I am back on Neurontin. I am taking 600mg 3 or 4 times a day.
Last Sunday I went to the hospital for IV Dilaudid, Toradol, and Decadron to stop the pain. It had really started getting bad on Friday afternoon and remained constant beginning Saturday. Friday night I had ice packed my face for several hours and ended up with a sunburn look the next day on my right cheek. Finally on Sunday I couldn't take it anymore. I always give it about 3 days before I decide to head to the hossy.
I went to the hospital where they have my records easily accessible. When we got there, I asked a staff member for a makeshift ice pack for my face. He returned with a bag of crushed ice wrapped in a pillowcase. I handed him back the pillow case to which he said, "That's going to be really cold on your face," and I replied, "I know. I won't be able to feel the ice if it's wrapped up in fabric. I need to feel it to distract from the pain." I think he was a little shocked watching me in the lobby for 45 minutes with the ice pack. By the time I was called back to the room, the ice was melted and I was really feeling the pain. Doctor came in, very knowledgeable for an ER doc, and let me know what he was going to put in the IV. TN is something a lot of doctors and dentists don't know much about but somehow I always get the doctors who are a little versed in what's going on. I even had an RN who told me about another RN in the hospital who has TN and just got out of the hospital because it took awhile to get her pain under control.
Then the phlebotomist popped over to slip in the IV. I have uncooperative veins so it always takes them awhile to find a way to get the needle in. I told him they always go for the left arm in the "elbow space" - I have no idea what that area is called but it's my best description. Instead he tried a vein halfway between my wrist and elbow space. Unfortunately it hurt really bad when he put the IV in. When he flushed the saline I about died from the burning. So he took it out and tried the elbow space on my right arm. The first poke he did apparently didn't work out, so he tried another spot right next to it. Finally the IV is in and I am ready to go. (The next day, I woke up with a bruise in the shape of a cross where he had his first attempt on my left arm.)
Nurse came back and gave me the goods. Almost instantly the pain drifted away. Even though my face was hurting and hindering my ability to eat much that weekend, I scarfed down a large amount of food before arriving at the hospital because Dilaudid is notorious for making me vomit if taken on too empty of a stomach. I had no stomach pain this time around so I am glad for having eaten first.
Hubs took me home and we relieved his parents of our little ones. I was feeling good and was grateful to be rid of the excruciating pain. The next morning, I awoke with pain again. Not as bad as the weekend pain but still quite annoying. The ER doctor told me to go back on my Neurontin for at least 3 days and to take the full dose (600mg) each time. Wednesday will be day 3 but the way this is going, I don't think I will be stopping the meds. I am still having some pain, more than tolerable but less than intolerable.The zombie feeling side effect is rearing it's ugly head and that makes me nervous. Sometimes I think I'd rather be in pain than deal with the medicinal side effects. I am no longer supposed to take Tegretol because blood tests showed elevated liver enzymes.
I need things to get back in line, whether or not I have to take some medicine for awhile for that to happen. We are going on a spring vacation soon and I do not want to be worried about being in pain.
More updates to come. I notice I blog more often when I am having pain from TN so these posts might start appearing more than once a month.
Be back soon I bet!
