It’s Holiday Time at last!

The day i have been waiting for for a long time has finally arrived. We are off today on our holiday down in Cornwall at the White Acres holiday Park and Fishery. A fishing holiday with a difference. 13 Lakes to choose from and lots of attractions and entertainment in the holiday park also will ensure that we have a great holiday. We will also be taking time out from the fishing and have a look around some of the local area and the different places i have heard all about as my mother and step father have been to this place before.

I was lucky not to have been woken by the beast this morning but instead by all the wind that keeps building up inside me. Also the balls of wind i have travelling around my organs keeps getting trapped in different places causing me agonising pain all the time. I have to keep switching sitting or laying positions or getting up to walk about as the pain is so sharp when it starts. I am just happy it isn’t anything serious and that the pains in my back and kidney areas are only down to wind. the hernia i have got keeps playing up every now and again and is one of the most agonising pains you can have as it feels like you have been kicked in the groin. this is one illness i won’t forget in a hurry. How people manage and live with IBS all the time is a mystery to me and i have a new respect for anyone who suffers with these types of problems.

Not long now and it will be time for the off. I have to get all my fishing gear and medical stuff down stairs ready to be picked up and as some of it is quite heavy i will have to take my time and make sure i wear my strap so i don’t do myself more damage. Its bad enough dragging a suit case on holiday with you but when you have to take all your fishing tackle as well it becomes a little difficult. Thank god i bought myself a new fishing wheel barrow for the holiday which will make life a lot easier carrying my tackle to and from the different lakes. I am so excited now i just can’t wait. Well that's it for now i will not be updating my blog for a week whilst away and will bring it all back up to date as soon as we get back. Lets hope this nice weather stays with us for the entire week, that will just make it perfect!

Medical Update

Medical Update: Thursday 25th April 2013

After finally getting my ultrasound scan today i found out exactly what is going on and why i am in a mess. the ultra sound showed good news that i don’t have any problems with my kidneys or gall bladder and have a bit of fat on my liver but that is down to diet. It also showed that i have hard air pockets roaming around my internal organs and that is what is causing so much pain all the time. the air pockets are pushing on the internal organs causing all sorts of problems and this wind is from the irritated bowl.

Thankfully i am still able to go on my holiday but i have to be careful as i now have a hernia above the right testicle so no more lifting heavy weights and also wear a strap to support the hernia and stop the pain. Luckily its not a strangulated hernia so i wont have to have an operation unless i make it worst or it becomes strangulated at a later date. for the time being i am able to manage the pain with pain killers and sort out the IBS with medication and just have to give it all time to work so i will be sore for a little while.

i am still constipated so have to use medication in order to ease the aches and help me go to the toilet. Luckily i had a good clear out with the drinks the doctor gave me so i shouldn't be in trouble as long as i keep taking the medication and watch my diet. this has been a real eye opener with regards to the meals i have and the food that i eat. i will now have to start watching what i do and what i eat and make sure i eat plenty of the right kind of food.

I am now all packed and ready for our holiday down in Cornwall. i have my appointment at 8am with the dentist to take out the bad tooth that remains in my mouth and hopefully that should be the end of that problem especially when they are finally all out and i am able to get dentures. I have checked the forecast for the coming week and it looks like we chose the right time of year to go as we are in for a week of sun and more sun, i just cant wait!

Getting ready for hospital trip and some answers…

Well today is the day where i get my full scan and will finally find out what is happening and why i am in so much pain and an absolute mess. Again my stomach is hurting this morning and again i am bloating up with wind and swelling causing me severe pain in the sides. Also the pain on my right side that is always there is playing up again and i keep on getting stabbing pains reminding me it is there.  I am also getting pains on the left like i need the toilet but each time i try and go i just cant seem to. Like its blocked or my muscles will no longer push hard enough. The pain i am getting from my hernia is also playing up now and again and that's one pain i cant stand. Like you have been kicked in the groin.

I cant wait for this scan and to finally get some answers. they will have to do something about it today as i am in a right mess and can no longer go on like this. Its worst than having attacks every couple of hours in the head from the CH, that's how bad i feel at the moment. Just to finally get some answers is half of the battle. I am still having nightmares about the last time i was rushed into hospital and had all my teeth out bar three because they thought the attacks i was getting was from one of the nerves in the teeth only to find out after the operation that it didn’t cure the problem. I am just praying they can sort this out soon. That all for now as i am in too much pain to sit here and type so will update when i return from the hospital.

Still in pain and suffering, lets hope tomorrow brings some answers!

After yet another visit to the hospital and actually talking to a doctor that knows how to explain things we now have some idea of what has been going on. It is now looking like i have either kidney or gall stones and that has upset the bowl and colon causing acute IBS and also constipation. As i became so constipated and had to strain just to release a small amount of wind from my bowls i have now caused myself a hernia on the left testicle or just above it and it all now swollen.

I am due into hospital tomorrow afternoon at 2pm for a full scan so they can finally find out what on earth is going on. I have never been in so much pain in all my life. I thought it was bad enough suffering with VH and getting regular cluster attacks but i have to admit this comes a close second when it comes to the pain. I feel like someone is stabbing me constantly in the left side and both side of my lower back is killing me from all the wind that keeps building up and bloating me out like a balloon. It is so bad that my actual stomach is rock hard and feels like the inside is burning.

Last night was a scary night as i didn't get much sleep not from the CH but from the pain in the sides and the back. I have ended up staying up all night curled on my sofa with a quilt to keep warm watching TV and trying to manage to pain, stress and wind. I wish time would just fast forward so i can finally get some answers and put and end to this story. It is now looking less and less likely that i will be able to join my mum and step father on our holiday in Cornwall so you can imagine i am quite annoyed with myself and upset that i am now loosing out on the holiday of a life time that i have so looked forwards to.

