Monday, December 28, 2009
So, they bumped me up to 400mg 4x a day on the Neurontin. Seems to be working better. Except for after a six-hour drive each way for vacation...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Well, the upage in dosage isn't doing that great. Or I think I can do more than my body wants me to be doing. Was immobile on the couch last night after a couple hours of Christmas shopping. I think this neuropathy stuff is fixing to win the battle...
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Ahh, communication is the key, eh? So, I called up my doc's nurse earlier this week to find out if the doc had any suggestions to deal with these random flare ups of neuropathy. In the course of communication, found out that the prescription from September for the neurontin was 300mg twice a day, and not 100mg thrice a day. I'd been doing 100mg thrice a day for the past two months! So, we shall see what doing 300mg twice a day will do, and give a report back to the doc in two weeks... Uff da!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Here's how I dealt with it at the two Thanksgiving gatherings I was at yesterday... I would purpose to leave my beverage across the room, so that when an electrical jolt hit or the ants started marching, I'd just get up and slowly work my way over to my beverage. That way it sorta really didn't look like I was too fidgety and couldn't sit still...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
I saw the neurosurgeon on the 16th and he said an unwise doctor would be eager to immediately open me up and put in rods, pins, and plates. He said that he isn't an unwise doctor. His advice is to increase my Calcium and Vitamin D, be wise with my back, wean off the pain killers/narcotics, and it should heal itself. In six months, check back with him.
Yay! No surgery. That's good. However, mixed in with the low back aches, along comes the tingling and numbness from the neuropathy.
Why my rambling lament? Well, living on my own and single and stuff, stuff does not get done around the apartment that needs to b/c I'm either too sore, or too tuckered from the aches to want to do any thing but lay on the couch with my legs propped up. And the longer the stuff does not get done, the more cranky I get with myself. The other lament/whine is purposing to be positive when others who do have people to help them, give greater distress and lament for their aches. See, I told you I was going to be rambling. Thanks for listening, Abba Father!
Lord help me, please. I simply just am asking for comfort or something. To buck up and deal with it. But I don't want to buck up. But if I don't, then nothing gets done. And it's just safer to unload here b/c I know I won't have someone staring back at me to let me know that someone else, or they themselves, has it worse. It just feels good to unload somewhere where I think someone might pass this along to Papa God, and to help me keep on continuing to be praying to Him through the good days and the days when the clouds are a tad bit darker.
Yay! No surgery. That's good. However, mixed in with the low back aches, along comes the tingling and numbness from the neuropathy.
Why my rambling lament? Well, living on my own and single and stuff, stuff does not get done around the apartment that needs to b/c I'm either too sore, or too tuckered from the aches to want to do any thing but lay on the couch with my legs propped up. And the longer the stuff does not get done, the more cranky I get with myself. The other lament/whine is purposing to be positive when others who do have people to help them, give greater distress and lament for their aches. See, I told you I was going to be rambling. Thanks for listening, Abba Father!
Lord help me, please. I simply just am asking for comfort or something. To buck up and deal with it. But I don't want to buck up. But if I don't, then nothing gets done. And it's just safer to unload here b/c I know I won't have someone staring back at me to let me know that someone else, or they themselves, has it worse. It just feels good to unload somewhere where I think someone might pass this along to Papa God, and to help me keep on continuing to be praying to Him through the good days and the days when the clouds are a tad bit darker.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I had an MRI this morn for a certain jet ski "incident" in August. The results came back... lumbar compression fracture and a bulging disc. I'm scheduled for a DexaScan to measure bone density, etc. this coming Friday afternoon; then a neurosurgeon visit on October 16th. With the neuropathy mixed in, it confuses the body as to what is pain, hurt or tingling...
