April of 2015, my boss and I were excited at the end of the day. She said, "okay, let's hurry up and get your evaluation done, yours won't take up any time." I go flying up to her on a large wheeling chair and it starts forward, I can't stop it, I go forward, the chair slams into the wall behind me ricochets off then catches me in the back of the head and I land on the floor. Neither my boss or I know how I land, her back is to me, yet she feels this happened because of the sound of it all.
I am out, I awake with the chair on top of me and I crawl out from under it. She has made her way up from her desk and is standing there with a look of shock. I feel ok. I tell her I'm ok. She is not convinced, we write it up just to be sure.
Approximately 2 hours later, i start feeling like I have the flu, I ache all over, like I've been hit by a truck. My vision is cloudy, I can't think straight and i get a headache that becomes a relentless nightmare. I cannot move my neck at all so I sit in one spot. I urinate on my self before I have the sensation to do so. The neck pain and headache, head tightness, is so intense that the tears roll down my face. I have memory issues, I can't remember my bank pin number. I make an appointment with a neurosurgeon, and I have an MRI, it just reveals disc protrusion. He says I have hypersensitive signs from my physical exam. I receive physical therapy which includes concussion therapy after talking to me, they decide. I also get a series of cervical steroid injections. I am out of work about 6-8 weeks in the beginning. I go back a little sooner than written out because of the need at work.
The pain improves although I continue to have neck, arm, and hand pain, the headaches continue and they are over the right eye. The pain is more so concentrated on the head, neck, and the left arm, and my feet are numb sometimes in the beginning. i just try to deal and live with it, take lots of Motrin, Excedrin, etc.
I also keep having these recurrent episodes , I don't know what activity proceeds or what I have done that will bring it on but it's just like in the beginning, except not with the same intensity. I cannot work when it happens though, its still pretty brutal lasting about a 1 week to 2 weeks. I am unable to move my neck, very tight, stiff, headache, painful, unable to think clearly, urinate on myself.
In January 2017 while putting ornaments in their proper boxes, up then down, i got dizzy. I was just putting away our Christmas ornaments. I have not been the same since. I had to miss a few days of work again. it all started up again. I started with my primary care doctor an MRI was ordered of the brain. He said that was normal. I was referred back to the neurosurgeon again, another cervical MRI was ordered, which 2 years later shows bulging and spurs. He sends me for pain management. I receive 2 cervical steroid injections, physical therapy again with traction. The injections do nothing and this time I feel like therapy does nothing. In fact, after therapy, I get sick to my stomach, drag my left leg a little, feel like it takes my breath away later and it is stopped. I see my primary care doctor and they give me a decadron shot. During this time, I am also referred to a neurologist for the headaches. I requested to see one as well. I want to know what is going on with me. along with the numbness episodes of my feet, they are starting to feel like they are exploding. My neck, my arms, my hands, fingers, headaches, lower leg, feet, decreased perianal sensation, jaw numbness. What is going on?
Now my feet feel like I'm walking on rocks, my moods and thoughts are not what they were, bills are not paid like they should be, I forget things, stiff neck, arms and hands ache and hurt, and it feels like my head is tight. I'm working every day, trying to put a smile on my face but I'm living in a private hell. I go home and cry. I try not to cry at work or talk about it too much there. I am now taking Topramax 75mg twice a day for headaches, Gabapentin 300mg 3x a day, but I cannot take that during the day and work, unfortunately , i think it helps. Rizaptrapan prn for headaches which doesn't help if I have one. Tizanidine, which you can only take at night due to drowsiness.
I miss my life, I miss me!