Neuropathic Pain

Hopping Legs & Hives??

I have gotten through the week without any pain meds or muscle relaxers so far. Each day I drive into work the leg pain increases.  Today I carried a few trays of veggies and fruit for the office Christmas party from my car into the office, and then took a couple of the empty (but heavy) trays back home tonight.  I don't know if I am just having trouble tonight because it is cumulative pain, or the weight of the tray (which might have been between five and ten pounds heavy) was enough extra to push me over the edge.

Last night I spent the night tossing and turning with my legs cramping and pulling.  I had nightmares about trying to climb stairs or deciding to take an elevator, and then sitting in a doctor's waiting room swinging my legs while I sit in office chairs too high off the floor for me.

I have jiggling, cramping, burning, tinging, numb, and malfunctioning legs tonight.  As the pain increases my nausea has been increasing also. The bottoms of my feet and the arches are cramping and on fire.  I feel like hot needles about six inches long are being stuck in my heels.

It's now almost 1 AM and I have been trying to outlast this since about 9:30 PM.  I think I am going to have to break into my medication.  I have had only a few hours sleep since Saturday because of the pain.  My PCP says not sleeping makes the pain worse, so I am sure that is a contributing factor.  

My knees for some reason are burning and itching too, they actually feel hot to the touch, as do the palms of my hands.  Sometimes I feel this way before I start getting hives or angioedema.  But I have been a good girl all day, and have not eaten any mammalian meats even though I was sorely tempted by something called "Settler's Beans" a gentleman at work brings every year.  It has ground beef and bacon in it so I resisted, but it was very hard to do.

I can feel hives popping out on my face so I guess I must be having an allergic reaction or mast cell degranulation.  Sometimes if I let pain get out of control I will just start hiving all over.  I think my body just doesn't like pain very much.  I think it just needs to get used to the new "normal" and move on!!!  No more drama!!!  According to what I have read about mast cell activation disorders trauma can start mast cell degranulation.  Just what I don't need tonight.

On the plus side I finished a programming task for a client today even with my brain full of cobwebs.  I felt like I actually accomplished something!  Just trying to make it until tomorrow.

I'm not feeling too well right now, as my face is starting to swell up a bit.  Maybe that is why I am having nausea and stomach pain.  Going to medicate with antihistamines as I am feeling more than a little light headed.  Just what I don't need right now. Hrmph!

Traveling Again

On the road tomorrow, getting all my stuff together today.  Going to be a looooong week.  Sigh.  Extremely tired, but I got done today what needed to be done, so it's a good kind of tired.

Hoping for happy clients and pain free days ahead, but I know at least I can make the clients happy for a while!!  Hoping you all have a pain free week and are energized by the weekend!

Over-Radiation Validation?

The Hospital Has Responded (sort of)

When I got home from traveling this week for work, there was a letter waiting for me from my radiation oncologist.  This is in response to my email asking them to check to see if I could have had been administered too much radiation.  I was courteous but firm in my email fully expecting the same "there is no possible way you could have these problems from radiation therapy" or "I would never prescribe radiation therapy to anyone if it caused problems like you SAY you are having" response that has been my experience from these physicians in the past.  I was surprised.

The gist of the letter states that reactions like mine to radiation therapy are rare (I'll give them that) and according to what was "prescribed" [notice they did not say administered or delivered] I should not have had these problems.  However, they are sending my records to the independent physicists consulting group that is working its way through their files for a full review, both of the external beam therapy and the internal high dose rate brachytherapy.  They ask for patience as a full review will take some time.  I wish they had taken a little more time when they figured my dosage 6 years ago, but I will try to be patient.  It's not like more time is going to make any difference other than me getting slowly worse.  I am glad for the independent review, and hope it will shed some light on my physical issues from therapy.  My luck is that it won't..

I am extremely tired and exhausted.  The Headache is not happy, The Belly is not happy, and I'm not able to do very much.  I have had a very very very very long week at the clients'.  Our clients are very good people, but the chaos of a computer conversion disrupts their normal work flow and creates havoc.  I am excellent dealing with this, but then our clients want me to stay and stay and stay and help, and there is only so much I can do as an outside vendor to solve their problems. 

Maybe I just need to start my own problem solving business.  Hmmm, guess I should start on mine first.  Bummer.

So Far So Good

Another Day in Headache Land

I think The Headache is trying to foil my plans this week. Despite changes to stimulator settings, and much ice on the noggin (I even took my ice bag with me to work today) I would just call today a semi success. Yes, I managed to work 8 hours today, but just barely. By the end of the day I turned off the lights in my office and was having a hard time concentrating on anything.

We had a meeting on some QA testing I had been doing, and that went well - at least I think I was coherent! The kids that have been working on the new product have been doing a fantastic job. A definite drawback is that healthcare is a funny industry, and there is no where you can really get the business background other than working in healthcare, so they had a few misses but mostly they were hitting the balls out of the ballpark. Their product looks great, is fast, and just a tad bit too mouse driven for me, but probably great for the majority of users. I got some keyboard tips from them so I can try the screens with keyboard shortcuts to see if I can get faster yet.

Called Anthem about the non-network payment. At first the rep suggested I get Cleveland Clinic to resubmit the bill. I suggested they check their own paperwork, since all other claims paid as in network. The rep then tried to say they used the wrong NPI number. I suggested again that someone at their location had processed the claim incorrectly. The rep then said hang onto the check, we will want our money back, I'll give this to an adjuster. The last time I had that happen was not good. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY at Anthem did what they were supposed to do until I raised the roof. I realize they are constantly reorganizing and revamping things, but hopefully not at the expense of doing daily business accurately and completely. I've worked in the industry so I have some notion of what goes round and round on their carousel of claims. I don't know how consumers ever know that something was done incorrectly when you have to fight to get an answer for anything.

I'm pretty tired this evening. Haven't taken any medication yet, as The Belly decided to start throwing a fit today because I fed it some fast food. I know better, but The Headache was making me feel pretty lousy and I didn't feel like packing a lunch. That's what I get for being lazy! I have jumpy legs this evening which tells me I'm probably in more pain even than I realize.

Tomorrow is Friday, and if I can get eight hours of work in it I will have more than met my goal for the week. Going to put my brain to rest, and medicate The Headache and The Belly. No more fast food for a while! I have set a second goal for myself: canning some green tomato pickles this weekend. I hope I have the brain power!

Tired of Being Tired

Ready for A New Day

Have been reaaaally sick the last few days, bad enough I made a trip to the ER about 4 in the morning early Monday. I'm left feeling very tired.

This will be the fourth round of antibiotics I have had in the past month and a half. I'm running out of antibiotics to take, and I am very very very tired (oh, did I mention I'm tired?). It's the kind of tired that sleep does not help. On the up side The Headache is having a good day today and The Belly only complained once.

I actually got out and planted some flowers and pruned a few tomato plants last weekend. I've been too sick to tend to them since and by this afternoon the flowers were looking a little sad. I did get some water on them this evening so maybe they will be more perky tomorrow. I got enough sun Saturday I have my first sunburn of the season.

I feel so bummed that yet another illness is upon me. The ER doc thought this still may be the aftermath of the flu I caught a few weeks ago. Double darn. The antibiotics seem to be helping, and I am sure tomorrow (or today) will be a better day than yesterday!