A Shaken Foundation

Not to freak anyone out, but a couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor because I had been getting frequent throbbing headaches. She put me on a steroid called Prednisone that helps with inflammation and told me I should get an MRI. Well being the compliant patient I am, that is exactly what I did.

(This is not a picture of my MRI.)

Well about a week later I got a call from her office saying I needed to make an appointment with her to "discuss the results of my MRI." With my heart pounding and adrenaline pumping through my veins I made an appointment for a couple of days later. In those next couple of days waiting, all I could think about was that stupid appointment! What was wrong with me? Did I have CANCER? Did they find some sort of abnormality that would kill me by the age of forty? Or was it some sort of strange parasite I picked up in Mexico or Costa Rica?? I didn't know. I just had to wait. So that is what I did...

I waited. And I worried.

Then the day came. I went in to my appointment expecting the worst. Well the first thing she did was ask how I was. Well I was going INSANE wondering what was going on and just wanted to get on with the appointment. Then she told me my right maxillary sinus (which is kind of under your eye. See picture.) is completely clogged with a cyst.

WHAT?! A CYST! Wow. What a relief.

BUT WAIT. That's not all, she said. They found something else.

There are hypersensitive spots on the white matter of my brain that can be caused by migraine headaches or Multiple Sclerosis. (That is when I stopped listening and held my stomach because I just KNEW in that moment I was going to either throw up or pass out.) I told her to stop talking because I thought I would faint. She had me lay down and talked Nolan and me through all of this. She said the chances of it being MS were very small considering I had no symptoms of MS and I had been having severe headaches for a while. And not only that, my mom gets migraines and they can be genetic.

To say the least, I was freaking out. How could something actually be WRONG with me?! No one ever thinks something could be wrong with them. Just with anyone else. But no, I'm invincible. Nothing can be wrong with me! I have never prayed so hard for migraines.

Well, I guess Nolan and I learned a lesson here. ANYTHING can happen. To ANYONE. At ANY TIME. What a weird lesson that is to learn. But it has taught us to appreciate each other more and to not take our time together for granted. And even though I don't have a fatal disease or anything like that, it could happen. To either one of us! And that means we need to "stop sweating the small stuff" and let things go. Nolan and our friend TJ gave me a blessing that night, which made me feel about 100 times better. I knew that no matter what happened, it would all be ok.

So what about a solution? Well the cyst can be removed. (If you want to watch this youtube video it shows you exactly what they will do to me IF I get the surgery.)

BUT WATCHER BE WARNED. It is graphic and not for the sensitive stomach. (I personally love this stuff so it didn't bother me.)




Hopefully it works.

Anyways, the spots on my brain? Well she said I could go to the Neurologist to get some sort of spinal tap, but that doesn't sound fun. So I think I'll pass. And since she didn't seem to think it was MS, I'll just believe her unless something happens that changes her/my mind. (Like if my muscles get weak or I am suddenly incontinent.)

So I hope I didn't freak anyone out. Just know that I am ok and Nolan is ok. We are just A'OK! We were shaken, but I'd say we are stronger than ever. :-)