Author: Author, Brian K. Larson

The diagnosis is in

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Well, I’ve been officially diagnosed with Keratoconus (pronounced keh-ruh-tow-kow-nuhs) in my left eye.

A condition in which the clear tissue on the front of the eye (cornea) bulges outward. With keratoconus, the clear, dome-shaped tissue that covers the eye (cornea) thins and bulges outward into a cone shape. Its cause is unknown.

This usually shows up in puberty or late teens, so, they’re mystified as to why now?

But the good news is, I can get this special contact and new glasses to see better.

I go in on the 7th for the fitting and then again to get it. But then, I’ll have to get the new glasses, so it’s a process.

They want to see me every six months to check it it’s changing. It it is changing significantly, there’s another procedure that will help.

I’m hoping I can tolerate the thing in my eye. Time will tell.

Getting a sclera contact fitting today

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Wish me luck. It’s been a challenge finding a provider that does these sclera contacts and takes my insurance.

I’ll let you all know how this went later today as my appointment is at noon my time today. Once they take all the needed measurements, it’ll take a week to 10 days for it to come in. I also have to order a new set of glasses and get those to come in so I can try it all out.

Here’s to hoping all goes well.

Brian

Summoning the dead for Jury Duty

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So, you may already know that my mom passed away last month on the 8th. Yesterday, and I kid you not, she received a summons for Jury Duty. I called and left a message at the clerk’s office. This morning, they called me to let me know she was excused. Wasn’t that nice of them? I wanted to kid with him that I could bring her ashes, but thought twice about that.

I’m wondering how random this really is as everyone in our household has been summoned for Jury Duty, most of us in the last 3 months.

On top of all that, I got a call yesterday from Visiting Physicians asking if mom still resided at the nursing home. I told them she passed last month. Her answer to me was the nursing home told them she was discharged. ‘??’ Well, I suppose that is accurate.

I don’t know what’s going on in this world we live in, but jeez! I’m tellin’ ya’ you really can’t make this stuff up.

Finally, a diagnosis for my eye

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Well, after almost 3 hours at the eye clinic yesterday, I have a diagnosis on my blurry and double vision.

Apparently, the cornea in my left eye is warped. No explanation as to why and why all of a sudden. It’s very odd, he says. So, I told him it matches my personality of oddness and warped.

It’s called Monocular Diplopia caused by corneal ectasia which is a weakling of the cornea. Basically, the cornea becomes excessively thin and weak, and isn’t able to hold the normal eye pressure. Thus, it starts bulging out. The doctor explained it like pressing in on a balloon changing the shape. This causes the light to not reflect properly making the visual distortions of blurry and double vision.

Fortunately, there is a solution that might work. This is aside from a chemical a procedure that’s not guaranteed, or a cornea transplant; which is one idea really don’t want.

I’m going to schedule an appointment with my optometrist to fit me with one gas permeable ridged contact. Wearing this one hard contact lens will reshape the cornea when wearing. Then I have to have a new left lens made for my glasses so I can were them over the contact to correct the vision. He says since I have astigmatism, the contact will correct for that, so the left lens can’t correct for that, together.

The ophthalmologist doesn’t know why this has happened as this typically occurs earlier in life or after LASIK surgery. He also says rubbing your eyes can cause the cornea to warp. I’m not an eye rubber, but a word of caution if you do. Don’t do it.

For now, I’m going to get scheduled for this special contact fitting. I’m hoping I will adapt to this. I used to wear soft contacts years ago, but stopped because I needed readers and didn’t like taking them on and off. I even tried mono vision contacts, but it was not real good at the time. But now, since I’ll be wearing glasses to correct my vision over the contact, I just have to get used to putting them in.

So, as a funny side note, I told them that at least I got to wear steampunk glasses. I also noticed after, that I’m waring R2-D2…

Now, it’s time to get back into writing today. Finishing chapter 6 in Return to Revein’sev.

Been a challenging year already

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Some of you might have wondered why I’ve been MIA, again. Well, I have a few health concerns that I’ve been dealing with. Some of which, I’ve already explained that I’ve got a pretty messed up neck and back. So bad, apparently, that the crushed and pinched nerves in my neck, has created several neurological symptoms. All of which, mimic Multiple Sclerosis or MS.

