Hi... My name is Casey. I have been dealing with chronic pain since i was about 13 (and i'm only 20 now). The doctors always told me its because I was growing or that I was too active (i did play soccer for 9 years) or whatever. Anyways, now that I've been settled down for a few years since I graduated high school, they've finally come to the conclusion that I have fibromyalgia.
Well, along with the fibromyalgia, I've been having recurring headaches for the last 8 months or so that have gradually gotten more intense and more frequent to the point that now, I always have this dull headache kind of "lurking" in the back of my head... and every other day or so, it will get to be a lot worse. I'm talking worse to the point of I am doing absolutely nothing... I take a few pain pills and put my little heat pack thing on the back of my neck and attempt to go to sleep/wait until I pass out.
I've also had the headaches last as long as 3 days... and within those three days varrying in the type of pain. I DONT have nausea or light sensitivity (more than normal) like you would with a migraine. I also get the sharp stabbing make-you-drop-to-your-knees headaches every now and then and trust me, they're not fun when you're driving...
So yeah, to sum it all up, I'm a youngin with a whole bunch of problems... I was to the point of spending about $300 a month on all of my Rxs and nothing was fully fixing the problem.
I was on:
Topomax (Fibro / Headache)
Lexapro (Anti Depressant)
Lyrica (Fibromyalgia)
Darvecet (Pain Pill)
Hydrocodone (Alternative Pail Pill)
Now:
Celexa (Anti Depressant)
Gabapentin (Fibro/Headaches)
Darvecet (Pain)
B12 (Fibro / Headaches)
And yeah, even though the cost of my Rxs dropped considerably, the drugs aren't really helping at all. Ive been seeing my neurologist fo about 2 months now and he seems to be genuinely concerned with whats going on with me. He's done everything he can to make sure I'm on the best medicine possible without it costing me a fortune. Last week, I had a Nerve Conductivity Test done on my arms and lower legs / feet because I was having strange sensations. In the morning when I got out of bed, as well as periodically throughout the day, I would feel as though I was stepping onto a bunch of needles. And no, I'm not talking about the tingley sensation you get when your foot falls asleep... Also, I would have the feeling of little raindrops falling on my arms, or a hair tickling it when in fact, there was nothing there...
Anyways, the NCT came back fine. They tested many different locations on my arms and legs and the response time of my nerves seemed to be fine. THEN they stuck one of those silicone filaments (Like out of a fiberoptic light) INTO my back... yes, IN it! #1- Not Cool... #2- It effing hurt! They hooked some machine up to that and I have to move my head and cough and what not to see if the nerves near my spine (about half way down my back) were responding appropriately. This test also showed that everything there was fine.
This thursday (the 26th) I have an EEG and Brain Scan scheduled. My boyfriend and I are very nervous because my doctor layed it out for me very simple in saying that "if its not in your nerves, it has to be in the OTHER place we thought it was, which is your brain." which means that if something is genuinely broken, its going to be a pain the butt to fix it... Thankfully, I have a wonderful man by my side who would give the world to make me feel better. Thank God he has been there for me and tolerated me when I've been stressed out about all this... he's made us both dinner when I hurt too much to stand up... he's taken care of me when I have a headache and even took massage classes to try and find a way to help me deal with the pain.
Anyways, any kind thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated by us both......