So a couple days before thanksgiving, I got a really bad migraine. I took some ibuprofen and hoped it would go away but the next day it was still there. This process went on for 10 days. Finally on December 3rd, I couldn't take the pain anymore and had my parents take me to the ER. They started giving me valporic acid, magnesium sulfate, zofran, and Benadryl. They gave me a couple of doses and after those didn't work, the doctor decided they would try one more dose. About halfway through that dose he came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told him I felt the same which then he responded, "I figured, I've already put you on the list to be admitted." He then proceeded to tell me that once I got upstairs, they were going to try a med called DHE. I was terrified to get this med because of all the reactions I've had to meds. Once we were upstairs, the doctor came in to talk to us and reassured me by letting me know they were going to do a test dose. The test dose was a very small amount of the med. since the med was given to me through an IV, within 5 minutes, I was having almost every reaction in the book. So, instead of doing another dose, they let me go to sleep. I was exhausted and at that point sleep was more important. So the next morning the decided they were going to go back to the meds they used in the ER since my headache had gone down and the DHE dose was too small to have made a difference. They were able to get my headache down to a two on the 1-10 pain scale. I wasn't eating and drinking like I should have been, so I didn't get to go home until the 6th.
Once I got home, I relaxed for a little while and then went to our stake's community nativity event. I really didn't feel good and I was completely drugged, but I got to do the one tradition I love the most. I don't even remember much of it to be honest. But the fact I got to go makes me happy.
So Monday morning I woke up and I couldn't move my head it hurt so bad. We were concerned it could be meningitis. It was the worse I have ever felt. My headache was a 10. So, my parents rushed me back to the ER. I was absolutely miserable. The lights, sounds, and smells were bugging me so much. Once I was in a room, the doctor came in and was not happy that I was 18 and at a Children's hospital. We explained to her why we were there and she determined it wasn't meningitis. She then started giving me the same meds I had last time. After awhile, she came in to tell me that they were admitting me to the downtown campus so neurology could be in charge.
I was in a stable enough state that they just had my parents transport me downtown. Once I got downtown, they decided to draw blood. They were having issues drawing blood and one of the nurses decided to go after a vein right by my elbow. This poke ended with no blood, and me screaming bloody murder and crying. At this point they decided to give me a break. Later they came in and had a successful no tears blood draw. They also decided to add prednisone to the mix at this point. The meds they gave me me my veins burn so by the 3rd day I needed a new IV. Since they ran out of veins, they had to call the vascular team in. They decided to put in a midline. A midline is like a fancy IV that goes from the middle of my arm and the tube ended in my armpit. It also goes in a bigger vein so it didn't burn anymore and it lasts for up to 30 days.
Rocking my midline and crown!
The night I got my midline, a really cute boy who just happened to be a volunteer brought the craft cart to my room. I decorated a crown and he colored a butterfly mask. That was a pretty big highlight during the hospital stay. After I decorated my crown and he left, I went for a walk on my floor wearing my crown.
It was snapchat worthy!
The next day, I got to go home and my headache was completely gone. This was great since Brandon's graduation was that weekend. So, I got to sleep in my own bed one night before having to go to Manhattan. I got to spend the weekend with Brandon and I am so proud of him for graduating!
I had to wear a mask since I was on such a high dose of
Prednisone and I had no immune system.
So, I went to the neurologist for the first time a week ago and while I didn't get any answers other than the ones I already have with my headaches, I got some new treatment options. One of the options that I have tried is called Cefaly. It's basically a TENS unit for my head. So basically they put an electrode across my forehead and attach a headband. My headache went from a 6 to a 0 using this. I'm going to go into the clinic a couple more times to make sure it works and then I am going to buy one for home so I don't always have to go to the clinic when I have a headache.
This is the Cefaly, it's kinda lame but it works wonders!
Since they believe stress and anxiety is a major cause, I'm starting counseling next week. I am also going to be starting physical therapy. They also have talked about doing acupuncture or a nerve block if needed. They also ran some blood work to make sure I don't have something like lupus. Luckily it seems to have come back normal.
So a lot of people have asked me what causes my headaches. They aren't totally sure. They think a lot of it has to do with the fact I had Pseudo Tumor Cerebri. (You can read about it here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pseudotumor-cerebri/basics/definition/con-20028792). Mine was medicine induced so I don't have it anymore. Anyways, it has cause the nerves in my brain to be extremely sensitive. Also, like I said earlier stress and anxiety don't help.
Through this experience, I've learned my health is more important than anything. I have to be careful that I don't over do it. Every week I get one to three headaches. I still get wiped out pretty easily and some days I don't even want to get out of bed. But everyday I continue to put a smile on my face and try to stay positive.
