Kensr
02-06-2007, 01:09 AM
My wife had a minor stroke that caused a fall and severe head trauma, a double whammy. She had bleeding on the brain etc. This occurred over 8 weeks ago. She has had sever headaches from day one and generally wants to sleep or at least stay in bed 80% of the time because she feels so bad. She in on tramadol and depakote medicine and takes hydrocodone when the pain gets really bad. Although she has had a few good days,(pain of 2or3 on a 10 point scale). Most of the time her pain reaches 6or7 on that scale. I'm worried that she is not recovering as fast a she should be. Almost no progress lately. Big questions? Is all this normal? What could help her headaches? Are there better medicines for head pain? What could help her recover faster? PS-She is 63 and also has other health problems such as high BP and cholesterol, an anxiety condition and is taking medicine for them. I Need advice from someone that's been there. Maybe I'm looking for assurance or hope but be realistic in your reply.
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feelbad
02-06-2007, 11:52 AM
sorry to hear about your wife,that really must be tough for the both of you.i am just wondering why she is taking the depakote?this is a mood stabilizer.was there a specific reason she is on this,did they think it would possibly make her a bit more "up" with regard to her mood or is this for her anxiety?
the other meds she is taking really are not the best choices for headache type pain,is she being treated by a neurologist or a physical medicine type doc(physiatrist?).do they actually know the extent of the damage from the stroke and the brain injury sepreately or have they not determined that?is she still recieving physical therepy?when my son ended up with a brain bleed from head trauma.he was in a rehab hosp for about a month then we had to take him back there three times a week just for mostly cognative therepy,then he still was going on and off thru the rest of that year.she may need more therepy if she is not progressing at all anymore and is also feeling non motivated because of the need for sleep,depression and or pain.all of this can be pretty hard on a person and can affect many different areas of their lives.depression 'could' be playing into this,really.when i ended up with a severe spinal cord injury,my whole entire life as i knew it just ceased to exist,totally.everything is now very different for me than it once was.i suffer from intermittant severe boughts of depression due to this and the other factors i deal with,one of which is very severe pain in five seperate areas for five seperate reasons.this can really have a huge impact on any and every part of your daily life.
she really does need much better pain management than she is currently getting for those headaches.head pain is really one of the most dibilitating types of pain since it can just effect your ability to really DO anything,you know what i mean?getting some control over this part of things would most likely help with the other areas alot.has she seen a pain management type of doc at all?this would be a good place to start.i don't know what i would do without my pain clinic.they really do know and understand all types of pain.this would just be one possible option for her.but you do need to check into more therepy if they have already stopped with her.she may just not be feeling really motivated in her current state at all.and i can totally understand that.her meds really do need some adjustment to ones ment just to try and control head pain,the hydro is really inadequte for her level of pain.
what this all boils down to is when you feel better,you DO better.right now,she is probably not feeling all that great and this is part of the problem in and of itself.she just needs a full eval again to try and determine a new course of action since the current one is obviously not working for her.perhaps a new set of docs would give a much better perspective?i wish you both lots of luck with this and do hope she can find new methods of relief.please let me know how things are going.Marcia
the other meds she is taking really are not the best choices for headache type pain,is she being treated by a neurologist or a physical medicine type doc(physiatrist?).do they actually know the extent of the damage from the stroke and the brain injury sepreately or have they not determined that?is she still recieving physical therepy?when my son ended up with a brain bleed from head trauma.he was in a rehab hosp for about a month then we had to take him back there three times a week just for mostly cognative therepy,then he still was going on and off thru the rest of that year.she may need more therepy if she is not progressing at all anymore and is also feeling non motivated because of the need for sleep,depression and or pain.all of this can be pretty hard on a person and can affect many different areas of their lives.depression 'could' be playing into this,really.when i ended up with a severe spinal cord injury,my whole entire life as i knew it just ceased to exist,totally.everything is now very different for me than it once was.i suffer from intermittant severe boughts of depression due to this and the other factors i deal with,one of which is very severe pain in five seperate areas for five seperate reasons.this can really have a huge impact on any and every part of your daily life.
she really does need much better pain management than she is currently getting for those headaches.head pain is really one of the most dibilitating types of pain since it can just effect your ability to really DO anything,you know what i mean?getting some control over this part of things would most likely help with the other areas alot.has she seen a pain management type of doc at all?this would be a good place to start.i don't know what i would do without my pain clinic.they really do know and understand all types of pain.this would just be one possible option for her.but you do need to check into more therepy if they have already stopped with her.she may just not be feeling really motivated in her current state at all.and i can totally understand that.her meds really do need some adjustment to ones ment just to try and control head pain,the hydro is really inadequte for her level of pain.
what this all boils down to is when you feel better,you DO better.right now,she is probably not feeling all that great and this is part of the problem in and of itself.she just needs a full eval again to try and determine a new course of action since the current one is obviously not working for her.perhaps a new set of docs would give a much better perspective?i wish you both lots of luck with this and do hope she can find new methods of relief.please let me know how things are going.Marcia
Budweiser
02-06-2007, 08:19 PM
[QUOTE=Kensr;2783300] This occurred over 8 weeks ago.QUOTE]
I'm sorry about what happened.
