Questions and recovery

 

Medical realities:

Dr. at hospital was checking my condition (no touch, just an interview by my bedside) and I started having the problem which has become worse with this visit. My word finding ability when speaking was horrible...not just what's the word I want for say, a kind of cookie that's black on the outside with sweet on the insides...an Oreo...but saying  words that were kind of similar sounding but of no meaningful connection. This newer thing was saying 'dollhouse' instead of 'doorknob'!

And my respiratory doctor said, you've been taking this drug for how long for your essential tremors? 

A couple of years, I answered. A low dose of an anti-epileptic which also made my hands somewhat more steady...though lately it hasn't been working all that well.

He said that could be causing my mental frustrations. And how did he know? His father had had the same symptoms, and gone through neurological testing to determine if he had Alzheimers (where word jumble happens.) Then he stopped this one drug and things cleared up for him. 

I said that he was lucky to have a son who was a doctor.

He said his father was a doctor also.

Wow, so I thought, maybe normal aging of just forgetting names that I want to remember (movies and singers at the top) can be mine again. No more dollhouses?

I'm now on day 5 without Primidone. Shaky fingers no worse, but can still type. Mental? Who knows, since I'm home pretty isolated. But I have had a few phone conversations, without any big 'dollhouses' evident.

The eyes:

And yesterday talked with my Care Manager by phone, mentioned this conversation...and he could find nothing in his literature (google?) indicating this side effect to Premarin! I called him about my eyes giving me trouble, and my remembering some drug(s) with side effects that effect one's vision. But of course I don't know which one I might be taking that might do that.

So the problem is that the eyes are slow to react to light...and my right eye doesn't dilate at the same rate as my left one. Looking in the hand mirror in a dark room, I would then look towards the window, and my right eye stayed darker quite a noticeable bit longer to change.

Healing:

So I have a doc appointment  this (written on Tues) morning, to check on vision difficulties, and update post-hospital. It's with a new PA so she won't have knowledge of the Premarin thing probably. But I need on record that this is happening, and maybe get suggestions.

And now, something more upbeat!

Wednesday night note:

The PA who examined my eyes agreed I had slow response to light. She referred me to an Eye Doc...not an optometrist, but an ophthalmologist? Whichever, they haven't called yet to set up an appointment.

I'm through taking all the meds from hospitalization, no more antibiotic on an empty stomach and steroids on a full stomach. And now I'm a bloated mess. I hope this weight gain and overly hydrated goes away...about 6 pounds increase in the last week! Silly me, when I'm sick why would I gain weight?

If it's not one thing...

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And today marks 6 months since a lot of rain and wind (remains of Hurricane Helene) ruined the lives and livelihoods and homes of many people here in  Western North Carolina. It will be featured at 7 am on Good Morning America. Since I've been waking up at 5 am lately, this should be a breeze for me to see. (Hospital stays do change one's schedule!)