What I want to share with this blog is only you know your body and only you. If you are taking care of yourself while seeing a physician and still you are having health problems then it is time to either stand up and say “hey I need you to hear me on this or find another doctor” one who will take you seriously. The last doctor that didn’t take me seriously 30 years ago landed me in intensive care when I came down with Toxic Shock Syndrome.
He assured me that it was just the flu and I kept saying, “but it doesn’t feel like the flu, I just don’t feel right. Something is not right.” Within 24 hours a neighbor was calling 911 because I didn’t know who I was and my body had turned red and my skin was peeling off. I stayed in intensive care for several weeks. Thank God that was 30 years ago and my current doctors know when I tell them that something is not right, they listen to me.
I am now 50 yrs old and I am done with missing out on fun events- even vacations with family because I have migraines that keeps me locked in my room in the dark. How can you be a single mom if you can’t even get out of bed?
Now I have to tell you that I have great doctors that have been my doctors for over 20 years and I trust them 100 percent. However sometimes you may find yourself faced with a condition that doesn’t seem to be getting better and frustration takes over you. I have dealt with migraines for years and have tried every medication that I was allowed to try due to my other health problems- yes even the Botox regimen. Finally last July I was hit with such a series of bad migraine that I was in bed for over five days and couldn’t even stand up straight because the dizziness and sickness was so bad. Light and sound hurt me so bad that if the dog made a sigh downstairs I could hear him from my bedroom upstairs and yelled for him to stop it. Thankfully my daughter was away at her dad’s house and had no idea that anything was wrong except she face timed me from her IPOD and I couldn’t talk. She said “ Mommy why are you talking so weird?” That’s when I knew it was time to go to the ER.
I ended up going to the emergency room the next morning for the first time in many years to get a cocktail of caffeine and multiple narcotics to knock me out. But this time I felt I was done. The next day I called every one of my specialists making an appointments within the week because I was going to get to the bottom of this. I was determined that everyone was going to listen to me and something was going to change.
I wrote down all of the symptoms and what I had been doing to alleviate most of the migraines, but I knew that stress and hormones were playing a large part due to the time of the month and my cycle that I had the worst migraines like clockwork.
I met with each of my specialists and doctors the next week and I do mean everyone. My Nuerologist, my Endocrinologist, and my OBGYN. I saw no reason to meet with my general doc because my specialists should be able to get down to the problem. I left out my Cardiologist as I didn’t see that he was needed. No , I’m not a doctor but I played one one time in a college play. Ok that was a joke.
I asked each one of my doctors to please help me. Here are all the medications I have been on. These are not working, I have gained weight beyond control with my migraine medication and obviously but it has cut down my migraines so I have kept taking it. “I have no quality of life!” yes that is exactly what I told every single one. I have to tell you that first they were all worried that my weight had increased so much since I had started a new medication three months ago. I was now in a danger zone I was told by each doctor and yes something had to change.
Now this is why I write this blog. Medical professionals work under a certain set of guidelines determined by your age, medications, and health history so many medications that might work for you, they are not allowed to prescribe because the rule book so to speak says that they should not prescribe.
I had to insist and ask for my doctors to speak with the other doctors in their practice to come up with a solution for me. Obviously I didn’t fit the regular profile and I had been keeping records of what I was eating and so forth such as cutting out gluten which was working, but wasn’t the final answer.
I ended up calling the doctors offices several times the next week waiting for answers while they consulted with their fellow co workers and professionals. I was finally put on a few different medications that I was concerned about but for my age and current health it was what we had to begin with.
It has been two months and so far my life has changed. I have only had one bad migraine and it was brought on by stress and overwork. Yes I have gone to my employer and tell them that I couldn’t continue working at the speed and in all the different departments that I was currently working in, that I needed help. I have been told that Management will look into it.
I am also starting something new with essential oils. I have only been using the lavender for sleep and the peppermint for heartburn so far but they have really helped and I’m ready to get away from so many medications and go as natural as I can.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress but again after years of suffering, I finally feel like I am living again.
