Haven’t been posting much on the blog lately but after the week and weekend I have had I thought I would share a little. I’ve actually had an amazing week and weekend. One of the best in recent years. It all start this last monday when I went see a new Dr. regarding the horrible pain I have been having in my neck and shoulders since the surgery two years ago
Honestly I didn’t expect much from this Dr. visit considering all the Dr’s I’ve seen since the surgery and everything they have tried to alleviate the pain. I’ve been on pain meds and muscle relaxers for nearly 6 years due to my muscular disease and my neck pain. After the surgery I have lived every single day for two years with basically a crick on both sides of my neck, cramped muscles throughout my neck, upper back and shoulders. They have tried massage therapy, physical therapy, botox in a lot of the muscles to loosen them, epidural steroid injections and lots of meds this past two years all without any real relief.
Obviously I have started to lose any faith I had that I would find relief from this pain and it’s been pretty trying. Well this new doctor listened to what I had to say and everything I just described above. I also informed him I was of the opinion that despite all the muscle cramping that is obvious I really think there is more to this pain. I explained how I believe this is nerve related. How the pain in the various areas felt interconnected and one directly impacted the other. To me this seems like pinched nerves or damaged nerves or something nerve related but it was just my opinion.
After I went through all of this with him he first told me he didn’t want to get my hopes up but he also didn’t want me to lose hope. He said he knows I’ve been through a lot and that he actually had gone through similar. He also apologized on behalf of other doctors and that I’ve been through so much and that I was way too young to have had this surgery and to have endured all this pain the last two years.
It was sounding pretty dire as he said all this and then he informed me that he actually agrees with me about the theory that this could actually be nerve related. He then told me about a couple of drugs used to help deal with the symptoms of nerve pain called Lyrica and Neurontin which he’d like me to try. He gave me a 7 day sample of Lyrica to take home.
Well that afternoon I took my first Lyrica and shortly after headed to bed. I ended up sleeping 12 hours that night! I haven’t slept 12 hours in I have no idea. It’s been over 10 years that’s for sure. I woke up in a panic Tuesday morning late for work and meetings. Next thing I know it’s 9:30 am before it occurs to me WHOA umm… I FEEL NORMAL! I mean I didn’t have this nagging pain anymore. It wasn’t perfect but I was just sitting in my car and realized I kinda feel good. I didn’t wake up hurting and trying to stretch out my neck and lumber into my home office and take my morning pain meds. Here it was almost 10am and I hadn’t even really thought about or noticed pain or felt the need to take pain meds. I just felt right!
Well it’s now been almost 7 days and things have only gotten better. My energy and attitude has really been impacted. It’s amazing how much the pain affected me. I always knew it did but I don’t think I fully realized just how much it did. It’s not 100% and there are still moments when it’s a little nagging. Seems to be towards the end of what I would term as the pills efficacy, basically as it wears off and before I have a chance to take another. But still it’s a night and day difference.
The pain doesn’t consume me. It’s not always nagging me mentally as well as physically. There is some relief psychologically I believe in that now I know I can feel better even for a brief period of time. I think that both the physical effects and the mental add up and also help to relieve some of the muscle cramping a bit.
There is a sense of just feeling normal. Of being at ease. Not so tense physically and mentally due the constant pain. Also the need to take the pain pills have drastically subsided just in the last 7 days that I’m rarely taking them now and this also has a big impact on me energy and mental state.
Only time will tell as always but I am now extremely optimistic about the state of things and really look forward to the days ahead.
Below is a picture of my neck today after the surgery. It’s pretty neat despite the personal hell it seems to have caused me:
