Update on health

[divinemadam]

I have been absent for a month or so from LJ because of RL, so I am going to try to do some updates based on categories.  The first will be to one that seems to be most pertinent which is my health.  If you have read my LJ, you know that this year has not been a good year for me health-wise.  I have had every cold, flu, and respiratory issue that you can imagine outside of pneumonia and bronchitis.  I have also been dealing with more and more migraines.  I finally was put on Topamax for that, which had some interesting side effects for about six weeks, and then no more migraines since.  Yay!

Once the headaches were gone, I noticed that the aching in my neck that I always felt with my headaches was still there.  I went to the doctor about it.  She said that it was an inflamed muscle and gave me anti-inflammatories, told me to ice it once or twice a day and do stretches.  I have been doing that for a couple of weeks.  However, over the weekend, my neck has been aching 10 times worse then before, and my fingers started tingling.  I also started having a weird visual effect, not the aura that comes with migraines, but more of a shadowy trail when things move.  Last night, I could barely move and almost went to the ER because I was in so much pain.  However, I took enough medicine and lay on an ice pack that I was able to go to sleep.  When I woke up this morning, I couldn't move much more than last night and my neck was still in as much pain.  I went to the Emergency Room.  They did a CT scan, which came back clear, so that is good.  The down side is that we don't know what is causing this.  I went home on some serious percocet with a referral to a neurologist and a prescription for muscle relaxers.  I am supposed to take the muscle relaxers 4 times a day, and I have no idea how I am going to work like that.  I thought that I would forego taking them, but once I woke up after the percocet wore off this afternoon, there is no way that I can function with this pain still throbbing in my neck without the medicine.  I guess being woozy at work is better than being non-functional and in pain.  I can only hope that I can get into the neurologist quickly and figure out what is going on.  What are the odds of that?  With my luck, not good.

Comments

[waqaychay.livejournal.com]

i'm so glad the ct scan didn't come back with anything scary, love, but i wish it would have found something for you. it's awful that you're in so much pain. i wish there was something i could do for you. *gentle loving hugs*

you'll let us know when you see the neurologist, won't you? i'm crossing my fingers that you get in quickly to see him and he can help you. ♥

[divinemadam.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I was scared that something was going to come back on the CT scan, but now we start the long process of finding out what is wrong. They kept asking how much pain I was in on a scale from 1-10, and I had been at 8-9 this morning. I am around 3 now. The medicine isn't helping that much, but the ice pack is helping. I am also trying to do my stretches, but they hurt like a beyatch.

I honestly think a lot of it is from stress and repetitive movement at work. I have a feeling that I need to find one of those special laptop coolers that sits up higher, so I am not looking down all of the time. I'm just not sure where to get that and how to set it up.

[laerwen.livejournal.com]

Ugghhh. I am so sorry you're having so much chronic pain. I'm relieved the CT came back clear, but I really hope you and your doctor can find the root of the problem. Any kind of neck pain or headache stops me in my tracks - I really empathize with you. I'm crossing my appendages that the neurologist can see you right away. :(

I hope you can get some rest and the pain meds do their job well. ♥

[divinemadam.livejournal.com]

The medicine isn't doing much of anything. The ice packs are helping my neck more than anything else. That's the sad thing. I was worried that taking the muscle relaxer would make me woozy at work, but it doesn't make me woozy. As far as I can tell, it doesn't do anything. It probably does, but it just doesn't feel like it does.

I really didn't have any headache with this. If I wasn't on the topamax, I am sure that I would have been doubled over with a migraine. The neck pain has been unlike any I have ever had. I have a high tolerance for pain, and I was in tears with this. The pain was enough to take my breath away from me and make me feel nauseous. When the doctor asked me if I thought that this might be a migraine because I felt nauseous with it, I got so irritated that I asked him if a kick in the testicles could be mistaken for a migraine because the pain made him nauseous. He smiled and said point taken. Given the symptom that I had, I understand that some people may have thought that I could have had a migraine. However, when I specifically stated that I have had migraines and this is not a migraine, I got a bit tired of being asked if it was. Besides, I was sitting in a well-lit room, something that I could not have done without killing someone if I had a migraine. Over all though, the people were very nice in the ER. They did all that they could for me. I just hope that I can get in to the neurologist soon. I called this afternoon, but the office had closed 15 minutes earlier, which is just my luck. I left a message, but I am going to call first thing in the morning. I am crossing everything that I can get a fast appointment as well.