going on 5

This is the 5th day I've not had shunt pain and chronic head pain. This hasn't happened for months. No pain behind my right eye, which I learned is not from my strabismus surgery in 2015, it's from my injuries in 2014. During these days I've had TMJ and walking/balance issues. For now, I'm going to enjoy not wanting to remove my shunt from my brain and recycle it. This week has been a happy week which includes returning to art and movie marathons....

neck buzz

Pain management in my forehead has improved. Recently, I've been the left side scalp pain from my injuries has returned. This morning, I felt a pain run up my neck and around my head. Something I've never experienced before. Then it went away and I didn't feel it again for the rest of the day except for the occasional scalp pain on the left side of my head.  

The recent rain and thunderstorms are not helping. 

What brings me joy when I have head issue is this song from The Lego Batman Movie. Hearing and seeing this music video makes me happy. 

Tornedo warnings in my area this evening made me think my programmable shunt valve could have been responding to it. I like many people with medical devices, can feel the changes in weather outside. 

Tinnutus and the sculpture

My visit to see Journey to Freedom in 2021

This morning I had an episode of tinnitus in my right ear. I started having tinnitus after my brain injuries in 2014.  This was jarring to experience as is hasn't occurred in a few months.  Totally felt like I had been hit inside the head on my right side with a whoosing sound moving from the inside of my right ear through the middle of my head. 

It lasted for what felt like a very long five minutes and was quite disorienting. The last few days I have been having balance issues and my feet have been getting confused. 

These symptoms are just one of many that I and millions of others experience after surviving a brain injury.                                                           

Recently, I was able to see the Harriet Tubman Journey to Freedom Sculpture which was making a stop in my area. The sculpture will be touring several states thru 2023.  Harriet Tubman is also a traumatic brain injury survivor.   

shunt on wrist

I recently saved up enough to get three medical id bracelets. The one I had was a getting worn out and I felt getting additional ones would be a good investment. There are several websites where medical id bracelets can be purchased. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to have one if you have a medical device or allergy. In the event you are unconscious somewhere at least someone can look at your medical id and see important information. If I didn’t wear this bracelet, no one would know I have a shunt in my brain unless I told them.

When dealing with chronic pain from my injuries in 2014, I’ve tried a variety of medications for pain management. Something worked some didn’t. All are temporary relief until the cycle begins again. Recently, I as given gabapentin by my neurologist and that wasn’t really working as the side effects really bothered me. In the last two weeks, I tried a combination of CBD/CBG/Turmeric with curamin. 

 This seems to help reduce the pain from different parts of my head and shunt. It also lasts for most of the day until the evening. I can only take this once a day. Taking just the CBD/CBG/turmeric alone will not alleviate my pain. It works best when combined with curamin. In the evenings, this wears off and I’ll have to find something else to take in the evenings when needed. 

There are many ways of dealing with chronic pain and there are several medications out there that help people.

What I have noticed about taking this combination of pain relief is that it doesn’t get rid of the tinnitus in my ear or the phantom limb nerve issues I have. By phantom limb, I mean there is still nerve throbbing from the left side of my scalp where my shunt valve used to be. I still have episodes of dizziness and vertigo, wonderful side effects of having survived multiple brain injuries. 

Last night, chronic pain issues were making me sad so I played Nintendo to escape. Now I have the theme song from Hudson's Adventure Island on rotation inside my head. 

My story is just one of millions of people and families who have been impacted by brain injury.

Let's Draw part I

 When it's raining outside and I have chronic pain, I draw rainbows because they make me feel better. 

Step 1: Draw curvy lines to create side of cloud.

Step 2: Close lines creating first cloud.

Step 3: Begin drawing 2nd cloud. 

Step 4; Continue drawing outline for 2nd cloud.

Step 5: Close lines. Now we have two clouds.

 

Step 6: Begin drawing rainbow lines

Step 7: Close rainbow lines and
darken pencil lines with pens,
markers or colored pencil.  

Step 8: Color in rainbow and clouds
using markers, colored pencils

I didn't include all the colors of the rainbow in this drawing. Sometimes I leave them out or I include all of the colors. This usually depends on the length between clouds which usually determines the number of lines in a rainbow. I also could've add more thin lines to give the rainbow more colors. Rainbow drawings can be colored in using a variety of media even cutting colored pieces of paper and using it to fill in the colors is a good idea too. 

palm trees and metal

I've discovered a new Nintendo game, Hudson's Adventure Island II. I love characters, music, and the game play. They even have happy game over music. It's just a joy and fun to play this and a good escape from my chronic pain issues. 

My shunt has been behaving itself the last few days. I had some double vision this morning when I turned my head, occasionally my eyes become misaligned. TMJ issues today along with tinnitus. I attempted to build a puzzle over the weekend and came to realization I needed more table space. I wonder how my new brain will process constructing a puzzle. Haven't done one in years prior to my injuries. 

I was at a doctor's appointment recently and the nurse commented on my medical ID bracelet. She told me she doesn't see them very often and that it was a good idea for me to be responsible for my health. There are several places where you can purchase one here are some examples: 

Medical Alert Foundation 

Medical Alert Bracelets

Lauren's Hope

American Medical ID

dizzy with a side of pizza tv

In the last week, I've two days that were pain free. Today, I realized I still have numbness around my mouth. I have csf pressure in my forehead, chiari malformation headache in the back of my head, some tmj issues in my right ear and of course, my personal favorite, balance issues when walking and standing. This makes me sad, most often when they happen often. Especially since I remember not having these issues before my brain injuries in 2014.

What makes me smile when I have chronic pain and to escape briefly from the global pandemic?  Samurai Pizza Cats, puzzles and listening to birds.