Granted, I've abused my back for decades... Summer of '83 in helping my brothers build a shop/hangar, watching them scurry up and down the rafters like cats, I tried to emulate them one day while they were in for lunch. I made it to the top! Yay! Oh, um, how do I get down? I turned, slipped and fell some 14ft on my back on to a sand pile. I didn't tell anyone in the family until telling one sister a couple years ago. Plus, I've managed to break my tailbone on two different occasions. There also was the nasty fall on/off stage during dress rehearsal with "Man of La Mancha" at BSC in 2007.
And now this jet ski incident in August where I managed to lodge it on a sand bar... Whoddathunk a jet ski could provide so much fun! Anyone want to go snowmobiling this winter?!
Granted, I've abused my back for decades... Summer of '83 in helping my brothers build a shop/hangar, watching them scurry up and down the rafters like cats, I tried to emulate them one day while they were in for lunch. I made it to the top! Yay! Oh, um, how do I get down? I turned, slipped and fell some 14ft on my back on to a sand pile. I didn't tell anyone in the family until telling one sister a couple years ago. Plus, I've managed to break my tailbone on two different occasions. There also was the nasty fall on/off stage during dress rehearsal with "Man of La Mancha" at BSC in 2007.
And now this jet ski incident in August where I managed to lodge it on a sand bar... Whoddathunk a jet ski could provide so much fun! Anyone want to go snowmobiling this winter?!
Monday, August 24, 2009
They opted for me to try Neurontin for a month with a follow-up then. So far, it seems to be working, no tingling or fogginess!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Ungh, a tough day. Entire left side is tweaking out on me. This neuropathy is getting the better of me. I saw the chiropractor last week. He solidly believes that it is not a musco-skeletal issue. He says that I am seeing the best neuro in Bismarck, and if the neuro is baffled, the chiro is just as baffled. The chiro did an adjustment, and that helped with the stiffness and aches, but not the tingling and such.
I called the neuro's nurse this afternoon. She talked it over w/ him. Will be setting up another appt w/ him to discuss a different med, and to discuss the pros and cons of a nerve biopsy...
I called the neuro's nurse this afternoon. She talked it over w/ him. Will be setting up another appt w/ him to discuss a different med, and to discuss the pros and cons of a nerve biopsy...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Scheduled an appt w/ a well-recommended chiropractor for tomorrow morning. Had a phone-interview with him. He says that I am seeing the best neurologist and family-practice doc in Bismarck. If they're baffled, he's baffled. He doesn't expect chiro to help, but will give it a try...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Somethings gotta give. Yesterday both feet were quite evil. Today, the right foot has calmed down, but the left foot picked up the slack. Good days are when it's just one toe or finger acting up. I love those days! ...
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Nurse phoned yesterday Friday. Blood tests all normal. No signs of peripheral neuropathy. Option A: Get a nerve biopsy done by a neurosurgeon. Option B: Continue the Lyrica and see what happens. I chose B and just add it to the list of other "just live with it" issues.
The unknowns... I'll never know when to holler "Oh, this is the biggest one I ever had. You hear that Elizabeth? I'm coming to join you honey" as chest concerns have only been reflux, anxiety or pleurisy...
So, at what point do we ever think it necessary to go to a doc when after they drain your money, they say nothing can be found...
The unknowns... I'll never know when to holler "Oh, this is the biggest one I ever had. You hear that Elizabeth? I'm coming to join you honey" as chest concerns have only been reflux, anxiety or pleurisy...
So, at what point do we ever think it necessary to go to a doc when after they drain your money, they say nothing can be found...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Did the glucose test on Tuesday. Results came back Thursday as negative for diabetes. The nurse phoned back Friday afternoon and said the doc is ordering a full panel testing of the bloodwork for peripheral neuropathy. That takes over a week before I'll get results on that one. Waiting. Resting in God's safe grasp.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Brain scan this morning. Found out that BreathRight strips help with the breathing when flat on my back and my head is in a tiny tube with pinging and banging swirling all around. (-;
Results follow-up at 10:20. Nothing to be found, except the brain. No tumors, strokes or MS. All the blood work is pretty normal. Need to increase B12, diabetes is on the edge -- reduce sugar, eliminate pop, more vegetables. Still waiting on the HIV results. Might need to do an auto-immune panel something. Might need to do a full torso CAT scan to see if any cancers are lingering. Need to get more than six hours of sleep.
