Methods for removing excessively rusted corroded nuts, and the wonders of the brain accidentally noticed due to visual abnormalities

Removing a nut that has corroded to the point where its corners are gone cannot be tackled using ordinary hand tools, literally.

Normally, we use a powerful “flame” generated from a mixture of acetylene and oxygen gases.

Apply the blue-white burner, which emits a pleasant sound, until the target becomes red-hot,

While it’s still red, bite into it with a turbo socket that has internal spirals.

【未使用品】【訳あり】WILLIAMS ウィリアムズ 3/8 (9.5mm) ターボソケットセット 9個セット TSMS3809 　ボルト ナット エクストラクター 角がなめてしまったナット ボルト外し 価格：8,500円（税込、送料別) (2025/2/26時点) 楽天で購入

Of course, I’m using protective gear, but after staring at the bright light, dark images remain in my vision for a while.

That reminds me, are you familiar with a symptom that occurs in the human body called “scintillating scotoma”?

Actually, last year, I experienced it multiple times (looking at my records, 14 times).

The symptom initially appears as a small, sparkling round light in the center of your vision, that is, in the area of focus.

It doesn’t disappear even if you rub your eyes, close them, or shut one eye at a time. While wondering what it could be, thinking maybe I unconsciously looked at something bright, the sparkle gradually transforms into a crescent shape, becoming larger and more glittery, eventually covering about 1/3 of my vision.

I was quite surprised at first.

The glittery obstruction in my vision continued, and I worried that I might have to live with this annoyance for the rest of my life, but after about 20-30 minutes, it faded and disappeared to the outside of my field of vision.

After urgently researching, I discovered that it was “scintillating scotoma,” an abnormality not of the eyes but of the brain. Particularly for those like me who don’t experience headaches after the scintillating scotoma subsides (apparently some types come with severe headaches and vomiting), there’s a rare possibility of a serious underlying condition.

Frightened by web articles, I immediately went for an MRI at a nearby neurosurgery clinic.

When I entered the examination room, the doctor was manipulating mouse controls on a computer monitor, sweeping through cross-sections and rotating 3D images of my freshly taken monochrome brain scans and other specialized window views of blood vessels and specific regions.

Doctor: “Hmm, Takeshi-san, you don’t have anything particularly pathological. If I had to say something, your blood vessels are generally thin. I’d say it’s probably due to poor blood flow in this area (moving the cursor around the occipital region) that controls vision.”

Takeshi: “So my brain isn’t getting enough blood? (laughs) But I’m relieved for now. What should I do to improve it?”

Doctor: “Hydration. 2 liters a day. Do your best.”

However, drinking 2 liters of water a day in the cold January was practically impossible. To at least thin my blood, I tried to consume as much DHA, EPA supplements, and blue-backed fish as possible. Even so, sometimes the scintillating scotoma would attack twice in one day.

Although the blackout pattern was slightly different each time, I knew it would subside after about 20-30 minutes, so I wasn’t as panicked as the first time. But the scintillating scotoma that started at 8:50 PM on May 9, 2024, was a bit different.

My vision on the left and right sides of a vertical line connecting the pointed tip of the glittery crescent had a significant vertical “shift.”

This time, even after the main glittery crescent had receded from my vision, the vertical shift in the center of my vision remained unchanged, and it took about 50 minutes from the onset of the scintillating scotoma before my vision returned to normal.

Although I was anxious, observing this condition for a while made me realize that what appears in our field of vision, which seems so “real,” might actually be an “illusion” created by the brain for our convenience in navigating life. Just a little poor blood flow could change our perception in such a mechanical, almost digital way (with glittery effects and vertical shifts).

Therefore, I imagined that true reality might be something more profound and dense. Human vision is limited to a certain range of distance, even with the help of tools, and in terms of color, we can only perceive a limited spectrum. In reality, it might be much more complex and vast (infinite). I was even beginning to doubt that the Earth is round.

Come to think of it, the temporary loss of smell due to COVID had similar aspects. Only after losing it did I realize that I had lost functions that detect things seemingly unrelated to smell beyond what we clearly perceive as odors (scents), such as depth perception, three-dimensionality, and most impressively, gender distinction.

For vision too, there must be more (or different) things than what we can see.

After strongly feeling this way, I notice it’s been over half a year since I’ve experienced scintillating scotoma.