What a Headache
Finally, after almost two weeks of a non-stop
occipital headache, at the urging of my friend,
I went to the Care Center today to just have things
checked out.
The pain radiates down the neck and extends up
into the ear, jawbone, and eye on the left
side of my head.
Good news is this: it doesn't appear that I have
a brain tumor nor a bone infection (there is much
tenderness in the jawbone area). It appears
that I probably have TMJ. There isn't much
one can do for that except pain management,
which is not going to be an easy task for me
as I don't and won't take a pain med.
The doctor prescribed 3-4 times a day NSAIDs,
a Medrol pack (steroids) to reduce the inflammation,
a soft diet--preferably hearty soups--and an antibiotic,
as she feels I probably have a sinus infection.
Jury's still out on whether I'll take the steroids
and the antibiotic, but I will do the other things
first and see if that makes a difference.
She also said I need to have my dentist do some
X-rays and determine whether I need a bite
block to wear at night. What joy. Yippee.
Worse case scenario with TMJ is jawbone
replacement. But I'll try all the other non-invasive
things I can and see if they work.
Very tired of a continual headache, earache, pain,
and nausea. So, I guess it's good that I went,
but I already had a suspicion it could be TMJ
and should have (perhaps) just read some literature
and made some decisions. With that said, I will
also say that my friend loves me enough to want
to be sure that nothing else was going on, and she's
right. Better to check these things out.
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Finally lifted my trellis from the ground
today, dug some deep holes to secure it more
firmly in the ground, and then cleaned
out a few garden beds. It was cool but not
cold today, so I got a few things done.
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There are still several roads under water here, but
the basement is drying out. Damage assessment
duty tomorrow.
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Trying to decide that I want to watch tonight. My son
and I watched No Country For Old Men yesterday.
I am still processing what I saw and how I feel about it.
He and I had a good discussion about the movie, and he tells
me it took a second viewing for him to feel he understood
the premise a bit better. He's a big fan of the Coen brothers,
and I confess to liking them quite a bit as well. So tonight,
I think I may watch Sweeney Todd, or I might just watch
Network. I haven't seen it in some time and I'm kinda in the mood
to open my own window and yell I'm mad as hell and I'm not
gonna take it anymore!
Ta-ta.
5 comments:
no sweeney todd for me. i can't stand musicals that think they are sooooo serious, like phantom of the opera, like sweeney ... but what about west side story, you might ask. well, about west side story is it is romeo and juliet, and a five hankie event any way you cut it, so i could not include it with the likes of those pretentious other mothers.
now that we've settled that, on to your jawbone. what i figure is you're one of those nighttime teeth grinders, and maybe a block would hep you some, but i doubt it. you spent so much of your life being a type a driven personalilty, a perfectionist, etc., who did her best to conquer her wild wild ways and set aside her impetuous, impulsive spirit, but all that did was mess up your mind. best prescription would be a change in locale, some place way off like tahiti, with a good laptop and a firm wireless connection, and lots of books, books fulla poems that you can steal from, and a good friend, preferably a woman, who comes along with you, somebody to talk to all night long, and cry when you want to, and the two of you sleep the mornings away and get up when you feel like it, and somebody back home to take molly out for her daily doings, and music, lots of youtube and other downloads, and dancing when the spirit moves you. that should do it, i think. if anything else occurs to me, i'll let you know before you get your passport renewed. xo
ohhhh, how I am laughing aloud and loving what you said...
you know anyone who will fund my trip to Tahiti? Maybe I'll have to make my own Tahiti...
You are so spot on about some of things that have messed with my mind...
I really am a pagan kinda gal who would bay at the moon openly if I didn't think I'd get sent off (and trust me, there ain't no good place around these parts to send pagan, moon-bayin' women)
I do have a friend, however, whom I have not gone to see in some time. She's an impulsive type who happens to love the moon and craziness...I've just fogotten how much I need that from time to time...
oh, and West Side Story--one of my favs...when I was in 7th grade, I choreographed a routine for the talent show...we did the Jet song...
When you're a Jet,
You're a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin' day.
When you're a Jet,
If the spit hits the fan,
You got brothers around,
You're a family man!
You're never alone,
You're never disconnected!
You're home with your own:
When company's expected,
You're well protected!
Then you are set
With a capital J,
Which you'll never forget
Till they cart you away.
When you're a Jet,
You stay a Jet!
Hangin in here...think I'll watch Network or Dog Day Afternoon...
thanks for making me think about this thing in a way I had not, but most of all, thanks for making me laugh out loud--I so seldom do that and so desperately need it...
seriously thinking about a passport here, or at least a road trip....
whwn the spit hits the fan haha. i always loved that. and i love it when you laugh, maggie. goodnight now, and sugarplums all over your dreams. jim
TMJ?
Ah-ha!
Meanwhile, I can't believe you endured the pain for that many days.
I love that you're not taking the drugs they prescribed. My god, you're just like my mother. She used to have this thing about insisting that she would not get sick---and she never did. It was if, by sheer will, she kept the germs at bay even when everyone around her was hacking and sneezing and coughing and wheezing.
Has the headache finally gone away?
No Country for Old Men---yikes. I watched it recently and...I think it kept me up all night. It's the first night in years that I can remember being completely sleepless.
I'd like to read the book.
I used to love musicals. Now, not so much. I don't think I could watch Sweeney Todd despite my love for Mister Depp. I wish they'd made it into an un-musical.
Hope you feel better, M.
Laurel,
I am not taking the drugs though I did fill the prescription.
May need them at some point.
Still hurting. Turn my head to the left and damn if I'm not sorry a split second later that I decided to turn my head that way.
I just think we overmedicate in this country, but I don't want to be foolish and not try to take care of the situation before it worsens.
I think I have a pretty high pain threshhold--didn't have anything when I had my children except a shot of demerol and phenergan, and didn't want that but listened to the powers that be telling me (with my youngest) that my blood pressure was up and they had to give me something.
I would like to read No Country as well, and I do want to see Sweeney Todd and decide for myself what I think.
No Country was terribly disturbing...glad my son and I watched it during the day.
Headachey me going to eat a bite now (or sip as the case may be).
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