Unfortunately i am unable to control fate and these things happen i suppose. I just wish i could stop the pain and ache and control the wind as i would be able to put up with the rest and probably be able to go. I am praying for a miracle that it is something stupid that can be sorted out very quickly or with medication allowing me to join them in Cornwall but i have a bad feeling about it and don’t think it is going to be possible. Its crazy but if only the doctors would listen to me three weeks ago when i first reported the problem just maybe i wouldn’t have had to suffer all this pain and upset. I suppose these things are easy to miss when you are as busy as some of these doctors are. Lets just hope i can get through tonight and tomorrow we finally get some answers. Fingers crossed!

The bad luck bug has bitten again….

Just when you think you have everything under control the bad luck bug comes and bites you on the ass. After finally getting the medication required to calm down my stomach and bowls i have again become constipated and unable to pass anything. I suppose it doesn’t help that i haven’t eaten a lot over the last couple of days but i have still been eating so something should be passing through. Then to top it all off i again have the bad stabbing pain in my right side. This is the pain that started all the trouble off in the first place. I am fed up with going back and forth to the doctors complaining about pain and uncomfort and all they can say is “we don’t know what is going on Mr. Russ”,”we will have to wait for the results of your x-rays” and then leaving me to suffer in pain all night long.

The pain returned at 2am this morning and like the beast it woke me from a deep sleep. The ache and pain is again in the same place on the right hand side and again is causing me stabbing pains. The pain isn't there all the time, well not sharp pain anyway, as it tends to turn to an ache after a while and then back to sharp pain every now and again like it is throbbing. I have tried to explain myself to the doctors and they just don’t seem to understand what is going on. No matter how i sit the pain keeps coming and going and it now looks like i have to cancel my holiday plans and miss out on a long awaited break away with my mother and step father. I have been booked in at 2pm in Thursday to have a full MRI and Ultra sound scan so they can try and find out what on earth is going on.

Its crazy to think i can be in all this pain and no one seems like they want to help. I have tried and tried but keep getting fobbed off with the excuse of waiting for results being used all the time. I understand that things take time and that there are some illnesses that can’t be dealt with in a hospital and only medication and rest at home will solve but i think this is a little different. Every time the sharp pain comes i break out in a fever and sweat like there is no tomorrow but then when the pain goes i am back to normal. What ever is causing this is a mystery but i know and can feel that it is getting worst and worst each day that goes by. Lets hope they find out what it is soon before it is too late and i end up in rally big trouble.

Slowly getting better, not long to our holiday!

Yet another trip to the doctor due to pains in the kidneys, the sides and the stomach. After a full examination the doctor is still confused as to what is going on and what is causing me to fill up with wind so quickly and end up in agony all the time. Its very strange as there is no one thing that points to a problem. It all seems like someone has turned on a tap and filled me with air. My stomach is bloated and i look twice as big as i am normally also my lower bowl just by the groin has also swollen up and is all puffy.

There doesn't seem to be anything specific that is causing it and it is looking more and more like IBS each time i go for a check up. Something has set off the bowl and the colon and now i am turning into a wind producing machine. I have never been so full all the time and as for passing wind, well i have known sewers smell nicer. After being constipated for over a week and then having to use laxatives to get rid of the muck i am now left with a sore belly and constant wind. The doctor has now put me on another medication that should hopefully sort this problem out once and for all.

After around 45 minuets after taking the medication i am starting to feel a bit better. I am still getting strong pain in the back on both sides and my stomach is still sore and filling with wind all the time but its not as painful as it was and i can actually move around. I have just eaten a sandwich to see if that would set of my tummy again but luckily it didn’t so the medication must work. All i can do now is hope that all the wind eventually finds its way out of my body and the aches and pains will stop.

As for my head, well i have had a couple of attacks over the last few days but nothing as bad as they used to be. The medication must be helping or i would be in pain all the time and i don’t think i could put up with head attacks and a bloated stomach and painful sides all at the same time.I am thankful i have my injections just in case of a big attack.

Not long to our holiday down in Cornwall,  a whole week of resting and fishing, i cant wait. We are leaving early Saturday morning and a few hours later should be at our destination, white acres fishing resort. 10 Pleasure lakes, 3 specimen lakes and loads of attractions and things to do around the camp site. We are staying in a posh caravan for the week and as my mum is disabled and in a wheel chair we get one that caters for the disabled and isn’t too far from the lakes. I just wish i was leaving today!

Strange pain is getting stronger and i am feeling worst…

I managed to get through yesterday with out my stomach hurting too much and with out ending up completely blocked up and in agony all because i can’t go to the toilet again.I wasn’t woken by the beast but instead by a nightmare that made me wake up short of breath and in a startle, like a rabbit caught in a cars headlights. I can’t remember all of the dream but i know it wasn’t pleasant and had something to do with my back. All i know is it put the frighteners into me and it took me a while to recover.

Again this morning i have pain in my kidney area on the right hand side but this time its a lot stronger than it has ever been. I have taken some pain killers but they didn’t touch it so i just don’t know what to do anymore. I have been to the doctors so many times in the last couple of weeks they must be getting fed up with seeing me and hearing from me. They are probably thinking i am turning into a hypochondriac each time i phone for help or advice but this has now been going on for 3 weeks in total and is getting worst not better.

Its now looking like i will have to cancel my holiday and miss out on a dream holiday that i have been looking forwards to for ages. Its been over 10 years since i had a proper holiday and now it’s looking like i can’t go. Not to mention that its also a lot of money to be throwing down the drain as the holiday has already been paid for. Also the amount of new fishing tackle i had bought just for the holiday is a lot and will now not be used like i wanted and will only get used if i get a chance to go fishing at one of our local lakes or fisheries.

