Headaches and pin cushions

For about three weeks I’ve had pretty severe headaches. Since my strokes 5 1/2 years ago, I’m pretty in tune with all aches and pains. In particular, when I get headaches I get pretty focused.

Nevertheless, I just assumed that the headaches were caused by too much stress. The only thing that would take the pain away would be a Norco. And even that would basically dull the pain but not take it away.

When I had my strokes, I had a very consistent pain. My left temple throbbed and I had right side vision auras.

These recent headaches have been completely different. I would note the severity and the locations of these headaches just to make sure I wasn’t having another stroke.

In those three weeks, I only had two days with no pain. At my Idaho Aphasia Support Group last Wednesday, I told the group about the headaches. I also told the group that my wife said many times that “ given your history of strokes and seizures don’t I think it would be wise to check it out?” I always responded saying that these headaches were different so I wasn’t concerned.

At the support group, a stroke survivor — a woman of course! — essentially said, “Just like a man! What is wrong with you! Listen to your wife!”

I told my wife about the support group, and she laughed replying “ Women are always right.”

Finally, I went to the ER last Tuesday because the headaches we’re not getting better, and I finally realized that I needed to “check it out.”

Back to Saint Alphonsus Hospital again. The doctor remembered me because he ordered an MRI for me a couple years ago. When a doctor remember you it is somewhat embarrassing.

I described all of my symptoms and he ordered a CT scan rather than an MRI. Getting a CT scan should be simple. However, I have “bad veins.” We always ask for the best vampire in the hospital. It seems they can never find a vein or my veins “roll” or “blow.”

This was the same. Three different nurses, an hour and a half to find a suitable vein, and many tries and bruises just to do a simple three minute procedure.

I was chatting with one of the three nurses or maybe the doctor about my veins. Because I have this congenital condition called fibromuscular dysplasia which affects my arteries, I asked if that condition might cause the collapsing veins.

They simply don’t know. Nevertheless my arms now look like pin cushions.

Five hours later, the results were in: headaches we’re not caused by any further brain damage. That is great news!

On the other hand, we still need to figure out what is causing the headaches. Since we got the results of the CT scan, headaches have been better. Perhaps the headaches were a self fulfilling prophecy: I was getting more headaches and I got headaches worrying about it.

It is a conundrum.

The Two Faces of the American Dream

The massive wave of Norwegian immigration to Minnesota from the 1850s through the early 20th century wasn't a casual choice; it was an escape from crushing land scarcity and economic desperation. My ancestors, the Dunhams, arrived in 1851 and built a life in Otter Tail County in Minnesota. My great-great-grandfather, Jens Christian Dunham, didn’t just survive—he thrived. He served in the Minnesota legislature as a Republican from 1888 to 1890 and later became a staunch advocate for President Teddy Roosevelt. He was the literal embodiment of the American Dream: an immigrant who fled poverty to become a lawmaker in his new home. Fast forward a century, and a new wave of immigrants—this time from Somalia—is following that exact same blueprint. Like the Norwegians before them, they fled hardship to build a future in Minnesota, and many have run for office to serve the state that welcomed them. Yet, the political rhetoric surrounding these two groups couldn't be more polarized. Don...

Phantom Blindness and Taking a Break after Strokes

I met with my eye doctor last week about taking some time off from my vision therapy. I have been doing therapy since my stroke almost two and a half years ago. I am tired, and a need a break. My doctor said, “This is completely understandable. Take some time off.” At the appointment, my doctor tested my vision. Because of the strokes, my vision was affected, and I have a problem in my field of vision on the right side. I have a deficit with my right side peripheral vision. However, it is getting better. During the test, I told him that I “sense things on the right side of my peripheral vision.” It seems that I know that something is there, but I cannot really distinguish what it is. He told me that there is a body of thought describing phantom vision or phantom blindness. A Polish researcher, L. Bieganowski, described this phantom blindness this way: “The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind...

Greek orthodox and Catholic‘s

Being a history buff, I’ve always understood that the Catholic Church was split in about 1000 A.D. Our Greek tour guide mentioned the differences a little bit yesterday, but she did not capture the full history. Today I saw a small Greek orthodox by the roadside and I’m going to insert about the history. Eastern Orthodox Catholics and Roman Catholics are the result of what is known as the East-West Schism (or Great Schism) of 1054, when medieval Christianity split into two branches. The Byzantine split with Roman Catholicism came about when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, King of the Franks, as Holy Roman Emperor in 800. From the Byzantine viewpoint, this was a slap to the Eastern Emperor and the Byzantine Empire itself — an empire that had withstood barbarian invasions and upheld the faith for centuries. After Rome fell in 476, Byzantium was the only vestige of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne’s crowning made the Byzantine Emperor redundant, and relations between the East and...

Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Search This Blog