Blood Pressure

So I saw my PCP the other day.

He is super nice.

He is the reason that I was diagnosed so quickly and also the reason, in a round about way, that I ended up with Dr. Awesome. He needs a name but I do not have the mental capacity to think of one right now. So that will have to wait.

But anyway, he took my blood pressure and it was slightly elevated which it typically is in his office. So we got to talking about it.

Turns out, IIH can cause elevated blood pressure.

He said that the brain needs blood and increased ICP makes it harder for the brain to get blood. That means your body has to work harder causing high blood pressure. He said it is something we would have to monitor but because of my strong family history I most likely just have high blood pressure.

Still, it's interesting.

I'd Tap That

This spinal tap was silly.

It was waaaaaay different than the last two I got. I figure that since I am out of same day surgery and now able to sit up and type comfortably I will go ahead and tell you about it in more detail.

So this is my back. There are a few things you should notice about my back...

1. I have a cool tattoo.
2. I sneaked and put on my undies and sweatshirt which meant I had to sit up. I couldn't get caught or they would make me start my 2 hours all over again (joke).
3. There is a lot of green stuff on it.
4. There is a weird target like tramp stamp.
5. There is a flapping band-aid.

All of these things will be explained in time.

Let's start with number three (I think numbers 1 and 2 are self explanatory). That green stuff is left over from the topical antiseptic they used to make sure my back was sterile and hopefully prevent an infection at the puncture site. The lines are because I have a big butt so it kind of pooled... : (

For this LP (lumbar puncture - same thing as a spinal tap just a fancier name) I traveled to the Interventional Radiology department where they used a fluoroscopy machine to determine where to place the needle. Interventional Radiology is simply the place where they use the machines to help diagnose and perform certain procedures. They do angioplasty in this department because they can make it minimally invasive. A fluoroscopy machine is awesome. It takes basically a real time x-ray and projects it on the television so the doctor can see where he is sticking the needle. That is why I have the target on my back. That is so the doctor knew where to stick his needle.

I wanted to say "Oh yeah? Well, Dr. Cowboy knew where to stick it just by knocking on my back a couple of times." But I figured I shouldn't taunt the man with the large needle.

What does that leave us with? Ah yes, the floppy band-aid. Hubs just didn't remove that before taking the picture.

Another thing I wanted to note is why I had to lay flat for two hours. Two long hours. And not even prime time television hours. There are two main side effects post tap, headache and nausea. It is believed that these can be prevented by laying down for two hours, but studies cannot confirm or deny this.

How do I feel post tap? Eggcellent! I feel like my shoulders and neck are finally relaxed. I told the Hubs that although I have never gotten a massage I imagine this is what people feel like after one. It is delicious. I want to melt into the couch and sleep for days.

Happy Rare Disease Day!

Sciency.

I feel like it is time for a sciency post but the problem with this is that I cannot think of another sciency topic to post about.

Let me think.

I am still thinking.

While I think I want you to look at this... Now what this is is a GIF of some dude with some form of hydrocephalus. That pulsing is his CSF and it's pulsing in time with his heart. Great, grand, whatever. I don't know why this is happening to this poor man. I hope he is better now.

What I do know is he has an incredibly large nose. This picture is on the CSF Wikipedia page and I always become mesmerized by the size of his nose. I have never SEEN a schnoz as large as that. It is nearly inhuman.

Then I start to wonder. Maybe all noses look big on MRIs. Maybe my MRI makes my nose look huge. I think this question needs to go on the list...

Dr. Awesome, does that MRI make my nose look big?

Tonight I hung out with the Willsters, lovely. Tomorrow I go into the city with the girls. I am slightly afraid I will get a debilitating headache and be SOL. I think I might need to come up with a headache plan. We will discuss on the drive up.

There is nothing sciency in this blog post. Deal.