The last couple of years had been bad when it comes to the amount of attacks i was getting on a daily basis. I was averaging up to 8 massive attacks in a 24 hour period and it really started to take a toll on my health. Then when i started on different medications i went from just suffering from the condition to also suffering from the side effects of the medication and although my attacks decreased i was still becoming very ill all the time and found myself getting cut off from the outside world because of my illness. I started back up fishing again as it was one of the only sports i really enjoyed as a young lad and found that it helped me to focus and keep my mind off my health even if i still had attacks whilst fishing i was able to deal with them and continue as soon as the attacks were finished. The last year my cycle seems to have returned and rather than continuing to have a high amount of attacks through the year as the warmer weather comes the attacks get less and as it gets colder they increase again.
This year my attacks have still continued but are at the lowest they have ever been despite stopping half of the medication due to having allergic reactions and bad side effects and thankfully they have been manageable with my 2 injections i am allowed each day. I have seen more pain free days in the last couple of month than i have seen in the last 10 years. I am grateful for the help of my specialist who finally diagnosed my condition back in 2012 and ever since i have been able to battle the beast on a day to day basis. The trouble with taking so much medication is that it has an effect on the body and now days my health seemed to drop rapidly and i found myself having check ups for kidney problems , heart problems and even cancer. Thankfully everything was OK and it was just side effect of medication and the result of getting a hiatus hernia and IBS which was all caused from the amount of medication i was taking.
I still suffer badly from the hernia and have major problems when eating and swallowing and my bowels still only work now and again and i suffer from extreme constipation and IBS. My sleeping is terrible and i only get a few hours each night as i am constantly woken up by the beast in the early hours with my first attack of the day, but thankfully this isn't all the time like it used to be and i have been managing quite well. I was still getting the odd attack and due to the hernia causing an imbalance in some type of acid in the body i now keep suffering from fungal infections in the mouth and have to constantly use mouth wash every day to keep it from building up. I also managed to start getting out of the flat a lot more and even managed to continue my fishing with my first big trip of the year the other week.
The hot weather seems to be helping and keeping the attacks low but for some reason all of a sudden i have difficulty walking once again. When i try to walk any distance my legs muscles really ache like mad and after a while i begin to get really strong pain in the muscles and if i try and continue walking to ignore it they turn into burning legs as though my legs are on fire. I don't get it all the time but every couple of days this happens yet i don't feel ill any other way and i don't get tired or out of breath until i have been struggling walking for quite a while. I saw my doctor about this and even she was confused as to what could be going on. We suspect it could be the small lump in my lower left back causing pressure on the sciatic nerve during my sleep and that could be causing the symptoms but again its all guess work so i now have to wait until i see my specialist once again and also for blood tests to be done.
Just when i thought things were improving and my heath was getting a little better the beast decided to return and so far i am on my fourth attack this morning. I can only assume its the low pressure we have over us at the moment as its gong to rain a little later that could have triggered it as i don't know what else it could be. I am also getting the strong shadows once again and i haven't had those for over a year. When the shadows come it means i will have constant attacks through the day and there is nothing i can do except sit and wait until each attack starts and if i use up my injections then i have to ride out all the other attacks which can last up to an hour and half each one, by the time the attacks are over all i want to do is lay down and die. Every attack i have is the same , they start in the same place and travel over the left side of the head along the same path into the neck. They eye always starts to swell and close and tears runs constantly down my face. My nose blocks on the left side and my face starts to droop like i am having the beginnings of a stroke. I am just praying this is just a pad period and it will again ease as i am planning to go fishing again tomorrow with my mother and step father and really don.t want to have to deal with these attacks all day long. Lets hope the beast is only visiting and doesn't plan on staying too long!
