Question:
Hi, Teri! I’m Lavon…..and i understand you pain…..so does the larger part of this newsgroup. Don’t let the blank stare (or won’t meet your eye) of your doctor, nor the irritation of your husband make you question your pain or FOR ONE MINUTE own it as your fault. I had to quit working too, and i had two jobs i absolutely adored. My husband is the most patient of men, but even he had anger at the pain, which happened to be living in me. We are fine and he is my quiet strength. But it took help. You are living in a body you don’t recognize now. You might want to consider getting some help introducing the two of you (and hubby makes three 
Pain is an isolating force. Don’t let it pin you into a corner. TALK with your husband. Let him know it’s okay to be ticked about the situation….and if he doesn’t seem to want to understand the pain, i’ll bet there is a person whom he admires that has some type of pain issues. There are ways to live through this. Otherwise the gun looks way too attractive. Talk. Reach out to friends who want to help, but don’t know how. Ask them to make a meal for you and your fam and deliver it at some point. Ask them to make sandwiches and come have lunch with you some afternoon. Teri, chronic pain is a much different life, but it is a full, rich one….it can be. And there is joy…..i promise, you will know joy again. It’s a long journey, littered with medication side effects, several doctors, friends who want you to try every hack salesjob, etc. But you can do this. Deep peace to you, dear one, Lavon
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Hi Teri, I have not contributed to this group for a long time (possibly years) but happened upon your post today, my second day home after losing a job in part do to my "post traumatic concussive headache with features of migraine". I too was hit from behind, by a Mack truck, in March 1994, but fortunately my injuries were limited to a mild traumatic brain injury, cervical strain and problems with my shoulder. It has been long road, very discouraging at times, but by simply not giving up I have been able to be a father to my now 11 year old daughter, a child whose teachers always compliment me about, rave about her creativity and her sunny demeanor, and her ability to always "make the best" of any given situation. It took me 2.5 years to get forwarded to a pain clinic that actually seemed to understand my pain and the quantity thereof. There I tried, as have most of the members of this group, the entire pharmacopoeia, with little effect, The introduction of Oxycontin however, gave me an immediate drop in frequency of HA from 25-30 per month to 10-15. In those years I ran a small contracting business and I had to leave the field, and just focus on management. Forget growth, I would locate one job, build it and do another. I had a wonderful guy in the field as a super who ran most of the day to day field stuff. In essence i spent about 5 years mostly lying on ice packs, and reading (I have been extremely fortunate in that I have *almost always* been able to read and help distance myself from the pain). In 1999 the doctors insisted I get off the prednisone I had started taking (again) for asthma during my divorce in 1993, lest I have no bone density by the time I was in my mid to late fifties (not as far away as they used to be). During this time, which was like having severe mono for two years I lost my super to a personal crisis of his own, eventually lost my apartment, and had to move back in with mum, no joy at 48. Over the years, *severe* H/A frequency, defined by me as requiring I retreat to icepaks and a cool room, decreased to 1-3 per month. While I have have had moderate 4-7 grade ones off and on, they have mostly been kept at bay with MSIR, Midrin, Migranal and Advil. In the three and a half years I have gone back to being an employee, I have had a number of jobs. This is the first that I can lay a direct line to the H/A’s as a source of loss. Mostly the problem has been the uncertain economy, I lost one directly due to 9/11, one due to a dramatic drop off in sales due to the ramp up to the excursion into Iraq. This last one, I had a H/A before a meeting with a subcontractor on a 2.3 million dollar project, and I am told I "fell asleep" during the meeting". I know I closed my eyes for a few seconds, but really don’t know. My immediate superior accepted the explanation of migraine and meds, warm room, etc., but coupled with another blunder on my part, completely unrelated to headaches, the big boss added 1+1+1 arrived at 7 and decided I should go. There was too much too soon, I had 2 large projects (the other being 2.6 million) and an assistant to keep busy. the assistant was new to the company as well. I know that today, for the first time in 2 weeks I did not wake to a headache, so perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew. I am telling the story not for sympathy, but to illustrate the distance traveled since 1997-98 when I might not leave the house for a week except to visit my daughter. Just keep plugging along. Things will most likely improve. I certainly never thought they would improve this much,and was told as much by the doctors at one point. