A taste of mortality goes a long way
Shortly before my fortieth birthday the vertigo and dizzy spells became too much: I finally sought medical advice. As I was referred to numerous "specialists", who poked, prodded, and performed MRI's, EKG's, Blood tests, audiologist testing, the list goes on...I realized I was in for more than I bargained for. After 2 months of testing the DR's told me that they could not find anything wrong; and to come back in 4 months for another MRI.
"BS", was the word that rang through my head. You do not go through 2-months of this without performing a little due diligence on your own; and I had already discovered that my issues were classic brain tumor symptoms. When I asked the Dr. if he thought I had a Brain tumor, he replied..."yes, but it is not showing up on the MRI scan yet, which is why I want you back in 4 months. I thanked him and left the office.
2 kids, the youngest only 7 months, a wife, the dream home we spent 2 years building, and a business providing a decent living: none of it seemed to matter very much in light of this prognosis.
10-12 weeks later I experienced an excruciating sinus pressure headache; the kind that feels like a hot nail is imbedded in your temple. Jeanne (the wife unit, and ex-pharmacy tech.) prescribed a sudafed. Wow! I had the best day I'd had in 2 years! Clear-headed: I could think; no dizziness, or foggy head, this was incredible! The following day I started the morning with a sudafed. The second best day I'd had in years. I called the Dr. and was told to get in there as quickly as possible. After a Cat-scan (a $200 test), he sat back and laughed..."here's your problem, your sinuses are all clogged up",
I was a little disappointed...
To try and condense a very long story: the next couple of years were spent trying to clear things up with allergy medications to no avail. Endoscopic sinus surgery provided incredible relief and brought me back into the land of the thinking.
Looking back, the 10-12 week taste of mortality was the most valuable experience I have ever had. I will never take life for granted again! I began to ask myself the following question: "if I only had 1-year to live, what would I do?" My answer was to spend the time with my family, traveling, and educating my children to the best of my abilities while providing them with incredible experiences.
The Great North American Road Trip is the first major excursion of what I hope to be many in the years to come.
"BS", was the word that rang through my head. You do not go through 2-months of this without performing a little due diligence on your own; and I had already discovered that my issues were classic brain tumor symptoms. When I asked the Dr. if he thought I had a Brain tumor, he replied..."yes, but it is not showing up on the MRI scan yet, which is why I want you back in 4 months. I thanked him and left the office.
2 kids, the youngest only 7 months, a wife, the dream home we spent 2 years building, and a business providing a decent living: none of it seemed to matter very much in light of this prognosis.
10-12 weeks later I experienced an excruciating sinus pressure headache; the kind that feels like a hot nail is imbedded in your temple. Jeanne (the wife unit, and ex-pharmacy tech.) prescribed a sudafed. Wow! I had the best day I'd had in 2 years! Clear-headed: I could think; no dizziness, or foggy head, this was incredible! The following day I started the morning with a sudafed. The second best day I'd had in years. I called the Dr. and was told to get in there as quickly as possible. After a Cat-scan (a $200 test), he sat back and laughed..."here's your problem, your sinuses are all clogged up",
I was a little disappointed...
To try and condense a very long story: the next couple of years were spent trying to clear things up with allergy medications to no avail. Endoscopic sinus surgery provided incredible relief and brought me back into the land of the thinking.
Looking back, the 10-12 week taste of mortality was the most valuable experience I have ever had. I will never take life for granted again! I began to ask myself the following question: "if I only had 1-year to live, what would I do?" My answer was to spend the time with my family, traveling, and educating my children to the best of my abilities while providing them with incredible experiences.
The Great North American Road Trip is the first major excursion of what I hope to be many in the years to come.
posted by James C. Paton at 6:25 AM
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