This past week I didn’t write much about me. I have been way too concerned about my friends, luckily she seems to be doing much better (blood pressure was normal this morning!!). She’s still experiencing some wicked headaches, I’m hoping those will subside soon.
I’ll update you more on her situation soon, but this post is all about ME.
Warning…the following may be considered Too Much Information for some people.
Over a week ago, I once again had a day filled with urgently running to the bathroom because of extreme diarrhea. By the end of the day I was having painful spasms in my intestines all the way through my anus, with just little bits of fecal matter coming out. I was miserable, but not as miserable as I was when I woke up with severe pain around my anus early the next morning. I’ve heard of hemorrhoids, I think I’ve even had small ones before, but this was different. I was in so much pain. I had a huge lump around the side of my anus, it was hard, and very, very painful. For three days I was in bed with ice packs between my cheeks. I had a prescription for anti-inflammatory cream because of the severe rash I had around my anus a few months before, so I treated it with that also. Unfortunately, Stuart just started his new job and couldn’t take time off to run me to the doctor, and from everything I saw on-line, there wasn’t much they could do. Yes, if it doesn’t go away they can remove it, but let’s not jump to that conclusion just yet. After a week, it’s still there, but it’s not red and extremely tender any longer. It’s not as hard. It’s gotten a little smaller, but it’s still pretty big.
I almost didn’t write about this. I was so embarrassed. I’ve written posts about my husband having to take care of my personal hygiene, and how I’ve lost control of my bladder and bowels during a Meniere’s attack, but I was embarrassed to tell about the pain and suffering I was going through because of a hemorrhoid. When you hear the commercials, or even read articles, they talk about the “itching and burning”, it really sounds like it’s no big deal. The pain I was in for about 3 days was horrible. Possibly more so because of where it was, but I never thought hemorrhoids could be so severe. A hemorrhoid is a swollen vein. That sounds rather innocuous doesn’t it? I always thought just a little rash type of thing, I’ve had little bumps form there that itched and burned, I figured they were hemorrhoids, and I still think they were. As I said, I just never knew they could get so big and painful! I made the mistake of actually looking it up in Google Images….those pictures are the worst of the worst! I soon realized what I was going through was nothing compared to what could happen.
So the next time you hear someone has hemorrhoids, don’t think it’s just a little discomfort, it can be a very major thing. I still may have to go to the doctor about mine, but I’m so relieved it doesn’t look like some of those photos. *shudder*
Next complaint…OK, I’m complaining a bit tonight. I’m not whining, NO really I’m not, I’m just annoyed and complaining a bit.
I’ve woken up with a migraine every day for over a week, and I can’t get in to see the neurologist Dr. Kaylie wants me to see until early March. I’m so sick of these headaches. The only medication that helps is Maxalt, but I’m only allowed to get 18 of those per month. This is a migraine abortive medication. You are supposed to take one at the first signs of a migraine. If I have to take 2 per day to get rid of my migraine, I’ll be out in 9 days, even if I only have to take one, I’ll run out in 18 days. What do I do for the rest of the month. The pain killers help a little, but it doesn’t do much. Dr. Kaylie asked me today, what I was calling a migraine, could I describe it. I’ve been having migraines since I was a teenager, of course I can describe it. I explain, I’ve been waking up with severe pain, normally on one side of my head, sometimes I see flittery movements that aren’t really there, but not always. I’m nauseous and sometimes throw up. I can’t stand the light….he said how about sound our smell….I told him I can’t stand any sensory input, even too much touch hurts. He thinks the new neurologist will be able to help. He and Dr. Gray work closely with her. So I’ll change neurologist, let’s just get this pain to stop! (yes, I know I’ve had a headache very day since I was 16, I don’t expect the pain to stop, but if we could keep it at maybe a 2? That’d be nice. OK, enough complaining over that.
See not too much complaining. (Just wait for the next post…I had a day at Duke Medical Center today that seemed to be one pain after another…literally.)
Picnic with Ants 
Okay, less happy to read this. I wish I could recommend something. *hug*
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😦 I’m so sorry to hear about all the pain! The hemorrhoids sound absolutely terrible. Nothing like what the commercials make them out to be.
And, ugh, I feel your pain on the migraines. I really hope you get something to effectively help soon. ((hugs!))
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Wendy, Please please, be very careful about how you are taking medication for your Migraine. It can be very bad for your head if you take triptans (Maxalt) as often as you are describing. The common recommendation is only to take 2-3 triptan days a week. Otherwise you are putting yourself at a VERY high risk of rebound headache also known as MOH (medication overuse headache).