Almost 2 years ago, I had a head-on car accident at the age of 34. I had a head injury and about 4 hours later I stroked (bilateral dissection). I had really bad head aches for about 3-4 months but they got better. I still get than now when I do too much (over tired). The head ache shows I still have a head injury (permanent). I only take asprins when I need it.
(sorry about my writing, my stroke is in the speech/language area).
I hope that helps in any way.
I'm sorry about what happened.
Almost 2 years ago, I had a head-on car accident at the age of 34. I had a head injury and about 4 hours later I stroked (bilateral dissection). I had really bad head aches for about 3-4 months but they got better. I still get than now when I do too much (over tired). The head ache shows I still have a head injury (permanent). I only take asprins when I need it.
(sorry about my writing, my stroke is in the speech/language area).
I hope that helps in any way.
Kensr
02-07-2007, 12:50 AM
Thanks for your reply. I can tell you have experienced some of the trials and frustrations that we have. My wife has had neurologist both at the emergency room and private practices attending to her needs. She is in the care of a regular physician and a psychiatrist and all are aware of what each other is doing, but she still has the problems I mentioned in my first post. She has completed two weeks of occupational therapy and did very good. She has had many, many tests run. The brain scans showed she had a mild stroke but she really does not show typical stoke injury, ie, cognitive, speech, paralysis, etc. This is the good news. However, the scans did show bleeding on the brain and a fractured skull. She was put on depacode medicine for seizure purposes. Although she had not shown signs of seizure her neurologist wants her to continue the medicine although we have cut the dose in half. I talked to her neurologist today and he wants to do another ct scan and prescribed oxycodone w/acetaminophen for pain. He also wants to get her into a clinical test for Botox as a pain reliever. I have some concern about this because she may be in the control group and may not get any medicine. Does anyone have any advice on this issue? I may seek a pain clinic instead. Marcia, thanks for your knowledgeable reply. I know you truly have dealt with pain and know what we are going through. Bless you. Also thanks to Budwiser for your comments. Ken
Kensr
02-08-2007, 11:51 PM
Since Marcia and Budwiser replied, the new medicine my wifes neurologist precribed, oxycodone has helped relieve some of the headache pain. He also prescribed gabapentin (neurontin) to replace depakote for seizure. The very first oxycodone pill did an execellent job of pain relief. I only hope it continues to help. I hope addiction does not become a problem, but right now we welcome the pain relief. This medicine seems to be a upper for her also, making her seem to be in better spirits.
Her hands shake badly especially in the mornings and she explains that her insides feel the same. She takes xanax and effexor for anxiety and depression but struggles with being nerveous every day. She has been so down and seeing this has taken a toll on me also. I want so much for her to improve. Another problem she has is leg pain in her lower calf, mainly left leg but tonight in both legs. I have noticed a trend that when the head pain goes down, the leg pain seems to replace it. She is on zetia and pravastatin for choloestrol. I wonder if they could produce the leg pain. She is on so many medicines and feels so poorly, I sometimes think about encouraging her to stop most of the meds and see if things improves. I realize this is this might not be smart but we are so flustrated with her low quality of life especially after the stroke and head trauma that we are getting desperate. Kensr
Her hands shake badly especially in the mornings and she explains that her insides feel the same. She takes xanax and effexor for anxiety and depression but struggles with being nerveous every day. She has been so down and seeing this has taken a toll on me also. I want so much for her to improve. Another problem she has is leg pain in her lower calf, mainly left leg but tonight in both legs. I have noticed a trend that when the head pain goes down, the leg pain seems to replace it. She is on zetia and pravastatin for choloestrol. I wonder if they could produce the leg pain. She is on so many medicines and feels so poorly, I sometimes think about encouraging her to stop most of the meds and see if things improves. I realize this is this might not be smart but we are so flustrated with her low quality of life especially after the stroke and head trauma that we are getting desperate. Kensr
Kensr
02-11-2007, 10:53 PM
from Kensr
Only four days after the first pill, the oxycodone "miracle medicine" seems to have lost is effectiveness and my wife's headache returned with a vengeance last night and today. Is this the way with stroke/head trauma recovery or what? Someone with experience please respond. Any advice would be appreciated.
Only four days after the first pill, the oxycodone "miracle medicine" seems to have lost is effectiveness and my wife's headache returned with a vengeance last night and today. Is this the way with stroke/head trauma recovery or what? Someone with experience please respond. Any advice would be appreciated.
