11 posts tagged “pain”

Some miscellaneous updates.

This morning I got up early to take daffy to the vet.  His jaw is very swollen. Apparently the tumor is growing.  He's back on antibiotics and now he has some pain meds to take as well.  His attitude is good an since he started the prednisone he has been peppy again...more like his old self. 

I picked up the items from my display window at the gallery.  Overall the month went well.  I sold several items, which is better than sales have been for me.  No big payday, but enough to keep me going.  We're getting ready to move the gallery to a larger, and we hope much more traveled space.

Tomorrow I will be going to my husbands office picnic.  I don't really want to go, but he has several new colleagues and I need to go meet them and their families and play nice wife.  I wouldn't mind going normally, but I have had to go out and do something every day this week except Wed.  Next week looks the same.  Oh well.

I saw my pain doctor yesterday and I requested a muscle relaxer to try.  He has been suggesting massage for my tight muscles, but that is very expensive and wouldn't help for very long.  So far the muscle relaxer is working very well.  I took one last night when my neck was in knots and in an hour I felt much better.  The same thing happened this morning when my back was very tight. 

I got the idea to ask about a muscle relaxer from an article my hubby showed me about pain management.

I have been reading a lot.  I finish a book every day or two.  It helps pass the time when I can't work, but sometimes it makes my hand and arm hurt to hold the book.  Whine, whine, whine.  Authors I've been reading:  Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, Brenda Joyce, and Christine Feehan.  I read mostly library books although I picked up a couple of paperbacks and publishers closeouts at the bookstore the other day.  Without a good library, reading is an expensive habit.  I've also bought some e-books.  I like that idea.   Nothing to fill up your bookshelves with.  I can read them on my phone.
 

Not recommended, by the way.  Occasionally I don't get prescriptions refilled promptly. You know how it goes, you think about needing a refill while the office is closed, and forget all about it when they open.  It is my fault usually, but not this time. 

Friday I rememberd (finally) to call in a prescription that needed renewing.  I usually take care of this while I'm at the doctor, but I didn't think about it when I saw the dr two weeks ago.  I called in the late morning and after being passed around a couple of times I get transferred to the refill answering machine.  I give my information and trust that they'll call in the meds.  I ran out on Saturday, but I had a couple of old pills (weaker dose) left over so I was good until Sunday.  I called the pharmacy and found out that eeeek!  There was no prescription to pick up.  I spaced out the low dose pills and hoped for the best.  I called the dr back Monday and when I said I had left the message on the machine, the nurse snorted.  Very encouraging.  They called in the meds and I finally started back up on Monday night. 

To make a long story short, I was suffering all the nerve pain and fibro pains from Monday through Wednesday.  Finally this morning (Thursday) I got up and felt like myself.  If there was ever any question whether Lyrica does anything to help me, it's been answered now.  Not the way I would prefer to learn. 

Needless to say, I will be taking care of all my prescriptions with that office in person from now on!  You'd think that they'd pay a little more attention to patient meds at a pain clinic.

Things are a little better since the last time I wrote.  I'm completely over the cold and its aftermath.  That helps a lot!

I'm still having problems with nerve pain in my left arm.  I have some really bad days when my neck hurts and I try hard to put my arm someplace where it will be comfortable.  About the only time I am free from that pain is when I am asleep or just after I wake up but before I get up.  (Gravity seems to be part of the problem.)

During the day, I try to keep my shoulders relaxed and I try to keep my arm in a comfortable position.  Some days that isn't possible.  Although I am pretty ambidextrous, I do write with my right hand and so my left hand has to hold things. Sometimes I am in agony by afternoon.  When naptime comes, I try to use heat or ice to relax my neck while holding my arm in a comfortable place so I can relax it.   I can't hold a book or play a video game, because that irritates the pain in my hand.  Thank goodness for podcasts!

It's almost like my nerve pain was a person or animal that I have to keep happy, or it will keep annoying me.  I can understand what drug addicts use to refer to "a monkey on their back."  I spend a lot of time trying to keep that pain calmed down, because medicine doesn't effect it.

