B12 – Bingo?

/ Jeff Cann

1. There is no acute-appearing finding or abnormal enhancement.
2. Mild global atrophy.

I think this is good news. I don’t see my neurologist again until February, that’s a long time to wait. What if, instead, my MRI report read “What the hell is that?” Could I hold-out for a February appointment without going crazy?

I took two days off for Thanksgiving weekend, Friday and Monday. With my Thursday holiday, that becomes a bit of a vacation. I approached it with limited plans. Obviously, the Thanksgiving meal, but we don’t do the turkey-stuffing-potatoes thing. Our plan was macaroni and cheese. Oh, and of course pie. Other than that, I had vague plans for a Friday mountain bike ride and a Saturday run. And lots of time with my family. Sophie’s home until February, and Eli has Monday off school—it’s Deer Day.

In Pennsylvania, the Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of deer season for rifle hunters. They close schools that day because no one would show up anyway. I always insist that this is a hold over from an earlier time, hunting isn’t that popular anymore. Eli says differently. “Everybody hunts but me.” He says this a little sadly, it’s something he’d like to try. I can’t give it to him, my line in the sand. In a few years, he’ll be eighteen. Then he can hunt as often as he likes. He’ll have to eat the whole deer himself. The rest of us don’t eat meat.

This year, Pennsylvania changed the start of hunting season to Thanksgiving-Saturday, and threw in Sunday for good measure. Eli still has school off on Monday, but I doubt the woods will be crawling with gun-toting children. There won’t be any deer left to hunt, maybe. So really, Friday was the only day to mountain bike.

No abnormal enhancement: I think that means a blob. Nice to know I don’t have one. Mild global atrophy: Sophie, who’s taking biology right now, says that’s shrinkage of my brain. “Don’t worry, that’s attributable to your old age.” What I do have is dizziness. On Friday, when I woke up, my two-week old headache was gone. But after moving about the house for a couple of hours, my head was swimming. A ride was out of the question. This is what it feels like. It feels like my brain is repeatedly being lifted upwards by several inches.

Susan set to work on Google, and showed me a page talking about brief, intermittent dizziness. That’s not right, what I have is prolonged, chronic dizziness. Google that, one of the causes is a nutritional deficiency. Hmmm. The first time my dizziness hit was two weeks after I stopped eating meat. People who don’t eat meat risk a vitamin B12 deficiency. Some of the symptoms:

  • Headaches
  • Lightheadedness
  • Weakness/Fatigue
  • Breathlessness

I’ve complained repeatedly about all of these over the past nine months. Could it be this simple? Probably not, but I started taking B12 about an hour later. How long does it take to overcome a deficiency?

I’m leaving this essay with new questions asked and old ones left unanswered. Several readers said they wanted to hear about test results as they come in, so here’s the first. No giant growths on my brain.

* * *

And now for something completely different: My workplace, a library, encourages employees to make YouTube video book reviews. I made one the other day about The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz. I always think it’s interesting when a blogger posts a video because it gives me a chance to hear what they sound like. It allows me to put a voice with the words.

16 thoughts on “B12 – Bingo?”

  2. Bob and I got married the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which I found out later, was the start of hunting season that year too. I didn’t know it when we picked the date, but there is an entire side of my family that couldn’t wait for the “I do’s” to drop so they could get out into the great wide open and wipe out some deer.
    I am glad you don’t have a blob. I hope the B12 helps. I finally made it to the doctor after years of intense exercise but the inability to lose any weight. I was hoping something would come out of my bloodwork or exam – nothing too serious, just a “Oh look – here’s the problem!” But nothing. I am completely healthy. I guess that is good.
    Cool video. That is a good idea. It is more fun to read a person’s post in their voice. I guess I was privileged to have your voice having met you. The video is a nice refresher though so I can continue to hear you in your posts.

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  4. No blob is fantastic news. Mild global atrophy can be used to excuse everything from here on out. “Oh, I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning because I have mild global atrophy.” “What, did you say something about organizing my sock drawer? I’m afraid I can’t do that; I have mild global atrophy.” Work it Jeff, work it!

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  5. Here’s hoping that relieving your dizziness and headaches really is as simple as B-12 supplements. But at least the MRI’s “normal” results are good news in that worst-case scenarios have been removed from consideration.

    Hope you’re back on your bike again soon, but watch out for those hunters…

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  6. Thanks for the update, I’m glad there is no blob too! I hope the B supplements help with the dizziness.

    Another great-sounding scifi book suggestion! I need to make a list!

    Has anyone ever told you you speak vaguely like Owen Wilson (at least I thought so?) Your tone is different, but the pronunciation similar in some ways. It’s good to put a voice to the words! How do you edit the video so that it’s just your voice but no video/a picture of the book cover?

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  7. I believe you can take the ‘no giant brain anomaly found’ as a win! Even if there’s mild brain atrophy, still a win!

    I have a book recommendation if you haven’t already stumbled across it. (In some universe, no doubt, you have.) But in case that isn’t this one, here it is:

    This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar.

    I won’t strong arm you, but let me just say, I HATE time travel as a motif. And I loved this book so hard. It has violence, but also a weird kind of love you can find in the moments in between. And, of course, bendy time stuff that makes your head hurt to imagine having to write such a brilliant story yourself. I’m fairly positive that, no matter how many multiverses you gave me, I could never even come close to this masterpiece.

    Here’s an Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RTYNHRM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

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  8. Thanks for sharing the results of your MRI. I was worried about you! Hmmm…I am not a vegetarian but I eat meat infrequently (only on Thanksgiving this month). I have also been having symptoms similar (but maybe milder?) than yours, including a headache over my right eye for the past week. Maybe I need some B12 too.

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    • The B12 doesn’t seem to be working. I just finished 40 minutes on the spin bike (X-Files) and my head is spinning. I think I’ll stick with the B12 since I take other pills daily anyway. I doubt I’m really missing out on anything else. I get plenty of protein.

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