MRI Results

I went back to the neurologist today for my follow-up appointment. She told me my MRI results came back good; nothing notably wrong... only a bit of slight arthritis in my neck, which might explain why it often feels stiff for me. Brain looked normal. No sign of why I'm having headaches...

She talked to me about some options for medication for the headaches, primarily Topamax. It's a preventative med for headaches, meaning i would take it on a steady routine to help prevent them, instead of taking them only when headaches occur. It sounds like it might be a good way to go, but she explained a few of the side effects that may occur: tingling of fingertips, inability to focus at times, possible depression...etc. I didn't fill the prescription, because now that I know that nothing is seriously wrong with my head, I'm confident that it will feel more at ease in the coming months without medication, especially when Dian is finally with me.

I'm just going to talk with Dian about it first before deciding anything...

Cold

I woke up today with a cold. Stuffed up sinuses, headache, fatigue, sore throat, etc. Felt them coming on over the previous day or two. I slept for quite awhile last night... maybe 11 hours. I've been blowing my nose constantly today. My head is full of icky crap, but it's coming out. Napped for a couple hours today. Took a few cough drops, and Tylenol Cough & Sore Throat liquid medicine at night.

MRI Day

Today I went to Cascade Imaging (Auburn, WA) to have Brain and Neck (Cervical Spine) MRIs.

The MRIs went fine. It was an interesting experience, especially since I've never had an MRI done before. They gave me earplugs and slid me into the machine, where I had to lay still for about an hour and twenty minutes or so. They took many separate tests, each a few minutes long. And after the first forty minutes, they pulled me back out and shot me with contrast (gadolinium). This is an agent that goes into my veins to help them get a better visualization of my insides, from what I understand. After the shot, I began to feel a bit nauseous. They had me smell a tiny cloth with alcohol, and gave me a couple sips of water. That helped... Then I went back into the machine for another twenty-plus minutes of tests. After that, I was done.

Being slightly claustrophobic, the MRI wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I'm anxious to get the results, which should be within the next week.

Second HPV Vaccine

Today (10/14) I got my second HPV vaccine by dr. May Hizrani at MMC Hospital. My third and last HPV shot would be in March 2009.

Cervarix vaccine - Rp1,332,210.
Medical service (doctor) - Rp100,000.

Life In Mono

The blood test from after my neurology appointment said I'm positive for mononucleosis (commonly called "mono"). So I called my primary doctor this morning and made an appointment to get checked out. He said it's a mild case of it since I don't show many of the common symptoms of it, aside from fatigue and headaches. He finds it odd that I've had it before (when I was 17), and have it again now at 29. It's fairly rare for that to happen apparently...

He suggested to get plenty of rest and to not overexert myself for a couple weeks, and that I should start feeling better within two weeks or so. If I'm not feeling back to normal in four weeks, or notice that the headaches are getting worse, I should see him again. Aside from that, it should go away on its own.

He gave me a prescription for my headaches (Butalbital).

In the meantime, I should be hearing soon from Cascade Imaging, who will be scheduling my Brain and Neck MRIs...