Annual Checkup 🔗

Since I’ve lived in Japan, I’ve made it a habit to get my annual health check-ups. Typically they tell me I’m overweight and should exercise more along with better dieting. Not that I haven’t been doing that. When the doctors found a polyp in my esophagus, they took it for a biopsy to make sure it wasn’t malignant. Thankfully, it was benign and later disappeared. I can only speculate that my change in diet was the reason.

Now, at 43 years old, they tell me I may have an infarction deep in my right cerebrum. While the recommendation was to see a doctor within the next 12 months, I found it alarming! After all, the problem is in my brain. It’s the command center that runs my life. I’ve immediately setup an appointment at my clinic to get a letter so I may visit the big hospitals in Tokyo for a deeper analysis. The initial finding suggested “one lacunar infarction, which is small, under 15 mm, infarct.” It’s hard to tell from the tiny printed image of the scan…

What is a Lacunar infartion 🔗

Video (03:35 minutes) 🔗

The lenticulostriate vessels and lacunar infarcts
Steve Jacques

Curve balls 🔗

At this point in my life, I’ve been focused on building my passive income streams. Plus, I’m working to buy property in Hokkaido. And, this comes with the responsibilities of caring for my twin sons. Medical procedures and expenses can make it far more challenging to keep all these things going. After all, one of the reasons a startup fails is lack of stability. And medical events can easily disrupt that stability.

Outlook 🔗

Nevertheless, I have full confidence in science and the medical doctors in Tokyo. Hopefully, this won’t turn out to be serious. “Dr. Google” suggest that 90% of those with a Lacunar infartions make a full recovery. Unfortunately, the data isn’t very comprehensive. So, I can only take that with a “grain of salt.”

The best thing I can do right now is not panic. I’ll get the final analysis from a neurologist at a big hospital. Wish me well.