My Health

I've been wondering what to do with this blog. I could pontificate on current events, the world situation, politics, etc., but to what purpose? It's all been said by any number of pundits, commentators and "experts". So who am I to go there? I've considered deleting the blog. The world has not beaten a path to my door, after all.

So instead I'll get personal and hold forth on my well-being.

I'm 77 and not the man I used to be. For the past two years I've not been able to play tennis or curl, two sports that I love and have a talent for, because of my ataxic gait. To save me a long explanation, you can Google it. To be short, it's a balance problem which causes me to walk funny and is very exhausting. I used to enjoy my walks of several kilometers but now I can't do a thousand feet.

This week, my neurologist attempted a lumbar puncture, otherwise known as a spinal tap, for the purpose of withdrawing 40 ml. of spinal fluid. This, he assured me, would restore my balance but only for an hour or two, until the fluid built up again. It builds up in the brain ventricles that are continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord. It is a trouble-shooting procedure to confirm the condition and the fluid can be analyzed in the lab. But the good doctor was unable to reach the target in three tries. There was no radiologist present, so he was going blind. Next time a radiologist will do it, hopefully. He will also make an appointment with a neurosurgeon in Moncton or Halifax, so stay tuned.