headaches-spinaltap – need opinion
Question:
looking for some opinions…JUST OPINIONS….anyones guess is as good as mine… here is my story.. as I sit here post spinal tap with my results…and with a 7 day spinal tap headache…even with a blood patch, I have been getting headaches for 7.5 years, since my second trimester of pregnancy. I have been tried on every and all preventative medications and every and all triptans and abortive therapies, therefore when I go to get seen for a headache, I am looked at as a drug seeker or looking to get a day off (I am in the military.) I have been on Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, Antidepressants, Tricyclics, SSRI’s, Triptans, Nsaids, O2 therapy, Lidocaine Nasal Spray, Accupuncture, Accupressure,…. you name it, I have done it… I am currently on Neurontin 1200 (2x day) Topomax (2x day) as i have failed tegretol, trileptil…. I am also on Premarin since I have had a hysterectomy- so my hormones are in balance- I don’t have the whacked out hormone headaches.. I have been put on Zoloft just in case the "stress" of work has caused my headaches.. I am on inhalers and allergy medication – asthma diagnosed last year, hence the inability to use beta blockers….. ok, so you got my headaches… with my headaches I get facial numbness on the right side from my temple to my chin and sometimes tingles my forehead… my pupil size changes, one will dialate and the other will constrict, and looks like I have had a head injury (I have never had a head injury)… I get tunnel vision and my hearing will get like I’m underwater and ring.. like a hummmm.. I have been to the doctors for other pain too, that I thought was unrelated but when I put them all together may be related… i have been seen for leg pain, my right leg has given out to the point where I could barely walk, and the docs said I must have pulled a muscle in my butt… my wrists hurt all the time, but they call that work related, and say that I type at work and open alot of bottles- (work in a pharmacy) so I must have carpal tunnel that has been un solved by wrist braces and nsaids for over 5 years now, it comes and goes… Sometimes with the headaches and sometimes not I get clumsy as all heck, although I dont admit to it alot.. It feels like I am walking on sponges.. as wierd as that sounds… I mentioned that to the doctors and I get looked at like I need a consult to psych.. I am not getting taken seriously when I go in for my headaches, and honestly if they dont begin to take my pain a little more serious, I am going to present with a fork jammed in my skull to prove it. so after being blown off and being called a liar for my headaches, and being told that im a whiner for my aches and pains for all this time…. 7 years later, they do a ct for my sinuses, nothing… mri with contrast last year… nothing… spinal tap last friday shows that ok… so the reason im posting here is because one of my friends is a PA and he suggested that this may be ms or ppms vs. just classic migraine. I would love to just "go to another doctor" or whatever but I am in the military and that not as easy as it sounds… they are thinking about ‘kicking me out’ now because of the amount of days I miss at this point… maybe then I can see a real doc and get a second opinion, but then I’m going to have to present a case to the VA for benefits. dang these spinal headaches cause stiff necks…. any suggestions, ideas, thoughts would be greatly appreciated… let me know if you have had the same experience or had a spinal csf protien high and what it meant in your situation and or if headaches indicated anything to you…. thanks, carrie ann — "Forbidden fruit a flavor has That lawful orchards mocks; How luscious lies the pea within The pod that Duty locks!" Emily Dickinson Life
Response:
Can you file for a medical release? How long do you have in there? Michelle
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – have posted there also, no replies yet… layflat for 6 days helped a little, but not for going psychotic… the doc that hasn’t given me the clear answers recently IS the neurologist for the military…figger that. carrie I know so little about MS, but I do know some folks who have it. When I read your symptoms, migraine went through my head, but so did MS. Those kinds of whacky symptoms make me think that. Especially if they come and go – I’ve seen that in the folks who have MS. BUT… there could be lots of other explanations. BTW, I’ve had the spinal tap headache, and it IS a b*tch!! So sorry yours is lasting so long. Does laying perfectly flat do any good? In all these military doctors, has one of them been a neurologist? That’s exactly the kind of doctor you need right now, whether your problem turns out to be migraine, MS, whatever, or all three! Insist that they send you to a neurologist. And if they *won’t*, make an official objection to that, or put it somehow in your military medical records, that you requested a neurologist, and they refused. It may come in handy later, if you DO hit the VA later for benefits. And, if they won’t send you to a neurologist, your next best bet actually IS a psychiatrist. An MD psychiatrist can spot migraine and ms, and certainly can tell the difference between organic disease and behavior issues. Your problems don’t sound like behavior issues,… well, other than the fork in the head idea… Good luck! Stay with us, and tell us how you’re doing. And have you considered posting your symptoms on an MS newsgroup? If you don’t have MS, they might point you elsewhere that could do you some good. Ginnie
