Posted 2/15/2013 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Holy Flippn' Cow that appointment hurt!
Ended up being a pretty long appointment. We spent about 1/2hr discussing where things stand with Duke and MCV. My PT faxed over treatment notes and he examined joints and listened to my heart and lungs. There is still a slight rub when listening to my heart so there still is some inflammation. I've been going to aqua zoomba 3x weekly. I'm the youngest by at least 20yrs :) He told me to cut back to 2x weekly for a few weeks to see if that helps with the knee inflammation-especially the rt one. It's such a fine line and it's so frustrating.
Then the fun began. He was surprised at how tight and strong the muscles were around the jaw. This is the 4th round of Botox. They just won't give. There's just so much hardware in such a small area. He did 4 injections down each side. I've had them done before, but it hurt way more this time. Not sure why. Told him he punctured my brain:) He then pushed around the sternum and up and down the rib cage. There is obvious swelling and redness. He did 6 injections is the most tender areas. I feel like a pin cushion. I drove straight home and I plan on doing nothing for a while. Little man is spending the night at my parents so I can relax. Usually we try to break up the injections, but I've been going downhill pretty fast so he did as many as I could handle today.
I go back in 3 weeks to see where we stand. That's right before I go back down to Durham. My pain dr is kinda the local middle man since many of my drs are 3hrs north or south. I can take his notes when I drive down for my infusions and appointments. He also wants to do a thoracic nerve block. This is actually one of the few procedures I've never had done. He'll also see if the Botox has helped at all. I just want to be able to speak clearly. I'm ok with normal conversations, but I can't speak loudly or for a long time. We kept the pain meds the same- Amitryptiline 100mg at bedtime, 20mg Baclofen morning and bedtime, 30mg Oxycodone every 6hrs. Unfortunately we've had little luck with ER meds. Patches worked for a bit, but my skin eventually would break out in a rash and then blisters. There's something in the adhesive. As you guys know, patches and broken skin are not a good combo. Oral ER meds are not an option. My stomach has been hit hard by the autoimmune mess. For the first time in a year and 1/2 I am tubeless:) I'm still on an extremely limited diet cause my gi tract is so slow. ER meds do not release correctly due to the lack of movement thru my stomach. The prednisone is at 50mg right now due to the heart/lung inflammation. Hopefully this will also help with pain by cutting inflammation in other areas as well.
I still feel like a piece of me is missing. Quitting teaching still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. I'm so incredibly blessed to have been awarded disability by both SS and the Virginia Retirement System within a matter of months. But, I still feel guilty and sad with each check. I want my classroom back. I want those crazy hormonal adolescents back. I just can't wrap my head around the thought that I won't be able to get it back. No matter how hard I try, no matter what meds or therapies I try, what I have is degenerative and this is as good as it will ever get.
So-today's visit was a good one. I'm so lucky to have a pain dr that not only believes me, but is actively searching for ways to make me feel better. He made me cry at the end. He told me that he was proud of me and gave me a big hug. Felt like I was a kid again-kinda funny. But it was also really sweet.
If you've had a thoracic never block-how was it. I'm sure it hurts, but I've survived face and chest injections so hopefully it won't hurt more than those. Hopefully....