Its Wednesday :)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

            Good morning its 10:25 am. I am tired and frustrated. As most of you know I was in the ER sat and I still don’t feel well. My neck and head are still very sore even with the meds I have been taking. I have not heard anything regarding my surgery date yet, but I do have phone calls into both the doctor and the surgery coordinator.  The severe pain hit me sat am when I woke up and it has been present ever since. The emergency room doctor confirmed my feelings that this condition is getting worse and nothing is going to make it better until I have the surgery done. Since it is Wednesday I go back to work tonight… I am looking forward to running calls and talking with my work family. (I just wish I felt a little better) I also want to take the time to thank the people that have been texting/calling and checking up on me it really does mean a lot!! Also sorry if I have been cranky ( I am not frustrated with you guys/girls) As you may think I also did not sleep well last night… ( I haven’t slept well since Friday when I got home from work) To end this on a positive note, I hope to have a fantastic day and a safe fun night at work J I also hope all my friends /family have a great week and stay safe with the weather!

JR

To the Emergency Room Again

Sunday, March 25, 2012

            Good afternoon 3:26 pm. So yesterday was a very bad day.  I woke up about 11:30am and got really dizzy. Once I got up out of bed it felt like my head was going to explode. It was much worse than my normal every day pain. It felt as if I was getting hit in the back and side of my head with a ice pick. My parents took me to Kaiser north er ( at 3:30pm) I was very pleased with the staff and I was took right to the back after checking in. The system is a lot different than Kaiser South but was very smooth and everyone was very nice. Once in the room I got a IV and the doctor walked right in. as soon as he started talking with me a ambulance came in with a lady no breathing. The doctor apologized that he had to leave and work with her. About 30 mins later he came back to finish the exam. He was very patient and listened to me explain everything. He even asked what meds worked for me. He put the orders in and in a few minutes later they were back with the meds. Usually in the past the meds they give work but this time the pain was 10+/10. To make a long story short the meds were not working. Over the time I was in the ER got a total of 6mg Dilaudid, 30mg toradol, 2mg zofran and 10 of decadron. I was also given another medication that I could not recall the name. It is very rare and used for nerve inflammation.  For most people this combo of drugs would knock them out. I slept for a little bit but the pain was not calming down. The staff was being very patient with me as the pain was not calming down. They were also unsure what to do as my condition is somewhat rare. I ended up with 2 bags of fluid. They cont to give me pain medicine and I finally has some relief after the final 2 of dulaudid. At about 11pm the doctor came in and explained that he had used up all his resources and they felt that there was nothing more that they could do to help the pain. The pain is originating from the “damaged nerves” and the only thing that is going to fix it is the stimulator placement. The er dr said that he could not get in contact with my neurosurgeon. We agreed that this was a ok plan and about 30 mins later I was discharged. While leaving I got very motion sick and nauseated on the way home. I feel that was caused from all the pain medications and not eating since sat around 1am (when I was at work). Today im doing better, I just feel really loopy from all the medication. I have to say the pain in my head is back to where it is any normal day.  I would like to thank the staff at Kaiser North for being so patient, caring and understanding. I would also like to thank my wife, family and friends for everything they have done for me- Also a big thanks to the few people for checking on me thorough out the day yesterday- that means a lot!! Sorry not everyone was told I was going to the ER L Hope everyone is having a great day and weekend!!

Did not sleep well again....

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

            Good morning- 10:50 Only writing cuz its one of those days- I didn’t sleep very well last night and today it feels like my head is going to explode. I am hoping she calls today and gives me a date for surgery. I am just in a very cranky mood and my neck is really sore. Home work needs to be finished today so that is the first task (Yes I am in school/ Nursing Pre-reques) Im not sure if I’m going to take another class due to the surgery. I want to give time for that to heal and it will give me less stuff to do during the week. Also im very nauseated, if I could puke that would be helpful. This blog means a lot to me right now cuz it’s a way I can share how I feel and I don’t have to keep it in.. The pain right now is about a 7-8/10 and it’s usually a 4-5. All right side and the back of my neck. I want to take some Motrin but im trying to hold off because I have been taking a lot lately. Anyways I hope everyone is doing well and you have a great day!! J JR

How I feel every day

Monday, March 19, 2012- 12:00

            Hello again  It came to mind that some people would like to know what I go through every day. Well to answer that question every day for me is different. If you ask any one that knows me really well my moods change all the time. I can have really good days or really bad days. Most days are in between. Another thing is that my day can change directions really fast. As most of you know I am currently working as a full time paramedic in a very busy system. Working lately has somewhat been a battle. I want to thank my extend work family for always being there for me!!

