This past week as I was leaving a coffee shop with my Mom, I had some sort of brain event. A seizure possibly, the doctors aren’t quite sure. At any rate, while we were having coffee and chatting, my Mom said that I was acting very strange, falling asleep at the table, and I also remember telling her that my latte must not have settled because I was feeling a bit nauseous. Somehow I drove home, although my Mom said that I was weaving all over the road. But, I don’t remember any of that. When we arrived back at my house, my Mom ran into the house to get Tom, yelling for him to come because ‘something wasn’t quite right with Linda. They weren’t sure what was happening, but, they knew I was not acting normal. Tom called for an ambulance, and, I guess it was there within minutes, the EMT’s drove me to UW EastHospital’s ER, but, again, I have absolutely no memory of that ride. The first thing I remember after getting into my car at Grace Coffee Shop was someone attaching a huge oxygen mask to my face in what must have been the ER. I didn’t know what was happening to me, I did not know where I was…but, I did hear people aroundme talking about how high my CO2 levelwas…and, they were very concerned about that. Tom told me later that the nurses and dr’s were asking me questions and I was answering them, like, “What kind of coffee drink did you have, What is your Social Security Number? Which is so bizarre because my mind was not working in many other ways. I did not know where I was, or Why I was there.
I had blood tests and a CT scan and then an MRI. Later that day when the doctors began to suspect what
was going on, they transferred me to the downtown UW Hospital in Madison where, the neurosurgeons could work with the Infectious Desease Team there. After all the tests and scans, they determined that I had a small infectious cyst growing in my brain. Later that evening my Nuerosurgeon came to tell me that they were going to open up my skull and remove the cyst. I know that things could have turned out so differently, and I feel very blessed to be alive, to be back home, getting my treatment, fighting my way back to ‘normal life”, although I suspect life will never be ‘normal again. I alreadyfeel altered in numerous ways, and I am sure as some time passes, I will have even more introspection about this life altering event. i feel profoundly grateful to be here, of course, but, I also feel changed. I feel things differently. On a deeper and more profound level. I feel weepy over every little thing. .
It still boggles my mind to say I had brain surgery!
Andhey, Look at my badass scar! I am so proud of it…my reminder of how critically ill I was, and what I endured to make it through to this point. I am still asking myself if this has all been a dream?! Or, nightmare! In an alternate Universe none of this has happened. I think I will go with that!