When I got home from work, the nurse phoned. HIV results came back negative. (-; Doc wants me to get a detailed glucose blood test in the morning. Fast for ten hours, blood draw, intake glucose, then return two hours later for another draw.
Meh. Waiting. More tests. No answers. :-\
Results follow-up at 10:20. Nothing to be found, except the brain. No tumors, strokes or MS. All the blood work is pretty normal. Need to increase B12, diabetes is on the edge -- reduce sugar, eliminate pop, more vegetables. Still waiting on the HIV results. Might need to do an auto-immune panel something. Might need to do a full torso CAT scan to see if any cancers are lingering. Need to get more than six hours of sleep.
When I got home from work, the nurse phoned. HIV results came back negative. (-; Doc wants me to get a detailed glucose blood test in the morning. Fast for ten hours, blood draw, intake glucose, then return two hours later for another draw.
Meh. Waiting. More tests. No answers. :-\
Neuropathy Buzz -- Friday, June 19, 2009
Where do I start? The current is that they've discovered I have some sort of poly(?)neuropathy in all four appendages.
I've always known I had some carpal tunnel in my wrists. Last September, the buzzing was from the elbows down, or the right shoulder down. So, decided best to get it checked out. My doc sent me to a neurologist who did an EMG nerve conduction test on my arms. Some slight ulnar neuropathy was going on, but really not cause for concern. Just several hundred more dollars added to the plastic.
March or April, I started noticing how my feet would occasionally get similar feelings. No big deal. But it progressed. So, the start of May I started journaling all the buzzing, tingling, sharp jolts, etc. Then it decided to give me restless nights of fitful sleeping. Time to go back to the doc, I guess.
Called on Monday, the 15th and was able to get an appointment on Tuesday. I did up a chart to compare right side vs. left side and stuff. Pretty much the right foot, right low back, left big toe and ankle/heel. Lots of right low back to toe, right shoulder to finger.
I've always been mean to my back. Major fall in 1983, and then the big fall on stage with Man of La Mancha. Me and exercise? Nope. They must be the cause for everything, has to be.
Saw the doc. He didn't like the fact that my legs and feet were now begging for attention. Thinks it might be neuropathy, but not being a nerve specialist he wasn't going to say one thing or another. So, they scheduled me with a neurologist. First available appointment was July 17th.
After work, had a voice mail waiting on my cell phone. It was the neurologist's nurse stating they had an appointment at 11 in the morn. I called back to take it. Called Kristine to talk with her about it since Mom had had it. Mom didn't have diabetes, which is the main cause for neuropathy. But they were never able to determine the cause for Mom because several small strokes got all the stuff mixed up.
Met with the neurologist Wednesday morning. Long medical interview and stuff. Then he did some preliminary tests and said there definitely are signs of neuropathy. Best get some blood work done first and then a full EMG nerve conduction test. Appointment was scheduled for nine the next morning. Before leaving the hospital, six vials of blood were sucked out.
Thursday morning the nerve conduction test. Ouch. The stimulus pulses were intense. But nothing in comparison to the muscle response tests. Nothing in comparison. The ulnar neuropathy has increased in the arms and hands. There definitely is neuropathy going on in the feet. The muscle test showed that the muscles in the feet are not really up to par.
Basic blood work came back normal. Still testing for deeper issues. Also checking for HIV, which has always been negative.
He doesn't really think the trauma of the fall should be the cause. That would cover just one area or such, not all four appendages.
Next up, a brain MRI scheduled for Monday morning at six. Then a follow-up with the neurologist at 10:20. The scan is to rule out MS or any other brain disorder. Starting a trial run of Lyrica for dealing with the nerve pain.
