I have a situation and a fairly complicated situation at that.
I have a disorder known as Trigeminal Neuralgia and my neurologist also thinks I may have Fibromyalgia due to all the constant body pain I have. My mother is oblivious and not very understanding and due to circumstance, I have to live under her roof while I go to college. She absolutely despises taking me to the emergency room only because I've been there so many times for the pain. One hospital almost even knows me by name.
Anyways, last night I started getting very bad aches in my back and my side. I woke up and I seemed to be alright until it came on full force again along with my TN. I don't see my neurologist until the 22nd of October and I'm awaiting a new insurance card so I can make an appointment with a Pain Management Specialist.
So my question is, do I go to the hospital and risk the fact that they may look at me like I'm crazy, or just stay curled up in my bed and hope it passes? [i am so thankful for laptops right now]
Don't worry about what they think at the ER, ever, so if you need to, always go! The AMA needs to get with the program on these issues and address this condition with their emergency staff.
I hope that your new neurologist will help to give you some answers and get you some relief, in the mean time, we are here for you! If you have to go to the ER again, perhaps ask who they would recommend you see in the meantime, or get some referrals, ask all the questions you can while you are there! Ask if they think that a neurologist can address all of your symptoms.
It could well be fibro pain but none of us are qualified to make that determination, so it's best to have a doctor check it out. If that means the ER, then so be it. It must be truly awful to be in such pain and afraid to tell your mother, for fear of her anger. It's so upsetting to hear of what others go thru due to fibro. I know family and friends don't understand the illness but it's because the medical industry has not yet fully accepted fibro as a real illness and MUST do so in order for us to get the proper treatment and support. What you're going thru is typical but unacceptable in the long run. It's time for fibro to be outed so folks like you can be treated with dignity and respect.
PS: If it's your fibro, please feel free to come back and talk about it. Such pain is not uncommon here and we can help to support you in it.
Oh you poor baby, my heart to you. My husband had the same thing. People think your crazy because they don't understand. What you mom is going through is only a small storm of understanding. If she is the mom that she should and choose to e at the time of your birth she will be there for you. Sit her down and tell her what hurts and help her understand that this is something beyond your control and its real. It didn't take a pop bottle cap to hit me to understand. It took my husband to break down before me, let his man card down and tell me it's real and its killing him inside. We know you can't just die from it unless you cause the harm. But off to the hospital if it hurts and scream as no man has heard before.
Getting the help shows you are hurting. Going through this nasty storm is the challenge. God bless you and we are all praying and pulling for you to have a better tomorrow.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 Dear Taylor Rose, I just realized what this is. I am so very sorry that you have such excruciating pain. You should be treated with great care and respect! Absolutely go to the ER, you have no choice, they have to help you with this! I hope you can soon get the best of care and get some substantial relief.
How are you doing, Sweetheart! I have a friend who has this, a big strong grown man, in perfect physical condition, and it brings him to his knees. You have a big challenge here, I hope that your Mother goes with you to the Neurologist and they are able to finalize her feelings of uncertainty of your level of pain.
I hope to keep you here with us, but I must tell you that there is a Ben's Friends group for Trigeminal Neuralgia, and you would be warmly welcomed there as well. You can join more than one group here. My main concern is that you can connect with as many people as possible who understand what you are going through!
I will talk ANYTIME, just click on my picture it will take you to my page, leave me a message, or post.
Big hugs and understanding,
SK
OBTW, to join another group, just go to the list of illnesses on the right of the page, and click!
Taylor Rose, I hope you went to the ER and got treatment. I just read the link SK provided about TN and can't imagine handling that on top of fibro. :-(
MB, how are you doing girl? Hopefully you are listening to our good advice about taking it easy before surgery, but I have visions of you painting your bathrooms anyway!
Sorry to hear that this is part of your long list of ailments! It is the toughest of things to deal with!
Hi Taylor Rose, I also have both TN and Fibro. I have the same problem as you waking through the night with excruciating pain in my elbows, shoulders, back and especially my ribs. I feel as though I've been hit by a semi. It is really hard when you know that people don't understand what the heck is going on. If you feel the need to use the ER then you just do it girl. We have to look after ourselves when we don't have an adequate support system. Might be a good thing if the staff there get to know you, things will be much easier if you don't have to keep repeating yourself!! I'm sure your Mum only wants what's best for you and she probably hates not being able to take your pain away. This site has been wonderful for me, I've only been here for a couple of weeks and already I feel so comfortable just knowing that someone else gets it.
I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck but that is pretty much the way I have felt every night lately because, yes, I am painting and cleaning. My mom in law came over today and we put the final touches on the paint so just need to put door knobs back on, hang pictures, etc. and the lawn needs to be mowed and my husband is never here and when he is, he’s useless. I figure I can make it for a few more days and then I will have a long rest. I don’t want my mom to see my house dirty. 48 years old and still need moms approval. Big sigh. I do plan on getting a pedicure Sunday. Think I will go with green and pink toenails. Can’t have fngernai polish so not bothering with that. Have a great night!
So very sorry that you go through this as well. You and MB and the others will be a tremendous help to Taylor Rose. She is such a lovely young woman who needs all the support and understanding she can get. I agree that it can be to her advantage for the ER to get to know her, having such horrible facial pain, I am sure that just speaking is excruciating sometimes!
Awe Taylor, I’m sorry you don’t have the support that you so need. But for sure you will get what you need here. The girls and guys here are very supportive and most of all understanding. We all know how it feels to be given THAT look when you say you in pain. If you don’t mind what part of the world are you from? I don’t know if you have matched the correlation but fms and the barometric pressure have a lot to do with another. Has the weather changed in your area recently? You’ll also learn what your limits are. You may be able to do something one day that you can’t the next.