At 15, 16 and 17 I had migraine headaches so severely I was tested for a brain tumor at the local University Hospital. Negative results for brain tumor, but was told I had an atrophied left hemisphere. They thought I might have been dropped on my head as a baby, and indeed I was. And that result was interesting.

I was undoubtedly right handed, played sports right handed, typed, there was no question about it. And I was a National Merit Scholar, doubly hard as I was a notorious underachiever. Neurologists would come by the hospital room in which I was staying during the testing process put on a blindfold and have me identify common scents. Blindfold off, they'd watch me play ping-pong and type. Then they would return with students. One group of neurologists were from Russia, and their American hosts seemed quite proud of themselves as they put me through the paces.

I have never really cared. I can detect no adverse consequences, and suspect some of those things were misinterpreted. And I also don't have a lot of faith in the alleged differences in hemispheres. Faint tendencies I'll grant, but I don't believe in anything more. There is, however, an easy answer for the folks who think I'm screwy.

A parent and I hurriedly signed my military contract and that's the last I've ever had to be concerned with it. I decided the migraines must have a secondary gain and decided to simply not give into them and continue with my schedule no matter what. I'd wreck a car, or whatever, but not give in. Since then I've had the aura 500 or a 1000 times but never had it go into the incapacitating headache.

Arf