So, Friday night. Where am I with all this? 1] I can't afford all this testing. Shoot me if you want, but this will have to go on plastic. Uff da. 2] The unknown. I know He Who Holds The Future, no doubt. But I've never been one to be able to calmly approach the unknown. Brain scan? Scary thoughts. Hold me tight Lord! 3] Each day I discover what I can or cannot do, or what takes a smidgen longer, or what isn't really friendly with my bod anymore. 4] What kind of support base do I have to deal with all this? That was a question on the preliminary medical history form. I left it blank. Each person has their own troublesome life, why add my concerns. So, here I blog out my ponders while waiting.
I've always known I had some carpal tunnel in my wrists. Last September, the buzzing was from the elbows down, or the right shoulder down. So, decided best to get it checked out. My doc sent me to a neurologist who did an EMG nerve conduction test on my arms. Some slight ulnar neuropathy was going on, but really not cause for concern. Just several hundred more dollars added to the plastic.
March or April, I started noticing how my feet would occasionally get similar feelings. No big deal. But it progressed. So, the start of May I started journaling all the buzzing, tingling, sharp jolts, etc. Then it decided to give me restless nights of fitful sleeping. Time to go back to the doc, I guess.
Called on Monday, the 15th and was able to get an appointment on Tuesday. I did up a chart to compare right side vs. left side and stuff. Pretty much the right foot, right low back, left big toe and ankle/heel. Lots of right low back to toe, right shoulder to finger.
I've always been mean to my back. Major fall in 1983, and then the big fall on stage with Man of La Mancha. Me and exercise? Nope. They must be the cause for everything, has to be.
Saw the doc. He didn't like the fact that my legs and feet were now begging for attention. Thinks it might be neuropathy, but not being a nerve specialist he wasn't going to say one thing or another. So, they scheduled me with a neurologist. First available appointment was July 17th.
After work, had a voice mail waiting on my cell phone. It was the neurologist's nurse stating they had an appointment at 11 in the morn. I called back to take it. Called Kristine to talk with her about it since Mom had had it. Mom didn't have diabetes, which is the main cause for neuropathy. But they were never able to determine the cause for Mom because several small strokes got all the stuff mixed up.
Met with the neurologist Wednesday morning. Long medical interview and stuff. Then he did some preliminary tests and said there definitely are signs of neuropathy. Best get some blood work done first and then a full EMG nerve conduction test. Appointment was scheduled for nine the next morning. Before leaving the hospital, six vials of blood were sucked out.
Thursday morning the nerve conduction test. Ouch. The stimulus pulses were intense. But nothing in comparison to the muscle response tests. Nothing in comparison. The ulnar neuropathy has increased in the arms and hands. There definitely is neuropathy going on in the feet. The muscle test showed that the muscles in the feet are not really up to par.
Basic blood work came back normal. Still testing for deeper issues. Also checking for HIV, which has always been negative.
He doesn't really think the trauma of the fall should be the cause. That would cover just one area or such, not all four appendages.
Next up, a brain MRI scheduled for Monday morning at six. Then a follow-up with the neurologist at 10:20. The scan is to rule out MS or any other brain disorder. Starting a trial run of Lyrica for dealing with the nerve pain.
So, Friday night. Where am I with all this? 1] I can't afford all this testing. Shoot me if you want, but this will have to go on plastic. Uff da. 2] The unknown. I know He Who Holds The Future, no doubt. But I've never been one to be able to calmly approach the unknown. Brain scan? Scary thoughts. Hold me tight Lord! 3] Each day I discover what I can or cannot do, or what takes a smidgen longer, or what isn't really friendly with my bod anymore. 4] What kind of support base do I have to deal with all this? That was a question on the preliminary medical history form. I left it blank. Each person has their own troublesome life, why add my concerns. So, here I blog out my ponders while waiting.
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