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Evan Taylor (泰艾凡)
February, 2022
The purpose of this paper is threefold: To discuss the peculiarities of my life prior to my diagnosis. The chain of events that ultimately led to my diagnosis. And finally, what I hope to achieve through Dr. Hsieh’s treatments.
From a young age I found that, in several ways, my experiences were not quite the same as my family or classmates. I should point out that I have always been right hand dominant, I am very much not dexterous with my left hand. One such example was in elementary school during PE class when we were required to do a rope climb. I always struggled with this mainly because I could never get a good grip with the rope before tiring, and thus my performance was always subpar.
Another example is that during baseball practice, if I had to hold the baseball bat for extended periods of times my right hand would feel sore and tired. My coaches would just tell me to toughen up.
A final example from my young age is (American) football. I was never good at not only holding the football but throwing it with my right hand. I could never get a good grip let alone a sturdy grip to be able to throw a spiral like so many of my classmates could do. This, while not the sole reason, was the major reason why I never really tried to play football.
As I got older I never really stopped to wonder or think about these events. They were experiences that I had and I didn’t know any different. I never thought to visit a doctor related to this because I didn’t think this was something that needed to be checked. Plainly speaking, it was what it was.
As an adult I’ve always just known my grip strength was subpar. Doing weightlifting exercises at the gym I would have to be careful not to tire out my grip especially doing activities like barbell press or squats. Any activities like rock climbing were basically out of the question as I didn’t have the capability to grip and pull myself up reliably.
I also recall one event after a visit to the doctor. I had just finished my consultation with the doctor when we shook hands.
He remarked that my grip strength was not very strong and I basically just shrugged my shoulders and replied I was aware of that, he then shrugged his shoulders and I went on my way.
Fast forward to recent history and the events that lead to my diagnosis. I had recently purchased some heavy items from IKEA and during the transportation of them to my home I had some shoulder pain and discomfort. I have a previous history of right shoulder problems due to a moped accident I had had years prior. I visited Dr. Hsieh for treatment and in the process of the treatment I thought that I should ask Dr. Hsieh if she has any idea why my right-hand grip was not what it should be.
This led to her testing my grip, agreeing that it was subpar and that she would need to do a lot of investigation to discover the cause. She told me that this would not be a quick process nor would it be easy to find the root cause of this problem. I was OK with this because I really wanted to know what it was that was causing my right-hand grip to be subpar all these years. I agreed to come into her clinic to receive treatment twice a week with the hopes that this mystery could be uncovered.
Thankfully and happily, it wasn’t that long at all until she discovered the root cause of all of this: A problem with my brachiocephalic trunk and thus decreased blood flow and everything that goes along with that. I realized that it must have been congenital, because for as long as I can remember (and explained several examples in this paper) my right-hand grip was apparently weaker than what it should be.
Now knowing the root cause of this it has opened my eyes to any other potential health problems I’ve had over the years and if they are at all related to my brachiocephalic trunk problem. One specific problem I’ve had is eczema like skin problems on my face that dermatologist visits were never able to fix. At times I’ve also had what can best be described as brain fog, easily forgetting things I should know for short periods of time. I now realize that perhaps these issues are related to my heart condition.
In the few weeks of treatment that has passed since my diagnosis, I have most definitely noticed several changes. Most notably, my right-hand grip strength has improved. I am able to hold a strong grip, for example carrying heavy objects, for a much longer period of time than before. Additionally, the skin problems on my face have started to show signs of improvement. Time, as always, will tell what else will improve with further treatment for my brachiocephalic trunk.
I realize that knowledge is only half the battle. I must continue receiving treatment and learn more about this problem and what I can do to try to overcome decades of built up issues that stem from this. That said, I am emboldened to push forward with treatments as well ensure that my experiences might (hopefully) be useful for others who might also have similar problems that I’ve had.
The future is brighter for me now, and I greatly appreciate Dr. Hsieh’s help and support in unraveling this mystery. With optimism and patience, I will continue to seek treatment. This knowledge has set me on a good path.
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