Well it really does sum up my year really. After boasting in
my past couple of posts about not having sinus infections and being on less
pain medication, the poop has hit the fan again. I started to develop a really
weird headache in the front corner of my skull. I did not really think much of
it as I have been under some stress since returning from holiday where mum had
badly broken her ankle. We have been spending more time at the accident and
emergency room than at home the past few weeks. Mum had suspected blood clots
and was getting a huge amount of pain in her whole ankle and calf muscle.
When the hospital took the plaster off to investigate the
clots, they were not happy with the ankle and its positioning. They decided to
re-break and manipulate the ankle whilst my mum was still awake. It was one of
the most horrific things I have seen. It really upset me to see my mum in pain
like that and me not being able to do anything to help her. She was really
brave and managed to get through it without swearing. Anyone who has met my mum
knows she is not a stranger to colourful language lol .
Because we were in urgent care we were also seeing all the
trauma patients being brought through and one woman was crying and losing her
baby in the room opposite. Despite the horrific scenes I saw, it was really
comforting and reassuring to see that humanity is still alive. Everybody in
critical care was joining together and supporting one another. Social barriers
are lowered in favour of care and support for the people around us. All of the
patients and staff were wonderful and very kind.
I got home after spending 2 days in A&E mortified and
drained. I had been pulling mum around in a wheelchair for half of it and I had
spent another 48 hours holding my fat head on my neck. The muscles had just
gone into a wild spasm and there was nothing I could do to ease the pain in my
face or neck. I resorted to lying on the sofa with heat packs in between caring
for mum. Again I have no idea why my muscles behave like this.
So I started to develop this headache in the top right of my
skull and I noticed the insides of my ears were really hurting. Anybody who had
TMD/TMJ will know that this is a normal symptom of this disorder. As the days
went on I started to develop nerve pain down the side of my face and the pressure
started to build again. I was in a panic and called the doctor. I was praying
this was not the start of more infections or worse it was the start of atypical
nerve pain again. I spoke with my doctor and they advised that I try some
antibiotics to treat a sinus infection. I was given a week’s course of
doxycycline and told to call back if the symptoms got any worse. After a week
some of the pressure had decreased but I still had pain on the left side of my
face. This is the side I had my original constant trigeminal pain from years
ago. I called my doctor and he prescribed another 2 weeks of antibiotics.
Fingers crossed this will help. If I start getting infections again I might
have to undergo more surgery. But we will cross that bridge if it comes to it.
In the meantime, I have been using a salt sinus rinse and Karvol
inhalations to see if that will ease some of the pain. The issue I have when I have
infections is that I never have a runny nose. It seems the bacteria grows but cannot
find a way out of my body.
On an even more annoying note I had to rearrange my
appointment at King’s Pain Clinic with Mr Poate because I did not have anyone
to come with me. I do not travel alone on public transport since I was attacked
at the age of 17. I did have high hopes of going on the train by myself but the
night before I was just in a mess. I was crying, shaking and really stressed
out. By the time the morning came my muscles were rigid and my anxiety levels
were through the roof. Hence this is why I have to wait another 3 months before
my next appointment.
Mum could see I was really struggling and upset so she made
me an appointment to visit the doctors last Thursday. The doctor was new so I had
to explain the whole story to her from the beginning and a 15 minute
appointment ended up lasting 1 hour. I do apologise to the people who were
behind me. My previous physiotherapist’s and my massage lady Christine, have
all expressed concerns about my neck and back. I have developed two lumps at
the back of my head and any exercise I do flares up the muscles in my face and
neck. They have all mentioned that I might have a slight curve in my spine or
possibly my one of my hips is higher than the other. The doctor checked me
over. We discussed the numbness I have down the right side of my chest and arm
since orthognathic surgery and the vertebrae that is slightly sticking out in
my neck. The doctor decided to have my bloods checked and send me to the
hospital for a back x-ray. She has also re-prescribed me amitriptyline to cope
with the pain and to help me sleep. I do not remember the last time I had a
nice night’s sleep, so if the pills can help with that I would be very happy.
I really do not like taking pills. But the pain would not
allow me to function on a day to day basis or in fact do something as simple as
write this blog. I have tried acupuncture, I also visited an osteopath, I tried
aromatherapy, massages, meditation, herbs and supplements. I recently re-read
one of my favourite books “Wild Love” by Gill Edwards and I read a chapter on
energy psychology. I am a great believer in the human body’s ability to heal
itself and this type of holistic area really resonated with me. I went on to
amazon and purchased a text book and a dvd on energy psychology for £3 each. Once
I have tested this treatment I will definitely be writing a blog review for you
all.
On a positive note I do have some good news. YAY! I have
recently completed the website for my new business project SG Virtual Office.
This is a service which provides remote PA, admin and secretarial services for
sole traders and small businesses. I have over 8 years of experience in the field
of administration and HR. I thought that this would be a perfect start up
business for me to pursue whilst I am still recovering and undergoing
treatment. I am really excited about this new venture and I hope that this will
also aid in the growth and promotion of the Jaw & Face charity.
Check out the website and let me know what you think: www.sg-virtual-office.co.uk
Anyway I think I have rambled on enough for today. I hope
you are all well. To those who I have neglected over the past few weeks, I hope
this blog explains my distance and silence. Furthermore, I would like to give a huge thank
you to everybody who has purchased my charity booklet “What They Don’t Tell YouAbout Orthognathic Surgery!” Your feedback on the product has been so great and
I am pleased to put the money towards creating the Jaw & Face Charity for
facial deformity and facial pain disorders.
Look out for my osteopath vs facial pain blog coming soon!
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