Ugh.. this sucks. No new updates. I don't even know what to ask for, but i think i'm going back to the Doc today. I've been putting it off with hopes that topa would just take a few more days to kick in. I don't think a higher dosage will do any good, could be stupidly wrong though, dunno.

More concerned with figuring out prevention then aborting right now though. Aborting i got down, prevention i'd like to figure out.

Going to see ask about prednisone, if anything just so i can be "normal" for a little while.

Well, today was a good ol' fashion "Dr is an idiot" day.

I don't even know why I gave in. I think I was desperate, but there is good news in all this - one, I took mental notes and googled some of the BS he fed me and was like "what the crap?"

He wouldn't give me verapamil and mentioned heart block, but tried to pretend my pulse rate was low, but it's entirely normal, cuz he showed me the number and I remembered it - and at the same time my blood pressure is actually high 160/90.

And let's not mention the two stupid shots in the butt he talked me into (eh, at least I got a cute nurse). One was  an anti-inflamitory and the other  for migraines. Whatever - I put up a good fight, I swear. In the spirit of "screw it, what harm could it do" I finally gave in.

So. things I did learn from all this.. maybe topamax is working?  On my way to Dr's I got a "minor" headache. I'm not really sure. I was like "ouch" but it never really escalated, just kinda lingered. After about 10mins of this, I went into a 7-11 (and seriously, i normally can't make it 10mins) and got an energy drink with taurine, drank that, and then went to the Dr's and was told i have high blood pressure by a very concerned young nurse.

Doctor gave me the prednisone btw, told me i can start taking it tomorrow. Haven't had any other hits though..

Went to the grocery store. Got more drinks with taurine. Big ones, little ones, shots, cherry, pina colada. Had another mild headache that passed in like 10mins, didn't even need the drink.

Not sure i'm cured.. but i'm optimistic.. still going to take the topamax on schedule. Certainly not crediting the shots in my butt. Will see how tonight goes for the prednisone..

I'm at like almost 36 hours with zero CH hits! I get some shadows but i'm kinda ok!

And i didn't take the prednisone!

I stuck it out through the night after butt-shots (thank you Doctor useless) but kept myself on the topamax and melatonin regime I've been on. Two hits that night.. one at like 3am.. another at 7am..

But nothing since then...  that's a good long time ago. I got through last night  with nothing.

I hope i'm not overly optimistic. Still taking everything right on schedule but holding off on the prednisone as a "in case of emergency" ya know?

Side note - eye effects. Not pain, not pressure. But sort of a kinda twitchy almost like shutter or something, I remember it from before from the topamax. I realized in the last 48 hours that I used to have it intermittently when i was on it before, especially when i was tired or stressed, but this go round this is the first time it's made an appearance and this seems to be the first time my CH has been letting up. Maybe it's a good sign?

One can hope..

10mg tabs, starting at 60mg the first day, 50 the next, etc.. so like 6 days.

Roughly identical that what my last general practitioner did if I remember correctly - except hers came in a blister pack with color coded instructions. Her office was much snazzier and had lollipops. She was part of a larger family practice. I miss her sample closet

Well.. here's to you demon. Om nom nom nom!

6 pred pills down the hatch.. lets hope that works, and i don't vomit or something - and i did just eat, like I was instructed to.

They don't call it Dopeymax for nothing....

Crossing my fingers the prevent takes over for the Pred for ya. The pill box is an excellent idea, I don't take topomax so I can't blame that, I'm just old and can't remember how many pills I've taken! Those 7 day pill boxes are great aids.

Joe

Brew wrote on Mar 5^th, 2010 at 1:59pm:
....or in my case, the oxygen supplier I use only needs a docs script.  My "M" tank cost $36/fill.  Not bad considering my insurance doesn't cover a penny.

Update: Today's the last day of prednisone. Doesn't really matter, got hit last night anyways. Oh well.

It was just one though, which is.. rare.. so I'm trying to decide what deathcon level we're really at.

I'm sure it's because i was coming off the pred, but not so sure if it wasn't because i had screwed up my topamax dosages in the last week due to refill dates and stupidity.

Looking into new Dr's appointments, thinking of abandoning the guy who wont give me verapamil and who has never mentioned O2. Looking into the whole student health through the University (which I heard from others was a  fiasco to deal with).

They do EKG for free, yay, which means they'd likely fork over the verapamil which everyone else wont let me have - but when using their online scheduling tool if i put in "reason code"  -headache- no appointments come up but if i put in -facial pain- then there are openings with GP's.

I'm not sure I want to deal with that level of BS.

Advice?

The way their system appears to work is that it assigns a block of time to various problems/issues/etc.. and "headache" or "backache" or anything remotely major or lengthy gets 30mins while an initial consult or "facial pain" gets only 15mins. Apparently there's nothing the system is pulling up for those 30min blocks, at least not that i could convince it to pull up.

I think i might have actually just told it "high blood pressure" and left it at that even, since i want BP meds as it is. Did my online new patient forms and now i twiddle my thumbs until Thursday.

Hopefully this works out like one of my old dentists offices where the scheduling system acts like there's nothing available until you're an established patient, then miracle of miracles there's openings based on "priority" and since I tend be cooperative with scheduling people I tend to be a high priority.

Loric wrote on Mar 19^th, 2010 at 6:46pm:

Advise.........quit the poor me whining and get oxygen.

       Potter