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Saturday, April 02, 2005

Did the Shots Work?

Well, I got the shots on Monday. I already had a migraine with a pain level of 7 before I got the shots. But, I couldn't take any meds for it, because we had to know if the occipital nerve was numbing up or not.

So, there I am with a horrible migraine and trying to prepare myself mentally for the kind of pain I was about to be in and praying that I wouldn't pass out.

If you can imagine: they take a very long, very big needle and stick it as close as possible next to the nerve. Unlike most trigger injections, which are basically just shots under the skin and don't really hurt more than a regular shot, because mine was in my occipital region, they have to stick the needle in quite a bit further. There are alot of blood vessels and a small artery that they have to be really careful to work around--and hopefully miss.

I never cried before when I got them. I'm a pretty tough bird and rarely cry. When my pl reaches an 8 or 9, that's when I start crying. I cried like a big baby when I got these shots. I was so embarrassed. My doctor really wanted to give me drugs before she did the shots, but I told her that we couldn't do that or we wouldn't know if the nerves got numb like they're supposed to. But, afterward, she rushed to give me the drugs that I totally needed and mercifully they worked within about 2 minutes. Yay!

So, I'm pretty sure she got the meds in the right spot. It was her first time doing it, so I'm sort of a guinea pig. But, I think she did great!

Ok, so the first three days after the shots, I knew that I wouldn't have a migraine, because I got the drugs after the shots and they always last in my system for three days. So, for three days, I laid on the couch with ice packs on the back of my head, because it was so sore. It was hard to sleep. But, the first thing I noticed is that the nausea disappeared--completely. I haven't been nauseaus all week! I've been eating pretty regular foods. No more chicken wantan soup (my comfort food).

But then, I got a cold and with it a sinus headache. But, I can tell the difference between a sinus headache and a migraine. Today is the big day when I'll know for sure if the shots worked or not. And, hey, for the first time in almost 10 months, I've woken up without a migraine! It's such a relief. I could cry. It's so amazing how those shots work. Now, I feel like I have some hope of having an actual life. I can't wait to go to lunch with my mom. Go on walks with my m-i-l. And just plain get the hell out of the house--my prison that I've been stuck in, depressingly enough, for the last 10 months.

I can't wait.

posted by Jessica @ 7:43 AM