No More Medical Updates…Until Next Month

I received two pieces of related correspondence today. The first was an email from a TBG reader who very politely asked me to quit bringing him down with all my health-related drama. Fair enough. It's starting to bum me out, too. Someone at work even asked if I'd "lost my smile", which actually made me laugh uproariously – for reasons I'm guessing about 60% of my readership get.

When I got home from work, I noticed a letter from my allergist. Inside were the results (findings) of my CAT scan and initial diagnosis. We covered this in layman terms last Friday. Here it is again in doctor-talk:

There is complete opacification of the frontal sinuses and ethmoid air cells. There is circumferential mucosal thickening in the maxillary sinuses. There is a polyp or retention cyst in the floor of the left maxillary sinus measuring 1.8 cm. There is a trace amount of fluid seen within the dependent portions of both maxillary sinuses. There is a small amount of fluid within the sphenoid sinuses bilaterally. There is soft tissue filling maxillary ostium, ethmoid infundibula and middle meati. There is soft tissue seen in the left nasal cavity adjacent to the middle turbinate. There is minimal deviation of the upper nasal septum to the left. There is no mucocele formation. The nasopharynx is unremarkable.

So much for my nasopharynx's self-esteem. I appear to have something called pansinusitis (with likely underlying polyposis). Who wants more italics?!

Pansinusitis is a form of sinusitis. Sinusitis is an infection in one of the paranasal sinuses, leading to inflammation and great discomfort. Pansinusitis, on the other hand, is used to denote a medical condition characterized by an inflammation of ALL the paranasal sinuses.

Don't think I can't appreciate the irony. I've spent a decade with the Unnamed Defense Contractor. My job is to thoroughly review, negotiate and administer contracts with government and commercial customers. Trust me…this condition has been a gazillion times more thorough with my paranasal sinuses than I've ever been at work.

And, thanks to the double-edged sword known as the internet, I've been able to research my condition this evening. This has helped me fill in some of the gaps and better understand what's going on up there. It's also allowed me to unearth inconsequential gems like this:

Pansinusitis represents an acute condition with a high probability of serious consequences. It should be controlled immediately, because there is a risk of the accumulated nasal discharge escaping into the orbit of the brain. The only way to avert such serious consequences is to seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner who has expertise and experience in treating cases of pan sinusitis infections.

Some of you might remember from Friday's post, but the soonest I can see "a qualified medical practitioner who has expertise and experience in treating cases of pan sinusitis infections" is November 3. That means you're free from my sinus nonsense for a few months.

My appointment with the specialist to see about the torn tendon in my finger is still on for September 9, though. Enjoy the two week reprieve!