I am so upset at the moment i am actually typing this with tears in my eyes and sharp pain in my back and kidney area. I can’t believe how the doctors are each time i tell them about the pain in my kidney area its as if it goes over their heads. So far they have told me it is:

1. A pulled Muscle in the back
2. An infection of the lung
3. A chest Infection
4. Pneumonia
5. Trapped Wind
6. Impacted Bowl

I can understand them being confused as it has totally confused me but you would think with their training they would at least double check everything. How can i still be in pain in the same place from the same problem after seeing 6 different doctors (including the 2 at hospital) and 2 surgeons and they are all confused as to what is going on. Why aren’t they checking my kidney? Not once have they scanned the kidney. Yes they have tested the urine to see if there is blood or infection but that’s about as far as it goes. You could say i am getting really fed up with all this messing about and not being able to find out what the problem is. I am feeling worst and worst each day but no one seems to be listening to me, they must all think i am going out of my mind and in a way they are correct as i am starting to go out of my mind with worry and anger all because we can’t get to the bottom of this problem. That's all for now as the stabbing pains are back so here we go again!

Update:

After yet another consultation with the doctor and an actual examination of where the pain is coming from (actually the first examination i have had apart from temperature and heart rate) the  doctor has finally explain what they think is going on. The blood tests are negative and my x-rays clear of anything that will cause me  problems so they believe it to be muscle spams on the back just below where the kidney is and these muscle spams spread not just upwards but to the other side as well when they really get bad. This explains why i get worst when i try and walk anywhere. These spasms come from a damaged muscle that was actually the cause of all this. Also at the time it began i was also unlucky enough to have had a slight chest infection and that’s why they heard bubbling on the chest when they did the original examination.

Due to me taking 3 different courses of anti-biotic’s and  a lot of pain killers this caused constipation on a severe level. As i was on the medication for a while it seems to have backed up in my colon and is causing me a lot of discomfort. This in turn has set off an irritable bowl that is now causing me a lot of wind and colic. By stopping tablet pain killers and use a rub in pain killer like a gel we can try and stop the constipation from happening and with the help of drink keep the bowl opening in order to release the wind etc. The muscle will eventually heal itself and stop hurting as long as i keep exercising it every day and then resting when i should. The only reason the verapamil had an effect on me was just down to bad timing and a mixture of all the different medication happening at the same time.

Now that we have things under control and eventually will be able to rectify the problem i will be able to start my verapamil medication again and hopefully put a stop to the cluster attacks i get on a daily basis. It’s just crazy how these things can happen just from taking medication but it just goes to show you have to be very careful what you take and how much you take as you can end up with serious problems. this has been a big wake up call for me and at times was very scary. it has taught me that i have to sort out my diet and make sure i eat enough of the correct foods that the body needs and also to follow doctors instructions to the letter. With me it was just down to bad luck and bad timing having different things happen and then the medication conflict and cause me bad constipation. Just imagine if i didn't follow the doctors instructions and ate loads of painkillers and other tablets just for the sake of pain relief. I think i would have ended up in a lot more serious trouble and would not be typing this blog right now as i would probably have been in hospital under the knife.

Bringing my Blog back up to date…

Well i thought it was about time i did my monthly update on my blog. Especially as i have been missing a few days as i have just been too poorly to sit and type away at the computer. It’s strange how i started this blog in order to educate myself and others with regards to the condition know as CH or Cluster headaches. Now that i have been properly diagnosed with the condition after 10 years plus of suffering, pain and being told it was all my imagination, i have now finally come to terms with my condition and realise i will have to live with it for the rest of my life and learn how to manage the bad days and the pain.

I also suffer bi-polar disorder, as i have mentioned before in my blog, which was made a lot worst due to the attacks i used to get in the head and the pain i was always suffering. It seemed to set me off on extreme highs and very low periods that would last not just a few days but well into the weeks and months. Now with the help of my mother. doctors and specialists i am able to cope with my depression and with the right medication i no longer have major problems. Ok i do get periods where i can no longer cope and break down at the silliest of things but with the help of my carer and family i am able to manage these days.

The attacks i used to get in the head would last anything from 20 minuets to 2 hours depending on the strength of the attack and how much pain there was. My face would drop and my eyes would water and the pain was like nothing i have ever experienced before. There wasn’t anything particular that would set them off but the cold and wet weather always seemed to make the attacks worst. Finally after years of suffering i have now been diagnosed with the condition and given the correct medication in order to control these attacks and if possible put them to sleep. With the help of injections and oxygen on a daily basis i can now live a fairly normal but limited lifestyle. Also with tablets the specialists hope to get the condition under complete control and if possible put it to sleep for years allowing me to live a normal life.

Unfortunately just lately i have started to have other problems with my health that are caused by the medication i am taking. I started to get pains in the kidney area after increasing my Pregabilin medication up to 300 Mgs twice a day. Also at the same time i started another medication called Verapamil. Both of these medications were supposed to build up a resistance to my condition and stop the attacks from happening. As time when on i started to get really bad even to the point where my chest was becoming tight and i couldn’t breathe anymore. I stopped the Verapamil as something in my head told me it was my medication and i started to get better. This only lasted a few days and i became ill again. Not only would i get the aches and pains in the kidneys but my bowls would stop working and i could no longer go to the toilet.

So stopping the verapamil only made me better for a little while and then it became so bad the had to rush me into hospital on 2 occasions and administer an enema to open my bowls and unblock me. My stomach kept on bloating up like a balloon and i would get agonising pains either side of my stomach like it was stretching and about to explode. At the same time i would be getting an ache in my kidney area and no matter what tests the doctors did it showed nothing. no signs of infection and no signs of a problem. they even x-rayed me a couple of times to check there wasn’t something else causing it. I continued to bloat up and have problems going to the toilet so the doctors started me on different laxatives and medication hoping it would clear up what ever was causing the problem but still it continued.

