Pain Man appointment

Pain Man walked into the exam room and just went, "What the heck happened?"

I sighed and just said I had no idea. He went ahead and did what Urgent Care and the hospital never thought to--he actually did an exam. I leaned against the wall in a push-up stance, back and forth a couple times as he watched my shoulder blades and spine.

After he had me turn back around, he raised a finger to say something, then stopped and said, "You have a lot of WEIRD stuff."

I gave an exasperated laugh and asked what else was new?

He said he knew what the problem was, and touched the exact spot near my shoulder blade that feels like it has the knife stuck in it. That verified that!

I damaged my left Long Thoracic Nerve. Typically those who do this are young healthy people who join the military and end up frequently wearing heavy packs on their back. The few others who get this injury are those with Ehlers-Danlos or other connective tissue disease.

Pain Man also said there is still the possibility that there is damage from the artery surgery (arterial Thoracic Outlet). Internal scar tissue complications apparently begin after any surgery at the 2 1/2 to 3 month mark; I just reached 2 1/2 months. It can be verified with EMG but not until at least 4 months post-op, so there is no use having it now since it would be inaccurate, not to mention it's a painful test having needles jammed in a couple dozen areas around the body.

He prescribed a medication that has been recommended the last few years. I have refused it consistently, as many people have an issue with the common side effect of weight gain. As a recovering anorexic this is a huge deal for me. But with so many complications going on, I know there is simply no way to avoid it any more. I need the med. I will slowly titrate up because of the multitude of side effects commonly experienced, and will end up at 1800 mg a day after a couple weeks, a rather hefty dosage.

I took 1/2 of a pill (300 mg for the night) and in the first hour I experienced 4 or 5 heavy-duty waves of dizziness.

It may help me sleep more than 2-3 hours a night, as is my average.

Fingers crossed.

Checking in

Thank you everyone for your support lately. If you've known me for awhile you probably know I don't usually just let things out like that and it apparently startled a few people. I really appreciate the kind comments, stories shared, and understanding shown. It's touching and reminds me I'm not alone.

There isn't one certain thing that is getting me down. I just find I'm so overwhelmed I can't think straight. While my arterial surgery 5 weeks ago definitely improved my arm function (what a shock after only having 31% use), I am struggling greatly with the ever-increasing pain throughout my spinal cord. While not 24/7, my head is terrible and my hearing is really off this week again. Yada yada yada I'll shut up.

I'm taking way more meds than I should, but am so desperate for any degree of relief I don't care about potential consequences. I'm going on the theory that if anything happens, God will understand my heart's desire and true intention. Am I getting that out right? I don't know.

I suspect work is going to call me bright and early to give notification on whether or not my position will continue, so I ought to get to bed. Not sure why, don't sleep worth a darn even with all the meds, but curling up under the covers sounds mighty nice.