Diem Interruptus

Have you ever been busy, going about your life, only to have it interrupted by...well...life? Diem interruptus! (interrupted day)

So there I was, sorting laundry, when I began to develop a visual aura. For those of you who've never had the "pleasure," an aura (for me anyway) is like that annoying little spot you get after someone takes a flash picture of you. An aura, however, can be any size or shape, can take up residence anywhere in your field of vision, and can last as long as it jolly well pleases. Also, my auras have always been translucent. What ever was being blocked by the aura was still visible, although less so.

This aura, though, was different. It developed quickly, and grew. And grew. And grew. To give you an idea....

Me: Lloyd, I’m getting a major aura.

Lloyd: What? (already, the aura has taken over about 50% of my right eye’s vision)

Me: I’ve got a really bad aura. (I realize aura is opaque)

Lloyd: How bad? (by now, the aura has almost completely blocked the vision in my right eye)

Me: I can hardly see anything!

Lloyd: Really? (vision in my right eye is totally gone)

Me: Lloyd! I have no vision in my right eye!

That really is how quickly it happened, in just the small amount of time it took to have that conversation. Ten minutes later, vision began to return. An hour or so after onset, my vision had cleared.

Long story short, I went to ER. Bloodwork (again), EKG (again), CT of head (again). Conclusion: I probably had a TIA or an optic artery spasm--possibly in connection with an atypical migraine--which temporarily created a crucial drop in blood flow to the eye.

Next Thursday, I’m scheduled for an MRI of my brain, which will look at the blood vessels there. The Monday after that, I follow up with my neurologist.

Outcomes:

What exactly happened? They don’t know.

What triggered the episode? They don’t know.

Will it happen again? They don’t know.

Am I allowed to drive? NO.

How long will the driving ban last? Who knows.

So, Dear Reader, before you face your diem interruptus.... Carpe diem! Celebrate the sunset. Memorize your lover’s face, your child’s face, your dog’s face. Study the way a rose’s petals snuggle around each other. Drink it all in.

Because you never know....