twitchy mc-twitch-alot

today, my brother and i had nothing better to do than to resurrect some old computers. when i was pointing something out to him on the computer screen, my index finger twitched uncontrollably for several seconds. he was pretty shocked at the sight, but i’ve gotten used to my fluttering index finger.

it is, undoubtedly, a side effect of the chemo: ARA-C (aka. cytarabine) is known to damage the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls movement. when receiving high-doses of ARA-C in the hospital, the doctors keep an eye on the state of my cerebellum by giving me silly tests, e.g. touching my finger to my nose and then to one of their fingers (which they move around), having me sign a piece of paper before and after the dose, or putting my heel to my shin and moving it down toward my ankle. some of these are completely useless. for example, my signature looks like the scribble that my 3 year old niece makes–i could have half of my cerebellum blown out and they still wouldn’t be able to determine so by looking at my signature. so next time, i think i have a better test…i’ll just stick out my finger.

note: as person with a degree in brain science (an ms in bs), i know that there are TONS of useless neurons sitting in the cerebellum. like literally, these guys sit there and ONLY fire in the off chance that your toe touches your shoulder-blade. so i’m hopeful that these neurons will be recruited (its called plasticity) to fix my twitching problem before someone mistakes me for an 80 year old man.

note for other bs-ers: in my induction round of chemo (where i was put on 24hr chemo for 7 days), i had aaa–what’s that word…oh right, an aphasic stroke!!! it was minor, but for several seconds, i couldn’t think of the word to describe how i was feeling to my nurse. my broca’s area has never been the same. oh, and another thing–my hippocampus has been effected too (storage and retrieval)! so if you guys need me for a brain lesion study, i’m game! call me subject LT.

~ by lentaing on July 25, 2008.