Migraine specialists tend to recommend you only use pain/triptan medication 2-3 days a week or you could get MOH which is EXTREMELY difficult to get rid of. Trust me, I know. I Having been in teh online Migraine community for years, I know what a difficult thing this is to hear that you cannot take medication like this daily for your Migraines. Here is an excellent article on MOH http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/medications-32544-5.html I’m actually shocked you are able to get 18 pills/month. Almost every insurance company I know will only allow for 9/month.
Please please, make sure the neurologist you are referred to is a Migraine specialist–only treats Migraine and other headache disorders. It sounds like you really need to be on a preventative medication that you can take daily. Here is a great article on the difference between preventatives, abortives (triptans) and rescue medications: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/medications-29469-5.html
I know you’ve had headaches since you were 16 and I know you know a lot about yourself. But, I’m happy to help answer any questions. My heart goes out to you that you are having so many Migraines. I hope you get them treated ASAP!
Love and hugs
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Thank you Kelly,
I’m not really taking the Maxalt as much as I said I could…it was more of a hypothetical situation. I do sometimes take 2 in a day, but then wouldn’t take any for a week or more…i hoard that medication. (I wasn’t feeling well when writing the post, what I really wanted to stress was, if I did use the medication and then ended up with a horrible migraine at the end of the month I’d be S.O.L. And that aggravates me.)
My doctor has often told me I don’t take the medication as often as i should, because I’m so afraid of both MOH, rebound headaches, and running out of my medication.
About the Maxalt, for a very long time I could only get 9 per month, it’s only been the past couple…maybe 4 months that my doctor called the insurance and got it up’ed to 18…well it went from 12 to 18?? I was very surprised when the uped it too. Some months I don’t take any, other months…I’m not so lucky…or brave, and will end up taking 2-3 a week. But no more than that, as I said, I’m too afraid.
My mood stabilizer, Lamictal, is supposed to be a preventative too, but it doesn’t. I was on Topamax for a while, but it messes with my CSF pressure, so they took me off of it. That’s when they got the Maxalt up’ed. I think they simply didn’t know what else to do. It was the one drug I could take that didn’t cause ulcers, or mess up my CSF pressure.
The neurologist at Duke I’m going to see is a specialist in headache and face pain. Here’s her profile from the Duke site: http://www.dukehealth.org/physicians/heather_d_adkins
My last neurologist is very well respected, and knows a lot about migraines, but you are right, she isn’t a specialist in just migraines. So I’m Dr. Atkins will be able to do more.
(I will say, after all my dealings with Meniere’s over the past couple of years, I’m tired of having to do so much research on my conditions…but I know I need to do more research into the migraine situation. I did a while back, but things have changed. And I feel more open to accepting things now.)
I do have a hard time not take medication that I know will help, often because it hurts Stuart so much to see me in so much pain, He wants it better, here take the medication. He heard the doctor say, I didn’t take them as often as I should, but I keep telling him I don’t want rebound headaches. There’s such a thin line it seems, to getting help with the pain, and having the help cause the pain.
I will read over the links you sent. Especially, the last one, I know preventative meds, and abortive meds, but rescue meds…I’m guessing that’s like the shots I have to go get sometimes. I just haven’t heard that term.
Oh and miracles upon miracles…I didn’t have a migraine when I woke up!
thanks for the information.
wendy
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So glad you are going to see a headache specialist darling. That is too bad the Lamictal didn’t work as a preventative. LOL about being a hoarder of meds. I’m glad to hear that you don’t think you have MOH. The triptans do work better as soon as a Migraine starts, but when we have so many Migraines, it is hard to guess should I take it now or later or hoard it for later this week! I totally get it!
A note on opiods, some people do not get MOH on certain ones and it is individual to each person how that works.
So happy that you were a finalist, my friend. You deserved it. I get it about the let down–because of course we want to win!, but really, from my experience of being a judge, there were so many great people nominated, you had to be top-notch (and I mean top-notch) to be a finalist. So you should throw yourself a party! Too bad we don’t live closer! We could celebrate each other! Well, I’m celebrating you from here, my friend! *Confetti*! Keep being you because we love you just the way you are!
Love and hugs.
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Kelly, I was thrilled to see you were a finalist too! You know you are the creme of the crop!
