Dee74
07-27-2006, 10:46 AM
This might get long again, so, I apologize in advance..
It was our 3rd wedding anniversary and we were planning out having a nice night out ALONE for dinner and maybe a movie, too :(
It started out normal enough.. wake up, neck is stiff and hurts bit (screwy discs), body feels like I've been hit by a truck in my sleep (grrr @ supposed fibromyalgia). Typical enough. Little did I know that, apparently, ONE wrong move and you're laid up for the rest of the day.
Seriously, all I did was get up from my computer chair.. that's it. I didn't pick up anything, I didn't do anything!! But, holy freakin $#!^ did my neck and upper back go into spasms. I could barely move and it was excruciating to do so.. I couldn't swallow without pain shooting down my back.. I really couldn't do anything but bawl my head off.. it was just that bad. I managed to get to the phone and call my PM/Neuro and they got me in immediately - poor hubby had to take off work to get me there. I saw my NP or PA or whatever she is and she's all "oh my gosh you're having severe spasms.. you're hard as a rock and all swollen back here". She wanted to give me a steroid pack, which, if I didn't have the HSV virus (cold sores, but I get them in my nose of all places), I would have taken in a heartbeat, but we both remembered that's a big no no unless you want an outbreak from hell.. so, that was a no go. We opted for our normal lidocaine injections (which hurt like absolute hell this time).. and I'm to check in in a few days. If all is well, then I'm still to go in for my Facet Joint injections on the 15th. She gave me 8 lidocaine inj. this time.
Now, normally, I get a bit lightheaded from the injections.. it's not a full out allergic reaction or anything, just a rather unpleasant side effect we deal with every time I get them. It lasts maybe 3-5 minutes then I'm good to go. Sometimes I have to lie down, sometimes I don't.
Yeeeeeeh, this time.. oh boy. So, I'm sitting there on the table after I get them, completely astonished that this time they actually had a fairly fast effect.. I could move my neck a bit without bawling. Woohoo!
Now, hubby is sitting nearby in the chair watching me while she's keying everything in the computer when the wooziness came. I'm like "whoa, here it comes".. and, I vaguely remember this part, but I didn't even have time to lie down before I was falling face first off the table and my hubby caught me.. I guess she runs over and they both lie me down..
I'm coming to and she's checking my blood pressure. After I'm completely conherent again, she tells me that it had dropped from my usual perfect 120-ish/70-ish down to 70/40.. So, she's extremely concerned now..
She asks me all sorts of questions about dizziness and fatigue and whatnot. I tell her that I'm always tired.. She asks whether I get dizzy or lightheaded when I stand up.. umm yeh, doesn't everyone? Apparently not to the extent that I do. It's just about everytime I stand up, too. If I'm getting up from lying down or bending over, I have to go really slow, otherwise, I'll pass out.. I've passed out a few times in my life because of it. The worst time was 6 yrs ago when I got up from the toilet and fell head first onto the side of the bathtub.. my kids, who were 3 and 7 at the time, found me and thought I was dead (nice mental picture huh?).
Hubby knows about the dizziness very well because not a day goes by that he hasn't had to, at some point in the day, stand there and hold me up until I'm completely coherent again. Then I'm fine. It's definately gotten MUCH worse since I've started all of my meds and dealing with all this crap that I have for the last few years. She asks if I have any cardiac history.. well, there's not much there, but, I have extremely mild Mitral Valve Regurgitation and have PVCs daily. No biggie. Well, lightbulb moment for her.. since I haven't gotten a full cardiac workup in the last 7 yrs, she's sending me for one. And a "tilt table test" as well for Orthostatic Hypotension. I can't tell you how ticked off this makes me! I have brought up this dizziness issues to 4 different doctors since I moved up here 6 yrs ago and every one of them have shrugged it off. Thank God for my PM docs.. geez.
Now, what all of this has to do with the lidocaine injections, I have NO clue whatsoever.. but.. yeh..
So, anyway, we go home and I'm pretty much laid up all day/night. Every time I tensed up, though, I would start spasming again, so I just laid really still and had my hubby order out for dinner.
I'm still really really stiff today, but omg, nothing like yesterday at all. As long as I don't strain or tense up much, it's definately tolerable. I'm planning on really taking it easy for the rest of the day.. which, for stubborn me, is extremely hard to do! I know now that eventually, I'm going to force myself to have surgery on my neck.. I've pretty much tried everything to avoid it (PT, injections, etc), but things are just getting worse and worse. I'm losing strength in my left arm because of the impinged nerve and the pain is getting really bad. Ugh.