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help, most likely, they will be glad to do so, as they can feel pretty helpless when things are at their worst for you. Good luck, Jonathan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Nice to "see" you Bob. Things getting better? Well, I appreciate you empathy, but I think they have, in many ways, and that was the point I was trying to make. When I lost my super, I had to go out into the *real* world and get a job for the first time in 20+ years. I didn’t dare embark on any project with unknown help, afraid I might have someone’s house apart, and not be able to put it back together, since i couldn’t so it myself. The first one lasted until 9/11 eviscerated the companies business with the Starwood Hotel chain. I built a couple of Sovereign Banks, and had a blast doing it. One was such a tight schedule I was able to choke the subs with money to get on time performance, and the bank didn’t quibble, I had an open checkbook. You know, you’re lucky if you get *one* of those in your lifetime But, when revenue fell, I was one of the two newest in the door. During that time I had to go home once or twice because of H/A, not a big deal. The second job, I was hired by the august *Harvard University* as a Clerk of the Works on a 23 million dollar gut out. OK, except I am used to being in the action, and the Clerk is a pretty passive role. Plus the GC was very good, and did not need any policing.I worked alone. there was no one to notice if I was off my pace on any given day, and I only saw my boss at the weekly job meeting. Harvard, from the inside has a very skewed world view, and I wasn’t really anal enough to survive there and I left to join smaller company in high end residential remodeling last November. Which was the third job. They were hiring until mid January in ‘03 and then started laying off every one as jobs ended in February, and no new ones were being signed. don’t remember H/A being much of a factor there either. This past spring, while "unemployed" I did some "sidework" type jobs and had a blast. I had one guy working with me and was careful to let him do the heavy stuff. Swinging a hammer gives me a H/A. I did a couple of months as a "temp" PM/super, for a company that installed modular classrooms. Most of these things are well beyond what I could imagine doing in 1996-7-98. And that, to me, is the point. I am able to do much more than I ever believed would be possible again. This last experience is discouraging, but there are plenty of projects that can pay a reasonable salary and not be as stressful as two different projects totaling more than 5 million. BTW, I haven’t mentioned it, but I did spend 2.5 years weaning off of prednisone for my asthma, and for reasons no one can clearly explain, the H/A’s got a lot better after that as well. Well, this is too long, and way off topic, except for the point, don’t ever give up hope, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. :Later, Jonathan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Jonathan, Great to see you again. Sorry to hear the road hasn’t gotten any easier for you….yet. I’ve been a "small" contractor for all these cluster years just because I knew that I could never hold a job with anyone else. Take care and be well Bud! BobW (yeah, I’m still here LOL)
Response:
Lavon & Sage Thank’s to both of you It is so nice to hear from people who know what this type of pain is all about. I am looking for a neurologist who will take this serious. I had one, he was great! He was in the airforce reserves and was offered the chief of neurology position at Andrews Airforce base, which he accepted. The doctor I ended up seeing is O.K. but I really have to stress the point that I am in pain. She didn’t want to tell me this is occipital neuralgia. The physical therapist, who works with her told her what this was. She was doing the usual treatment for it. I did go through a series of nerve blocks which worked for a short time, but the last one was good only for a few days. The hubby and family are great, they know I hurt but can’t relate to how much or why the head pain never really goes away and how the severe pain can last for day’s at a time. Thanks Teri – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Teri! I’m Lavon…..and i understand you pain…..so does the larger part of this newsgroup. Don’t let the blank stare (or won’t meet your eye) of your doctor, nor the irritation of your husband make you question your pain or FOR ONE MINUTE own it as your fault. I had to quit working too, and i had two jobs i absolutely adored. My husband is the most patient of men, but even he had anger at the pain, which happened to be living in me. We are fine and he is my quiet strength. But it took help. You are living in a body you don’t recognize now. You might want to consider getting some help introducing the two of you (and hubby makes three Pain is an isolating force. Don’t let it pin you into a corner. TALK with your husband. Let him know it’s okay to be ticked about the situation….and if he doesn’t seem to want to understand the pain, i’ll bet there is a person whom he admires that has some type of pain issues. There are