Late October, I got a new pair of glasses. I got through the eye test and was corrected to 20/10 in both eyes. I had a prism in my last prescription to correct a slight issue with double vision. Well, after my exam, we discovered I wasn’t having that issue, so it was taken out. A few weeks after seeing great in my new glasses, things began looking odd to me. It was like wearing the wrong prescription. I covered my left eye and everything was cleared up. Covering my right eye makes everything blurry and that double vision issue is back. But it’s only in one eye.

I went in for a recheck and the doctor is only able to correct my left eye to 20/70 and no matter what combination of prim the doctor tried, it was no longer correcting that issue. So, I was referred to an eye specialist. Even the digital image of my eyes have not revealed any underlying cause.

I’ve waited nearly a month to get in to a specialist. They’re first available appointment was 3 1/2 weeks out. So, tomorrow it it. I go in to, hopefully find out what the heck is going on now.

The ophthalmologist says it’s neurological if it’s only one eye. My neurologist says no, it’s not neurological if it’s only one eye. So, who do you believe, anyway?

So, there you have it. I’ve been taking lots of breaks to rest my eyes and my back and that’s why things are progressing on the slow side these days. Wish me luck tomorrow. I’ll be offline due to my eyes being dilated, but I’ll keep y’all updated.

Why I’ve Been MIA – Part 3

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You know, sometimes life’s not fair. But, through our daily struggles, we learn to grow. We learn to accept the unacceptable. Some struggles seem tougher that others. The only thing we can do, often times, is count the blessings we do have. I know, it’s very hard to find good things, when being surrounded by unfortunate circumstances. But, the key is to know that there’s always something to be thankful for. There’s always something to be grateful for. Find it. That’s all you need to dispel that darkness. Let me tell you, there’s been darkness. There’s been bleak times that no one or nothing seems to help. Find that spot of light. Focus on it and once you start to feel grateful for that one miniscule thing, it begins to grow. It grows. Nourish that speck of light and it will flourish. It may not seem worth the effort. But if you do, it will chase that darkness away.

I say all this to focus on the positive. Sure, I’m talking about negative things that happened to me.

But, it’s a story I must share if it will help someone else find that flake of hope. Yes, I’ve been in dark times over it. But I want to tell you, I began to see that small glimmer of light. I began to focus on just that one thing. Maybe I don’t have MS after all. Maybe there is a diagnosis after all these years. Well, last Thursday was a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. It’s a day that changed my perspective and provided me with that, ever so, small glint of hope.

You see, back in 2017/2018, I was told by a neurologist and after seeing their associate movement disorder specialist, that everyone of my symptoms where all in my head. I was making it all up. Not intentionally, they say, but I was told my symptoms where Functional. That is to say, Functional Neurological Disorder or FND and Conversion Disorder. My brain is creating every symptom which mimics Multiple Sclerosis. But, the neurologist, who was also a phycologist, says, motioning with balled up fists, “I’m confidant, you can get better!”

I gave up all hope that they didn’t find anything. Even thought my nerve conduction study showed abnormal results. Results this doctor says doesn’t make sense to him. He didn’t understand the readings and what they meant. So, obviously, since this doesn’t make sense, it’s all in my head.

Jumping ahead to last Thursday, if took this neurologist five minutes to identify what was going on with me. Why am I tipping backwards when standing? Why do I get these electrical sparks in my legs, arms and feet? Why do my hips and back ache constantly? Why do I constantly drop things, or miss when grabbing things? Why is it difficult to chew food without biting my cheeks or swallow simple solids without choking? Why do I get swollen glands in my neck all the time? All these questions are being answered. Prior to my appointment, the doctor reviewed all my MRI’s, lab tests and X-Rays of my back and neck and after a few simple tests in his office, he knew what it was. You could see the excitement building as he began to understand what was going on.

The first thing he said, and I nearly cried, is, “You’re not making this up, but you don’t have MS. You have Lumbar Spinal Stenosis with Cervical Spondylosis and it’s caused by a narrowing of my spinal canal and herniated disks in my back and neck.

He said this is a degenerative disease. It won’t get better, but we can help slow down it’s progression by strengthening and anti-inflammatory injections. This condition can and does cause neurological dysfunction in all these area, so it explains where everyone of my symptoms come from.

