Society for the Preservation of My Sanity

So, I went to the doctor today.

And yes, I did carry on and cry and stuff. But honestly...I couldn't help it. The Killer Headache was back and it was all I could do to not climb the walls and claw at my face, uhkay?

*sigh*

I really REALLY like this doctor. He LISTENS! What a grand attribute to find in a doctor!! It should be mandatory, says I.

So he's in there doing the physical for Tommy. He's checking his eyes and his blood pressure and his pee and all that stuff. He asked about his cholesterol and when we said we couldn't remember when it was last checked, he wanted him to come in one morning and get that done. He explored the whole stiffness and back pain that Tommy has had for the last few years and prescribed him something to help with that.

At this point, I hadn't sprung my secret plan on him yet, but he looked over at me and said I looked sleepy. I had my head mashed into the corner where I was sitting to keep from banging it into the wall.

It was then I told him I was about to die any moment and I had come to beg mercy of him.

He chuckled and said, "Oh. Okay."

Soon as he was done with Tommy, he asked what was going on with me. When I proceeded to tell him, he held up his hand and said, "I don't think this is going to be a quick fix. Do you mind I have them pull your chart and we just make an appointment out of this?"

Do you see why I'm about to nominate this man for sainthood? HE LISTENS! AND HE MAKES TIME!!!!!

Ahhh. Good, good doctor.

Tommy and I both had apologized about me tagging along on his appointment already and at this point, I told him to triple bill us if he wanted to, I just needed some help BAD!

He chuckled again and left to get the "appointment" started. The nurse came to get vitals for the record and put me back in the room. Tommy hung around to see what the final verdict might be...oh, and to tell stuff on me, too.

Sheesh.

I start again telling him what's been going on, how I've had this massive headache last weekend, then starting again today. He seems much less concerned about the change in the tinnitus and I let that go, because like I said, there's just not a whole lot that can be done for it and right now? All I want is for my head to quit hurting.

He had already asked me once before he decided to make this an appointment if I ever had migranes. And now, he asked me again. Both times, I told him I didn't know. He asked me this time if I'd ever taken any migrane 'scripts. I told him no and I don't wanna, thanks.

He poo-pooed me and proceeded to look in my mouth and ears. He then started asking about the sinus thing.

Gah. The Sinus Thing. It is monumental and has plagued me from my earliest memories. I've tried all sorts of medicines and occasionally something will help for a little while, but mostly nothing really takes care of the problem. It's not seasonal, although it will worsen at different times of the year, and it doesn't seem to be an allergy unless it is to myself, which would explain everything.

But alas...at this point, Tommy busted in with what he thought would be a tattle to tell on me...my be-n-e-dryl habit.

But he didn't know I'd already told Doc about that. But now Doc looked more closely at it. He said the 'dryl would dry me up, but nothing more. Well, dry is something of a problem all by itself, but the biggest reason I started taking it was to get a bit of sleep. But I am up to 125 mgs at this point and I still don't sleep so good...

So Doc then tells me how it can build up in the system and stop working or worse, it can start doing a sorta delayed reaction thing in which case it doesn't make you feel drowsy until the next day! Lovely. Just what I DON'T need!

Okay, you can have HAVE the be-ne-dryl, so what can I do?!

Oh, wait...I tell him I also take a cl-ar-i-tin generic OTC stuff each morning as well. Hmmm. He then writes me a 'script for some different allergy med to try, gives me a bagful of nasal spray Rx samples and another 'script for something to help me sleep.

Then Tommy proceeds to tell him how I stop breathing in my sleep. It was then my turn to poo-poo people and I told Doc I don't do it all the time, and besides, when I stop breathing, I wake myself up so it's all cool, right?

No. Of course not. Tommy informs him (and ME!) that I do it a lot more than that AND that I don't always wake myself up. I merely "snort and wiggle around", says he, and go back to breathing again.

Hmph. Why don't people tell me these things?

So, he wants me to do a sleep study and see what all's going on whilst I am sleep apnea-ing. Sheesh. I dunno when that will be, but rest assured, you will be informed.

Heh.

By the time it was all said and done, he'd fixed me up with the 'scripts I mentioned and was about to send me out the door. He had assured me that this was just a first step in tracking down the cause of these headaches and that was all well and good....

BUT I AM IN PAIN!!!!!

...so, he also wrote me something to help with this claw-my-face-off pain. It's controlled, of course, so he was all lecturey about not taking it too often, yadda, yadda. Then he said, "You know I have to tell you all this stuff even though I know you're not an addict."

*whew* After all the times I've dealt with different doctors who don't seem to understand the extent of my pain and are more busy looking at me sideways everytime I ask for something to relieve it...well, this was a nice change.

So I've been properly (we hope!) medicated and am feeling a bit better. The pain isn't completely gone, but at least I'm not a candidate for a straight jacket anymore.

Praise the Lord for that!!

I'm hopeful that the sleep stuff will indeed help me get a good, restful night in and if it does...it'll be the first one in way too many years. I won't know how to behave if this works.

I just hope the sinus stuff will work AND that it's going to relieve the headaches. The ringing? Well, we'll have to address that at the next appointment, I suppose.

If the head pain is gone, I am certain I can wait til then.

Hope ya'll are having a wunnerful Wednesday.