ways to live through this. Otherwise the gun looks way too attractive. Talk. Reach out to friends who want to help, but don’t know how. Ask them to make a meal for you and your fam and deliver it at some point. Ask them to make sandwiches and come have lunch with you some afternoon. Teri, chronic pain is a much different life, but it is a full, rich one….it can be. And there is joy…..i promise, you will know joy again. It’s a long journey, littered with medication side effects, several doctors, friends who want you to try every hack salesjob, etc. But you can do this. Deep peace to you, dear one, Lavon Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Hi Teri and welcome to ASHM. I’m sorry you need to be here, but glad you found us! Hang out for awhile, there’s much to learn and plenty of shoulders to lean on. Hugs, ~Sage
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Hey Jonathan, Great to see you again. Sorry to hear the road hasn’t gotten any easier for you….yet. I’ve been a "small" contractor for all these cluster years just because I knew that I could never hold a job with anyone else. Take care and be well Bud! BobW (yeah, I’m still here LOL)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Teri, I have not contributed to this group for a long time (possibly years) but happened upon your post today, my second day home after losing a job in part do to my "post traumatic concussive headache with features of migraine". I too was hit from behind, by a Mack truck, in March 1994, but fortunately my injuries were limited to a mild traumatic brain injury, cervical strain and problems with my shoulder. It has been long road, very discouraging at times, but by simply not giving up I have been able to be a father to my now 11 year old daughter, a child whose teachers always compliment me about, rave about her creativity and her sunny demeanor, and her ability to always "make the best" of any given situation. It took me 2.5 years to get forwarded to a pain clinic that actually seemed to understand my pain and the quantity thereof. There I tried, as have most of the members of this group, the entire pharmacopoeia, with little effect, The introduction of Oxycontin however, gave me an immediate drop in frequency of HA from 25-30 per month to 10-15. In those years I ran a small contracting business and I had to leave the field, and just focus on management. Forget growth, I would locate one job, build it and do another. I had a wonderful guy in the field as a super who ran most of the day to day field stuff. In essence i spent about 5 years mostly lying on ice packs, and reading (I have been extremely fortunate in that I have *almost always* been able to read and help distance myself from the pain). In 1999 the doctors insisted I get off the prednisone I had started taking (again) for asthma during my divorce in 1993, lest I have no bone density by the time I was in my mid to late fifties (not as far away as they used to be). During this time, which was like having severe mono for two years I lost my super to a personal crisis of his own, eventually lost my apartment, and had to move back in with mum, no joy at 48. Over the years, *severe* H/A frequency, defined by me as requiring I retreat to icepaks and a cool room, decreased to 1-3 per month. While I have have had moderate 4-7 grade ones off and on, they have mostly been kept at bay with MSIR, Midrin, Migranal and Advil. In the three and a half years I have gone back to being an employee, I have had a number of jobs. This is the first that I can lay a direct line to the H/A’s as a source of loss. Mostly the problem has been the uncertain economy, I lost one directly due to 9/11, one due to a dramatic drop off in sales due to the ramp up to the excursion into Iraq. This last one, I had a H/A before a meeting with a subcontractor on a 2.3 million dollar project, and I am told I "fell asleep" during the meeting". I know I closed my eyes for a few seconds, but really don’t know. My immediate superior accepted the explanation of migraine and meds, warm room, etc., but coupled with another blunder on my part, completely unrelated to headaches, the big boss added 1+1+1 arrived at 7 and decided I should go. There was too much too soon, I had 2 large projects (the other being 2.6 million) and an assistant to keep busy. the assistant was new to the company as well. I know that today, for the first time in 2 weeks I did not wake to a headache, so perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew. I am telling the story not for sympathy, but to illustrate the distance traveled since 1997-98 when I might not leave the house for a week except to visit my daughter. Just keep plugging along. Things will most likely improve. I certainly never thought they would improve this much,and was told as much by the doctors at one point. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help, most likely, they will be glad to do so, as they can feel pretty helpless when things are at their worst for you. Good luck, Jonathan Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Hi, Teri, Lavon shared some very good thoughts about the way to handle pain, in the psychological sense. It is an unwelcome intruder, but it doesn’t have to rob you blind. BUT… it does take time and patience to wade your way through the disappointments and the new changes it makes in your life. I’ve found a lot of help with a pain psychologist, someone who helps me deal with what I’ve lost, and helps me compensate and find different ways to do things, and most of all, to not feel like any of it is my fault. Pain is a fact in SO many people’s lives, but it need not spell the end of a good life. Hang in and maybe find this kind of specialized psychiatrist, to give you the help you deserve and need with what pain is doing to your life and marriage. As for what it’s doing to you physically, there you need a lot of patience, and a stubbornness about getting competent, compassionate pain care from the right doctors. I’ve hired and fired a slew of them, as has most everyone on this newsgroup. It’s not easy finding the docs who you can relate with well, who "get" what kind of pain you’re having, and will try over and over, whatever it takes, to prevent and/or treat your pain. You have a right NOT to suffer, and more physicians these days are slowly acknowledging pain as a vital sign, just as significant as your temperature and your blood pressure. You may sometimes feel like you’re on an endless, frustrating quest to find that special doc or docs plural, like many of us feel or felt before. Luckily, another lovely Teri on this group publishes a current list of doctors rated by their patients or their peers as truly effective migraine/headache specialists, and you might find yourself a good doctor in your state at: http://headaches.about.com/cs/headacheclinics/ It happens all too frequently that the good ones are nowhere near you. Don’t let that worry you. Many of us travel hundreds of miles to see one of the true experts, for initial diagnosis and treatment plans, then have the plan administered and followed up on by a local doc, who stays in contact with the faraway expert. Then, the actual visits to the expert are few and far between. For instance, my real honchos are in Michigan, and I live in Kansas! And medical travel expenses are tax deductible. Really effective pain doctors are also hard to find, and for a lot of reasons, should be local if possible. If you’d like some resources to locate a pain doc, let me know here, and I’ll gladly give you some links. You might also give your location, only if you want to, and ask the folks here if they can recommend good doctors in your area. Glad you joined us, and hope that you’ll stay with us, and get as much good out of this group as I have, and still do. Ginnie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m new…
Response:
I remember you Jonathan, good to QQ you again! Hugs, ~Sage
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Teri, I have not contributed to this group for a long time (possibly years) but happened upon your post today, my second day home after losing a job in part do to my "post traumatic concussive headache with features of migraine". I too was hit from behind, by a Mack truck, in March 1994, but fortunately my injuries were limited to a mild traumatic brain injury, cervical strain and problems with my shoulder. It has been long road, very discouraging at times, but by simply not giving up I have been able to be a father to my now 11 year old daughter, a child whose teachers always compliment me about, rave about her creativity and her sunny demeanor, and her ability to always "make the best" of any given situation. It took me 2.5 years to get forwarded to a pain clinic that actually seemed to understand my pain and the quantity thereof. There I tried, as have most of the members of this group, the entire pharmacopoeia, with little effect, The introduction of Oxycontin however, gave me an immediate drop in frequency of HA from 25-30 per month to 10-15. In those years I ran a small contracting business and I had to leave the field, and just focus on management. Forget growth, I would locate one job, build it and do another. I had a wonderful guy in the field as a super who ran most of the day to day field stuff. In essence i spent about 5 years mostly lying on ice packs, and reading (I have been extremely fortunate in that I have *almost always* been able to read and help distance myself from the pain). In 1999 the doctors insisted I get off the prednisone I had started taking (again) for asthma during my divorce in 1993, lest I have no bone density by the time I was in my mid to late fifties (not as far away as they used to be). During this time, which was like having severe mono for two years I lost my super to a personal crisis of his own, eventually lost my apartment, and had to move back in with mum, no joy at 48. Over the years, *severe* H/A frequency, defined by me as requiring I retreat to icepaks and a cool room, decreased to 1-3 per month. While I have have had moderate 4-7 grade ones off and on, they have mostly been kept at bay with MSIR, Midrin, Migranal and Advil. In the three and a half years I have gone back to being an employee, I have had a number of jobs. This is the first that I can lay a direct line to the H/A’s as a source of loss. Mostly the problem has been the uncertain economy, I