Budweiser
02-12-2007, 01:51 PM
Hi Ken
Are you happy with your doctors? or do you think you may need a second opinion? Some pychologists can look after medicine for pain. I know it's harder when you've had a stroke and a head injury together. The only thing for me is that my headaches gave away after 4 months (only had asprine 81). I only get headaches about once a month or get a headache if I do too much. I had a head injury (head-on car accident) following with a moderate/major stroke.
Are you happy with your doctors? or do you think you may need a second opinion? Some pychologists can look after medicine for pain. I know it's harder when you've had a stroke and a head injury together. The only thing for me is that my headaches gave away after 4 months (only had asprine 81). I only get headaches about once a month or get a headache if I do too much. I had a head injury (head-on car accident) following with a moderate/major stroke.
Kensr
02-13-2007, 12:39 AM
hello Bud,
Her doctors seem ok. I will trust them a little while longer before trying a different approach. Sounds like you have had quite an ordeal. You probable know the kind of pain we deal with. I'm surprised you only treat them with aspirin. During your recovery did you get very tired easily? Did you sleep a lot? Did you lose weight? Did you get nervous when you got tired? Seems she has these problems. She still has a terrible headache tonight. Her doctor is running another ct scan tomorrow. Hope it turns out ok. He has warned that headaches may occur for some time. He said that we can try other pain killers but don't know what he will prescribe.
Her doctors seem ok. I will trust them a little while longer before trying a different approach. Sounds like you have had quite an ordeal. You probable know the kind of pain we deal with. I'm surprised you only treat them with aspirin. During your recovery did you get very tired easily? Did you sleep a lot? Did you lose weight? Did you get nervous when you got tired? Seems she has these problems. She still has a terrible headache tonight. Her doctor is running another ct scan tomorrow. Hope it turns out ok. He has warned that headaches may occur for some time. He said that we can try other pain killers but don't know what he will prescribe.
Budweiser
02-13-2007, 10:07 AM
hello Bud,
Her doctors seem ok. I will trust them a little while longer before trying a different approach. Sounds like you have had quite an ordeal. You probable know the kind of pain we deal with. I'm surprised you only treat them with aspirin. During your recovery did you get very tired easily? Did you sleep a lot? Did you lose weight? Did you get nervous when you got tired? Seems she has these problems. She still has a terrible headache tonight. Her doctor is running another ct scan tomorrow. Hope it turns out ok. He has warned that headaches may occur for some time. He said that we can try other pain killers but don't know what he will prescribe.
Hey Ken
That's good that you like/trust your doctors.
As for the pain, each person gets it different. I just laid down alot. My age (34 at that time) and my history on another serious accident I got used to it. They told me it could take 3-4 months for the headaches. I had 2 other medicines but I can't remember what they were (anti-sesure sp etc..).
As for the weight, I did lose some weight. Over a stroke, alot of people either go up or down with weight. As for being tierd, I just took it easy. When you live over that, you stop and smell the roses now. You will (or your wife), have to learn how/when you get tierd. I get tierd when I talk to much or deal with people (stroke in my speech/language). If you get tierd, take it easy. It does more harm then not if you do too much. If you do too much and get a headache, it shows you have had a head injury. I'm near two years now and my progress has really slowed down fast.
You said your wife is 8 weeks after the accident? That is still early on her progress. Maybe take a log of all the problems she has,
ie: time of headaches/how bad
time of naps/lay down
Take it easy and take it one day at a time
Her doctors seem ok. I will trust them a little while longer before trying a different approach. Sounds like you have had quite an ordeal. You probable know the kind of pain we deal with. I'm surprised you only treat them with aspirin. During your recovery did you get very tired easily? Did you sleep a lot? Did you lose weight? Did you get nervous when you got tired? Seems she has these problems. She still has a terrible headache tonight. Her doctor is running another ct scan tomorrow. Hope it turns out ok. He has warned that headaches may occur for some time. He said that we can try other pain killers but don't know what he will prescribe.
Hey Ken
That's good that you like/trust your doctors.
As for the pain, each person gets it different. I just laid down alot. My age (34 at that time) and my history on another serious accident I got used to it. They told me it could take 3-4 months for the headaches. I had 2 other medicines but I can't remember what they were (anti-sesure sp etc..).
As for the weight, I did lose some weight. Over a stroke, alot of people either go up or down with weight. As for being tierd, I just took it easy. When you live over that, you stop and smell the roses now. You will (or your wife), have to learn how/when you get tierd. I get tierd when I talk to much or deal with people (stroke in my speech/language). If you get tierd, take it easy. It does more harm then not if you do too much. If you do too much and get a headache, it shows you have had a head injury. I'm near two years now and my progress has really slowed down fast.
