Still not better

Well, still no diagnosis. Big Surprise.

So, about two months ago, my neck was tight, felt like it needed to crack but I didn't have time to see my chiropractor. So, I forced my neck to crack. Which you are never never supposed to do. If you turn your head and it cracks, fine, but never ever force it. I worked for a chiropractor, have been a patient of one for years... I knew better, did it anyway. As soon as I did it, I knew it was different than any other time it has ever cracked. It was loud, and sharp sounding, not dull like the norm.

That night, I told my husband my neck hurt. The next day, it was hurting worse, and my husband pointed out that my neck and the side of my face was swollen. So, I called my Dr and since it was a holiday weekend, I told him I'd come in on Tuesday, after the holiday. I think it was Memorial Day. So, for three days I stayed lying still as possible propped up on pillows, one of which was a chiropractic cervical pillow to support the cervical part of your spine. I was absolutely miserable....

So first thing Tuesday morning I go to a chiropractor. Not "my" chiropractor because he's a 45 minute drive one way, and at $4 a gallon... well I think you get the point. So anyway, I went to a local chiropractor. My husband had talked to him earlier, so he knew I'd been in pain all week and was coming in. So I go in and told my neck was hurting me and he told me to lay on the table so he could adjust me. I pointed out the swelling on my face and asked him his opinion, to which he replied "I don't know. It could be anything. You could have been bitten by a bug" Then he adjusts me and says I should be better by the end of the day. I wasn't.

My regular Dr gave me scripts for muscle relaxer, pain meds, and nausea medicine because the pain meds make me nauseous. He told me he wanted to schedule me for a CT scan because it was a bit concerned about the swelling. Fine. Sounds good. So, home I go to sit, supported by pillows waiting for medicine to kick in. I'm not someone who can sit still for long, or likes to sit still. I was going nuts that I couldn't stay in contact with ppl because I couldn't sit up long enough to even go and check my mail, or get on the net. I went and bought a laptop so I could access the net from bed.... Then I thought about MY chiropractor, the out of town one. I called him. He talked with me on the phone and listened to me tell him about what happened, what it felt like, range of motion etc. He said it sounded to him like there was some pooling of fluid around my temporal artery and that a CT Scan most likely wasn't going to show anything. He did say for me to give him a call after it was done and have a copy faxed to him and he'd take a look at them.

So the CT ppl call me and tell me that it would be another two or three weeks before they could get me in for a CT because of my insurance required pre authorization. That Saturday I called my Dr and told him about not being able to get a CT Scan for so long. That day the swelling had also gotten worse, along with the pain. The swelling had moved up the side of my head and down my neck. So, he told me to go to the ER and get in right away because he didn't feel like the CT could wait and if it was an emergent situation they'd not need authorization.

The hospital Dr said it was a muscle spasm. He also said I was wasting his time. It was ridiculous. I'll tell that whole story another time. Point is, my chiropractor out of town has been able to help me over the phone than any doctor in the area... it's just ridiculous

Who knows what the next step is. I'm just tired of not getting a diagnosis. They give you one pill for the pain, which makes you nauseous, so they give you a pill for that. Then that pill makes you sleepy, or makes it hard for you to go to the bathroom, so they give you more meds for that.... it's an endless cycle of pills upon pills with still no relief....