Onset

One night in March of 2018, I had a headache that made sleeping difficult. The next morning, I walked out to my car and thought, “Oh no, here we go again. I mis-timed starting my medications for seasonal allergies. The green film on the hood of my car satisfied me that the cause of the headache was clear. I’ve been a hay fever sufferer for decades, and over the years, have had my share of sinus infections and bronchitis. My family used to track me down in a store by listening for my incessant sneezing. Allergic Rhinitis appears on my list of ongoing conditions. More nights of headaches caused more nights of poor sleep and fatigue started taking its toll. I started to lose my balance from time to time, including a significantly high number of falls during a men’s hockey game in early April (I hadn’t fallen that much since I took up the game around age 6 in Rhode Island.) Looking back, I could have taken the fact that my teammates would not let me drive home as a significant sign. However, I had convinced my self that it was simply a worsening sinus infection that was possibly evolving into an inner ear issue. Through April, I became more and more anxious about the lack of sleep I was experiencing and the headaches and stumbles continued. My doctor and I tried different strategies to manage the anxiety, improve the sleep, and treat the symptoms of the sinus infection I remained convinced I had. I took time off from work to focus on getting better, but things seemed to have reached a steady state of discomfort. In the weeks that would follow, I would learn that at times I was noticeably favoring my left side and that some of my text messages and phone conversations had lost whatever sharpness they had had in the past. The month of April ended with one final fall to all fours and a feeling of extreme nausea, a symptom that my doctor had asked me about but had not appeared, until Friday the 27th. With a new symptom box being checked, and my doctor not being available until the next week, I called the advice nurse at the local urgent care/hospital, explained my symptoms, and I was scheduled to see a doctor on Sunday, April 29th. Next up, “Soapbox #1” and then “The craziest week of my life”.