Things are starting to look up for five minuets…

Friday 27th June 2014

Finally after having to put up with 2 days of sickness and diarrhoea my stomach has settled and stopped producing so much wind and bloating me up all the time. I am still getting some build up with the wind from the Pregabilin tablets but no where near as bas as it used to be. Also my bowels are moving normally and with the help of lactulose solution to keep water in the stool to keep them soft i am able to go to the toilet normally.

I am booked back into the day warm on Monday 30th June 2014 for a check up and  a review to see how i have been getting on. I am still getting pains  across the front of the chest and down the back but that is down to the nerve so i believe and they will take a look at that as soon as they have my head stable. I have started my new medication, Sodium Valproate 200mg twice a day and then they will build it up until the attacks stop all together. Thy may not even need to do that is he attacks don’t return as i haven’t had an attack since i started taking the medication (yet) but its only 1 day and anything can happen.

If the head does become bad again for a while i will then increase the tablets as the doctor instructs me and at the rate they tell me to do so as long as they continue to agree with my system. If they start causing side effects like the other tablets i have tried then i will just have t stop them straight away and see what is next the doctor will recommend. So far i am really happy that the tablets seem to agree with my system and don't seem to cause any problems apart from a  bit of extra sweating and some nightmares. I remember from when i started the Mirtazapine i used to get nightmares for around 2 weeks before my body became used to the drug so i think it will be the same sort of thing. The only thin that bothered me was hat the nightmares were very violent and when i woke up i felt angry and very nasty at first but then calmed when i realised i was properly awake.

My appointment with my normal GP is on the 8th July 2014 so i will be able to update her as to what is going on and how i am doing with the medication and also she will be able to take a look at the lump that has appeared a the bottom of my back on the left of my spine witch is the main cause of all my back pain. Its the point it starts from and runs right up my back into my neck. Maybe she will know what it is and advise what treatment i need in order to sort it out. I am also going to push the hospital on Monday to get the physiotherapists to pull their fingers out and get my treatment started on my neck and left side of the body as i have a bad weakness all down the left side eve since my attacks first began.

It seems like finally things are starting to happen but i keep getting acid being brought up every now and again when i am sat drinking coffee or eating i don;t know why it is and i can’t take anything for indigestion as it reacts with my new medication so i am not quite sure what to do with out asking the hospital on Monday but at least i am feeling a lot better and a lot more positive. I am even planning a Carp fishing trip shortly as long as the weather holds and will allow us to go. I can't wait.

Saturday 28th June 2014

Yet again i spoke too soon as i was again woken by the beast this morning at 3am with a massive attack hat lasted almost 2 hours and has drained the life out of me. I feel so weak after having the attack i can hardly stand and walk about. Just making myself coffee seems like a really hard task at the moment but i hope my strength returns soon. My neck feels like it has been twisted around in circles and then untwisted again and is causing me a lot of pain when i move my head from side to side so the less movement at the moment the better.

Again the attack has left me with pain going up and down my back again right t the base of the spine and deep into the neck. The pain is like a straight line being cut down the left side of my back and is very sharp at times. I know its a nerve as i have had scans and tests and they couldn’t see anything yet i can feel it clearly. When i see the specialist on Monday i will bring it up again and ask they look into the problem as it is now getting worst and worst over time. It seems like as my head gets better and the attacks become less the after effects of the attacks are now lasting longer and staying around for days instead of hours.

At least the medication hasn’t caused me any problems so far but i am on a low dose at the moment and i know they will start to increase the dose soon if the head attacks don’t stop. The only side effect i don’t like at the moment is that it gives you knight mares when you sleep and i am talking violent nightmares. So violent you even wake up with palpitations as you think you are in some sort of fight or problem and then when you realise its a dream and that you are awake, and this takes a few seconds, you then start to calm down.

If the nightmares don’t calm down after a while then maybe i will have to ask the doctor for some thing to help me stay asleep as waking up in the early hours with a bad head is bad enough i don;t want to be doing it every day due to stupid dreams causing me problems i have enough problems as it is. Thank god i have to see my own GP on the 8th July as she will be able to take a look at my back and also advice me on what i can do about my sleep and the dreams i am having.

