marriage to men only in leap years, further restricted in some cases to only February 29. There is a tradition that in 1288 the Scottish parliament under Queen Margaret legislated that any woman could propose in Leap Year; few parliament records of that time exist, and none concern February 29. Another component of this tradition was that if the man rejects the proposal, he should soften the blow by providing a kiss, one pound currency, and a pair of gloves (some later sources say a silk gown). There were similar notions in France and Switzerland.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_day