At least i wasn’t woken up by a banging head again early in the morning and actually managed to lay in till around 8am. The lay in was so needed at the moment as i have been feeling like i no longer have any strength. It seemed like all my energy was gone by midday and no matter what i tried i couldn’t stop feeling tired and yawning. A couple of days in a row now i have fallen asleep around lunch time only to wake early evening and then feel like crap for the rest of the night. Then only to be woken again at 3am with a massive attack. I am wondering if this tiredness has something to do with setting of attacks.
I know for sure the cold is a main trigger and with the freezing conditions we have had i can understand why the attacks are happening. The only thing i can be grateful of is the fact that they have reduced in number compared to last year but haven’t reduced in the level of pain i get. I am now up to 300mgs of Pregabilin and on the first day at this dose. I know they are not to abort the attacks that i am getting but are being used to build up some kind of immunity that will put the attacks to sleep or into remission as the specialist explained. So i am not waiting for immediate results, it would be great if it was, but have to wait for the tablets to build up in my system and hopefully will start to get pain free days a lot more often and eventually most of the time if the tablets do their job.
The shadow i get is quite bad this morning but i am yet to have an attack even though i keep feeling it build it then just disappears. The shadow itself can be painful enough and sometimes can last the entire day with out getting an attack so its very hard to judge when one will appear. All i know is i haven’t had one yet and am praying i don't get one at all and get a pain free day as its been a while. The snow outside seems to be melting but the temperature is still freezing cold. If we get some rain it will was it all away and that will be the end of the snow. Unfortunately something inside me is telling me this is not the last of the snow and there is more on the way. I could be wrong!, I really hope i am!
Even though i haven't had an attack this morning it still feels like i have. I am getting a lot more pain in the back than i used to and keep getting shooting pains down the spine. I also seem to get a lot of pain in the lower back when i am walking. When i walked to Tesco yesterday i nearly couldn’t make it home. The pain in my back was so bad i was sweating with each step and cringing in pain. It was strange as i was carrying some shopping in one bag, witch was quite heavy, and as soon as i swapped hands the pain eased away. Strangely enough it was when i placed it into my left hand and the weight was on my left arm the pain eased away. But when i put it back into my right hand and the weight was on my right side the pain came back. So i changed back to my left immediately and the pain was gone. Now this is strange as the pain i get in my head is on the left side so you would think if the weight was in the left arm pulling down on the left shoulder i could understand the pain but it was completely the opposite and very strange. This is something i will have to take up with the specialist.
I have been told that this condition is incurable and wont get any worst than what i am getting now. However i believe i am slowly getting worst as time goes on and i will end up in real trouble if we don’t find solution soon. It seems to be effecting my walking and what i do such as carrying weighty bags in my hands when i go shopping. It has also taken its toll on my eyesight as i seem to get blurry vision when an attack is coming or when i am in pain. After an attack there are times where i can’t even walk. If i try to get up from the floor the pain in my back and head just stops me in my tracks and i just have to lay or sit there until it eases enough for me to sit on the sofa. Other times i have had to sit on the floor with my oxygen mask on as i seem to be so out of breath and strength and find it difficult to breath.
Thankfully my appointment with the specialist is soon and there are loads we have to discuss. There are answers that i need in order to put my mind at rest and hopefully help me come to terms with this condition. I have joined every support group and internet based organisations all based around dealing with CH (Cluster Headaches) and i have read so much information about the condition it is beyond belief. One thing i have learned through all this is that not everyone suffers the same way. There are so many variations of the condition i understand why it was so difficult for me to get a diagnosis. The only trouble is, it has taken so many years it may be a little late to actually do anything about them. Fingers crossed and lets hope for some good news in February
