Friday, July 07, 2006

Do Not Be Alarmed.

Cupcake: Hello?
PatriotDave: Hello?
Cupcake: Can you hear me?
PatriotDave: Can you hear me?
Cupcake: Yes.
PatriotDave: Where are you?
Cupcake: In the emergency room.
PatriotDave: What's wrong?
Cupcake: I'm having chest pains.
PatriotDave: Intense chest pains?
Cupcake: Well, when you're having chest pains, they all seem a bit intense.
PatriotDave: I'm sorry. You know I'm not very good at the compassion thing.
Cupcake: I know.
PatriotDave: Is this a bad time to ask when I can come stay with you?
Cupcake: I'm going to have to call you back.

The thing is, I'm having health problems here. I'm having terrible migranes and the medicine they've put me on for migranes is driving me insane and giving me horrible side effects which lead me to believe yesterday afternoon that I was a few steps away from cardiac arrest. I am physically and emotially crushed and I don't know what to do. I am feeling better today and I have to give big props to Medusa who told me last night not to wait in the ER for another 4 hours and just to go to her house where she would check me out. It is a great thing to have a friend who is an ER doc. Unfortunately, I am taking a bye from this here blog until I get some of this shit figured out.

Update: I called my neurologist this morning to try to explain what I had been experiencing. "I have two patients waiting right now," he said. "I can't do anything for you right now."

"Well," I said, "I'm really not comfortable with the side effects of this drug."

"Eat a banana. The side effects will go away in two days."

"It feels like someone is pressing down on my chest!"

"That is not from this drug! This drug is very safe."

So, it looks like I will either need to get a new neurologist or buy a case of bananas. Which do you think I will do?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cupcake, I'm worried about you! Sounds like you need some TLC this weekend. I'm not an ER doc, but I watch a lot of medical shows on TV and I pay attention. Does that count for anything?

I could come over, and we could talk, or not talk, all day.

Muk said...

Hillary's having a terrible migraine right now too. Man, that shit sucks.

Hang in there - you'll be just fine. We're thinkin' about ya.

J said...

Cupcake, feel better! And as soon as you are, I will send YOU some cupcake. Claire and Sheena can make them...or I can buy them. But they will be all yours.

That sucks dude.

Anonymous said...

I could come over and drill something for you, if it would help.

Really, let me know what neighborly things you need done.

Also, Dave called me last night; told him how some ladies from IA were coming to stay that weekend and joked that he call you. To which he said, "I could never do that -- she has a studio!"

Apparently, he could. Oh, PatriotDave!

Cupcake said...

Irina, why yes I am on Topomax! It makes me fel good to hear that I am not the first person to have a Topomax freak out. I am a little weary to just stop taking it, but I scheduled an appointment with a GP next week. My own GP is on vacation, so I'm seeing the doc that is covering for her. My only concern is that my GP is Romanian; the neurologist she sent me to is Romanian and the GP who is covering for while she's on vacation is Romanian. What if I've gotten involved in some kind of Romanina Topomax laundering ring???

Thanks for your well wishes everyone. I'm feeling calmer now. I stopped the birth control yesterday since I think that was responsible for this week for monster migranes and my subsequent OD on Imitrex. I think I'll feel better once this birth control leeches out of my system and my hormones go back to normal; I see a new docoter next week and maybe stop the Topomax (provided she is not a fellow Romanian Topomax smuggler).

Anonymous said...

Cupcake. I am so sorry to hear that you are not well. Take care of yourself. My friend suffers from headaches (not migraines, but almost constant moderate to severe headaches) and was prescribed Imitrex. It actually made her headaches worse so she stopped taking it. One of my friends from work takes Midrin and says it is the only thing that works for her.

J said...

Yes...but I had no idea they'd actually prescribe medicine. I figured Cupcake would give them some Romian LEI and they'd give her M & Ms or something.

Sorry Cupcake!!!!

