[This was sent via email to Dave from Tom]

They ran a whole raft of tests, including an EKG, CAT scan, MRI, and carotid and artery echo tests. None of them showed any kind of fatty blockage, which is why they sent me home the next day. By the time I showed up, I had nothing other than my symptoms to describe, and they were looking for all the dangerous contributors (such as the hair in the drain). Lacking that problem, they basically said I might or might not have more symptoms in the future; the “top” risk factor (on top of a bunch of them that I don’t have) is the presence of an event.

So, on Saturday I got a totally different one. No phyisical ramifications at all–numbness, dizzy spells, thick tongue, or the rest–instead, I just couldn’t talk right. But it’s all apparently the same thing, where a hunk of the brain temporarily has to come up with a new source of blood from one of the other four “pillars” of arteries. After another CAT scan at admittance last night, the doctors immediately planned to do another MRI concentrating on heart/neck/base of skull, including a dye (‘A’ something or other). The cardiac surgeon believes one of the four arteries (I’m not sure…perhaps left carotid) has in infarction, where blood cells have intruded between the layers of the vessel barriers, and have gradually (or suddenly) displaced the normal flow of the artery. He has another test that is supposed to verify the flow characteristics tomorrow, along with a far less pleasant one (previously scheduled) to check on cardiac function through a probe in the throat. Not looking forward to that one.

If it ends up being what he thinks it is, the primary treatment is one (or both) of two blood thinner regimens, which is supposed to gradually displace the dead end intrusion in the layers of the blood vessel, allowing the main path to open back up. Or something like that. I’m pretty sure I butchered that all pretty badly.

Regarding the statin, they do schedule liver function tests periodically, and I have a more detailed liver function test coming up already. The discontinued the statin due to a minor anomaly in one of the liver readings, and there is further testing to be done.

So far they said I don’t get to miss election duty, but I’m not you sure I’ll even get out by Tuesday.