It has now been 3 weeks of suffering and pain and still i bloat up during the day and have to rely on laxatives to be able to go to the toilet. i am still taking all the medication but its like nothing seems to help. It wasn’t until this morning i decided to see what could be causing me to bloat up and why was i getting the kidney pains when there was nothing wrong, well nothing showing up as a problem anyway. I decided when i woke up just to have a cup of coffee and relax for an hour and see what happened. Nothing! I sat there and the was no pain in the back or kidney and every thing seemed fine. I was a little sore after the day before as it was the first day i had opened my bowls in 5 days and boy did they open. I then decided to take my methadone and see if that was what was causing the problem so after having my coffee and waiting an hour i took it and sat and waited. Again nothing and every thing seemed to be ok so i decided to take my normal medication.

After taking my medication it was about 45 minuets and the pains began in the kidney area. Then i started to bloat up like a balloon again. I cant believe it is my normal medication. The only thing i have been taking all this time that could be the cause is my Pregabilin. It was at the same time i increased the medication to 300 mgs that i started to get aches and pains in the right kidney area. As i wasn’t ill or concerned back then so i put it down to a muscle problem or sleeping awkward at night and never gave it another thought. Well only time will tell as i wait for my x-ray to get to my doctor in 10 days time so i will stop the Pregabilin and see if the problem starts to fix itself. If it does then i know i need to seek out an alternative medication as this is just too much pain and agony to bare just for a couple days relief of my attacks. I would rather have to control the attacks than have to go through all this again.

At least the beast is now behaving itself…

Another day of feeling bloated and getting sharp stabbing pains in the sides. At least the muscles aren’t hurting as much as they were for the last couple of days. being constipated and not being able to get rid of the access wind is one of the more painful and uncomfortable feelings i have had ion a long while. It has only taken then almost 3 weeks to start to investigate what is going on. I am now booked to have another x-ray down at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary later this afternoon to see if the colon is impacted and blocked.

I have managed to open my bowls this morning with what i can only describe as an explosion but it didn’t clear me out completely. It only seemed to empty my bowl and what ever is still in the colon is still stuck there. i have been given Movicol drinks that are supposed to help and break down what ever is blocking me but it isn’t working as well as the doctor hoped. I am also on hold for an ultra sound scan to try and find out why all this started in the first place.

I am happy to report that the beast has been behaving itself and that is something i have to be thankful off. At least i don’t have to put up with the agonising attacks at the same time as i don’t think i would be able to cope with both of these illnesses happening together. I am now only getting between 2 and 8 attacks during a week and that will improve now as the weather gets better and warmer. Even though i still haven’t restarted the Verapamil i am not getting as many attacks as i normally would this time of the year.

The Pregabilin i am on seems to be doing the trick and i know when i do eventually restart the other tablets they will disappear all together and hopefully put the beast to sleep for a long time. The big test is when winter returns and the cold wet weather. We will then be able to see what difference the medication will make when the attacks are at their worst. For now i am just grateful for not getting so many attacks like i used to get and for the first time feel very positive with regards to the treatment of my CH condition.

Still bloated and in pain, then the beast came calling..

Another wake up call from the beast just to remind me how painful the condition CH is, not that you can forget in a hurry. Its not good being woken in the early hours of the morning and have to suffer head pain so strong you think you are dying and then to be bloated at the same time and get pains in your back and muscles is a night mare. I don’t know what on earth is causing all these problems with my bowls and the doctors have tested me for all sorts of different things but still have no idea as to what is causing it and why i am so bad. I have now been put on some Movicol Drinks, another type of laxative to help me go to the toilet properly but its still not working .

I am getting pains in the right side of the stomach slightly higher than on the left side so i know its not my appendix that is causing it otherwise i would be in agony all the time and not just sharp stabbing pains every now and again like i am getting at the moment.  The pain i keep getting is just on the bottom of my ribs slightly towards the underarm on my right so i think i still have wind trapped as it was doing this the other day and it turned out to be wind.

All these problems i have been getting with my health just lately is now starting to really get me down. I feel alone and with no one there to help me or help take care of me when i am at my lowest. When i was younger it was always my mother that came to the rescue when i was very ill and i remember being woken up to take my medication or to try eat some home made soup, and she used to make the best home made chicken soup you have ever tasted. Then i got married in Cyprus and it was my wife (Sofia) who came to help me all the time and nurse me back to health. Mind you it wasn’t until just before my divorce that i started to get ill and on a couple of occasions was rushed into hospital for some unknown infection leaving my wife to cope with the aftermath and my business.

Then my illnesses became worst as time went on and Sofia couldn’t cope with me and my mood swings so ended up separating and eventually divorcing me, leaving me to cope with all the illness alone. Again my mother came to the rescue, as much as she can as she herself is very ill, disabled and even suffering with Cancer. Still my mother tried to help out as much as she possibly could and managed to get me the help and the doctors that i needed. It has taken 10 years to get a proper diagnosis of one of the conditions i am suffering with, CH (Cluster headaches), and finally found a specialist who knows what they are talking about and put me in the right direction with the proper medication to treat the condition.

As soon as the CH started to become under control so did my Bi-polar disorder. being bi-polar and being used to the mood swings and behaviour i managed fine for many years with out any flare up’s but when the CH started to get bad and the attacks so strong my face would droop then the bi-polar disorder would play up something rotten. I would have extreme high periods where i would do silly things, go out partying and wasting money with no care in the world and then i would drop like a stone and become so depressed that i wanted to end my life. If it wasn’t for the help my mother has given and also the hospital where i was locked up for my own safety on a couple of occasions, i wouldn’t have been here today and i wouldn’t have been able to start up my fishing again so i have to be thankful for all of my mothers help.

Just lately i have been very bad and if it wasn’t for my mother and step-dad, Brian, helping to run me about to make my appointments i don’t know what i would have done. I wasn’t able to go on a bus as the vibration would cause me agonising pain yet i couldn’t call an ambulance out as it wasn’t life threatening so i was stuck in a predicament. The pain in my stomach had become so bad it felt like the insides of my stomach was red raw and wasn’t until after i got the medication from the doctor, Alverine Citrate, then the stomach started to calm down. Unfortunately although the stomach had calmed down the constipation returned and then again the other day it all started again so i had to rush back over the doctors again yesterday and ask for help. she has now given me these drinks to help clear me out and go to the loo but so far they haven’t helped.

