another spinal tap...

Hi again everybody! Hope this finds you all doing well! Ok, soo my story continues...the neurologist "doesn't understand why my head still hurts" and wants to put me on neurontin...I kindly said, not yet... I explained that 1 1/2 week after I quit topamax I had no more full body tremor/severe muscle spasms and I was very happy about that. I also explained that I had to have my primary Dr. Switch my daily paxil to effexor because I still was having head/neck tremors, anxiety,nausea,sweating within 2 hrs of my dose...and a week after it was stopped all those were gone. His thought was that I had , " no problems" with the meds and all those and my present symptoms are ALL anxiety...I'm pissed to say the least! I am a nurse,single mother who works full time and takes care of my baby girl-i do my house/my car maint, built her a tree house last fall...I sleep ok (due to fibro). I eat, like a nurse. I don't smoke/drink/drugs...I take the effexor, because I realize there is a lot of stress that goes with above, I even talk to a counselor once a month to make sure I evaluate/handle things the easiest way. I also told him,"fine if it's anxiety-what do we do now...they stopped after the meds were gone.." His response was, "I don't know". I still have severe burning back of the neck around the head into my eyes/ears pain/pressure when upright. Severe nausea when upright and blurred vision when upright all noted if up for more than 1 hour...he sent me to neurosurgeon. Who then said, "why are you here?" Lol! Howevever, he seems much more patient/intelligent than the neuro dr. - he is not ruling out the spinal leak and is repeating a spinal tap(he does them himself)- to check opening/closing pressures, etc...he's as confused as I am, but not discounting my present symptoms. I'm as confused as they all are...I just want to go back to my job, if I have one..get my kid off to school, come home fix supper...but, instead here I lay..I've applied for food stamps/cash assit/medical card/ ssi disability pay...I've talked to all my lienholders,done all the cross my t's,dot my I"s I can think of. I've tried to push my upright time and feel horrible and guaranteed to throw up if I do. Pushed fluids....any other suggestions? The neurosurgeon thinks my C5-C6 bulge is minor and requires no surgery, my arms remain slightly numb, but not painful. The epidural steroid injection worked wonderful, but can't shake the last symptoms yet. I'll be honest-i wasn't depressed/anxious to start with ( a month ago) but as I continue to be limited to flat rest for a month now, I am...I want an answer and a cure!! I absolutely refuse to be like this the rest of my life! If it comes down to taking more meds, I will-but not until after the lumbar puncture first. And..I will only add one med a week at a time at the lowest dose! I do not want those tremors back, they hurt!! (And they scared me a few times, I was unresponsive to verbal/physical stimuli), just shaking and couldn't talk/move my eyes-nothing (and no, not seizures...according to EEG. I'll keep you all posted-thanks again for listening! Amy

Hi Hemil, thanks for the reply. I don't know what to do about the neck thing, the pain management dr doesn't want to do another block for 1 month after the first one...however; the neurosurgeon was really confused was when I told him the local medication from the cervical block completely took my pain away. Sooo, I am hoping when/if the lumbar puncture shows something that he orders a myelogram or cisternogram to find a leak or block of the cervical area. If, it shows something, then..heehee I can get my neck fixed. I really do not want to take a new job with a 8-12 week recovery from a surgery in the future. Sigh, so I'm hoping/praying it all goes smoothly from friday! This doctor seems to really care and doesn't think I'm just crazy at this point at least! Lol! I'll keep you posted! Hope this finds you doing better! Amy jo