I got another batch of information back from my week at the National Institutes of Health, and I really think my favorite quote ever was “patient has a normal brain”… good to know!
Other fun stuff: they couldn’t find a seventh cranial nerve (which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not there – they did an autopsy on someone with Moebius and found that the nerve was there but went down into the spinal cord instead of into the brain), and that my seventh nerve is hypoplastic (underdeveloped).
Apparently my scoliosis is two or three degrees more than both the doctor and I thought. From the nerve conduction studies where they zapped me, I apparently have no blink reflex (which I knew!), and reduced amplitude in all facial nerve stimulations (maybe that’s why it didn’t hurt that much?)
No information yet from the blood or skin biopsy yet, but I’m not expecting anything since they don’t yet know what they’re looking for!
And lastly, the awesome nurse coordinator for the study (truly a sanity-saver!) sent me these amazing colored views of my brain from my MRI! I think the coolest part is that this was done without dye or anything… no idea what it means, but it’s pretty!
Natalie Abbott 