Today i am not as bloated as yesterday but that is because the wind has calmed down and i haven’t eaten anything yet. i am just hoping the bowls will open sometime today and i will be back to normal soon. I am still getting a lot of pain in different areas including back and chest so i am hoping these will ease off soon as they always threaten to set of my CH and i end up having a massive attack. If my bowls don’t open in the next couple of days i will have to go back to the doctor and hope something can be done.

Woken by the Beast isn’t god enough, how on earth did i get IBS to go with it?

Being woken up by the beats at 5 am doesn’t seem such a hardship anymore. Ever since my bowls decided they no longer want to play properly i have experienced pain and uncomfort  like no other. My stomach has been feeling like its about to explode and at the side it is sore where the skin is stretching as it expands and swells. My insides have been feeling like they are red raw and very saw and no matter what i try and eat or drink it causes me real pain and problems when i try and swallow anything. My back constantly hurts and you get a feeling like you are full and have eaten too much even though you haven’t eaten a thing and its first thing in the morning. The noises that comes from my insides are mad as i can hear water or liquid bubbling away and grumbling and growling. The signs of a real upset stomach.

What has set all this off is a mystery and i am now having difficulties in trying to control it. I have given medication by the doctor to help ease the symptoms but they only seem to stop the worst of it. I have even resorted to drinking babies Gripe Water in order to keep the wind and pressure down as the wind seems to travel around the body and if it gets up under the chest or the back shoulder blade it can become very painful indeed. People have often mistaken wind for a heart attack when they get it trapped in that area so i would rather avoid this kind of pain if i can. I am just hoping they settle down sometime soon as it has now limited what i can do and especially when i walk. I thought it was bad enough having to learn and come to terms with having CH and having to understand the different medications, what they do and how they effect you. Also learning to control the attacks and avoid times where you can set off attacks yourself. I have read so much information, asked questions and tried to learn as much as i could about the condition and how people were controlling it and would like to think i have made excellent progress in dealing with my illness. It just seems like my heath is going down hill rapidly and as soon as i have dealt with one thing another comes along to challenge me. I am just hoping this new condition or problem will soon be under control and another thing of the past.

It was crazy how it all started and confused me as to what was going on. First it was just a stabbing pain in the right kidney area which we now know to have been the bowl. Then there was the infection like symptoms that even fooled the doctor as she thought it was my lungs causing all the problems where in fact it was actually an abnormally big build up of wind and colic. Then came the constipation and cramps which also included back pains and pains in the sides and kidneys fooling everyone as to what was wrong. When the hospital ran all the tests to find out if there was something wrong with me the tests were all coming back normal and the couldn’t work out what on earth was happening and why was i getting so bunged up. Then my normal doctor decided to try some tablets that are designed for very bad IBS, irritable bowl syndrome, and they actually calmed down the stomach and the bowls and i was able to go to the toilet again. I was still experiencing a lot of pain and wind and my stomach kept on bloating up making it one of the most uncomfortable conditions i know. It was after talking to my mother about the wind all the time causing me agony she suggested the grip water as it was a trick she had done in the past. It only makes sense as babies tend to suffer with bad colic and gripe due to their stomachs not being used to natural foods and gripe water is used before and after a feed to ensure no build up of wind. As soon as i tried the gripe water i saw a huge difference and started to feel normal again.

My stomach still has a problem and it is continuing to generate wind and pressure and i continue to get pain in the sides and the back. Ok they are not as painful as they have had been and the red rawness of my insides seems to have calmed down for the time being. I am still getting pains in my bowl and pain from wind being trapped in different places so i know i still have to rest and let what ever caused it to calm down or go. If i walk anywhere i am OK when walking but as soon as i stop i will then pay for the walk in pain. Mainly in the back and sides and from the wind in my stomach. I am hoping it will settle down over the next 2 weeks as that's is all the time left before our holiday down in Cornwall and i really don’t want to miss my holiday just because of a bad stomach and back all the time. I have been looking forwards to this holiday for quite some time now and have everything ready to go. I have purchased new fishing equipment as it is also a fishing holiday and i now have everything i will need to ensure a great time fishing. So its fingers crossed and lets hope this will all calm down by the end of the week.

Why do i feel so ill?

Whatever has caused my stomach to be in so much pain and my bowls to give me so much trouble is a mystery and no one quite knows what has gone on. What i do know for sure is that today is the first day i can honestly say is the first day i have actually started to feel better. I am still getting wind and pressure in the stomach causing me extreme pain and discomfort. I am still slightly constipated although my bowls have opened and i can now go to the toilet again. The pain in my sides is saw and feels like i am about to split but its not as painful as it has been over the last few days. I haven’t been able to go anywhere or do anything as i have been in constant pain. It looks like all the medication i was on has kicked of IBS (irritable bowl syndrome) and it wasn’t until i got the last lot of medication that i started to feel a bit better.

Not only the pain in the sides and the aches and pain gets to you as you also feel bloated, can’t eat or drink properly, feel out of breath all the time and the back gets so much pain shooting across your back muscles no matter what position you sit in your can’t get comfortable. I have been to the doctors 5 times, had 2 telephone consultations, been rushed into hospital twice and had to have enemas on both occasions including rectal examinations. I have never felt so embarrassed in my entire life.  Each day i have to battle with the feeling of my sides being so saw and my insides feel red raw. All my back muscles are constantly aching and just moving around the flat is hard work. All i can think of is i have infection somewhere inside my stomach. i know it sounds crazy but there's no explanation. There's no sign of infection when they test my urine and my blood testes were clear. yet i keep getting an infection in my tooth and the dentist won’t take it out till the end of the month but the infection keeps coming and going and making me feel rotten when it does show its face.

