Day 29 - The Eyes & Ophthalmology

"In an average life, the eyes will see 24 million different images. They can focus quickly between distances of 10cm and infinity. We can see in bright sunlight and almost complete darkness and judge speed within 5-10% accuracy.

More of our brain is taken up with eyesight than any other bit of our body.

All this from a couple of balls only 2.5 cm in diameter.

Interesting facts:

- Brown is the most common eye colour, blue the rarest (only 8% of the world's population has blue eyes).

- Eyebrows protect our eyes from sweat running off our forehead. Over pluck at your peril.

- We blink about twelve times per minute. This keeps our eyes clean.

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids."*

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/surgery/advice/body_mind/everyone/eyesight/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmology

I am in Madrid and will be leaving for West Africa shortly. I got the results from the CT scan :

“Conclusion: no sinonasal cause for the patient's persistent right frontal headache is identified.”

A colleague of mine asked me if I have had my eyes checked. I haven’t. I headed to the Instituto Oftalmológico de Madrid, reputedly one of the best in Europe.

I was told I needed an appointment and was sent to A&E at a hospital nearby.

Having waited for two hours, I was eventually seen by an ophtalmologist. She told me there was nothing to worry about and could not see my eyes being related to my headache.

She told me to see a neurologist. I thought I might as well give it a go as I won’t be in Europe for much longer.

The neurologist said it is a migraine. I explained I was already prescribed migraine tablets and they did not help at all. Painkillers do not alleviate the symptoms, I explained to him.

He nonetheless prescribed some medication and sent me home telling me there is nothing to worry about.

He also advised seeing the same doctor as opposed to continuously changing person and also location (so far, I have seen people in the UK, France and Spain) - not a helpful comment given that my job constantly involves travelling and that so far all the doctors I have seen have been utterly clueless anyway.

Day 25 - CT Scan

"A CT (computerised tomography) scanner is a special kind of X-ray machine. Instead of sending out a single X-ray through your body as with ordinary X-rays, several beams are sent simultaneously from different angles.


The technique of CT scanning was developed by the British inventor Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work.

CT scans are far more detailed than ordinary X-rays. The information from the two-dimensional computer images can be reconstructed to produce three-dimensional images by some modern CT scanners.

Far more X-rays are involved in a CT scan than in ordinary X-rays, so doctors do not recommend CT scans without a good medical reason. Some patients may experience side effects due to allergic reactions to the liquid dye injected into the veins."*

*http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/examinations/ctgeneral.htm

My company called me yesterday just after my appointment with the ENT doctor, and told me I am now going being posted to The Gambia in West Africa and not to Taiwan anymore. I immediately called the doctor and asked to be put forward for a CT scan.

I was reluctant to do a scan as I know they emit a lot of radiation - the ENT doctor recommended that, due to the negative health implications associated with CT scans, the maximum number of CT scans to carry out in one’s lifetime is five.

Today I went to a private hospital to get the CT scan done.

Obviously I expected to pay a large sum (I do not have private medical insurance) but what I was confronted with nearly gave me a heart attack (on top of the headache).

I was strapped to the machine and part slid into the tunnel - I could still move my legs about as only my head was tightly strapped.

The scan only lasted fifteen minutes or so, and I was relieved when it was over. Now all I need are the results which I am told will only take a day or two to get to me.

Day 24 - Otolaryngologist

"Otolaryngology is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders.

The full name of the specialty is otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Practitioners are called otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeons, or sometimes otorhinolaryngologists (ORL). A commonly used term for this specialty is ENT (ear, nose and throat).

The term comes from the Greek ωτολαρυγγολογία (oto = genitive for ear, laryngo = genitive for larynx/throat, logy = study), and it literally means the study of ear and neck."*

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otolaryngology

I saw a private ear, nose and throat doctor today on Harley Street as I want to completely rule out the possibility of having sinusitis. Needless to say it cost a fortune.

The doctor said everything looked normal and wrote a letter for a doctor in Taiwan - which is where I am due to be posted for a few months - should my headache persist.

He advised I do a CT scan should my plans change and should I be sent to Africa again. In the meantime, he has prescribed a nasal spray to use for two to three weeks.