This new medication comes with a warning leaflet stating if you have these dreams you must report them to your doctor straight away as the dreams could become a reality and you can start to become violent during the day when you are awake and i don’t want to end up like that. I was having anger problems yesterday for some reason and every time i did something stupid like spill my coffee i would get so angry with myself i just wanted to break something and had to hold it in and  bite my tongue so to speak. Lets hope it was just my depression playing up and nothing to o with the medication. We will soon find out after a week or two as its takes that amount of time for any medication to get into your system properly.

The Beast is attacking in the early hours….

Again i have been woken by the beast at 3am tis morning and it took until, one 4 am before the pain would ease enough for the injection to take hold and stop the attack in its tracks. Again after taking the injection it has made my chest tight and my breathing deep but at least it has done its job and stopped all the pain in the head. It does make you feel weird for a while and your head feels heavy but i think that's just the drug working on the nerves calming them down and stopping the pain one by one.

The attack started as soon as i opened my eyes yet again. I didn't have chance to grab the injection quick enough to stop the first part of the attack. All down the side of my face felt like it was on fire it was that painful. The pain was shooting from behind the left eye and out over the top of the left head into the back of the neck. The body just burst into a sweat as though someone has switched on a water tap. Every time i get an attack its the same thing and the amount of times i have to change my clothes each day as i end up drenched after an attack is a ridiculous.

I am hoping that's the last attack i will have today as it seems to be like hat for a while just lately. I get the first attack of the day in the early hours o the morning and then i don't get any other attacks until the next morning. Sometimes i can get them al day long but that is normally during the colder weather. The warmer weather seems to help the attacks and keep the head at ease. Lets hope the rest of the day will be a pain free day and i can get on with things.

I have t get my script from the doctors today as it should be ready. They say they only need 48 hrs. for a script to be prepared and signed so i should be able to start my new medication soon and hope that that will help with these early morning attacks. If it does then we may have found the right medication combination to get these attacks under control, but if not then its start all over again. We will have to wait and see/

Missing the summer days ……

After burning myself something silly and toasting my forearms whilst out fishing i have to say i slept like a baby for the whole of the weekend. It was the best idea to go fishing and get some fresh air in the lungs and it has seemed to have done the trick as far as my head i concerned and haven't had many attacks at al, to be honest my first attack all weekend was this mornings wake up call from the beast at 4am.

It’s a shame my back isn’t as good as the rest of me at the moment. Ok i have to take care not to set the head attacks off and tend not to go far from the flat due to fear of an attacks but with this lush summer weather all i want to do is get out and about and do lots and los of fishing. I wish the pain in the back would just stop so i could go down the lake now fishing as i would just grab all my gear and go, The trouble carp fishing is the amount of tackle you end up carrying with you and even if using a stalking method you still need t be able to carry a bit of gear and even that can be painful for me.

I really hope the doctors next week will be able to sort it out and tell me exactly what is happening and why i am getting so much pain all the time . once its sorted or at least i know what it is i can take measures to compensate for the disability and make sure i get out a lot more than i am at the moment. It feels like i am missing all this nice sun and all the fun at the lakes. Maybe i will have to invest in this giant fishing barrow specially designed for people like me who have problems with their backs or nerves and it will go over any terrain with ease but it costs nearly £160 and that’s a huge expense especially someone on benefits and sickness.

I am off over the doctor to see if my new medication is ready to pick up. I will ring them first when they pen just to make sure it is there and then i will take a casual walk over so i can get some fresh air. As long as my head will behave itself it shouldn't be too bad and being out and about is doing me the world of good. I can’t wait for my next fishing trip already and am thinking of planning a 2 or 3 day trip very soon.

Sunburnt forearms …..

Thank god i didn’t have any attacks yesterday and actually made it out fishing. I have been trying to go fishing for ages but always my head ends up playing up all the time. I have noticed that while i am fishing and relaxed i don't have no where near the amount of attacks i get when i am at home. So it must do some good for me.

Unfortunately i have burnt my forearms and they are very red and sore and have started to show blisters they are burnt than bad. I will not have to stay out of the sun for the next few days otherwise i will risk making them worst. I keep getting these small little water bubbles appear on the skin and when i run my finger over them the water runs out of them over the top of the skin. I think tis is a case for an ice pack day i think.

Well its almost time to start my new medication i have to pick it up from he doctor. I am hoping so much that it will make a difference to the attacks i get but i have had so much bad luck lately i am starting to doubt anything is going to help.I am really fed up with all the different side effects of the medication and if you take one thing you have to take another just to counteract the side effects.

