Maybe my brothers were right!
My doctor is thorough. And so the last time I had my annual exam he said that my nostrils were constricted, and I said, "Yea, I have a cold." That wasn't good enough for my doctor, so he ordered a CAT scan on my head. It wasn't too bad; it took about 15 minutes and involved noisy gadgets going around my head, enclosed in a ring. He got the results back and I was relieved that he was not recommending a Roto-Rooter job on my nose like Stephen. It just wouldn't seem right to have two professionals at the Big 4, from the same family, both with reamed out nostrils. However, he said that they noticed a small area of potential concern in the brain.
It appears that my brain is not uniformly dense. Just like some people's brains are more dense and some people's brains are less dense, different parts of my brain are more dense than other parts. Laurie probably knows more than anyone which parts of my brain are more dense than others, but the less dense parts of my brain paid her not to talk about that with others.
The doctor told me that I had a part of my brain that was less dense. That sounded good to me, because I like to think that I'm smart. Unfortunately, the area that was less dense to the doctor means that there was either a gap in my head, which is normal, or a fatty deposit which could mean a tumor. The dense parts of my brain started imagining all kinds of things. Fat head vs. air head. Mind the gap. My brothers asked me when I was young whether I had a hole in my head.
The doctor ordered an MRI, enhanced by IV. (While initially excited about this "enhanced" experience, I came to realize that this enhancement was for the benefit of the technician who enjoys inflicting pain and discomfort.) The only time we could get in was 9:30 pm about a week ago. I had to take off anything that was metallic, and Laurie, who joined me, had to remove her watch so that the electronics would not be fried. For at least 60 minutes I was inserted into a long tube, head jammed into an apparatus to keep it motionless, ears plugged so I wouldn't go deaf, and lots of magnets were flying around my head. Two hours later we left for home on a cold windy night in Boston.
Fortunately, as you can see, I have a normal gap in the brain. The dense part of my brain can't remember what it's called, but they are quite common. So I'm OK. Your'e OK too.
Maybe my brothers were right! I do have a hole in my head.
It appears that my brain is not uniformly dense. Just like some people's brains are more dense and some people's brains are less dense, different parts of my brain are more dense than other parts. Laurie probably knows more than anyone which parts of my brain are more dense than others, but the less dense parts of my brain paid her not to talk about that with others.
The doctor told me that I had a part of my brain that was less dense. That sounded good to me, because I like to think that I'm smart. Unfortunately, the area that was less dense to the doctor means that there was either a gap in my head, which is normal, or a fatty deposit which could mean a tumor. The dense parts of my brain started imagining all kinds of things. Fat head vs. air head. Mind the gap. My brothers asked me when I was young whether I had a hole in my head.
The doctor ordered an MRI, enhanced by IV. (While initially excited about this "enhanced" experience, I came to realize that this enhancement was for the benefit of the technician who enjoys inflicting pain and discomfort.) The only time we could get in was 9:30 pm about a week ago. I had to take off anything that was metallic, and Laurie, who joined me, had to remove her watch so that the electronics would not be fried. For at least 60 minutes I was inserted into a long tube, head jammed into an apparatus to keep it motionless, ears plugged so I wouldn't go deaf, and lots of magnets were flying around my head. Two hours later we left for home on a cold windy night in Boston.
Fortunately, as you can see, I have a normal gap in the brain. The dense part of my brain can't remember what it's called, but they are quite common. So I'm OK. Your'e OK too.
Maybe my brothers were right! I do have a hole in my head.
posted by Gordon at
3/27/2006
2 Comments:
That sounds like quite the ordeal, Dad. Glad to hear that your hole in the head is just for show and nothing to be worried about.
P.S. Skin looks good on you. Your profile without it is not the most flattering.
By
Beth, at March 28, 2006
Skin. It does a body good.
By
Amy, at March 30, 2006
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