So yeh.. that was my day yesterday lol
Nice anniversary, huh? :rolleyes:
It was our 3rd wedding anniversary and we were planning out having a nice night out ALONE for dinner and maybe a movie, too :(
It started out normal enough.. wake up, neck is stiff and hurts bit (screwy discs), body feels like I've been hit by a truck in my sleep (grrr @ supposed fibromyalgia). Typical enough. Little did I know that, apparently, ONE wrong move and you're laid up for the rest of the day.
Seriously, all I did was get up from my computer chair.. that's it. I didn't pick up anything, I didn't do anything!! But, holy freakin $#!^ did my neck and upper back go into spasms. I could barely move and it was excruciating to do so.. I couldn't swallow without pain shooting down my back.. I really couldn't do anything but bawl my head off.. it was just that bad. I managed to get to the phone and call my PM/Neuro and they got me in immediately - poor hubby had to take off work to get me there. I saw my NP or PA or whatever she is and she's all "oh my gosh you're having severe spasms.. you're hard as a rock and all swollen back here". She wanted to give me a steroid pack, which, if I didn't have the HSV virus (cold sores, but I get them in my nose of all places), I would have taken in a heartbeat, but we both remembered that's a big no no unless you want an outbreak from hell.. so, that was a no go. We opted for our normal lidocaine injections (which hurt like absolute hell this time).. and I'm to check in in a few days. If all is well, then I'm still to go in for my Facet Joint injections on the 15th. She gave me 8 lidocaine inj. this time.
Now, normally, I get a bit lightheaded from the injections.. it's not a full out allergic reaction or anything, just a rather unpleasant side effect we deal with every time I get them. It lasts maybe 3-5 minutes then I'm good to go. Sometimes I have to lie down, sometimes I don't.
Yeeeeeeh, this time.. oh boy. So, I'm sitting there on the table after I get them, completely astonished that this time they actually had a fairly fast effect.. I could move my neck a bit without bawling. Woohoo!
Now, hubby is sitting nearby in the chair watching me while she's keying everything in the computer when the wooziness came. I'm like "whoa, here it comes".. and, I vaguely remember this part, but I didn't even have time to lie down before I was falling face first off the table and my hubby caught me.. I guess she runs over and they both lie me down..
I'm coming to and she's checking my blood pressure. After I'm completely conherent again, she tells me that it had dropped from my usual perfect 120-ish/70-ish down to 70/40.. So, she's extremely concerned now..
She asks me all sorts of questions about dizziness and fatigue and whatnot. I tell her that I'm always tired.. She asks whether I get dizzy or lightheaded when I stand up.. umm yeh, doesn't everyone? Apparently not to the extent that I do. It's just about everytime I stand up, too. If I'm getting up from lying down or bending over, I have to go really slow, otherwise, I'll pass out.. I've passed out a few times in my life because of it. The worst time was 6 yrs ago when I got up from the toilet and fell head first onto the side of the bathtub.. my kids, who were 3 and 7 at the time, found me and thought I was dead (nice mental picture huh?).
Hubby knows about the dizziness very well because not a day goes by that he hasn't had to, at some point in the day, stand there and hold me up until I'm completely coherent again. Then I'm fine. It's definately gotten MUCH worse since I've started all of my meds and dealing with all this crap that I have for the last few years. She asks if I have any cardiac history.. well, there's not much there, but, I have extremely mild Mitral Valve Regurgitation and have PVCs daily. No biggie. Well, lightbulb moment for her.. since I haven't gotten a full cardiac workup in the last 7 yrs, she's sending me for one. And a "tilt table test" as well for Orthostatic Hypotension. I can't tell you how ticked off this makes me! I have brought up this dizziness issues to 4 different doctors since I moved up here 6 yrs ago and every one of them have shrugged it off. Thank God for my PM docs.. geez.
Now, what all of this has to do with the lidocaine injections, I have NO clue whatsoever.. but.. yeh..
So, anyway, we go home and I'm pretty much laid up all day/night. Every time I tensed up, though, I would start spasming again, so I just laid really still and had my hubby order out for dinner.
I'm still really really stiff today, but omg, nothing like yesterday at all. As long as I don't strain or tense up much, it's definately tolerable. I'm planning on really taking it easy for the rest of the day.. which, for stubborn me, is extremely hard to do! I know now that eventually, I'm going to force myself to have surgery on my neck.. I've pretty much tried everything to avoid it (PT, injections, etc), but things are just getting worse and worse. I'm losing strength in my left arm because of the impinged nerve and the pain is getting really bad. Ugh.
