Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations
I was eager for the new neurologist I was scheduled to see. I went in with hope, but came out shattered.
The neurologist was clearly an intern medical student. After explaining everything that was going on, he did his examination. I waited in anticipation for what he could do for me to ease the extreme pain I was in. It did not help that it was a brutally cold winter day and I had to walk five blocks in the blustery wind. Cold weather even made my bones feel like they were going to snap any second.
He sat down in the chair and said, well I got all your information and I will talk to my supervisor about what she thinks….ummmm ok. After waiting 20 long minutes, the neurologist and his supervisor came in and she did a very quick examination. Then she says to me these words I will never forget…..well I really think we should refer you to a psychiatrist. Wow! I have extreme physical pain, my back is so tight across my shoulder blades you can feel about six knots, my headaches are every single day, I have numbness crawling from my feet up my legs, my hands ache, I’m losing strength in my legs and hands, I’m dizzy a lot, and I cry after work because the physical demands are overwhelming and she wants to send me to a shrink? I, politely as I could, explained I was working with a therapist so no referral was necessary. She said, alright, and out the door she went. I was beyond frustrated. This is why I am on a mission to help others find the answers they need without having to run around the universe. The intern then takes 20 more long minutes trying to explain what his supervisor told me in three seconds. I once again explained I had a therapist. He then says, well I am sorry that’s all we can do for you. Wow, just wow. I drove 40 minutes one way (actually I rode with someone because my feet were too numb to drive), walked five blocks in the freezing cold, wasted two hours to be told I needed a shrink because this was all in my head. I wanted to punch him in the face and tell him, that didn’t hurt, it’s all in your head, so go get a shrink!*
I am not a pill person. Meaning even with the slightest headaches in the past, I would always try to see if would get better on its own before taking an aspirin. Being on 2700 mg of Gabapentin per day (that’s 9 pills per day), was an eye opener when the first neurologist who prescribed them informed me this is not a medication you can stop abruptly or increase or decrease all at once. I didn’t think much of her statement until it landed me in the ER.
When first neurologist upped my dose from 3 pills per day to 9 pills, for some reason my pharmacy got confused. I went to get my prescription thinking it was correct. When I ran out before next refill was due, it was a panic situation. I went from 9 to 3 pills in one day and the next day I didn’t have any to take. In the meantime, I am getting my primary doctor to help figure out the mess with the pharmacy.
I woke up from a nap and I was extremely dizzy. I felt nauseous and my headache was severe. What scared me and my daughter the most was my slurred speech in slow motion. My brain was literally moving at such a slow pace I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. My daughter immediately said I am scared you are having a stroke so I’m bringing you to the ER. But when I tried to stand, I couldn’t. Then when she helped me stand, my legs were so heavy I literally had to lift my legs up to move them out to walk. It took us forever to get into my truck. Once at ER, my daughter always grabs the extra wide wheelchair for some reason lol. We still laugh about that to this day because they are not easy to get thru doorways so all you here is bang, bang bouncing off the door frames. Yep can’t miss my entrance! ER was concerned too that my symptoms could be a stroke, heart attack, etc so they immediately rushed me to the code blue room. The room nobody wants to be in.
They hook me up with the EKG, took blood, gave me an IV (in my arm thank you) did everything possible to make sure it wasn’t a major organ issue. Once that was done and I wasn’t dying, they put me in a room to wait to see what the ER doctor thought. When the ER doctor came in, because I wore a heart monitor before and I was having chest pains, he wanted to do an angiogram or is it angioplasty!? Whichever one is where they make sure I don’t have any blockage. He said since we know the function is ok, I think we should check the plumbing. I wish all doctors were this way. The test consisted of dropping my blood pressure way down. It’s amazing to me they put a liquid in an IV and it can get your blood pressure down but not too much down to kill you. Unfortunately with my fibro fog, I can’t remember too many specifics on how the rest of the test went. What I do remember is the ER doctor telling me I didn’t have blockage. He even said (I believe it’s radiologist who reads these tests) stated that he couldn’t even find a trace of build up. That’s great news!
After my symptoms started to subside where I could talk better, I didn’t feel so dizzy and my tests came back normal. We both decided it had to be the sudden stop of the Gabapentin and these were the side affects. Good thing my primary doctor quickly put another prescription through the pharmacy at his clinic so I was able to get the pain meds again.
But I should mention, after not taking any Gabapentin for a day and then instantly taking three all at once was not good at all. I now know what the neurologist was stressing when she said you have to wean off or slowly increase dosage. Yep, once again learned the hard way. Within 30 minutes of taking the pills, I felt like I drank 100 beers and took every illegal drug possible. The same symptoms I experienced going to the ER, I experienced taking the medication all at once. I don’t do good not feeling in control of my mind and body. I made sure that never happened again.
TIP 1: I pray everyone finds the right doctor who will help them, not cause more issues. I highly recommend staying away from new intern doctors if at all possible.
Tip 2: Pain medications are no joke! Please do not do what I did and increase or decrease without doing it slowly and to the recommendations of your doctor. The side affects are scary and a trip to the ER is no fun.
*I called Psychiatrists “shrinks” for dramatic purposes only. Psychiatrists are doctors that do many good things for many people who need them. I just knew my symptoms were just not in my head.
Next post- Is third Neurologist the charm? Back to Primary Doctor.
Fibromyalgia Warrior Woman 