I have mentioned this to the doctors but its seems to have gone over there head. I don’t know what is going on or why it has flared up like this but i have been feeling really rotten now for 3 weeks and can’t wait for it to end. All i want to do is enjoy my holiday with my mother and step father at the end of the month. If i end up too ill then i will just have to cancel and not go as i don’t want to spoil it for them as they have been so looking forwards to this break. I am praying it doesn’t come to that and hope that what ever is doing this to me shifts soon and i start to feel better.

Woken by the Beast but still feeling better….

Again i was woken this morning by the call of the beast. Thankfully the injection kicked in straight away and i was able to fall back to sleep about half an hour after i had taken it. I then woke up at around 7am but with a sore neck and a feeling like i have a golf ball stuck in the base if the neck and sharp shooting pains up and down the spine. I sometimes forget just how painful these attacks and after effect can be. You would think after having so many attacks and being a chronic sufferer i would be used to them by now but i don’t think anyone ever gets used to having such painful attacks all the time.

Thankfully my stomach has gone down and is no longer swollen and my bowls have started to work again. I managed to go a toilet yesterday with no problems but have yet to go this morning but as i didn’t eat much yesterday i doubt i will need to go until later this afternoon. I am still getting pains in the muscles on both sides of my stomach and in my back where my kidneys are located, mainly on the right side again. After all the checks in hospital they put my mind at rest and assured me there wasn’t any problem with the kidney or any other part for that matter. Why i became so bunged up is only a guess but i think it is down to all the antibiotics and medication i have been taking.

As soon as this constipation clears, within the next few days i hope, i will be able to start the Verapamil tablets again and that should keep the beast from waking me in the mornings. When i started them before i saw an immediate improvement in the amount of attacks i was getting and thanks to the tablets they almost stopped completely with only one or two attacks happening during the week. There seems to be a lot of pain coming from my back lately and i am still waiting for the referral to the back specialist. I am starting to think that the specialists are right and that most of the pain i am experiencing is coming from a spine problem.

My mother suffers with osteoarthritis and has big problems when it comes to her back and joints and now has to use a wheelchair when moving around and going out places. I am hoping it won’t get to that stage and they are able to do something before what ever it is causing it becomes bad enough for me to end up in a wheel chair. I know i suffer with arthritis anyway and have major pain in my joints when the weather is cold or wet. I am just hoping it doesn’t get to the same stage as my mother and i end up having difficulties moving around. It does explain where all the pain in the back and spine is coming from but still doesn’t explain why my condition (CH) has been aggravated and made worst over the last couple of years.

Well today is another day of taking it easy and waiting for this constipation to slowly work its way out of the system. I am not in pain from the blockage anymore and as i mentioned the stomach is no longer swollen but i am still a little constipated so i have to be careful not to block myself up again so its a case of making sure i eat sensible and drink plenty of water and fluids. The weather has warmed up and shows it is now the start of Spring but the wet weather is about to hit us and we are in for a week of rain. At the moment i have been concentrating on getting everything ready for our holiday as it is now only 3 weeks away. Just to think 3 weeks from today i will be at the side of a lake fishing, absolute heaven! I am so looking forwards to this holiday as it is the first proper family holiday i have had in well over 10 years so no matter how i feel i will still be going. I wouldn’t miss this holiday for anything.

Starting to look forward to the holiday! Not long now….

After a couple of weeks investigation and a scary weekend ending up in being rushed into hospital twice by ambulance we now know where all the pain in the kidneys came from and why my stomach became so swollen it resembles a hot air balloon. Starting with the slight chest infection that developed into Pneumonia and caused me really bad pains in the back and the lungs also causing me to find it very difficult to breath. Then developing into sharp pains in the kidney and constipation like never seen before. Being put on 3 lots of antibiotics and different pain killers all contributed to my condition and slowly made me worst and worst as each day passed. The mixture of infection plus pain killers and antibiotics ended up in me developing constipation and being blocked up so badly that i thought my stomach and sides were ripping apart. This in turn was causing pressure in the colon and with a slightly swollen kidney as it was having to work vary hard due to the amount of tablets i was taking. I ended up having to be rushed into hospital and given an enema in order to shift the blocked and release the pressure in order to ease the pain. Not happy with having it done once and being so embarrassed i could just die i ended up having to be rushed back into hospital the next day and have another procedure. This has now left me very sore in the sides where my muscles have been put through the mincer with me trying to push and pass what i can only describe as a bowling ball through a whole the size of a 5 pence piece.

They did x-rays and scans to ensure there was nothing else going on and also checked the kidney for anything unusual such as kidney stoners and/or infection but thankfully all the sign's were clear. I am so happy it wasn’t something serious as i just had visions of my holiday being cancelled if i didn't get what ever it was causing me a problem sorted. It now explains all the strange things that were happening and why a tablet such as Verapamil, which shouldn't cause any side effects, was having such and influence on my stomach and causing me to be worst than i was. There was nothing in the side effects of the medication and no one had heard of such a thing but it clearly made my condition worst when it shouldn’t really have had any effect. It was down to the fact i was already constipated and starting to have problems as far back as three weeks ago. At least i now know as soon as the constipation is cleared i will be able to start to take the verapamil again and this will bring me even more relief when it comes to the head attacks i have been getting lately. The pain i am getting in the kidney area is in fact my muscles and not the kidney itself playing up so there is nothing to be worried about as this will ease as i slowly start to heal now that my bowls are moving again. I still have to take a laxative and make sure i keep drinking plenty of fluids as it will still be another week before my bowls will be back to normal.