So yeh.. that was my day yesterday lol
Nice anniversary, huh? :rolleyes:
Sponsor
Fabrashamx
07-27-2006, 11:34 AM
Hi Dee!!! OMG you poor woman, sounds like a bad day for sure. Happy Anniversary, by the way. I'm curious, are you taking anything for the pain besides the injections? or a muscle relaxer for the spasms? I would hope you aren't allowed to suffer needlessly, or maybe you can't take anything because of your heart issues? I hope things improve for you and that your heart tests bring good news, maybe something can be done for the passing out, that sounds so scary, and if you hit your head or something, could be very very dangerous for you. Best of luck~Fabby :wave:
Dee74
07-27-2006, 12:32 PM
Thanks Fabby :)
Well, I've been on hydrocodone, baclofen, and amitriptyline for the pain for a little while now.. the dizziness/fainting started way before I started taking them, but has definately gotten worse since.
The heart issue, since it's really mild has never determined what meds I can take or anything.. at least not yet it hasn't. The only thing that it affects really is dental work.. I need to take 2000mg of an antibiotic before any dental work because of the risk of an infection going to my heart.
My NP/PA or whatever is the only person to mention anything about the dizziness and the heart issue possibly having anything at all to do with each other. Every other doc has completely brushed it off when I brought it up.. heck, I never considered that one had anything to do with the other either until yesterday.
I have to call today and make the appointment with the cardiologist after my referral goes through. I guess we'll just go from there. Like I need any more crap to deal with LOL :dizzy:
Well, I've been on hydrocodone, baclofen, and amitriptyline for the pain for a little while now.. the dizziness/fainting started way before I started taking them, but has definately gotten worse since.
The heart issue, since it's really mild has never determined what meds I can take or anything.. at least not yet it hasn't. The only thing that it affects really is dental work.. I need to take 2000mg of an antibiotic before any dental work because of the risk of an infection going to my heart.
My NP/PA or whatever is the only person to mention anything about the dizziness and the heart issue possibly having anything at all to do with each other. Every other doc has completely brushed it off when I brought it up.. heck, I never considered that one had anything to do with the other either until yesterday.
I have to call today and make the appointment with the cardiologist after my referral goes through. I guess we'll just go from there. Like I need any more crap to deal with LOL :dizzy:
ozzybug
07-27-2006, 01:33 PM
Dee-
Oh, you poor thing. I know you were looking forward to an anniversary date with your hubby. I'm so sorry that you had those problems! You know, I have found that these things tend to happen at the WORST possible times and then it leaves you feeling, not only pain, but sadness, disappointment, and even anger that you weren't able to enjoy such a special event. And don't apologize because you have every right to be upset.
Sweetie, I know this won't change things, but please do try and take a rain check for your anniversary date. You deserve a special night.
Take care, and let us know when your appointment is.
(((Hugs)))
Happy Anniversary
Lezlee
Oh, you poor thing. I know you were looking forward to an anniversary date with your hubby. I'm so sorry that you had those problems! You know, I have found that these things tend to happen at the WORST possible times and then it leaves you feeling, not only pain, but sadness, disappointment, and even anger that you weren't able to enjoy such a special event. And don't apologize because you have every right to be upset.
Sweetie, I know this won't change things, but please do try and take a rain check for your anniversary date. You deserve a special night.
Take care, and let us know when your appointment is.
(((Hugs)))
Happy Anniversary
Lezlee
Dee74
07-27-2006, 11:11 PM
Oh yeh, Lezlee, we will definately go out and celebrate some other night :D We'd just had a sitter lined up and had a big night out planned.. It was just a real bummer, ya know?
But, hey, at least we were home together though, right!?
I'm feeling even more better now than I was this morning. I've been taking it really easy today and I'm nowhere near as stiff as I was. Thank the lord, too.. I hope that never happens again. It was just insanely bad..
I did call and get my tilt table test scheduled.The earliest appointment they can get me in is Sept. 11th.. so that kind of sucks. I'm just SO happy that everyone at my PM clinic truly cares and pays attention to these things. I've heard such horror stories about these types of places, but I can't complain one bit.. I swear, they're like :angel: !
But, hey, at least we were home together though, right!?
I'm feeling even more better now than I was this morning. I've been taking it really easy today and I'm nowhere near as stiff as I was. Thank the lord, too.. I hope that never happens again. It was just insanely bad..
I did call and get my tilt table test scheduled.The earliest appointment they can get me in is Sept. 11th.. so that kind of sucks. I'm just SO happy that everyone at my PM clinic truly cares and pays attention to these things. I've heard such horror stories about these types of places, but I can't complain one bit.. I swear, they're like :angel: !