You said your wife is 8 weeks after the accident? That is still early on her progress. Maybe take a log of all the problems she has,
ie: time of headaches/how bad
time of naps/lay down
Take it easy and take it one day at a time
Kensr
02-14-2007, 09:19 PM
Bud,
Thanks for the useful infomation. It gives us a feel for what is normal and what to expect. One thing we did yesterday is increase her oxycodone medicine and it has done a great job last night and today. We will continue that approach as long as it works. Hope it continues to work. I will post the results of her ct scan when I get it and will update her headache and general progress as we move along. Ken
Thanks for the useful infomation. It gives us a feel for what is normal and what to expect. One thing we did yesterday is increase her oxycodone medicine and it has done a great job last night and today. We will continue that approach as long as it works. Hope it continues to work. I will post the results of her ct scan when I get it and will update her headache and general progress as we move along. Ken
Kensr
02-15-2007, 10:30 PM
Bud,
The results of her ct scan was good. Also headache is controlled as long as she takes the oxycontin every four hours or so. The doctor said that is too much because of the addiction factor and to take a 5mg pill only when absolutely needed, so we will back off the medication some. The doctor also said that he will refer my wife to a pain management specialist. I think he(neurologist) is ready to turn her lose. He must feel like a specialist in pain management can help her more.
Ken
The results of her ct scan was good. Also headache is controlled as long as she takes the oxycontin every four hours or so. The doctor said that is too much because of the addiction factor and to take a 5mg pill only when absolutely needed, so we will back off the medication some. The doctor also said that he will refer my wife to a pain management specialist. I think he(neurologist) is ready to turn her lose. He must feel like a specialist in pain management can help her more.
Ken
Budweiser
02-16-2007, 02:22 PM
Hey Ken
Good Luck with the pain management. Let us know how things go with that and make a log.
:)
Good Luck with the pain management. Let us know how things go with that and make a log.
:)
Kensr
03-07-2007, 07:10 PM
Hey Ken
Good Luck with the pain management. Let us know how things go with that and make a log.
:)
Well, its been almost a month since my last post. My wife decided against going to the pain management doctor because it was probably going to involve narcotics and after Oxycodone she did not want to deal with narcotics if she could avoid it. Her pychologists put her on a different medicine called clousapam which seems to help her headaches as well as her tremors and she sleeps better. She is now on an anti-seizure medicine called gabapentin which also helps her pain and anxiety..She still has headaches but they seem to be manageable. However she is very unstable and dizzy at times. I think it is due to the medication but we will deal with that.
Good Luck with the pain management. Let us know how things go with that and make a log.
:)
Well, its been almost a month since my last post. My wife decided against going to the pain management doctor because it was probably going to involve narcotics and after Oxycodone she did not want to deal with narcotics if she could avoid it. Her pychologists put her on a different medicine called clousapam which seems to help her headaches as well as her tremors and she sleeps better. She is now on an anti-seizure medicine called gabapentin which also helps her pain and anxiety..She still has headaches but they seem to be manageable. However she is very unstable and dizzy at times. I think it is due to the medication but we will deal with that.
Budweiser
04-10-2007, 01:17 PM
Hi Ken
How are things going? How is your wife doing?
How are things going? How is your wife doing?
Kensr
04-11-2007, 10:37 PM
Hi Ken
How are things going? How is your wife doing?
How are things going? How is your wife doing?
Kensr
04-11-2007, 11:12 PM
Another month has passed (four since my wife's stroke), and she is still having bad headaches approximately 75% of the time. She has low pain in the morning and it builds as the day goes on. She is still very unstable and losses her balance. She doesn't feel well so she sleeps a lot and is not active. She just saw her neurologist and he approved her coming off her gabapentin (neurotin). It's caused her to gain 20 lbs in one month. Boy what an appetite. He did approve advil if she wants to take it for headache. Her psycharist put her on clausipam (konoplin) and this has helped her tremors greatly. I feel like she is at a platue and not making much progress now. We both are flusterated but the neurologist said this is pretty much normal for her type brain trama and it may be a while before her headaches decrease.
Budweiser
04-11-2007, 11:22 PM
I'm sorry to hear. Keep strong.
It's hard when you've had both a head injury and a stroke. It's hard to see which is causing the major problem. Has your wife look into some kind of a stroke group/head injury group near you?
keep in touch
It's hard when you've had both a head injury and a stroke. It's hard to see which is causing the major problem. Has your wife look into some kind of a stroke group/head injury group near you?
keep in touch
Kensr
04-22-2007, 11:42 PM
Group therapy is a good idea and we may reconsider pain management specialist if things don't improve soon. Thanks for you interest Budweiser. I hope you are doing well and making progress.