Monday, November 10, 2008

Paranoid About Head Injuries

I hit my head HARD on an abnormally low cement doorway Saturday night. After massaging the affected part of my skull, I did a neuro test that doctors performed once on me when I was complaining of dizziness. My diagnosis was that I had nothing to worry about. I could touch my nose with the tip of my finger.

I think I'm the most paranoid person on earth when it comes to injuries to the brain. Alex had undergone a brain operation when she was only 6 months old because of a blood clot. No mother can ever forget that harrowing experience.

So when the pain had not totally gone away 24 hours after the accident, I began to worry. The pain was on and off, but thankfully, tolerable. So after airing GMA Weekend Report, I went to the hospital around 1:30am of Monday. The doctors found it amusing when I shared my "layman's diagnosis" with them. I even performed the fingertip-to-the-nose test again in front of them without being told.

Well, after undergoing several tests - shrugging my shoulders, pushing and pulling with my arms and legs, rolling my eyeballs to follow the doctors' fingers - this time, officially performed by doctors, my initial layman's diagnosis was confirmed. I had nothing to worry about. They said they could order a CT scan, if only to appease my paranoia. After thinking about it for about a minute, I decided it was best to just go home.

Well, it's Monday afternoon and the headaches are back. I just hope the pain killer the doctors prescribed would take effect immediately. I'm still under observation until 7 tonight.

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