Cupcake said...

You know, this doc put me on Topamax last year and I never had any of these side effects. I went off it after a couple of months because I didn't really notice any change in migranes and I didn't want to pay for it and go in for the office visits. That time, he gradually stepped me up. This time he put me right on 100 mg doses. I thought that was weird. Maybe because he figured I didn't have any problems last tiem he could just start me on the high dose.

Metallic taste in my mouth? Ho boy. The good news is I finally found a demographic served by Tastee D-Lite: those who have already lost their sense of taste due to medical side effects. You don't care that it doesn't taste like anything because nothing tastes like anything. It's very nihilistic. What's the point?

Anonymous said...

One nice word for Topomax. I ove it. Makes life bearable for me. The side effects were a bitch for a while, but after the first month of numb toes and the such, life was so much better.

Cupcake Queen said...

Cupcake: what the hell....you are not supposed to be sick..I step out of the room on time and look what happens! I wish I could deliver 2 dozen cupcakes for you...seriously, I hope you are doing better now.

IA said...

I'm alarmed! One minute, you're watching Cup with the Germans, and the next, you're in the emergency room again? I know nothing about migraines (and am very grateful for it), but it does sound to me like you need a new neurologist.

Get well soon, please.

Janet said...

I would say, BANANAS! But, then, I would also say, don't ever scare me like that again. Hope you're well.

Anonymous said...

Can I mail you a box of bananas? I know a guy who knows a guy.

Tiffany said...

If you decide to stay on the Topomax make sure you stay hydrated. I had all sorts of problems with it when I first started... say the first 2 weeks because I was in training for a triathlon but I find so long as I stay really hydrated I have no problems now. I've been on it for maybe 5 months or so? And I've had 2 migraine's in 5 months. That's HUGE for me!

There are tons of other pills that do what Topomax does though so if you hate it try another! I tried 2 different ones before I found Topomax.

Anonymous said...

Ummm, Anyone besides me worried that she hasn't posted since Friday? With the building collapse yesterday and her headaches and stuff, can someone check and make sure she's ok?

J said...

As of yesterday she was ok. Or at least someone using her e-mail address and claiming to be her was ok, but that's the best I can do.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps cutting the sugar is what the doctor really ordered, you frosting pasted freak-zone.

Running around with crushed Nilla wafers jammed up your nostrils doesn't paint a healthy picture. Neither does washing your hair with high-fructose corn syrup. WTF? You need help, Splenda-style.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone,

I am no doctor but suffer from extreme migraine pains that have made me pass out a few times while driving with my kids in the back of my van. I also have a cyst (non malignant) in the front right pole of my brain...nothing serious though. My doctor recommended Immitrex plu Topomax. My dad is a doctor and after leaving in my parents house until 21 (it has rained a lot since) I have found a way of taking care of my migraine without feeling bad afterwards due to side effects of the prescriptins. I was told to take Immitrex as soon as I start with a headache and it works wonderful. With the Topomax I was asked to take it everyday up to three pills a day but it was too strong for me since I have the kids with me all the time. What has worked out the best for me is to stay away from chocolate, onions, sodas or pop, and foods with colorants...basically stay away from everything I like so I just take a day a week to indulge and that's it. Stress and lack of sleep will make the migraines worst so if you can stay a little longer in the morning and go to sleep a little earlier. I know it is not always possible but in my case I need to be OK to take care of the kids. Now I take Immitrex when I get a headache and Topomax only at night right after the heache episode...and right before I go to sleep so that the effects are suffered while I am sleeping and I do not feel too much of it. Hope you feel better soon and hope these tips help. I also heard of a coffee for migraine pains but I am waiting for my inlaws to ship it to me. It is a recipe from a pharmacist. Apparently it has some cocoa but coffee gives me headaches anyways so who knows ;-). Take Care!

Ahh! My sister also uses warm wet towels on her head and turns all lights off.