The weather looks like it is finally starting to improve and the start of Spring is finally here, all be it a little late! The change in weather has seen a huge improvement on the attacks i have been getting and i am now down to 2 to 8 attacks a week  instead of daily. This with the new medication about to be re-started again should see my attacks become a thing of the past until the bad weather returns next winter. I am just hoping that my condition will go into remission by then and i won’t have to go through all the pain as i normally do when the cold weather returns. At the moment i am just thankful to start feeling better and can’t wait to put this nightmare behind me and concentrate on something other than my health all the time. It’s bad enough having to live with a condition such as CH with out making it worst with other things such as bad constipation.  It’s time for me to start concentrating on my fishing and get back into something i enjoy so much. Only 2 weeks to go now and we are off on holiday down in Cornwall and i just can’t wait. There are a couple of things i now have to chase up now that i am better in order to make sure we have everything ready for the fishing holiday and make sure we have all the gear we need.  Just can’t wait!

I wish all this pain would end soon!

Again woken by the beast this morning at 5am just to remind me that i have the condition CH. Not that i had forgotten how painful the condition is mind you! this time it was a massive attack that took almost an hour before it eased off. Again i tried using the injection to abort the attack but it just didn't seem to touch it. My eye became swollen on the left side and it just wouldn’t stop watering. My neck feels like it has a golf ball stuck inside it again and each time i massage the neck i keep getting shooting pains up and down the spine.

I was beginning to worry about being so constipated and all the pain i was getting in the right kidney area. I managed to speak with the doctor again yesterday and she has prescribed me some Senna tablets, laxatives, to help unblock what ever is causing the constipation. Using these tablets and Lactulose solution it should eventually sort out the problem. Thankfully i have started to go to toilet again and it is slowly coming out but only a little at a time at the moment so i am still feeling bloated and my stomach still gets pain. I don’t know what is going on but i know something isn’t quite right still. I am still getting pains in the right kidney area and this morning they are as strong as they were in day one.

I have been taking my antibiotics as instructed but they just don’t seem to help. This is now the 3rd lot of antibiotics i have been on and i am feeling better but the pain is always there. It is like a dull ache in the back constantly and a feeling like someone has there fist pushed into my kidney. Sometimes when it is really bad the left side also starts to hurt so i am a little worried as this has now been going on for 2 weeks and still no improvement. With our holiday due at the end of the month i am just praying it will be feeling better by then and all this pain will be history.

The last few days have been nice and sunny but its still freezing cold outside. this has to be the coldest April we have ever had in history i recon. They are forecasting that it will soon warm up and even a heat wave in the next month or so. I am so looking forwards to the nicer weather as it means i will be able to go fishing a lot more. I have noticed that i am finding it hard to eat and drink  at the moment and this is probably due to my stomach being so bloated all the time. i just wish it would end soon.

Off to get my bloods tested… I hate needles !

With the warmer weather and high pressure starting to arrive in the UK i have seen a huge difference in the amount of attacks i get during a days period. It has now dropped from 2 to 8 per day now i get 2 to 8 per week. Although i am still getting the attacks, because i stopped the Verapamil, it is still a huge improvement compared to what i was like last year and during the winter. As the summer starts to arrive i know i will get less and less attacks so i am looking forwards to the change in weather.

I woke up this morning feeling like a fat balloon as my stomach is swollen from all the food i have been eating and the wind building up. I still can’t go to the toilet and is starting to worry me slightly as this will be the fourth day with out going. I can pass urine no problem and have checked to see if there is any change in the colour but there is no difference. I still get pain in my right kidney area and sometimes when it is bad it spreads to the left one but only now and again. I am on antibiotics again, for the 3rd time, and i also think antibiotics can sometimes make you constipated so i am going to have to get hold of some laxatives just to help me go and get rid of some of the pressure in my stomach which will help to ease any aches and pains i am getting.

I am off over the doctors again this morning, this time it is to have my bloods taken so they can test and see what on earth is going on. Its bad enough being in pain but i am also frightened of needles so it should be an interesting visit. The doctor decided to refer me to the hospital so they can do an ultra sound scan and see what is going on inside me and my kidney. I will probably have to wait 2 weeks if not longer but i hope this problem is solved before then. I am off on holiday at the end of the month so they will have to make arrangements around the holiday as i am not missing it for no reason even if i have to go in a wheel chair i will be going.

Although i am still getting the aches and pain in the kidney area and i am bloated with air, which in turns makes you very uncomfortable and sometimes can hurt a lot, I am feeling a lot better than i was a week ago. I have been eating properly for the last few days and making sure i drink plenty of water to flush the kidney out. i am hoping with the help of medication and the things i am doing i should be able to put this problem to rest and forget about it. The last couple of weeks have been the strangest i have ever encountered. Going from one problem after the other and even the doctors were baffled as to what on earth was causing it all to play up.

I wish this pain and ache would just stop!

Tuesday Update:

After seeing 4 doctors in 2 weeks i have finally found out what could be causing the problem. The pain in my right kidney could be due to infection or due to the medication i am taking. When visiting the doctors on the last occasion she actually did a proper examination and laid me on the table and prodded around to find out where the ache and pain was coming from. The only thing that was hurting and causing pain was the right kidney and after testing my urine for the 3rd time it finally showed a small amount of blood in it. The doctor told me she would have to send me to hospital for a scan as it is so strange why it is playing up. I have been put on a 3rd lot of antibiotics just in case there is infection still and some liquid to help ease my stomach and help me to go to the toilet a lot easier.

It’s crazy how the body reacts to illness and pain and i can’t wait for this to be solved and for the pain and ache to stop. Even whilst i am typing this blog i have sharp pain every now and again like a knife stabbing you in the side. I personally think this all came from the abscess that i had 3 weeks ago. I believe that the infection had spread through my body due to me swallowing the poison that came out during the night whilst i slept. I think it spread through my system and upset some of the organs as it passed through. There are so many reasons why it could have started and now with the help of the hospital i should finally get to the bottom of it and hopefully put an end to this nightmare.

As the evening comes it always seems to get worst. i am sure its something to do with the food i eat and my bowls filling up. By the end of the day i have a full stomach and feel bloated. I can also feel bubbling in my stomach so i know there is something going on. Lets hope this new medication will help and ease the symptoms.

