Not pictured: Dr. Seth Hazlitt, who was busy with chowder.

This week I disappeared from the Internet (much to the Internet’s relief) to take care of a medical issue. I’ve had problems with the upper left part of my body for over a year now and was subjected to CTs, mammogram and an MRI during that time, mostly to confirm nothing needed to be biopsied. Fortunately, I got the all-clear on that. But the unexplained pain and discomfort continued, disrupting my sleep and enhancing my crankiness.

I returned to the PCP recently and asked what to do next. She considered an orthopedist referral before sending me to a neurologist. This week, after a physical exam, the neurologist thinks he has identified the problem. It’s something I hadn’t heard of before: cervical dystonia, also known as spasmodic torticollis. The word “spasmodic” conjures images of wrenching spasms or tremors, but I’ve experienced neither.

“Spasmodic,” I have since learned, can refer to other types of involuntary muscle movements. In my case, my head is pulled to the left by screwy neck muscles that are unrelentingly tight. That knottiness extends into my shoulder and underarm. It’s an odd turn of events because I’ve complained of one-sided neck tightness and shoulder pain from the start, but it was mistakenly chalked up to preexisting arthritis or the effects of sleeping funny due to arm discomfort.

None of it’s too interesting, but I’m relieved we might finally have an answer. What comes next is a referral to a movement disorder clinic, where they can evaluate whether I’m a decent candidate for Botox injections to help stabilize my neck muscles. That will require a couple more appointments but I should hopefully have time to complete my next few reviews (including one of a forgotten Kenny Rogers star vehicle) in the coming days.