This past week sucked. It started off with some depth-perception issues and feeling off-center, getting admitted to the hospital, and then finding out that I had a spot on my brain.
Here’s a quick recap of what happened:
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
I woke up feeling “off-center.” I couldn’t think clearly, and I was having trouble typing with my right hand. I was making a lot of mistakes and getting frustrated. I was also having some other depth-perception issues, like nicking door jams with my right shoulder.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
My wife was worried and ended up taking me to the urgent care. They immediately sent me to the ER because of perceived neurological issues.
The ER didn’t play around. They got me in immediately and treated me like a stroke patient. In addition to monitoring my heart, they ordered a CT scan to check my brain.
That’s when I got the first round of scary-ish news. The ER doctor said there was a fuzzy spot on my brain and that they needed an MRI to get a clearer picture of what was going on. They wanted to admit me to the hospital for the MRI and to monitor me overnight. It was the first time that I heard that the neurology (brain) team was involved. This was also the first time that I cried. Brain stuff is super scary.
I had my first ever MRI that night around 11:30 PM.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
A neurosurgeon woke me up around 7:30 AM to talk about the results of my MRI (you can clearly see the spot on the left side of my brain). He also told me to stop being in denial about the symptoms I was experiencing. It was harsh but true. This was the second time that I cried. Thank goodness my Mom, wife, and the neurosurgeon were there to see it. Fortunately, he said he was bowing out because they didn’t think it was a tumor.
I think it was the first time Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was mentioned.
The doctors believed I had MS, but they wanted to run more tests to make sure. The tests included a lumbar puncture where they took a ton of fluid from my spine and a second MRI to check my neck/spine. Both things were as awesome as they sound, too. I was also told that I needed to stay a second night in the hospital. It was a fun day.
They decided to start me on an intense three-dose steroid treatment to try and reduce the spot on my brain.
Did I mention that this was supposed to be my first day of vacation?
Friday, July 4, 2025
Friday was less exciting than the other two days, but we were hopeful that I was going to get discharged.
I had the second steroid treatment in the morning and then a second CT scan in the afternoon to check my abdomen.
Fortunately, the scan came back clear. We got the green light for my discharge along with a prescription for 25 steroid pills that I’d have to take the next day.
Being in the hospital for two nights sucked, but the good news was that I was able to quickly get all the tests that I needed, along with the steroids to help treat the spot on my brain.
The next step is to meet with the neurologist next week to discuss a treatment plan.
If you’re interested, I’m also keeping an MS timeline of everything that’s happened up until this point.
