A month ago, while flying home from Miami and landing in Atlanta, I had a terrible ear pressure episode that brought me close to screaming out loud. The pain was excruciating and left the right side of my face sore and achy for a few days.
A week or so later came a nagging metallic taste in my mouth and a ringing in my ears, along with some memory and language loss. This was a little alarming and, from some urging by my family and co-workers, I went to see a doctor. After an examination, that found no ear drum damage, the Doc said, “It is one of two things: you’ve either had a stroke or you’re crazy. And the only real way to tell is an MRI.”
A stroke?! Not me! Then my Doc reminded me of my age bracket and that this age bracket luckily comes with Medicare, so I acquiesced and scheduled an MRI.
Just as I Suspected
The results were just as I suspected: there is nothing clinically wrong with me. But getting an MRI is kind of a no-win situation for any patient. Think about it. If I had had a brain tumor or stroke, it would have been awful and my life and everyone’s life around me would have changed. But if there is nothing found, not even some old-age shrinkage of the brain, then you are just thought to be crazy.
And crazy is what I feel.
Though the bad taste in my mouth is gone and my mental cohesiveness is restored, there is still ringing in my ears (tinnitus). And I don’t care what anybody says, I am still forgetful.
But I Remembered This
Being a documentary watcher, I remembered the HBO show called “The Crime of the Century.” It is a greedy tale of opioid sales in America by Purdue Pharma. I won’t write out all the details (you will have to watch the show for yourself) but it did make me suspicious of pharmaceutical companies. Along this same vein, I watched a PBS documentary on the healing properties of psilocybin mushrooms and thought, “Does my brain need a reset?”
Ever curious (but also chicken), this got me thinking, “Should I plan a ‘trip’ to Oregon, and fly out to where mushrooms are legal and controlled?”
I will keep you posted.