lost one directly due to 9/11, one due to a dramatic drop off in sales due to the ramp up to the excursion into Iraq. This last one, I had a H/A before a meeting with a subcontractor on a 2.3 million dollar project, and I am told I "fell asleep" during the meeting". I know I closed my eyes for a few seconds, but really don’t know. My immediate superior accepted the explanation of migraine and meds, warm room, etc., but coupled with another blunder on my part, completely unrelated to headaches, the big boss added 1+1+1 arrived at 7 and decided I should go. There was too much too soon, I had 2 large projects (the other being 2.6 million) and an assistant to keep busy. the assistant was new to the company as well. I know that today, for the first time in 2 weeks I did not wake to a headache, so perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew. I am telling the story not for sympathy, but to illustrate the distance traveled since 1997-98 when I might not leave the house for a week except to visit my daughter. Just keep plugging along. Things will most likely improve. I certainly never thought they would improve this much,and was told as much by the doctors at one point. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help, most likely, they will be glad to do so, as they can feel pretty helpless when things are at their worst for you. Good luck, Jonathan Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
Response:
Excellent post, GinBeam! Thank you….you stated a lot of points my brain just won’t handle right now. Teri, we pain an ugly picture. (i actually biffed and typed "pain" intsead of "paint"…..but the biff is more accurate.) I refer to it as a "pain journey" as i’ve seen very few if any folks find the right med and the right doctor on the first try. There are many doctors and many medications and you may never be completely pain free. I’ve been doing this since ‘85 or so. ASHM is here for that journey. We’ve had a fun week…some of the oldies have shown up…YIPPEEEEE!!! sometimes we joke with each other. Often we have a bad pain week and come here for comfort, for a joke, or just to be assured that we aren’t alone. I hope you find some of this for yourself. It’s helped me greatly. Deep peace, Lavon
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Teri, Lavon shared some very good thoughts about the way to handle pain, in the psychological sense. It is an unwelcome intruder, but it doesn’t have to rob you blind. BUT… it does take time and patience to wade your way through the disappointments and the new changes it makes in your life. I’ve found a lot of help with a pain psychologist, someone who helps me deal with what I’ve lost, and helps me compensate and find different ways to do things, and most of all, to not feel like any of it is my fault. Pain is a fact in SO many people’s lives, but it need not spell the end of a good life. Hang in and maybe find this kind of specialized psychiatrist, to give you the help you deserve and need with what pain is doing to your life and marriage. As for what it’s doing to you physically, there you need a lot of patience, and a stubbornness about getting competent, compassionate pain care from the right doctors. I’ve hired and fired a slew of them, as has most everyone on this newsgroup. It’s not easy finding the docs who you can relate with well, who "get" what kind of pain you’re having, and will try over and over, whatever it takes, to prevent and/or treat your pain. You have a right NOT to suffer, and more physicians these days are slowly acknowledging pain as a vital sign, just as significant as your temperature and your blood pressure. You may sometimes feel like you’re on an endless, frustrating quest to find that special doc or docs plural, like many of us feel or felt before. Luckily, another lovely Teri on this group publishes a current list of doctors rated by their patients or their peers as truly effective migraine/headache specialists, and you might find yourself a good doctor in your state at: http://headaches.about.com/cs/headacheclinics/ It happens all too frequently that the good ones are nowhere near you. Don’t let that worry you. Many of us travel hundreds of miles to see one of the true experts, for initial diagnosis and treatment plans, then have the plan administered and followed up on by a local doc, who stays in contact with the faraway expert. Then, the actual visits to the expert are few and far between. For instance, my real honchos are in Michigan, and I live in Kansas! And medical travel expenses are tax deductible. Really effective pain doctors are also hard to find, and for a lot of reasons, should be local if possible. If you’d like some resources to locate a pain doc, let me know here, and I’ll gladly give you some links. You might also give your location, only if you want to, and ask the folks here if they can recommend good doctors in your area. Glad you joined us, and hope that you’ll stay with us, and get as much good out of this group as I have, and still do. Ginnie Hi, I’m new…