Response:
have posted there also, no replies yet… layflat for 6 days helped a little, but not for going psychotic… the doc that hasn’t given me the clear answers recently IS the neurologist for the military…figger that. carrie
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know so little about MS, but I do know some folks who have it. When I read your symptoms, migraine went through my head, but so did MS. Those kinds of whacky symptoms make me think that. Especially if they come and go – I’ve seen that in the folks who have MS. BUT… there could be lots of other explanations. BTW, I’ve had the spinal tap headache, and it IS a b*tch!! So sorry yours is lasting so long. Does laying perfectly flat do any good? In all these military doctors, has one of them been a neurologist? That’s exactly the kind of doctor you need right now, whether your problem turns out to be migraine, MS, whatever, or all three! Insist that they send you to a neurologist. And if they *won’t*, make an official objection to that, or put it somehow in your military medical records, that you requested a neurologist, and they refused. It may come in handy later, if you DO hit the VA later for benefits. And, if they won’t send you to a neurologist, your next best bet actually IS a psychiatrist. An MD psychiatrist can spot migraine and ms, and certainly can tell the difference between organic disease and behavior issues. Your problems don’t sound like behavior issues,… well, other than the fork in the head idea… Good luck! Stay with us, and tell us how you’re doing. And have you considered posting your symptoms on an MS newsgroup? If you don’t have MS, they might point you elsewhere that could do you some good. Ginnie
Response:
no one in my family has history…. had hysterectomy only in past 2 years,done at age of 26 due to non stop bleeding…, headache pattern didnt change, ovaries failed so hormone therapy initiated to balance levels, headache pattern unchanged…. in military till i cant put up with it, till they kick me out, or till i retire… 
whichever comes first… the "sick days" are "recommendations" who knows the guidelines they are still injecting me with anthrax and smallpox (just this month, not in the past…so that didnt do it either…) even with these headaches and recent diagnosis of asthma…. why do you think so many veterans pitch such a fit? i hope that if nothing else this can open some eyes to that matter! lol… thanks
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh, Carrie, I’m sorry you’re in so much pain. Do you have any history in your family of migraines, MS, or anthing else that kind of sticks out? How often do you get your migraines? Is it several times a week, month, or daily? Did they get better, worse, or anything change when you had the hysterectomy? Ever try switching to another form of estrogen (just to test the theory). Also many doctors actually talk about replacing not only estrogen, but progesterone and testosterone. I know that’s controversial to some people, but my making sure I had a decent balance changed my life. Just something to check into. Here’s a link. http://www.phenomenalwomen.com/showcase/health/jeannah_newman1.htm I sing this tune a lot…just because I’ve seen how it changed my life…in your case you mention a change around pregnancy time. Hormonal migraines don’t always happen in swings and can be the result of the wrong kind or missing something. It sounds like any kind of care you are looking for right now might be a struggle. How much longer are you in the military? Good grief, don’t they come under ADA regulations? If so, that’s where to put the days that your are sick. I hope someone else can comment on that since I know there are people on our newsgroup who use ADA. Well that’s my group of questions. I hope you find some relief…we are always here if you need to vent, look for answers to banter about, or just need comfort. Michelle looking for some opinions…JUST OPINIONS….anyones guess is as good as mine… here is my story.. as I sit here post spinal tap with my results…and with a 7 day spinal tap headache…even with a blood patch, I have been getting headaches for 7.5 years, since my second trimester of pregnancy. I have been tried on every and all preventative medications and every and all triptans and abortive therapies, therefore when I go to get seen for a headache, I am looked at as a drug seeker or looking to get a day off (I am in the military.) I have been on Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, Antidepressants, Tricyclics, SSRI’s, Triptans, Nsaids, O2 therapy, Lidocaine Nasal Spray, Accupuncture, Accupressure,…. you name it, I have done it… I am currently on Neurontin 1200 (2x day) Topomax (2x day) as i have failed tegretol, trileptil…. I am also on Premarin since I have had a hysterectomy- so my hormones are in balance- I don’t have the whacked out hormone headaches.. I have been put on Zoloft just in case the "stress" of work has caused my headaches.. I am on inhalers and allergy medication – asthma diagnosed last year, hence the inability to use beta blockers….. ok, so you got my headaches… with my headaches I get facial numbness on the right side from