Now, I’m waiting for more MRI’s and X-rays to be scheduled so we can pinpoint areas that need injections to help stop the nerves from being crushed.

I am looking forward to having my symptoms reduce. I know they’re not going to vanish, but I have hope. That small glimmer of a spark, that I can return to semi-normal lifestyle. I can enjoy the simple things in life, like sitting here and writing. I can focus on the important things in life. The good things. The positive things. They are out there, you just gotta look for them. Will there still be depression and anxiety? Will I still have dark days? Yes, I’m sure of that. But, don’t let it rule you. If you ever face a situation that seems utterly dark., reach out and talk to someone. There are those out there that do care. Just ask.

I hope this message brings you hope. We’re right in the middle of the Holidays. It’s a time where many suffer from dark days and depression. Turn it around for the good. I know it can be done. I did it.

Until next time, this is Author Brian K. Larson, off to spark your imaginations.

Why I’ve been MIA – Part 2

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Parts of this are taken from my cookbook, “Cooking with Author-Chef (Not Iron-Chef) Brian K. Larson, which was released last month. I tell my cooking story and my challenges in the kitchen. But one of the reasons for being gone, other than slicing my thumb two weeks ago, was these continued neurological issues. I’ve been very fatigued as of late and going to many appointments chasing the lead to what ails me. The section below describes a small part of all this that’s been ongoing for many years. Well, after all these years, I might finally have a firm diagnosis, but it’s not what you might think. After my neurology appointment last Thursday, I have been told it’s not Multiple Sclerosis or MS, and I’m confidant that my new neurologist is on it. But, you’ll have to tune in tomorrow for my next update to see why.

In 2015 I discovered I had a herniated disk, accompanied with sciatica on my right back and leg. It was so painful; I was no longer able to work. I literally crawled on my hands and knees from the car to our house. Then, more symptoms began coming and going. I had strange muscle fasciculations across random parts of my arms and legs. It would start under my left shoulder where you could visibly see several muscle groups undulating under my skin. My hands would shake and I began tipping backward when standing. That was it. Time to see a neurologist and another battery of tests. This time, they did more tests. I had an MRI of my brain and back, I had an electromyography or EMG, which was not a bit fun, let me tell you. They jab you with probes at the base of an arm or leg and then jab another at the opposite end. Then they send pulses of electricity at different amplitudes to measure how long the signal takes to travel across the nerves.

The results were, again, showing something abnormal. But it wasn’t anything the neurologist recognized. I went to a movement specialist and they confirmed there were unusual things going on. We ruled out all the bad things, such as Parkinson’s and ALS, but Multiple Sclerosis was high on the radar, until the MRI results came back. Again, the MRI was abnormal, but not for MS. They were still puzzled that I didn’t have any plaque on my brain. Well, I did have plaque. However, it was inconsistent with what is common with MS.

I still have not been diagnosed as yet. It’s still a mystery. One doctor says it’s Functional Neurological Disorder, another says Conversion Disorder due to a childhood trauma, which doesn’t fit, either.
There is a couple thing that links this all together and I am working with one doctor that is leaning on an MS diagnosis. That is, people with Epstein-Barr have developed this autoimmune disease. When I was seventeen, I contracted Mononucleosis, which then caused the Epstein-Barr antibodies. These are permanent in your blood. It’s part of the Herpes virus, so there’s no cure.

Another interesting thing to note is that it’s been well documented that about five percent of individuals that have MS, don’t have plaque showing up on an MRI. My new doctor says, there’s only one disease where symptoms come and go over time, and that’s MS.
Not that I’m jumping for joy that it might be this, I’m just happy to finally get some kind of diagnosis that makes sense.

One more thing that I must say and that’s that, I’m one lucky man to be married to my soulmate. She is my strength and has stayed by my side through it all. There are many times where one spouse gets sick and the other leaves, not wanting to spend their lives with someone that’s disabled. So, the spouse is left to take care of themselves.

Tune in tomorrow for Part 3 of Why I’ve been MIA…

Why I’ve Been MIA for 2 Weeks

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Well, I’ll tell ya all about it. It was Nov, 30th 2021. I’m getting my day together setting up social media posts and planning my writing for the day. After making a fresh pot of great coffee (we only use Camano Island Coffee Roasters, Sumatra) when my stomach urged me to cook breakfast. After thinking about it, I made my decision. I’m making scalloped hash brown potatoes and eggs. Then, I got out the vegetable slicer and potatoes, set the Mandolin cutting blade to maximum and placed one Yukon Gold potato in the slicer guard. You should see where this is headed by now. After three beautiful passes, I lost my grip on the thing, which quickly resulted in my right thumb passing over the blade at full speed ahead.

