Adventures in Falling: April 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

In Memoriam

One Year Later

One year ago, on April 27, 2011, two major cities in Alabama were hit by devastating tornadoes.

Here is a slideshow of the storm that tore apart parts of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.
http://www.wsfa.com/slideshow?widgetid=51149

Today, the weather is perfect- a balmy 80 degrees and one of those days that lets you know that spring is here and Summer is coming. It is sunny and bright. The contrast itself is striking.

This post is written in loving memory of the 64 people who died in the storms- "May light perpetual shine upon them and may they go from strength to strength in a life of service."

Friday, April 6, 2012

Excellent blog on Chronic pain

Hi All,

I am linking to an excellent blog post on education and chronic pain. Please read.
http://shaunaslifeinpain.blogspot.com/#axzz1rHaPYtwV

Go with God!

Sconesail

"Pass the Patient"

Note: The current game is due to tingling/burning sensations in extremeties after fainting.
I seem to be caught up in a game that the medical community calls "pass the patient."
The rules appear to be the same as hot potato that I played as a kid.
Here is how the typical game works:
Dr. GP- "call the neurologist, I don't want to deal with this."
Dr. P- "Call Dr.N I don't know what to do."
Dr. N's answering service- "They don't take call! go to the ER or call tomorrow.
Dr. N's nurse- "Sure he will look at your chart- in three days. Or just go to ER. I don't want to deal with this."
Dr. GP's partner- take some extra medicine and go to bed. Call Dr GP tomorrow- and then call Dr. N.
Dr ER's probable response- I don't know what to do. Just go home and follow up with your own dr next week.

Whoever gets the complicated patient loses the game. whoever takes the patient and figures out the problem wins extra points for good deeds, and cheese straws at Christmas.

I know that everyone is frustrated. I just want an answer.

Happy Easter/Pesach!
Go with God.

What is New Daily Persistent Headache?

I got my first migraine at the age of 12, but they did not become chronic until age 17. New Daily Persistent Headache occurs when a headache develops spontaneously and is unremitting. The main characteristics of NDPH include the following:

- The Headache is daily from the moment of onset. In fact, many people with NDPH can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the headache hit.

-Contrary to popular belief, there are two froms of NDPH- a self limited forn which lasts for a few months and goes away without treatment. There is also a refractory form of NDPH. This form is extremely difficult to treat as it does not respond well to the normal migraine medications.

Criteria for diagnosis include the following:

-daily pain must be present for more than two months.

-Unlike normal migraines, which are often one sided, NDPH is typically bilateral- meaning that pain is felt in the whole head.

-Nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and lightheadness are also present.

It is extremely refractory to treatment.

Note- all the above information comes from the folliwng link;

http://www.mhni.com/faqs_ndph.aspx#symptoms

Other information about NDPH can be found in the links section.

What is Neurocardiogenic Syncope?

I have Neurocardiogenic Syncope, a form of dysautonomia. This began about 3 years ago after a bad bout with the flu. I recovered from the flu, but began to faint constantly- at first, only a few times a week, then once or twice a day, and finally multiple times a day- anywhere from 1-12 times on a given day,
NeuroCardiogenic Syncope occurs due to a "disconnect" in the brain. In a normal individual, blood pressure rises upon standing. In patients with Neurocardiogenic Syncope, the heart does not get the message to raise the blood pressure when needed, as a result, the heart rate increases and blood pressure drops. In order to protect the brain, you faint in order to re-establish blood flow to the brain. The symptoms resolve quickly. There is not a great deal known about this disease, but advances are being made all the time. again, I have seen numerous doctors- cardiologists, neurologists etc. The one thing that has helped most has been C-PAP at night.

Helpful Links are listed in the blog section.

Adventures in Falling