Friday, March 11, 2011

Is There a Storm Nearby?

About three years ago I started having what my husband and I call lightning bolts.  These are sudden, severe streaks of pain that run through my head.  They can go across my head, down the side of my face, or down the back of my head to the nape of my neck.
At first, I thought I might be having a stroke, but since there were no lasting effects from it, I dismissed that idea.  Also, my mother has had four strokes and never had any pain associated with it.
These lightning bolts are so severe that if they lasted more than the few seconds that they do, I am sure one would pass out.  As it is, I am usually left nauseated and dazed for a few moments.  Usually, they leave me with numb lips or a numb part of my face, not to mention being fuzzy brained.
I mentioned these to the doctor, but he didn’t seem to think they were anything out of the ordinary………..for MS that is.  As I’ve tried to get across in these blogs, MS is a strange animal.  There are no set symptoms, no certain age groups, and no set treatments.  That is one reason it is so hard to deal with.
There was a lady on the MS Facepage talking about having “an earthquake” in her head. Her earthquake and my lightning bolts are probably the same thing.  Her doctor didn’t seem impressed when she told him about it either.  I guess when you deal with these things day in and day out, as MS doctors do, they often get immune to hearing about pains and problems.  It is a shame.  To those who are experiencing it, it is brand new.
At least it isn’t usually an everyday occurrence.  Most things with MS are on again-off again type things.  It really makes it hard to adjust.  Never knowing what each day will bring………….but I guess that can also be said for the beauty of life………..it is new and exciting each day.

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