I have excellent news. I had the MRI last Monday, and saw my neurologist yesterday.
There are no signs of brain tumors. 
Thanks to everyone who prayed for me.
I hope everyone had a good Holiday Season too. I've missed SG.
According to my neurologist, my brain is "perfect". She went thru the MRI images w/ me, showed me where people w/ migraines sometimes have issues (capillary damage), what that kind of damage looks like on an MRI, and what tumors look like too, and I got a lil background on how MRI's do the imaging... etc.
Imho, considering my past, it's a miracle that I have no brain damage whatsoever.
All my dr's at Rush explain things very well, every step of the way. And they get results quick. I'm very, very satisfied w/ the care and results at Rush.
I'm not all fixed up yet, but well on my way. I see my neurologist again in 3 months, and lol, she told me to call if there are any problems, DO NOT wait for the visit.
For the guys- my dr has nice boobs: my neurologist was wearing a low cut top, which her open white lab coat didn't conceal. She was standing in front of me, inches away. I was sitting up on the exam table, so my eyes were at boob level. I couldn't help but immediately notice that she had really nice boobs. They looked good enough to eat, and suddenly I was very hungry. I ripped my eyes away from her boobs as soon as I realized that I was staring at them hungrily, which took a few seconds to register in my brain. The first thing I thought was "wow"... then "not now Woody!"... lol.
Where was I?
I've had 2 seperate week-long migraine episodes in the past 2 months, but the axert has allowed me to not miss time from them. I worked only 8.5 hrs a few times due to it, but still...
Still having some headache issues, but overall, tremendous improvement.
My nightly Elavil dosage has now been increased from 25mg to 35 mg. The elavil also serves to control my bp. I was 100/60 at the primary, and 115/70 an hour later at the neurologist, so it looks like it's doing a great job at controlling my bp as well as helping the headaches.
I think the elavil has helped my disposition too. I can feel my bp rocket when I get pissed, but I have much better control now and get over it easier.
I have axert (for the severe migraines); midrin (the less expensive & less potent migraine), and to my delight not only did the walgreen's across the street have midrin last night, I have a script for 30, refillable 5 more times. Midrin, even the generic, has been impossible to find. WOOT!
I also got a surprise regarding my insurance when I went to my neurologist visit yesterday.
The last time I accessed my Blue Cross account online, I was looking at approx $3,000 in denied claims, before the MRI. When I checked in at the neurologist yesterday, I almost didn't get to keep my appointment. There was a notation on my account that my insurance was no good...
Anyway, the receptionist made a call. A few mins later a call back revealed that BCBS paid my bills on Jan 10. I only owe the neurologist $65 (before yesterday's visit). I just looked at my BCBS account online, and although the insurance did not pay everything, they paid some nice chunks. The main thing is that I can continue at Rush. WOOT!
There's still an issue w/ a $1,875 bill from my first neurologist visit. That bill is all lab work. BCBS appplied $1,000 to "annual deductible", and supposedly all I owe Rush is $875. I expect that in reality, I'll have to pay the $1,000 plus the other $875, however, the hospital might cut that in half for me. I'll have to call Rush during the week.
I've been kept offline mostly by a flare up of gout. It started Dec 15.
I did some long work hours the week before. I had a migraine that friday, and when I got home I bought a smoked butt at the polish deli next to the hotel. The next morn my right foot was swollen big time, and the left wasn't too good either. Pain woke me at 2am.
Anyway, since it was a Sat and I could barely stand, I went to an urgent care clinic close to the hotel. I couldn't make it across Cicero Av before the light changed, and I started when the walk light went on! Some cars blew their horns at me, I flipped 'em off- after I was safely across of course, lol. The clinic only gave me a script for 7 days of Indomethacin (NSAID). They also didn't check the uric acid level. I had to go back to work too soon cuz my job was threatened, and couldn't go to to my primary at Rush since that involved time off work, and owner #2 told me he would fire me if I missed any more time regardless of a dr excuse. So I've been taking aleve over the counter, it isn't strong enough, and I've been suffering a lil.
The good news is: yesterday my primary sent me for blood work to check the uric acid level, and I got a 3 month supply of Indo. He'll call if I need alpurinol. So soon I'm gonna have my feet back completely.
I haven't had gout in over 10 years. When I did, I was a heavy drinker (and something else) and eating too much smoked meat.
Initially I thought the 3 lbs of Kretschmar smoked chicken breast (in a 2 week period) and the smoked butt caused the flare up. My primary told me sometimes gout flares up for no apparent reason, and this seems to be the case here, since I wasn't and haven't been drinking, and I also stopped all smoked food when the flare up started. I spent over $100 on cherry juice during the first 2 weeks of the flare up. Cherry juice is supposed to break up the uric acid crystals according to my Dad.
I bought a used lappy off craigslist last sat afternoon.
So now I can go a few blocks and access the library's free WiFi whenever they're open and I am free to go there. No more issue w/ signing up for a library rig.
It's a Gateway Solo, 500 Mhz P3, 128 Mb of 100Mhz RAM, 6.5 Gb hdd, DVD and floppy drives (no burner), it's got a lil case damage, the battery is NFG, no LAN port, and for now I'm stuck w/ a wirelesss B card. But it works! price: $70. ability to access the net: priceless. lol.
CMOS bat is bad too. lol, It took me 2 hrs to update Nod and anti-spyware. I got an error message from Nod at boot up telling me to fix the system clock, I closed it, then forgot about it. Every time the updates finished dwnld'ing, they'd fail at the end of the installation. Then I remembered the clock, and yups, lol, after I set the clock everything went smoothly. ROTFLMAO!
My hours have just been cut as punishment for defying co owner #2's threats to fire me if I took any more time off for medical or any other reason.
So I'll have time to spam the boards folks.
Thanks to all again for being there for me. It's gonna take me a while to catch up here.
I'm headed to Round Lake tomorry. My bud Luis needs me in RL, his daughter's college rig puked and he has it at his house. I also need to borrow $50 from my Dad.
I dunno if anyone remembers my bud Fisheye. Anyway, Dennis and his girl had a baby last fall. I finally have time and am healthy enough to see the baby, so that's on the agenda too.
My local library branch is closed sundays. Have a good weekend!
That is WONDERFUL news!! 