my temple to my chin and sometimes tingles my forehead… my pupil size changes, one will dialate and the other will constrict, and looks like I have had a head injury (I have never had a head injury)… I get tunnel vision and my hearing will get like I’m underwater and ring.. like a hummmm.. I have been to the doctors for other pain too, that I thought was unrelated but when I put them all together may be related… i have been seen for leg pain, my right leg has given out to the point where I could barely walk, and the docs said I must have pulled a muscle in my butt… my wrists hurt all the time, but they call that work related, and say that I type at work and open alot of bottles- (work in a pharmacy) so I must have carpal tunnel that has been un solved by wrist braces and nsaids for over 5 years now, it comes and goes… Sometimes with the headaches and sometimes not I get clumsy as all heck, although I dont admit to it alot.. It feels like I am walking on sponges.. as wierd as that sounds… I mentioned that to the doctors and I get looked at like I need a consult to psych.. I am not getting taken seriously when I go in for my headaches, and honestly if they dont begin to take my pain a little more serious, I am going to present with a fork jammed in my skull to prove it. so after being blown off and being called a liar for my headaches, and being told that im a whiner for my aches and pains for all this time…. 7 years later, they do a ct for my sinuses, nothing… mri with contrast last year… nothing… spinal tap last friday shows that ok… so the reason im posting here is because one of my friends is a PA and he suggested that this may be ms or ppms vs. just classic migraine. I would love to just "go to another doctor" or whatever but I am in the military and that not as easy as it sounds… they are thinking about ‘kicking me out’ now because of the amount of days I miss at this point… maybe then I can see a real doc and get a second opinion, but then I’m going to have to present a case to the VA for benefits. dang these spinal headaches cause stiff necks…. any suggestions, ideas, thoughts would be greatly appreciated… let me know if you have had the same experience or had a spinal csf protien high and what it meant in your situation and or if headaches indicated anything to you…. thanks, carrie ann — "Forbidden fruit a flavor has That lawful orchards mocks; How luscious lies the pea within The pod that Duty locks!" Emily Dickinson Life
Response:
Yes, why did I have ADA in my mind. Anyway, thanks for catching that Michelle
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Michelle, Are you thinking maybe about the FMLA? That’s the one that protects jobs from illness-related absences. Carrie, That’s the Family & Medical Leave Act. I don’t have the faintest idea if it applies to the military, but try this website: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/fmla.htm Or plug FMLA into Google.com and it’ll bring up a raft of other gov’t sites about the laws. Ginnie
Response:
Michelle, Are you thinking maybe about the FMLA? That’s the one that protects jobs from illness-related absences. Carrie, That’s the Family & Medical Leave Act. I don’t have the faintest idea if it applies to the military, but try this website: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/fmla.htm Or plug FMLA into Google.com and it’ll bring up a raft of other gov’t sites about the laws. Ginnie
Response:
I know so little about MS, but I do know some folks who have it. When I read your symptoms, migraine went through my head, but so did MS. Those kinds of whacky symptoms make me think that. Especially if they come and go – I’ve seen that in the folks who have MS. BUT… there could be lots of other explanations. BTW, I’ve had the spinal tap headache, and it IS a b*tch!! So sorry yours is lasting so long. Does laying perfectly flat do any good? In all these military doctors, has one of them been a neurologist? That’s exactly the kind of doctor you need right now, whether your problem turns out to be migraine, MS, whatever, or all three! Insist that they send you to a neurologist. And if they *won’t*, make an official objection to that, or put it somehow in your military medical records, that you requested a neurologist, and they refused. It may come in handy later, if you DO hit the VA later for benefits. And, if they won’t send you to a neurologist, your next best bet actually IS a psychiatrist. An MD psychiatrist can spot migraine and ms, and certainly can tell the difference between organic disease and behavior issues. Your problems don’t sound like behavior issues,… well, other than the fork in the head idea… Good luck! Stay with us, and tell us how you’re doing. And have you considered posting your symptoms on an MS newsgroup? If you don’t have MS, they might point you elsewhere that could do you some good. Ginnie
Response:
Oh, Carrie, I’m sorry you’re in so much pain. Do you have any history in your family of migraines, MS, or anthing else that kind of sticks out? How often do you get your migraines? Is it several times a week, month, or daily? Did they get better, worse, or anything change when you had the hysterectomy? Ever try switching to another form of estrogen (just to test the theory). Also many doctors actually talk about replacing not only estrogen, but progesterone and testosterone. I know that’s controversial to some people, but my making sure I had a decent balance changed my life. Just something to check into. Here’s a link. http://www.phenomenalwomen.com/showcase/health/jeannah_newman1.htm I sing this tune a lot…just because I’ve seen how it changed my life…in your case you mention a change around pregnancy time. Hormonal migraines don’t always happen in swings and can be the result of the wrong kind or missing something. It sounds like any kind of care you are looking for right now might be a struggle. How much longer are you in the military? Good grief, don’t they come under ADA regulations? If so, that’s where to put the days that your are sick. I hope someone else can comment on that since I know there are people on our newsgroup who use ADA. Well that’s my group of questions. I hope you find some relief…we are always here if you need to vent, look for answers to banter about, or just need comfort. Michelle
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – looking for some opinions…JUST OPINIONS….anyones guess is as good as mine… here is my story.. as I sit here post spinal tap with my results…and with a 7 day spinal tap headache…even with a blood patch, I have been getting headaches for 7.5 years, since my second trimester of pregnancy. I have been tried on every and all preventative medications and every and all triptans and abortive therapies, therefore when I go to get seen for a headache, I am looked at as a drug seeker or looking to get a day off (I am in the military.) I have been on Beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, Antidepressants, Tricyclics, SSRI’s, Triptans, Nsaids, O2 therapy, Lidocaine Nasal Spray, Accupuncture, Accupressure,…. you name it, I have done it… I am currently on Neurontin 1200 (2x day) Topomax (2x day) as i have failed tegretol, trileptil…. I am also on Premarin since I have had a hysterectomy- so my hormones are in balance- I don’t have the whacked out hormone headaches.. I have been put on Zoloft just in case the "stress" of work has caused my headaches.. I am on inhalers and allergy medication – asthma diagnosed last year, hence the inability to use beta blockers….. ok, so you got my headaches… with my headaches I get facial numbness on the right side from my temple to my chin and sometimes tingles my forehead… my pupil size changes, one will dialate and the other will constrict, and looks like I have had a head injury (I have never had a head injury)… I get tunnel vision and my hearing will get like I’m underwater and ring.. like a hummmm.. I have been to the doctors for other pain too, that I thought was unrelated but when I put them all together may be related… i have been seen for leg pain, my right leg has given out to the point where I could barely walk, and the docs said I must have pulled a muscle in my butt… my wrists hurt all the time, but they call that work related, and say that I type at work and open alot of bottles- (work in a pharmacy) so I must have carpal tunnel that has been un solved by wrist braces and nsaids for over 5 years now, it comes and goes… Sometimes with the headaches and sometimes not I get clumsy as all heck, although I dont admit to it alot.. It feels like I am walking on sponges.. as wierd as that sounds… I mentioned that to the doctors and I get looked at like I need a consult to psych.. I am not getting taken seriously when I go in for my headaches, and honestly if they dont begin to take my pain a little more serious, I am going to present with a fork jammed in my skull to prove it. so after being blown off and being called a liar for my headaches, and being told that im a whiner for my aches and pains for all this time…. 7 years later, they do a ct for my sinuses, nothing… mri with contrast last year… nothing… spinal tap last friday shows that ok… so the reason im posting here is because one of my friends is a PA and he suggested that this may be ms or ppms vs. just classic migraine. I would love to just "go to another doctor" or whatever but I am in the military and that not as easy as it sounds… they are thinking about ‘kicking me out’ now because of the amount of days I miss at this point… maybe then I can see a real doc and get a second opinion, but then I’m going to have to present a case to the VA for benefits. dang these spinal headaches cause stiff necks…. any suggestions, ideas, thoughts would be greatly appreciated… let me know if you have had the same experience or had a spinal csf protien high and what it meant in your situation and or if headaches indicated anything to you…. thanks, carrie ann — "Forbidden fruit a flavor has That lawful orchards mocks; How luscious lies the pea within The pod that Duty locks!" Emily Dickinson Life
Response:
Categories: Diagnosis Of Asthma | 
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I will give you this word of caution – don’t let the clumps sit long! They turn rock hard and adhere to the pan. I left for a few days on vacation and told my sitter not to worry about the litter. What a mistake! It was like trying to chip away cement! Learned my lesson. 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – According to Pattabhi Jois one should develop forward bending before moving into backbending. Therefore primary series has mostly forward bends and backbending is introduced in the end of primary and in the intermediate series.