It is hard to know when to take the Maxalt and when not to….I got through the migraine today with relaxation, heat and ice…and a bit of massaging from my hubby. I’m so glad I’m getting a massage tomorrow, she does wonders for my head…usually, not always. (good to know about the opioids. I only take the Hydrocodone when I really need it, unfortunately lately that has been often…my hips after walking all over the hospital yesterday…on top of everything else…I’ve also been having spontaneous pelvic pain, when I used to only have it during sex….I’m really sick and tired of living in pain, and know you are too. But for the most part, I can just not think about it….until I try to sleep. Pain is not conducive to a good nights sleep.
It would be wonderful to celebrate together. And I do feel very honored to have been named a finalist! Really I do!! I was having a pity party earlier today, and well….you know.
thank you for understanding. I have so many posts I need to write, to catch up on things, to pass on an award from another blogger….so much to do. So little time. : )
Do you think it would be alright if I put in the sidebar of my blog that I was a WEGO Health Awards TMI finalist…to advertise the awards and get people hyped up for next year. And to toot my own horn a little, being a finalist made me feel validated that I am doing something worth while.
love and hugs. w
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Kelly,
After reading the articles you sent, I’m pretty sure I don’t have MOH, but could get to that point with the medications I’ve been given. My migraines have only increased iike this in the past month…since the surgery. So Yes, I’ve taken more medication this past month, but the month before I didn’t even refill my Maxalt.
I worry much more about the rescue medication. I take hydrocodone (Vicoden), but I also take it for my chronic hip pain. So I’m concerned I’m getting too much of that.
It did say that a MOH’s symptoms are different than a migraine, they normally don’t have the sensitivity to light, sound, smell…ect… I have not had a severe headache without those symptoms. I know they are migraines. Like right now, it’s there, I have an ocular migraine going on right now too. I’m trying to just do relaxation and heat/ice. That often helps to get it to a level I can just deal with. Like you, I have a headache all the time, between 1 and 3. It’s when they get to a 7 or 8, I take thee meds, when it gets to a 9, I have a hard time getting it down.
But you are right I need to get on a preventative, as soon as possible. I can’t just float around here trying not to take anything and every day my head is killing me.
But at least I didn’t wake up with one….they are the headaches I’m most likely to take medication for. By the time it wakes me up it’s so bad I can’t even think straight, or walk without aid. That’s what has been going on…luckily today has been much more stable. Until recently that is. (I think watching the Health Awards on Twitter did me in, that was very hard to follow and I just wanted to scream, I won’t try that again, I gave up and just waited for the update on the Facebook Page.)
It was such an honor to be nominated. (I’ll admit I was secretly hoping to win, but am very, very happy for the winners, and if I had to lose to anyone, the other finalist in my category were amazing! They all deserved to win.)
Thanks again.
I’ll be more careful with my medication, but I don’t fulfill the requirements for MOH. I’m more like the patient in the sub “be” part…”Bunching of treatment days with long periods without medication intake”, because that’s how my headaches have been. They said this is much less likely to lead to MOH…thank goodness.
As I said, I’m only concerned about the opioid over use, since I take it for more than one treatment.
love and hugs
wendy
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I completely understand the hemorrhoid pain. Been there, done that. They can also be internal. I have both. The pain from the internals is, well, internal. But the external ones – ouch!! I don’t know what you can take, but ibuprofen or Tylenol both take the edge off for me. My doctor also told me to take a sitz (sp?) bath. He said to either sit in the tub or get a special toilet seat at the drugstore and sit in the hottest water I can stand. I can’t say I’ve ever done it, but it sounds good when I am suffering.
How cruel to throw a pain in the head together with a pain in the a$$. I hope the new neurologist can help. Sorry you have to wait so long, but hopefully it will get here quickly and be worth the wait. (What does that mean, really? Worth the wait? Is anything worth waiting for? Why? Isn’t it always better to not have to wait for anything? Lol!)
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I’ve had hemmroids for years (can also be caused by constipation, not only didiarrhea). One I had to have lanced as it big and on the outside, the other I had a hemmoridectomy (they put you under) where they put a band around the hemmoroid, and it eventually falls off or something. There are other ways to remove hemmroids. Afterwards, my doctor prescribed hydrocortison acetate suppositories 25 mg which made a difference then, and still do as I’ve got them again inside (where I usely get them and outside as well.)
