The Brain Surgery Experience

This Sucks. Now What?

View of the colloid cyst from the side. It's small, but it can be deadly. In my case it was a headache that would last for weeks and would occur a few times a year.

View of the colloid cyst from the side. It's small, but it can be deadly. In my case it was a headache that would last for weeks and would occur a few times a year.

That same day or the next I remember crying about it to my wife who remained rock-solid, at least on the surface, throughout the entire ordeal. Somehow, I got it together and enjoyed the next few days and weekend in an unusually sanguine state. At this point I still didn’t know what was going on, but I thought somehow the experience I was in for would help me be more motivated to live my life on purpose. So, that meant I was even luckier than I had previously thought.

The next week I was scheduled for an MRI. After an initial call with the hospital where it would be done I was told that I would need to have an “orbital X-ray” to make sure there weren’t any pieces of metal in my eyes. I answered “Yes” to “Have you ever done any welding or grinding?” With that out of the way I went for my MRI. I asked the tech if I could look at the scans when we were done. That was the first time I had a good look at what was in my brain. I would later find out that I had Colloid Cyst and a Dermoid Cyst.

This is my angry face! RRRRrrrr!!! That white blob is the dermoid cyst. It started behind my nose and went well into the brain behind my forehead.

This is my angry face! RRRRrrrr!!! That white blob is the dermoid cyst. It started behind my nose and went well into the brain behind my forehead.

I am a year round bicycle commuter. The day after my MRI I was expecting a call from my doctor that morning. I was on my way to work, riding a fixed-gear track bike, and I became distracted with thoughts about what my doctor would tell me. Lesson learned: Do not ride a track bike while thinking about anything else. I stood up going over a rough patch and stopped pedaling. Since you cannot stop pedaling on a track bike I was launched over the handlebars going over 20MPH. In addition to breaking my helmet, I completely crushed my clavicle, broke three ribs, and a bunch of more minor injuries. I managed to start breathing again a few minutes after I came to, repair my bike to barely rideable condition, and hobble my way the three miles back home. My wife took me and the kids to the emergency room. A few hours later I was back and my doctor, who couldn’t reach me at work, called me at home. “Since I have you on the phone can I also get a referral to an orthopedist to go with the neurosurgeon referral?” That was September. In October I had surgery on my clavicle and thus began my collection of titanium plates and screws. Another story for another day.


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