I've had this headache since last Monday. I've had this pain before, but not for this length of time. I've had a sharp stabbing pain in the back of my head - toward the top right side. It is intermittant pain, but it time does shorten between the sensation as it intensifies. Anyway, I decided - ok - Cheryl decided it was time to go see a doctor about it as it went on for a day. So a week ago on Tuesday I went to
Mercy East in Pleasant Hill. I saw a physician's assistant there. My pain didn't quite fit any criteria she had in her head.
"Have you had any trauma to your head?" she asked.
"My wife promised that she wasn't battering me while I was asleep," I answered. She laughed nervously, and then wrote something down - I'm not sure what though.
She thought that it was most likely a
cluster headache, but an abnormal presentation of one (like what isn't abnormal with me?). They gave me a tordal shot, and I went on my merry way. It gave me relief through Wednesday night and then it returned with a vengence. Darn.
I scheduled a follow-up appointment with my personal physician, Dr. Kristi Blomberg, out of
Mercy West in Clive (she is awesome by the way, and attends
Valley Church as well) on Monday. She said, "well the fact you haven't dropped dead in the last week is a good thing, but we'll make an MRI appointment for you to rule anything serious out, but it probably is just a cluster headache." She also have me predisone prescription that will hopefully end the headache since at that time it was going for seven days.
Today I woke up with real intense pain, I should have taken some ibuprofen last night before bed, but I didn't. I haven't been in the best mood today. Fortunately taking my prescription for the first time and some ibuprofen I started to feel better. I went to my MRI appointment. During registration I was asked several questions.
"Do you have a living will? "
"Ummm no, but I guess I should," I said. She went on to tell me how she heard that it was especially important when you you have you have kids.
"Do you have kids?"
"Yes," I replied. She said that one of her relatives had one done and suddenly she had twins. Note to self - living wills makes one more fertile.
"What is your preferred race?" (I kid you not, she asked me this. I can't make this stuff up.)
"Well I kind of like mixed, because I always wanted a darker complexion so I'm not lily white and blind people when I go to the beach. I am also rhythm challenged, but since God made me special I'll settle for being Caucasian."
Blushing and laughing, she said, "I meant preferred language, I assume that is English?"
"Actually, pig latin."
"Really?" She asked.
"otnay eallyray."
I think she was so eager to finish with this interview she missed some paperwork - the "MRI history." The radiology tech went through that with me. As she went through history form she asked me if I have had any metallic implants.
"Well there was that time I was abducted by aliens, but I don't think they used metal."
She didn't look amused - the person doing the registration probably warned her about me. She asked me if I was claustrophobic.
"I guess we'll find out."
I do the test. They pull me out to inject me with something that will "highlight the brain tissue" which sounds healthy, and I was done in 15 minutes. Dr. Blomberg will probably call me up and say, "Shane you have a brain." Which would be a surprise to me as well.
You can check it out 
