YaY! A New Neurologist in Kyle!

Today was a great day! After my less than encouraging appointment with my last neurologist, I spent hours online searching for one that practiced at "Seton Brain and Spine" and one that has an office in Kyle. A very tall order, I know but I found her. Dr. Lotika R. Misra. I bravely sent her my MRI on a CD, the technician's notes and a letter of my history and my brother's history. I asked her to consider seeing me even though she had no openings until next year. Miraculously, I received a phone call on Friday from her office saying she had a cancelation on Monday morning and asked if I could possibly make the appointment. OMG! Yes! I'll be there.

So this morning was my appointment. I have been searching for a neurologist in Kyle is because I wanted someone near by that knows my history so that if I ever had an emergency, they would know my case. I live here, alone. I need to be able to get there if I am not feeling well. About once a month I have these strange episodes that I have always called the WaaWaas. Like clock work, last night I went to a party at my friend Sharon's house and by the time I got home, for no apparent reason I was crawling into bed feeling the Waa Waas... but this was sort of a good thing because my appointment with the neurologist was this morning so that horrible feeling of the WaaWaas was very fresh on my mind. 

Dr. Misra came into the office and said she was very impressed with my research and my letter. She thanked me. She asked a few questions, did a few tests that neurologists always do. We discussed the anomalies in my brain and a couple of them in my heart. She spent 2 hours with me. She asked if I had seen my MRI on the CD, I had not so she showed me the anomalies in my brain on her laptop. She spoke to me like she cared. I described the WaaWaas to her, she took notes and said she believed they are "focal seizures" and told me to double up on my seizure meds on the days I have the episodes. She told me she was going to look into sending me to a genetic counselor to see if there is a rare syndrome that causes the issues I have. 

For the first time in over 40 years of having these issues, I felt heard. I felt comforted. I felt hope. My heart issues have always been there as well, but the WaaWaa have been debilitating most of my life. I have never known when I would start feeling that dreaded feeling that I assumed were panic attacks when I was young. They have made traveling alone and many other things a challenge. I had an episode this afternoon, I doubled up on my meds and felt better within 10 minutes.