It’s like one of those moments of, what did I just do?! Then, I know what I just did and well, that didn’t go well. Not well at all! I grabbed my thumb and applied as much pressure as I could to stop myself from leaking. Then thought about gauze. No gauze near me, so I tore a paper towel and used that to help with the leaking thumb. Well, What do I do now? With a feeble attempt at getting out my first aid kit as I held the open wound with my index and middle finger. After dropping the kit on the dinning room table, I finally managed to open the thing and dump out its contents. Okay, using my teeth and one free hand, I ripped the band aid from its sterile paper wrapper, which then stuck to my lips. Blowing the thing off my mouth, it blew into the freed band aid as I dropped the thing, both now floating to the floor. Swiping it off the floor, I proceeded to pull one end of the adhesive and looked at the humungous band aid I chose. What thee hell am I going to do with this thing? It’s WAY too big. So, I found a smaller one and eventually managed to open that one.

First attempt at wrapping my thumb, ended up in a nice pool of a peculiar red substance. I only saw the actual wound for a split second. Okay, this isn’t going to work out well for me, so I stopped it up with a fresh paper towel and called emergency, as it’s lookin’ like I’m gonna need help with this one.

After about twenty minutes, they arrived. I went out to their aid car and they proceeded to wrap my thumb. My confidence wasn’t great after one of the EMT’s began asking another EMT what the best way to wrap it to hold pressure on it was. After three attempts at them wrapping it. Someone finally got it and it actually felt okay. I suppose as okay as possible after taking a half-inch gouge off the side of my thumb. They offered a ride to the Hospital, but I turned them down and told them I’ll go to an urgent care center tonight as I’d be stranded all day there.

After they left I discovered I was no longer hungry and sat in my easy chair to rest and recover. That’s when I discovered, after then examined my completely encased hand, that red substance slowly oozing. I ended up pinching my two wrapped fingers on the wound all day to keep it from leaking more.

That night, my wife took me to urgent care. They took me in within 10 minutes and it was a gusher after taking off the EMT’s wrap. So, the doctor used a tourniquet on the base of my thumb and, like magic, the bleeding stopped.

He used a thing called Sergifoam, which is used to stop these kinds of cuts and also promotes skin growth. After wrapping me up correctly and removing the tourniquet, the thing finally stopped.

I gotta give kudos to the doctor for doing a great job. Today, nearly two weeks later, my thumb is finally not hurting every time I knock it. it’s healing up very nicely. I’ll likely have a scar, but typing is no longer painful, so I can finally get back to writing.

Now, as to why I dropped the guard in the first place. Well, you’ll just have to tune in tomorrow for part two. For now, this is author, B. K. Larson, getting back into the swing of things.

Writing Book 6 in Warlords

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Wow, I’m feelin’ my groove. It feels great to be writing in the Warlords series. It always seems to flow so naturally in these books. At times it feels as if I’ve already written the thing.

The characters are all returning, Race Jennings and his antics. Poor Race, he’s always getting teased, but he makes it easy for them too. Now, after traveling to the Realm in book 5, he’s taken on Antarian traits with Danielle, who carries the Bron Vis’Ka. Now both are more Antarian than human. Ruki Grey’con and Darnash join up with them to Return to Revein’sev in an effort to save the little alien squirrel that hijacked her way with them when they returned to Earth. Now, the creature is taken ill and the team decide that Chipper must be returned to the Realm to save the creature’s life. Meanwhile, Admiral Jedidiah Fitz commands the fleet and is in search of the Formal Admiral Gilmore, who opposes Jed in helping the Antarians.

The Antarian’s desire as Warlords has been taken away by the blood spirit, Bron Vis’Ka, which was written in the ancient Antarian Blood Scroll. But now that the Kron’Shulooka has been removed, they face total inhalation as they refuse to fight, even to save themselves.

Stay Tuned for more tidbits as I spin this latest tale. Oh, yes, and there will be plenty of dragons and dragon blood spirit within…