Symptom 2 - Part 1: And I go to see a DR

About 6 weeks after the original symptom (First Post in this blog) had started, it disappeared by itself. One morning, probably again on the train to or from work, I realised that the shadow had disappeared \o/ Joy.
Although to be honest, it hadn't really bothered me too much, and I had received feedback from the Ophthalmologist telling me that there was probably nothing to worrry about.

Symptom Two - Part 1.

About six months later (late February 2012, just after my 42nd birthday), I woke up one morning with a strange numb sensation inside my mouth. When I breathed in through my mouth, it felt like I had recently used a strong mint/menthol toothpaste - slightly cool feeling and not quite numb, but not as normally sensitive to touch.

At the same time, or a few days before, I'd had a bit of a head-cold - lots of vigorous tissue filling and nose-blowing. I pretty much thought I'd got very mildly catarrhal and that the blockage was slightly impacting on a nerve (pre-neuralgic pains).

I thought nothing else of it for a couple of days until I realised that the numbness feeling was spreading. I think on a Wednesday morning when I woke up, I realised that the entire left side of my face, left nostril (inside) and left side of my neck, had the same numb feeling. I could still feel touch, but the sensitivity had been diminished. My wife by now, was angry with me for not having got a Dr's appointment booked.
About that...working in Spain, we were given two health care options. Either BUPA, or Sanitas (BUPA equivalent in Spain and actually part of the overall same company, but with different services/practises made available).
I chose the Sanitas option because we were promised (by Sanitas) that there were plenty of English speaking Dr's/facilities and more Sanitas equipped hospitals in case of emergencies.
What we didn't realise is that English Speaking Family GPs, local to our area were all but non-existent. We'd been sent a large document from Sanitas listing all the medical facilities in Madrid, along with their specialisms and languages spoken. Of the local ones listed who apparently spoke English, only 1, when phoned, agreed that they spoke English. The others all said they didn't.
For this reason, I usually went to the 1 DR I had found who spoke English.

Her practise opens from 10am until 2pm but you cannot make an appointment in advance. Instead, you turn up at 10am and then try to make an appointment for that same day. Invariably, the earliest appointment was only at 1pm, which means you go to the DR....obtain and appointment time later on in the day. You then have to go home, wait around 2 hours, and then make your way back again...and hope you get seen at the allotted time.
Since my work is about a one hour journey, any Dr's appointment meant I was basically throwing away an entire working day.
Knowing this, Mitra asked me to go to a different clinic (so we would pay for the appointment, and then be able to claim back up to 90% of the costs from Sanitas).
Our friends Jim and Karen had previously visited the UnidadMedica English speaking practise and so Mitra made an appointment for me to go there the next day (Thursday morning).

Of course, a new patient at a practise, has to register first but this didn't take too long and within 20 minutes of my appointment time, I was discussing my current symptoms with the DR.

She quickly discounted my 'head-ccold' theory and brought out a pencil-shaped brush. She used this to determine what difference in sensitivity I had between the left and right side of my face.
Basically, I was aware at all times of the brush, but on my good side (the right) I could almost feel individual brush bristles, but on the left, I could only detect that it was a brush.

Not having a great deal more to go on, she decided to refer me to a colleague who is a Neurologist based at the Ruber International Hospital, one of the most famous (private) hospitals in Madrid.

My Dr called and made an appointment for me, for later on that same day.