Wednesday update:

Again i have woken this morning with ache and pain in the right kidney and i am passing wind like there is no tomorrow. I have taken some pain killers and my medication but this takes time to work so i have to put up with the aches and pains for an hour before i start to get any relief. I have started to eat plenty of fruit and fibre and have changed my diet to make sure i get plenty of these foods every day and hopefully the bowls will calm down and i will be able to go to the toilet again normally.

I went for my x-ray yesterday afternoon. I was lucky as i turned up about an hour early but when i handed in my form she said sit and you will be called. About 10 minuets after i sat down a nurse came through and called my name and off i went. I was taken to a cubicle where i was told to take of al;l clothing on my top half and sit in the cubicle until my name was called. After another 10 minuets another nurse called my name and i went in for the x-ray. i had to stand with my back facing the camera and my chest pushed up against a plastic sheet. I was told to hold my breath and they took the x-ray. I was called back in about 5 minuets after leaving as they had not got a clear view of the bottom of the kidney so i had to stand whilst they did another x-ray and then it was all over. I was there for less than half an hour.

They have done an x-ray to ensure there is no residual infection left in the lung and they are missing it when they are examining me. i know its going to be clear as it wasn’t the lung that was causing the problem. i did try and explain this to the first doctor i saw but she was adamant that it was a lung infection even though my chest was clear, i had no cough and no breathing problems.(apart from one day where my chest tightened so much i thought i was going to die, thank god for having an oxygen tank at home). I think the chest tightened due to either an allergic reaction to something the Verapamil tablets are made of or they were just aggravating my condition and making it worst. It wasn’t until i stopped the medication it started to get better.

I have to say my luck with my health just lately is really bad. I have gone from being diagnosed with just CH (cluster headaches) and Mild Bi-Polar disorder to now include Pneumonia and Kidney problems. The pneumonia has cleared up, thankfully, but i am now left with a strong ache and sometimes sharp stabbing pains in the right kidney. I am also getting pains under the arm pit on the right side and my stomach constantly feels bloated. I am doing everything i have been told to do. Stopped any junk food or sweets and added fibre into my diet with plenty of fruit and veg. I am taking my medication religiously and following the instructions to the letter but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. In fact i feel as if its getting worst.

I was told by the doctor if i get blood in my urine so it is noticeable or even in my stool then i shouldn’t hesitate and go straight to hospital or contact my surgery and they will admit me. I am keeping an eye on everything but there is no sign of anything else apart from a lot of wind. i know wind can be painful and especially if you get colic. When wind traps around the organs and under the chest it is the most painful and uncomfortable feeling you could imagine. Now i know why they say it is so important when feeding a baby not to allow wind bubbles in there food as it will give them colic and then they will be in agony. Well for now there is not a lot more i can do except relax and wait till i get better. If it does get worst then it will be a hospital visit for me, something i don’t want and am not looking forwards to if it does happen.

Strange going on’s, what on earth is wrong with me?

My luck with my health just lately is really bad. After 2 courses of antibiotics treating me for one of the strangest infections i have ever known and forcing me to take a step backwards with regards to my CH treatment i am now back to the beginning with the same pain that i first complained about. I keep getting small stabbing pains in the area of my right kidney with a constant ache feeling like it is under pressure or about to pop. The ache only stops if i lay flat on the bed and there are no other signs of a problem.

I am now constipated and have a lot of wind so i am hoping it is the wind that is making me feel like this or something to do with the bowls as we have checked for everything else. I have been tested for kidney infection twice and even taken a second course of antibiotics just in case there was infection. The pain isn’t all the time and the feeling is strange. It sometimes spreads to the other side and the left kidney joins in with the ache but no sharp pain. It feels like when i had a kidney infection years ago and when i went to the loo my wee was almost black but this time there is nothing. I don’t get any fever unless i try walking to the shop and back and then i will suddenly break out in sweats and my temperature shoots up.

I have rung the NHS Wales Direct number and asked their advice on what i should do as what ever it is doesn’t seem to want to ease of or heal itself so they have advised me to go back to the doctors again and also attend the hospital for my X-Ray on Tuesday at 4pm. So yet again i have to make an emergency appointment with the doctor and see if we can get to the bottom of all this. If it is a kidney infection then all i know is i have to drink loads of fresh water and try and flush this out but i have tried and i don’t seem to want to go to the toilet as much as i normally do. I can still pass urine but have to force it out and i am constipated at the same time so i know there is a problem but what is causing it i am completely lost. It has driven me completely mad the last 2 weeks as it has been non stop ache and agony.

Update:

When i wake up in the morning the ache is almost gone and just a small feeling of pressure on the right hand side in the location of the kidney. As the morning progresses the feeling will slowly become stronger and stronger. If i eat anything i tend to bloat in the stomach and then the ache and stabbing pain will appear to be strong and i then start having troubles going to the toilet. If i decide to ignore the ache and continue to eat as normal i will then end up full, bloated and in absolute agony for a while until i can pass some of the wind that has built up in my stomach. Later in the morning the other side will also start to experience problems and the feeling of pressure and become aching just like the right hand side. I don’t know what is going on but it is really strange as there are no other  signs of illness apart from constipation and the aches in both kidneys (or the same area of the kidneys).

I am making another emergency appointment with the doctor again today (Tuesday)as there is definitely something going on. It has been getting worst and worst over the last couple of weeks and now its at the stage where i am constantly uncomfortable and worried about the ache and not being able to go to the toilet. I decided not to eat anything today and only drink water. to my surprise i am again bloated and getting the ache and pain in the right side very strong. I would have thought water would have been ok to drink but it seems it gives me exactly the same problem as when i eat. I am just hoping the doctor will be able to get to the bottom of the problem and tell me what on earth is going on. Fingers crossed!