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| Jim |
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For many years I've been struggling with several perplexing health
problems that I now suspect may have their common root in my viral
encephalitis. I'm 53 years old and came down with encephalitis (probably
the lethagica strain) when I was only six months old. We had recently
located to a new home on the edge of a large wooded area. Mosquitos were
a real problem so I probably contracted it from a mosquito bite.
My fever soared and I remained motionless for three months or so. My
parents were told that I would probably not make it through but somehow
I did.
My parents tell me that I didn't speak my first word until I was over a
year old. When I did finally speak, I spoke in complete fully formed
sentences.
Around age 6, though very bright I had a great deal of trouble learning
to read. The problem was dyslexia but way back then there was little
understanding of the disease. As a result I was repeatedly smacked on
the back of the head with a rolled up magazine for making my letters and
numbers backwards. They told me I had "reversal tendencies" due to my
extreme laziness. I remember being very confused and frustrated. This
problem somehow resolved itself. I now read and write well.
Like many of you, I have a problem maintaining my balance. As a result
I've always thought of myself as a "klutz". While in the Navy I remember
stumbling into walls (actually steel bulkheads) by mistake. Though I made
a valiant effort, I was never able to learn to ride a bike. I'm terribly
sensitive to noise and light. If I attempt to drive out of my garage on a
sunny day without my sun glasses on I immediately get a terrible day-long
headache. I've thrown out my electric razor as it made much to much noise.
I startle very easily. Once startled it takes me an hour or more to return
to normal. (When a telemarketer awakens me with a worthless phone call -
I give them a piece of my mind!)
My battle experience in Vietnam made me even more sensitive to loud
sudden noises.
Though I've done well with my career, my organizational skills are very
poor. The only way I can get anything accomplished is to make list after
list. As I complete tasks, I cross them off the list. Without the lists
I'd be lost.
The main question I have has to do with my perplexing problem with
irregular heartbeat. Several times a year I awaken in the morning and
immediately go into a 24 hour long bout of Atrial Fib, a common
irregular heartbeat. The next morning I spontaneously return back to a
normal heartbeat. This is a very rare sequence which always leaves the
doctors scratching their chins. They've tried a dozen or so drugs many
of which very nearly killed me. They either made it much worse or did
nothing at all. I've been to about a dozen different cardiologists and
have gone through tons of test but the results are always the same. No
problem found.
I also suffer from a moderate degree of insomnia and a wide range of
other anxiety related problems including gastric hyperacidity and a
strong dislike for standing in line - any line. If I enter a restaurant
and see more than three or four couples in line, I bolt for the door
without so much as a thought. This used to drive my wife crazy. If she
wanted me to stand in line she would have to hold my hand and keep
talking softly to me to distract me from any thought of bolting for the
door.
Do any of my various problems ring a bell with any of you? Any feedback
would be much appreciated. Please feel free to email me.
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Jim Z.
Ohio U.S.A.
Posted: June 29, 2000 |
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