Now that I am pushing for answers and advocating for myself, I just dont want to feel like Im crazy!!
When I flew to North Carolina to see DR Hackman.. Orlando was so backed up that they hadnt read my MRI yet, so DR Hackmans Office just requested that they send it to them and they would read it themselves.. which was the Interpretation I saw on Thursday…
Yesterday, I received the Results from the Findings of Orlando Health which, I think are relatively different? Maybe…?
I dont know if my Neurological issues are Eagles Related, but due to the Intensity of my Trauma, and the fact that it was ignored for 6 Months and I was practically starving to death.. I cant help but think its linked.. plus, all of my issues are more Right Sided than left, and worsened after my Right Styloidectomy which, my Surgeon didnt even really remove any of my Styloid during that Surgery…?
Am I thinking too much into this? Do the 2 Interpretations make sense?
It looks to me like the two different radiologists looked at two totally different aspects of the scan. One was focused on your cervical vertebrae & the other on your brain/sinuses. Really interesting.
It’s possible the instructions from your referring doctor were to look at your neck so that’s what the FL radiologist commented on, but when the scan arrived in NC, those instructions were not w/ it, so the radiologist assumed it was the brain that needed assessment. Regardless, it’s good you have info on both areas that your MRI covered.
Thats what is sooo frustrating about these Florida DRs!! This Neuro is sooo highly recommended… I went to him and told him about my attack, he was knowledgable on Eagles, I told him about my Memory Loss, which truly is my main concern…
I told him that my previous Neuro diagnosed me with Post Concussion Syndrome and explained my daily Symptoms that I deal with, of which, i said HEAD PAIN… he continue to say HEADACHE and I would correct him and say NO, NOT A HEADACHE, MY HEAD HURTS, I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE… and he would say, yes, a headache… and he then proceeded to recommend that my Psychiatrist make changes to Medications Ive been on for 30 years stating that thats what caused me to just forget 6 Months of my life (but now have my ability to remember back) and also, thats whats causing my HEADACHES…
So, when I went for my MRI, the Tech said SO, YOUVE BEEN HAVING SOME HEADACHES I SEE? and I said NO, MY HEAD HURTS, NOT A HEADACHE and he just shrugged and said WELL, SAME THING…
I WAS SO FRUSTRATED!!
So, yes… you are correct!!
The Radiologist just looks for what yhe Neuro asks for pretty much??
Yes. The scans you get & what the radiologists look for are pretty strictly based on what the referring doctor has requested. It’s kind of sad because sometimes there are obvious BIG things wrong that they neglect to note because they’re outside of the requested info.
Can you describe how your head pain is different than typical headache pain? It would have been nice for the neurologist & radiologist to ask that question rather than just saying they are one and the same. Sigh…
The extreme memory loss is pretty scary. I’m glad your memory has returned. Did your memory loss happen all at once or gradually? How did it return i.e. over time or all at once? Has that happened to you more than once? Was it close to the time you were punched in the throat?
My dad was diagnosed w/ Global Amnesia some years ago, but his memory loss would be for about 24 hrs then gradually, he’d get some memory back over the next several weeks. It happened intermittently. I wonder if you had something like that but it lasted longer?
My head pain constantly feels like its in a vice… constant pressure… not in any certain spot, not on any certain side, just all over… just feels like pressure and twisting… my sensories are out of control-everything is TOO MUCH!! I cant handle light, sound, textures, etc… once Im overly stimulated for too long, my brain just turns to mush… I cant make full sentences, I can barely speak… I cant focus my eyesight… this is on top of the fact that I already cant feel my hands/arms, feet/legs… if I look up, I feel like Im spinning to the point that Im going to black out, and I cant lift my arms above my head…
As for my Memory… my last solid memory is March 29 at 11:53pm when I went into the fetal position in my driver seat between the 2nd and 3rd punch (1st was to my left side of my throat while I was reaching into my backseat, 2nd was to my right side of my throat, that when I just brought my knees up to my chest and tucked my head into my arms… all I REMEMBER is just a lot of darkness… when I “woke up” it was September 27 and my Family was preparing for a Hurricane… it was the day after my 1st Surgery, on my left side…
I can look at pictures from those 6 Months… read text messages, Facebook messages, Hospital Notes… listen to stories that my Family tells me… but I dont REMEMBER any of it… its hard to explain… I can catch glimpses of the Memories, but I cant FEEL myself in the Memories, as if I didnt experience it… I try to trigger to Memories, or stimulate my Brain, but it doesnt Work…
You have to KNOW me to know how big of a deal this is because I am the person that remembers EVERYTHING!! Literally EVERYTHING!! I am known for my ability to remember people, numbers, random facts, I was a Speed Rack Bartender and a Restaurant Manager… Im so good at my Job because of my Memory…
Since “waking up” from my “6 Month Nap” my Memory is back because I MAKE MYSELF do the work… I refuse to allow myself to lose this battle!! There are moments where I can feel myself forgetting or having loss of memory moments, but I know the difference between now and when I was first attacked…
Thank you for the explanation about your head pain. It really sounds like you’ve got IJV compression from your styloids or C-1 vertebra. What a horrible ordeal you suffered, @MamaBear6!!! I wonder if part of your memory loss was self-protection i.e. your mind shut down to shut out the memory of the trauma. When you had healed enough at the subconscious level, it “woke up”. It is a fact that people who go through horrific trauma can experience mental shut down.
I had a cycling accident w/ a head injury in 2015. I remember starting down a hill. My next memory is of being loaded into an ambulance. I have no idea what happened or how much time transpired between my start downhill & my entrance into the ambulance. The 6 hrs I was in the ER are sort of a dream-like memory. To this day, I have no idea what happened. It’s a black blank in my mind. That’s only to say I have a snapshot of what you went through.
Your symptoms sound like they could be caused by IJV impingement. Has anyone commented on that when looking at your CT/MRI scans? The complicating factor w/ that is if the transverse processes (“wings”) of your C-1 vertebra are the main cause of the compression, the styloidectomy may not produce the results you’re hoping for.
It would be good for you to ask for your MRI to be evaluated for vascular compression especially of the IJVs. There is an ES surgeon in NYC (Dr. Costantino) who works w/ a neurologist (Dr. Lo) who shaves the TPs of C-1 if they are the dominant cause of IJV compression. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to have another ES surgery that doesn’t help relieve your symptoms. Before you have surgery w/ Dr. Hackman, please try to find out about the vascular compression, & if it’s present, what the dominant cause is i.e. styloids or C-1. If it’s your styloids at fault, Dr. Hackman’s surgery should be very beneficial.
I’m really impressed that you’ve come so far in your memory recovery. You’re doing what you need to & it’s paying off. I’m glad you’re a fighter - so much better than being a quitter. You’re one STRONG woman!!
It all sounds awful for you, as @Isaiah_40_31 says you are so strong to be doing your best to overcome the memory issues & to fight for treatment…at least you’ve been able to rule out anything really nasty with the MRI, but of course you still need answers!
Praying for your surgery
