2. The Diagnosis

At first we did not know what to do. I went to the local clinic to see a doctor and be checked out. I asked about seeing a counselor because I was wondering if I was having panic attacks of some sort. I was also very emotional after these seizures, and would cry watching Kleenex commercials. After two counseling sessions and a few tissues, the counselor told me I needed to see a doctor because I was not having psyshcological issues and it was a physiological issue.

Margaret and I decided I should go to see Doctor Stassen, our old family doctor. We had Dr. Stassen for the births of our sons, and he was our family doctor for years. I told this story to a third doctor now, all the while wondering what they are thinking of my story. Dr. Stassen asked several questions and decided to run some blood tests and some urine tests. I got to catch all of my urine for 24 hours and store it in the fridge. After these tests, we met again, and Doctor Stassen told me the tests were fairly normal – no heavy metals, no organophosphate poisoning, etc. He told me he wanted me to see a neurologist. We made an appointment with Dr. Viola at Neurology Associates.

We saw Dr. Viola in late October. I had not had any more spells until October 10^th, when I had about 4 over two days and then they had stopped again. Dr. Viola listened to my rather bizarre story and then quietly told us her initial prognosis and plan. She said that what I was describing could be some type of seizure activity. Seizures are caused by the brain putting out extra wave activity. Everyone handles those extra waves differently – some sit and stare, some have a strange taste in their mouth, some have a bad smell sensation, some see things, up to the grand mal full seizures.

The plan for me was to try to determine if we had any extra brain wave activity, and in the time those tests were being done to start me on Keppra, a seizure medication to help to control how your body reacts to those little bursts of energy. Now, you all know me, I of course had to tell Dr. Viola that It seemed rather odd that I would have seizures, and this seemed a bit drastic. She was very kind and patient (she knows her stuff). We got me on the drugs for seizures and set up further tests. I asked if I had to stop driving – she said that I was supposed to notify the Department of Public Safety and they make that call. I did an EEG of my brain wave activity there in her office. You get to go into a small room, sit on a comfy chair, have a nice tight little stocking hat put on your head with diodes sticking down against your skull. They shoot clear gel onto each diode to make a better contact with your pumpkin. This really messes up the doo, by the way. Then you get to sit back in the darkened room for about 30 minutes while they flash a disco light over your forehead to try to make your brain react in a seizure-like manner. All the while they record what Mr brain is doing. Well, that first test didn’t get them anything from me. I was normal.

We then had scheduled another “sleep deprived” EEG of my brain wave activity, and I was to go in and do an MRI of my brain. For the “sleep deprived” test, I could only sleep four hours one night, then go in and get the gel cap test again. That one did show some abnormalities. I also did the MRI of the brain. You get to slide your entire head into a small basket that nearly touches your nose, then move your entire body into a tight tube while wearing ear plugs to try to deaden the loud noises from the machine. It was a trip. I got through that one by saying the rosary. It brings me peace, and will also bring you peace when you need it most. Next we get a call from Dr. Viola’s office to go over to Avera McKennan and get a spinal tap test done. I did that a day before we went back in to Dr. Viola’s office for our consultation. Margaret and I went in to Dr. Viola’s office for that consultation. The MRI showed a subtle swelling in the right temporal lobe of my brain. This can be caused by three things – a tumor, which she saw nothing of at that time, a spinal fluid infection, which was clear, or seizure stuff. Dr. Viola said we would do this – stay on the medication and come in for another MRI in a few months. We were also to let her know if we had any further seizures. It was a good hunting season and a great Christmas! No seizures. We went in for the second MRI on Friday, February 17th at 08:30 AM. Margaret and I had scheduled a lunch with our oldest son, Matt that day to see how he had been doing. At TC’s Referee, I got a call on my cell phone from Dr. Viola. She said they had found some things on the MRI and that I needed to go to see a neurosurgeon on Monday morning if I could. I said that I could, and she called me back with the time and appointment. What a lunch – I didn’t even get the salad ate. I had to bring home my entrée in a box. Margaret and I had a tough weekend. You get a call from your Neurologist to see a Neurosurgeon because of what an MRI showed. I am not a rocket scientist, but even I had figured out neurosurgeons cut open people brains to take stuff out. We went on a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions. We would lie in bed crying with each other, and then tell each other we would get through all of this together. We had no idea what to expect.

Matt, Margaret, and I went in to Dr. Puumala’s office in Monday for the appointment. Dr. Puumala is one of the best neurosurgeons in this area, and a great guy. He told us that they had found a small tumor or lesion on the right temporal lobe of my brain. It was located close to the surface of the brain right behind my right ear. Easy to get at, and so small that taking just a biopsy seemed wasteful when he could just grab the entire growth. He would then have it tested and we would know for sure what we were working with. He said not to shave my head and that this part would be fairly easy – a simple pick. After we knew what we had to work with we would make further plans. We could go that next day or wait a week to do the surgery. We opted for that week – it allowed our family members to get better prepared to come home with us and allowed me to be in control of everything for one more week. Clean up loose ends, as he said I would be down for a time to recover from the surgery.