What Exactly IS The Radioactive Bobblehead's Diagnosis?

Sunday, January 20, 2008 8:09 AM Cutting to the chase. A lot of people are asking what did the Cleveland Clinic actually find out? They told me what I do and do not have.

• What I do not have:
• A benign brain tumor in the pituitary gland
• A pituitary gland disorder
• A Human Growth Factor Deficiency (hypopituitarism) disorder

What I do have (and it is a series of conditions and events that cascaded together):

• Inner ear damage on the left. This was most likely caused by a virus. The damage is irreparable and I will always have some degree of vertigo. In addition, I am high risk of losing balance function in my right ear as well. Engage full Bobbleheadiness!
• You can read all about this condition on the Vestibular website.
• Drug side effects, withdrawal, and rebound attacks
• A cervical neck injury on the left
• Migraine attacks, often without headache. There is no doubt in my mind that some are more classic migraines and others are Basilar-Type Migraines (BTM)

What I also have but the causes are not currently diagnosed:

• Anemia (suspect is my weight loss and/or the Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery
• Non-Diabetic Hypoglycemia. There is consensus amongst my doctors that this is also because of my WLS. However, I am not finding evidence that DS patients are experiencing this.

How I am being treated for my Bobbleheadiness:

• I came off of the lorazepam, the scopolamine patch, and the Midrin
• I had 3 IV infusion treatments to break the migraine cycle. Drugs included were

1. Magnesium Oxide
2. Topamax
3. Depacon
4. Reglan

• Physical Therapy

1. I started Physical Therapy with the McKensie Method for cervical care
2. I will start Vestibular Rehabilitation Physical Therapy in a number of months

• I am taking the following drugs as preventive treatment for Migraines:

1. Nortriptyline (In a higher dose, this is an antidepressant. I am on a very low dose and I will taper off in a month or so)
2. Depakote ER (an anticonvulsant often used for epileptics and bipolar patients...no, I am neither)

• As a Migraine abortive I have been put on Voltaren (Toradol)

As for the rest: • I am on Procrit injections for my anemia and they work wonders • I am currently not controlling my hypoglycemia through diet and that is working fairly well. I am seeing a new endocrinologist at UNM Hospital in March, 2008. Dr. Pituitary at the Cleveland Clinic is recommending some tests including a 72 hour fasting glucose, a new IGF-1, and a cortisol test So far so good. As of today, I have been completely out of the Bobblehead Wheelchair Chariot for a week now. Hey, life is good. As for my impression of the Cleveland Clinic and details on how the trip and doctor visits went I will post more later. For now, all I can say was the entire Cleveland Clinic experience was incredible and I would not hesitate one second to have additional critical or chronic healthcare matters taken care of.

Vertical, clear-headed, and remarkably unBobbly Yours, The Radioactive Bobblehead