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YEAH!!!! It’s so good to see you back Jonathan! We’ve missed you here! Your wisdom, support and smiles are much needed at this point LOL So glad you posted! Big Ole Hugs Karen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Teri, I have not contributed to this group for a long time (possibly years) but happened upon your post today, my second day home after losing a job in part do to my "post traumatic concussive headache with features of migraine". I too was hit from behind, by a Mack truck, in March 1994, but fortunately my injuries were limited to a mild traumatic brain injury, cervical strain and problems with my shoulder. It has been long road, very discouraging at times, but by simply not giving up I have been able to be a father to my now 11 year old daughter, a child whose teachers always compliment me about, rave about her creativity and her sunny demeanor, and her ability to always "make the best" of any given situation. It took me 2.5 years to get forwarded to a pain clinic that actually seemed to understand my pain and the quantity thereof. There I tried, as have most of the members of this group, the entire pharmacopoeia, with little effect, The introduction of Oxycontin however, gave me an immediate drop in frequency of HA from 25-30 per month to 10-15. In those years I ran a small contracting business and I had to leave the field, and just focus on management. Forget growth, I would locate one job, build it and do another. I had a wonderful guy in the field as a super who ran most of the day to day field stuff. In essence i spent about 5 years mostly lying on ice packs, and reading (I have been extremely fortunate in that I have *almost always* been able to read and help distance myself from the pain). In 1999 the doctors insisted I get off the prednisone I had started taking (again) for asthma during my divorce in 1993, lest I have no bone density by the time I was in my mid to late fifties (not as far away as they used to be). During this time, which was like having severe mono for two years I lost my super to a personal crisis of his own, eventually lost my apartment, and had to move back in with mum, no joy at 48. Over the years, *severe* H/A frequency, defined by me as requiring I retreat to icepaks and a cool room, decreased to 1-3 per month. While I have have had moderate 4-7 grade ones off and on, they have mostly been kept at bay with MSIR, Midrin, Migranal and Advil. In the three and a half years I have gone back to being an employee, I have had a number of jobs. This is the first that I can lay a direct line to the H/A’s as a source of loss. Mostly the problem has been the uncertain economy, I lost one directly due to 9/11, one due to a dramatic drop off in sales due to the ramp up to the excursion into Iraq. This last one, I had a H/A before a meeting with a subcontractor on a 2.3 million dollar project, and I am told I "fell asleep" during the meeting". I know I closed my eyes for a few seconds, but really don’t know. My immediate superior accepted the explanation of migraine and meds, warm room, etc., but coupled with another blunder on my part, completely unrelated to headaches, the big boss added 1+1+1 arrived at 7 and decided I should go. There was too much too soon, I had 2 large projects (the other being 2.6 million) and an assistant to keep busy. the assistant was new to the company as well. I know that today, for the first time in 2 weeks I did not wake to a headache, so perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew. I am telling the story not for sympathy, but to illustrate the distance traveled since 1997-98 when I might not leave the house for a week except to visit my daughter. Just keep plugging along. Things will most likely improve. I certainly never thought they would improve this much,and was told as much by the doctors at one point. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you for help, most likely, they will be glad to do so, as they can feel pretty helpless when things are at their worst for you. Good luck, Jonathan Hi, I’m new… I was in an auto accident 18 months ago. I was hit in the rear and as a result I have a mild brain injury, 4 herniated disk and my entire back is a mess. I had to actually take in info I found on a web site to my DR. (who is treating me for "tension" migraines, but I also have symptoms of the rest of the migraine catagories),before she understood what I have been trying to explain to her about this pain. I am taking neuronton, 300mg. 4 times a day as well as flexeril and vicoden. Since I also have developed fibromyalgia on top of all this she has me taking zoloft. My physical therapist is actually more on top of neuralgia pain than all of thr doctors I have seen. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. No one really seems to understand this pain. I haven’t been back to work because of the pain and my husband really has no concept of any of this. I did have the 2 of the worst disk (c5,6 & 6,7) removed and they fused that part of my neck. The hernia’s were pressed against my spinal cord. I guess it was necessary, but I am still in pain. I don’t want any more surgury. Today is a bad day…..in bed with pain so bad I can’t even stand up…. It really helped to read through all of your messages. Teri
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