As to your migraines — my health insurance would allow for more than one kind of migraine medication in one month. For example, Treximet AND frova. With Treximent, I get nine pills (you have to be able to take naproxene as its a high dose of sumatriptan (85) and 500 naproxen, the frova is 2.5 of a version of sumatriptan (right now can only get 4 pills of frova a month — used to be able to get more. I get different kinds of migraines (long story), but neither med has been helping, so I needed to go to generic dilud — not happy with that, but what can you do. My doctor as prescribed, but I haven’t tried yet, and injectable migraine med called sumavel Dosepro 6/.05 ml (also got a coupon either on line or from the dr. that keeps the copay lower. (If you’re on some sort of health insurance, check the medications’ websites, sometimes they provide coupons to reduce the co-pay as a way of competing with generic and with other providers of a similar drug.) which my drug compay paid for 2 shots per month as well as the Treximet.
I guess it all depends of what you can take, your health insurance provider and what your Dr. feels is appropriate. Maybe you should see if any of the appointments can be moved forward (or be put on a cancellation list). Could you take a taxi to the appointment, or could someone with a car take you?
Sorry to either repeat myself, or to tell you things you’ve already thought of. You’re under extra stress right now (company and your friend). I get “tension” migraines as well as overnight positional migraines (get it during the night/by morning. Which reminds me, it’s been suggested that I get one of those theraputic pillows — they can be pretty expensive though — and there all lots of kinds so I haven’t bought one yet.
Sorry you’ve had such a rough week.
Hope your friend feels better and her blood pressure stays within the normal or acceptable range.
Take good care
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I have an appointment in April to see a doctor about hemorrhoids. Hopefully the cold and flu season will be done by then as I had to reschedule from my original appointment that was earlier this month. Maybe we can do tmi posts about the experience. 🙂
I’m hoping the neurologist will help you and that having your friends staying with you helps the time go by faster until your appointment. Sending hugs!
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You poor thing! You have every right to whine a little–good grief! I hope you can find something to make you feel better soon–sooner than soon!
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Dear friend, I am sorry for the pain you are in. It can weigh on your emotional well being as well.
I am sending love and hugs your way. ♥
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bipolarmuse: Thank you my friend…I was lucky today I didn’t wake up with a migraine!! woo hoo. Last week was the week from hell, weather changes, the period from hell, and anxiety about getting house guest. I did have a migraine later today, but got through it with relaxation, heat and ice. Yay, no medication. Hopefully, I may even be asleep soon.
and yes, my emotional well being hasn’t been up to par, today was a rollercoaster, it started out bad, but ended up, thanks to my darling husband…pretty darn good *wink*.
hope your trip is fantastic. hugs. wendy
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Wendy, Oh, your poor ass! My Mother had asshole problems for years, the poor thing, she had surgery twice, sat in sitz baths, took meds for constipation….I felt so sorry for her….and now for you!
I don’t get migraines, but my sister does and I have witnessed her agony. I WANT YOU TO GET BETTER WENDY!!!!
Do I have your email address? (How would you know?) Send it to me Girlie!
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thank you Mo, I have an email address I have out in the open on my blog…set up just for this blog… apicnicwithants@gmail.com feel free to write me any time!!!
My ass is feeling better, but I have a whole new appreciation for the term…Pain in the ass!
I know more people have troubles with these things from constipation, the straining and such (you know there is a fairly large ratio of people who have heart attacks while straining on the toilet? I have an uncle who died that way…I just never would have thought!) But from diarrhea? Dang, what a mess.
But I’m happy to say, I’ve had pretty normal poo’s for over a week now!! yee hah! but I accidentally has some onion yesterday…my tummy has been distended and hurting ever since…it can take 3 days to get out of your system…I’m so glad tomorrow is day 3…but it may trigger the runs again…dang it all!
and no migraine upon waking today. I’m confident the new neurologist who is a headache specialist, will be able to help me out!
(if I feel completely better what will I write about?? hahaha)
love wendy
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Toot your own horn! Go ahead! you deserve it! 😀 Since they are going to be posting honorable mentions ect, they might have a logo for it at some point. I know wego really wants to get the word out. Being a judge gave me the opportuinitiy to talk to some higher-ups in wego. They definitley wnat to get hte word out (sorry bout the spelling errors-not well at hte moment).
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Kelly, I hope you are feeling better soon. I understand completely. I was sent an email by Wego today asking 2 questions, and it said they made a badge to put on our blogs that we were finalist, but the link didn’t go to a badge, it went to the list of finalist in my category. I’ll email them to ask about it.
thank you my dear for answering me even though you weren’t feeling well.
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