Well i started my day today with an attack from the beast , it was only to be expected being sat in the sun all day fishing and not catching more than a nasty sun burn. Next time its so hot i think i will give it a miss.

Getting Ready for fishing, already an early start

My eyes opened wide  and for a few seconds i didn't know why i was awake but then the pain suddenly hit me and shot from behind the eye over top of the head into my neck and down my back. No matter how many attacks i get i can never get used to the early morning ones. You are already drained due to tiredness and then to have to put up with a full on attack is just too much to ask. Several times when i have been having early morning attacks i have passed out and come around with throbbing heads.

I managed to get into the front room and take my injection and then had to ride the pain until the injection kicked in. Because i didn’t take it straight away it seems to take longer to take effect so i put on the oxygen mask and turned it on full. Oxygen is brilliant when having a CH attack as it halves the amount of time it can last and can sometimes , on rare occasions, been able to abort the attacks all together.

My back is killing me at the moment witch is not good as i am going fishing later on today so i hope it eases off soon. With the help of paracetamol i should be able to keep the pain at bay and look forwards to my day out fishing with my mother and step father. It’s about time i got out as i have been shutting myself away a lot just lately so i am hoping the fresh air will be good for me and good for my heath and mind.

We are leaving a 9 am in the morning so i have plenty of time t prepare and make sure i take the right medication with me . You never know what can happen when you are out but i doubt anything will but always bet t be on the safe side. I am so looking forwards to fishing its driving me insane all i can think off is getting my tackle ready and try out different rigs so i will stop the blog for now and give you all an update on how i get on.

Another painful night with the back but feeling better at last–time for some fishing i think!

Another painful night with my back causing me problems an pain up and down the spine. No matter how i tried to get confortable i just couldn’t get to sleep. I must have managed a few hours as it was one o'clock when i first looked at the clock on the wall then then nest time i looked was when i woke up at 4.30am. I suppose it beats being woken up by the best for a change but i would have loved to have a lay in this morning,

Yesterday  had the meeting with the guy from the Department of Works and Pensions going through my claim making sure i am getting the right amount of money and that everything was in order. As you can imagine i started to worry wondering what on earth i had done and why they were picking on me. Thankfully he put my mind at rest and i didn't worry so much but at least t is now done and he has told me that everything is in order and there is nothing to worry about. He said all my paperwork is up to date and was impressed that i had kept every social letter since i started claiming back in 2001.

I suppose its only natural that they have to check people, especially those the long term sick as they could just be playing the system and defrauding he social so i am assuming that this is one way they are catching the cheats. I didn’t mind so much when the guy was here as he was very friendly and polite and put me right at ease. Thank god i keep all my records so no one can question my illness.

Well at least its all over now and i can get back to doing things i like. y stomach has stopped being painful and my back is still in a little pain but nothing i can’t handle. I have decided this Thursday to go fishing at my local lake at Peterstone and see if i can catch a few specimen fish. I have invited my mother and step father Brian so we should have a great day out as the weather forecast is looking good, let’s hope it stays like that and there are no last minuet changes,

Benefit Review Day

Yet again its been an early morning call from the beast resulting in me waking up at 3am this morning and then having to battle the beast for more than an hour. The pain was so strong the ringing in my ears over took any  sound including the television. I have had some had attacks but never as loud as that. I am shocked it was so loud but at least it is now gone and back to the normal level now the attack has eased off.

My neck is really bad this morning and is also making my back very painful causing shooting pains u and down the spine. No matter how much i rest or try and stay still i still get the pain and its so annoying at times i just want to scream.

Only a short blog today as i have the benefit review board coming to see me and how bad i am . Why they just can't get the information from the doctors i don’t, All the tests i have been through and the hell the doctors have put me through from different drugs has taken its toll and  suppose these people will find me fit and fine as the are aid to do so by the government. It's amazing how many disbled people i have known has los there money and they dn cae wether theycan get to the job ceer or not thier excuse is ifyou want money you wil find away, Well let me tell you one thing i wont be able to and i will go with ut fod or money if that the cas and see how a death wold look on thier records. It makes m so angy so many peple who deserve to be disbled are infact tying to find jobs and ending up iller than whenthey started know but i suppose its something i must go through, here goes… good luck