            So to start with the pain is all right sided. It starts at the back of my neck and goes upward to the front of my head. The pain can also be behind my right eye. As I said earlier the pain feels like sharp electricity shooting from the front to the back. Another good description would be a hammer hitting you in the back of the head.  It can last from seconds to days and it comes and goes in waves. I experience some type of headache about 25/30 days a month. I also have motion sickness and nausea constantly with occasional waves of dizziness.  Along with this I can get sudden temperature changes from being hot to cold. I can also at times have problems bright lights (so if you see me wearing my sunglasses when it’s cloudy out that’s why) let me tell you this condition sucks big time and I don’t wish it on anyone. Sleeping is a battle because I sleep 8-9 hrs maybe more each day, but I don’t feel rested. I also have a special pillow for my neck which is gold right now. Waiting up can also be hard sometimes because I will sit up out of bed and be hit with a “jolt of electricity” and have to lie back down for a while. Some will ask what helps. Well….. Not too much right now… I love heat  because it relaxes the never. Some people may ask doesn’t ice work better, but I have tried it and it makes the back of my head feel like it’s being hit with a ice pick. Right now I am just doing my best to stay positive. Again I would like to thank my Fantastic wife and my family for their support! – If you have any questions or would like to learn more PELASE feel free to ask me--

To start this off

Monday, March 19, 2012

            Good morning  Its 11:00 am. I decided to start this and try to keep up on it. As you know I have been dealing with very bad headaches. I have been for a few years now (at its worse). So everyone is updated on to where I am at now I will give a little back ground info. I have been to the doctor and emergency room many times. I started to make progress back in July 2011. I had went to the ER (again complaining of a headache) the pain this time was extremely bad and I was experiencing what was called a “complex migraine” I had numbness to the right side of my face/right arm and leg. Complex migraine type headaches are very rare. The ER doctor was amazing!! (Thank you so much Dr Mackey and ED staff) Prior to the ER visit in July I could not get my primary doctor to send me to neurology or even explore my complaint in detail. Within hours of being in the ER Dr Mackey got me a neurology referral for the next week. I met with the neurologist and was then sent to the pain clinic at Kaiser South Sacramento. I then meet another wonderful person, DR Youssefi that gave me the diagnosis of “occipital neuralgia”. This condition involves injury or damage to the “occipital nerve” that runs out of the upper part of the neck. In my case it looks like there is a pinch in the nerve. Just about every day I experience some type of headache. The pain can be very minimal to very severe. Having a feeling of electricity going from the back to the front of the head is the best way to describe it. I have been through many different procedures including nerve blocks and radio frequency ablations (if you want more detail on this please feel free to ask) I had my last RF procedure a month or so ago. As expected it did not work very well. My pain clinic dr had then sent me to neurosurgery for placement of an “occipital nerve stimulator” This is a device that provides a very small amount of electrical stimulation to the nerve. It includes electrodes that are implanted around the nerve and connects to a implanted battery pack. In my case the electrodes will be on the center/right side of my head and the battery will be in my lower back. This device runs 24/7 and has preset settings throughout the time of day. I can also manually over ride the system and increase or decrease the amount of stimulation. After placement I will be given detailed instructions and a small control device to operate the system. If you would like more detail please feel free to ask me. This was a very hard decision for me to make, but from talking with my amazing wife Nicole, my family and all the doctors this is my best chance of living without pain (or at least cutting it down). After meeting with the neurosurgeon (Dr Pappas) I found that he is also amazing. He was very calm and down to earth. He had told me that he has been following my case for a while now (with the help of Dr Youssefi. He also assured me that this option would be the best and we chose to move forward with it. I am currently on the “waiting list” for surgery. As I think about it I am both very nervous and excited at the same time. I know I have a fantastic wife Nicole, my parents and family/friends to support me. Now some may ask, “How long will you be out of work?”  I have asked Dr Pappas the same questions. From what I am told I will be out 3-4 weeks. I have also been told that the first month is going to “Suck Ass”  I spoke with the scheduling coordinator for neurosurgery and she is currently working on getting me an exact date for surgery. Until then I am going to attempt to keep this blog updated and answer all questions I can. Please continue to send me your positive energy J I hope everyone is doing well. J JR