On a much happier note, I am doing well on a creative project and hope to finish the drafts this afternoon sometime.

It has been a while since my last post.I come here every day and think about posting, but I just haven't felt that I had anything to say. 

I finally got over my cold and the complications it caused.  I remember the day I woke up and realized I finally felt better.  What a great feeling that was!

Lately I've been sleeping a lot.  At first it was because of the illness, but lately it has been because of nerve pain that just won't go away.  I've been having more trouble with my neck and, as a result I've been having trouble with my arms.  I am really hoping this is temporary because I don't have any good alternatives for treating the problem. 

I've had two neck surgeries already and they caused even more problems, so I am not interested in more surgeries unless there is some radical new technique that doesn't involve another fusion.  On the other hand, the medicine I've been taking to stop the nerve pain makes me very dopey and sleepy (two, two, two dwarves in one) and I don' t want to increase the dosage on it unless I have no other choice.  Normal pain medicine doesn't touch the nerve pain.

My nerve pain is a miserable, achy, almost cold feeling in my left hand and wrist.  The closest example I can give is that it feels sort of like the shocky feeling you get right after you hit something hard with your open hand, except mine just keeps going on and on.   

If I raise my arms I get more pain radiating up the arm.  That pain is like an electric shock or like something hitting your funny bone over and over again.  Of course, neither one of these problems is really where I sense them.  For example, there is nothing wrong with my hand.  The sensations are caused by pressure on my nerves by herniated disks or bony overgrowth in my neck (spinal stenosis).

I saw an episode of Intervention on A&E recently.  The patient was a girl in her twenties who was dependent on prescription pain medicine and, I think, alcohol.  The family blamed her for being so out of control.  (Passing out , missing or being "stoned" at family occasions.)  They were punishing her by not uninviting her from things like being present at the birth of a baby or being a brides maid in her sister's wedding.

When the intervention specialist arrived, he explained to the family that the girl was in significant pain due to a medical problem and that to some extent she had no choice.  Her only escape from the pain was sleep and for these special occasions she would try not to use meds and when she finally used them it took too much to control the pain. He made it clear to the family that they weren't helping at all by calling her an addict and blaming her for using the drugs.  The solution was to send her to a pain management center for new, more modern and effective drugs.  I hope the family had some serious counseling too because they had a lot of blame in the situation too.

Anyway, this show struck me and has stayed with me because I can relate.  The only time I get a break from pain is when I'm sleeping.  Sometimes I can't wait to take a nap so I can get a break from the pain.  I've told my hubby about this, but he still doesn't really understand and doesn't like that I sleep so much.  I think his "disaproval" is really because he feels helpless about the situation, so I try not to feel hurt or abandoned by his reactions.

This has been long and rambling so let me finish up.  I'm hoping these problems are temporary and I'm doing my best stretching and posture exercises to try to relieve the pressure in my neck.  Wish me luck!  

My best to you, dear reader!

I woke up this morning feeling really awful, like I had been hit by a truck.  My neck, shoulders, and arms hurt, my back hurt, and my knees were swollen.  I also had a terrible headache.  Not a day you want to get out of bed!  Fortunately, my husband took the dogs downstairs and out first thing so I had a little time to get going.    I grabbed a couple of Aleve and my morning meds and went back to bed until 2:30 or so, when I got hungry and had to get up to get some food and fluids.

What's wrong?  A combination of things.  For some reason I have missed two doses of my Lyrica, which keeps the fibromyalgia and the nerve pain in check.  Also, I've been having allergy problems for several weeks (thank you crepe myrtle!).   Finally, a gal called Fay is taking her time on the Florida coast and causing a lot of rainy, dreary weather here.  (The good news is we're in no danger from this tropical storm at this time.)

The combination has me feeling as if all my connective tissues are being zapped from time to time.  It's hard do describe.  Something between an electrical jolt and the vibration that you get from the slow-speed drill the dentist uses.  No matter what you do, it won't stop.  You play games trying to relax or lie in exactly the right position so the joint or limb is comfortable, but the only relief is sleep.

Honestly, I'm lucky.  Most of the time this is controlled by medicine now.  Just sometimes, like today, it all breaks through and I lose a day to just trying to get through.

In the past couple of months a couple of things have happened that have made some changes in my life.  The first (chronologically) was that I had my pain med increased and my pain decreased to more tolerable levels.  This is never an easy decision for me or for the Dr.  I want less pain without more side effects, and he wants the DEA to stay off his back.  Honestly, the way pain is treated in the US is a crime!

Anyway.....the second thing was a trip back to see my family.  To protect myself, I have guarded a lot of feelings about the people I grew up around.  In some cases blocking out some of the history for a while.  I kind of dreaded going home, but since I've come back, I've been feeling more emotional and thinking more about my relationships with people.  Before, I felt disconnected from my feelings and now I feel more connection.  This is a good thing, I think.

This might be happening because I feel less need to guard myself from hurt from the people back home or it could be that by being released from some of my pain, I'm able to pay attention to something else for a change.  Either way, it is different and hopefully good.

I'm hesitant because I've been betrayed and hurt many times in the past by people I trusted. ( I'm certainly not alone there, but I can only talk about my feelings and reactions here.)  As a result I became more guarded about my feelings.  I know that isn't good, but being hurt isn't good either.  I have to find a balance that works.

A quote from my past:  "My heart is a garden, and the walls are very high."

I'm having very mixed feelings this morning for some unknown reason.  I feel hopeful about getting busy with some new jewelry techniques, but at the same time I feel a touch of sadness.  I can't identify the reason for the sadness at all.  I'm trying not to dwell on it.  Instead, I will concentrate on the happy anticipation of doing work I enjoy.

Overall I am OK, but I have been having vision problems that are associated with my medications.  The choice is easy--I'd rather take the meds and have some blurry vision from time to time than to live in constant pain the way I did before the meds.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm in constant pain, but the meds take it down to a level where I can deal with it most of the time.  The pain doesn't go away at all, it just  has to whisper and talk  instead of shouting.

I have to go to the dentist today.  I hope when I get back I have the energy to do some work.  I think that will cheer me up.

Six months ago, I took a form to my pain doctor to get my handicapped permit renewed.  The first time I got one my family Dr. signed it and I got it for a year.  The pain Dr. gave me six months.  Six months??? Did he expect me to be miraculously healed in that time?  Well guess what?  Six months is over and I have to get another form filled out so I can go to the DMV and get a new tag.  No miracles this time.

I am realistic about my condition.  Multiple herniated disks in my neck and lower back with bony growths narrowing the spinal canal and the areas where the nerve roots exit.  Every scan shows more damage.  This stuff doesn't get better and I understand that.  I do what I can to prevent further damage and I am grateful for the pain management that I am receiving.  Just don't pretend that we're waiting for a cure.

Without a handicapped tag, it is almost impossible for me to get out and do things, especially on a bad day.  I don't abuse it.  It took me a very long time to give in and admit I needed it.  Don't make it harder by making me re-apply so often.

I suddenly realized a deadline was closer than I thought.  Don't you hate that moment?  I have been scrambling to get ready and it has been tough to keep going.  I am not accustomed to being up/out so much in a day.

My hip is getting better slowly.  I think I can avoid the shots, but it is still causing a lot of pain.  Makes you remember how central the hip is to most actions.....

Thursday night I was standing at the sink doing the usual getting ready for bed washing up when I turned (or something) and had a sharp pain in my hip.  I hopped to bed and tried using heat to loosen things up.  Saw the doctor yesterday (previously scheduled appointment) and nothing shows up on the x-ray, so he sent me to bed to rest.

The doctor was mystified, but I used to have incidents a little like this where a movement of my hip would cause pain for a few days until it popped and I'd feel better.  I know my hip isn't dislocating...it's probably a tendon catching on something and causing all the pain.  I hope this is something similar so that I can get over it fairly quickly.

Still hurts Saturday. 

I wanted to go to a bead show that  is in town only this weekend.  I really want to go, and I can't walk.  I am so frustrated about this!  We have bead shows only a few times a year.

I am going to be really good today and hope that my hip feels better tomorrow so I can go.