4 days and a Santa Claus

For quite a while now, I've had some really good pain free shunt/chronic pain days. 

until.....

Four days this week....I had elevated pressure in my forehead followed by distal catheter pain in the side of my neck. Additional pain in the shunt valve which felt like someone had taken a needle in plunged it into my shunt, shooting down inside my head. Some nausea and distal catheter pain in my stomach plus pain in the side of my head. 

This went on for the last four days, starting very early on Tuesday morning. 

Like around 1am.  

Finally, today I had some relief with no shunt or head pain at all. 

Pain medication did nothing for me over the last four days.

I suspect my shunt was either adjusting itself, reacting to the moon and responding to the plunge in weather. In my area, it was like 25 degrees at the beginning of this week. 

The good news is, besides being pain free for the minute, other things that have brought me joy this week are....

Example of black santa claus decor 

1.  Black Santa Claus decorations at my local mall. 

It's still too early for me for Christmas music. Seeing decorations that have a skin tone similar to mine, brings me joy and for a brief moment when I'm not feeling well, makes me smile. 

2. Having songs from The Little Mermaid stuck in my head after seeing the live action/animated show on television last week. I will always love the animated version, I'm a little biased being an animator myself....Still seeing the live action/animated version and hearing the songs again made me happy and was a brief distraction from my head issues...

3. Nintendo...in moderation....

Let's hope for more pain free days and less sharp pains in my shunt that radiate into my head....

Caregivers with fur

Scalp pain returned last night briefly and the last two weeks I've had dizziness when moving my head.

I had some walking issues earlier this week, almost tripped over my legs again in the living room.

Stella the cat 

According to my neurologist who I saw earlier last month, I have something called parasthesias, transient right leg weakness and slight dysmetria.

In October, my cat Stella turned 19. She's helped me recover through four shunt revision surgeries (2009-2014) and multiple brain injuries in 2014.

11/2/19 - Right side of head scar from shunt
revision surgery in May 2014

This weekend, someone asked me about the scar on the side of my head. Most of the time it can't be seen, it's only noticeable when I get a haircut.  I don't mind talking about my brain injuries sometimes, it is usually a good 30 to 45 minute story from start to finish.  However, yesterday, I chose the shorter version of the story explaining I had had surgery it was long story. Wherein the woman replied, 'You're going to be okay right?" and of course, I said, 'Yes, I think I will be''

What a nice random encounter to have with someone on a cold and windy day.  A few days ago, the wind in the evening was bothering my forehead.

My shunt is behaving since then.... No pain for a week already, which is a small miracle in itself.

Brain Walk 2019

Myself behind the Brain Injury
Awareness Sign

Last week, I walked for Brain InjuryAwareness. Because I registered early, I received a T Shirt.

Before the walk, breakfast was available which included bagels, coffee, water and fruit. After the walk was finished, sandwiches and other snacks were provided.

Head and shunt pain has been minimal this week.

The brain tee this year is blue.

I saw my neurologist earlier this month, and my walking and balance issues have improved since my last appointment which was earlier this year.

My doctor had referred me I see a physical therapist during my appointment earlier this year. I realized it was my shoes were uneven on the bottom. This caused my feet to turn inward. Upon changing my shoes, I noticed a difference in how I was walking.

This does not mean I don't still have some balance issues.

I do get the occasional right leg crossing over my left leg and if I'm not aware of this, I will fall on my face.  The leg crossing or 'scissoring'' as they called it in rehab, is random.

This has happened more than once over the last five years since my brain injuries.  I was told by another stroke survivor a few years ago that these things never really go away.

This morning, I heard a familiar sound coming from behind my right eye (where I had strabismus surgery in 2015) I had asked my neuro opthalmologist about this and he had said it was my blood pressure. Behind my eye? Maybe. Or I think it could be the nerve or something.

Looking forward to future brain injury walks and more pain free moments...I've gotten lucky these last few days...

Waves of communication

Grocery store robot moving in store

Last week and parts of this week, the pain medication I usually use for my chronic head, neck and abdominal pain didn't work.  I did my usual activities of volunteering last only to return home and try to forget the pain.

At times this didn't work very well, although I managed. I was grumpy, yet I managed.

I colored and sketched a plastic pumpkin. It was out of proportion.

Now it has googly eyes

This morning, I had pain issues again in my head and I took curamin for the pain. So far, it's been working the entire day.

Not sure what was happening over the last week.

Maybe it was the weather transition of Summer to Fall...

As I may have mentioned in a previous post about the Stop and Shop robot....

When I am in the grocery store, I run away from the robot which is suppose to alert the management about spills and maybe shoplifting?

It's too bad my programmable shunt valve ( and it's super advanced technology, sarcasm ) doesn't allow me to communicate with this robot electromagnetic waves or something.

3 days and a statue

September is Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. Last week, there were three days when pain medication didn't work. It was very humid outside those three days and who knows what other magnetic forces were floating in the air....

Visit to Philadelphia, PA in early August. 

These last few days have been either pain free or reduced throbbing at the top of my head and neck. Which is a huge improvement from constant pain felt over the last few months.

Elevated pressure in my forehead this morning. Not taking anything for now because the discomfort isn't debilitating.

As usual, I'm going to take advantage of this reduced pain and
scrapbook.

I escaped to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this summer, got lucky with the beautiful weather for the short time I was there.

In Isle 6

My shunt and chronic pain was mild today.  For about a month now, I've been taking the vitamin, Curamin as needed. Curamin has helped a lot with my pain and reduces it by a lot to the point where I can focus better. There are some days, when this doesn't work like one day last week, where it was very humid outside. I had stayed indoors the entire day. I still felt lousy with head and shunt pain despite taking the Curamin and later taking ibuprofen.  

Taking it as needed has been working for me and is way better than the nerve blocker my neurologist had prescribed a few years ago. The side effects were making my fingers tingle and numb. 

Last month, a Home Sentinel pest repellent was added to one of the walls in my building.  I noticed if I get too close to the device, I can feel the electro magnetic magnetic waves. This sometimes happens when I walk through the small metal detectors. As mentioned in previous posts, I can't go through the airport security machines because the giant magnet could turn my shunt off or change the settings.  

There's a robot at my local grocery store and it's been there for about two months. I try not to get too

Grocery Store robot sliding away to another part of the store

close to it for the same reasons why I don't walk directly in front of the Home Sentinel. I don't pick up on any electro magnetic vibes from the robot yet.  It's funny through seeing other people at the store interact with the robot. Some like myself, avoid it, while other people, like children point and shout at the robot.

I've seen some store workers get upset with the robot because it doesn't seem to respond to verbal commands.

The robot also speaks spanish when it's lights turn yellow. 

Robot now has large eyes 

Maybe it will get programmed to take verbal commands. All it needs now is a smile to go along with the eyes....

3

I had three days this week of bliss without cerebral shunt or chronic pain. A huge improvement from the last few months. Yesterday, this changed, as the shunt began to rebel again.  Today, some of the same pains from before have returned like shunt pain, distal catheter in abdomen pain and dizziness when I move my head from side to side.

New Medical Fashion....

The good news is I received my medical ID bracelet in the mail. I've had a shunt since early childhood and it never occurred to me before to wear one indicating I have a cerebral shunt.

I would think all doctors should suggest to their patients who have internal medical devices to wear something which would indicate they have an internal device. Some do and others don't.

I already have a medical card I carry with me that has my medical, doctor and emergency contact information.

How would an EMT know to check my bag for this information? Like for example in the event of an emergency, if I'm unconscious for whatever reason (accidents, fainting or squirrel attack ) At least someone will know where to find information and contact my doctors and family.