Dent/Ridge Pain

[heartland]

Hi all... If you read my very lengthy Anniversary thread you may recall the internal suture that managed to work its way to the surface after almost a year post-op! Neurologist tried to remove it, but it wouldn't budge since it's a running suture, and it was painful as all get out as he was trying to pull it out. It's above my right temple a little ways and is near the largest dent/ridge I have. In the last week or so that area has become very tender to the touch, even taking a shirt on and off hurts, and seems larger and maybe even a bit swollen. Of course I cannot see it through my hair to look and it hurts to touch... brushing or washing my hair is not fun and I noticed last night that it even hurt to lay on that side of my head on my very large fluffy pillow. The pain is sharp, burning, almost nerve-y type pain.

I'm seeing my neuro this afternoon for a follow up on the EEG and will ask him to take a look at it. My almost first thought was the suture has become infected, but the whole line of the ridge hurts, not just where the suture is. I don't think I've bumped my head on anything, would remember cause I know it would have hurt like heck, but was wondering if anyone has had this same kind of ridge pain and what you did for it?

TIA

Lisa

[goldie411]

Lisa, sorry to hear your head is hurting so much, Hopefully when you see your doc today they can tell you what's going on with it. I hope the pain goes away for you hun. Let us know what the doc says. Your in my prayers. Take care Cin

[TitaniumCranium]

Hey Lisa -
Sorry you are have such pain and rough time with your head. I pray your neuro was able to help you today. How were EEG results?? Please keep us posted. We are here and concerned.

Hugs,
Lori

[ChrisC]

Lisa, it kind of sounds like it might be a little stitch infection - but it's good that you have a doctor to check it out. What did he say about it today? I hope that all went well with your appointment.

[heartland]

Sorry to leave you gals hanging... got sidetracked w/ other things after I got home.

EEG was fine, after he jokingly told me there was unusual findings and that I didn't have a brain... a character, I'm tellin' ya!! :) But still told me I shouldn't be driving after he turned me loose while it was snowing like crazy! Oh well, I obviously made it home. He gave me a script for a migraine med, too. He only gave me 6 since I guess they're very expensive, about $20/pill. It's called Maxalt. Anyone familiar w/ them? They are just 10mg, I believe. Haven't got it filled yet cause of the snow, I just wanted to get home.

He asked about the stitch and if I'd seen my PCP about it yet and I said, "nope", but that I was going to make an appt on my way out to get it looked it, as it had gotten very tender over the last week. He agreed that it was a good idea and not his department. So I did that, but not w/ my normal PCP, who is pregnant and on half days and booked solid until she's due next month, so I went w/ another and see him tomorrow afternoon. I will report back after I get home. I can only imagine this will be a painful visit... oh joy!!! I'm such a wuss!! :D

Thanks for the concern, I appreciate it.

Lisa

[FireflyR7]

:D I am so glad you are getting checked out!!! Your Dr. sounds funny!! :p You are not a wuss!!! None of us like to go through pain, I hope the Dr. can take care of the problem! Maybe he can use a local anesthetic so it isn't painful if he has to dig the stitch out??

My husband tried maxalt for his headaches but, he only has occasional migraines. It didn't really help him in his situation. He has Vicodin, and anti-nausia med. He has tried some kind of preventitive med. but, wouldn't take it everyday??? He doesn't have them a lot but, when he does they are bad!! Has had to go to hosp. a couple of times over the past few years.
Different meds. effect everyone differently, I hope it works for you!! ;)

The Man song is so funny!!! :p Thanks for sending it!!

Take care and keep us posted!! It won't be long until your man is home!!! ;)
As always you are in my prayers sweetie!! ;) Love Tricia

[JohnS]

Lisa,

Sorry you are having so much pain. Hopefully they can get it managed AND find the cause and fix it. Reminds me of something the Inspector General would put at the bootom of every page of an inspection report, "CORRECT THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOM". Seems like pain is the symptom, what is causing it is the real question. Something you said made me go huh?, why does the neruologist think the suture is not his/her domain, who put the suture in there?

Hope you are enjoying the mild Iowa Winter, it's been brutal here in CA!

[heartland]

Well... the doctor appt didn't happen. I managed to nap right through it, my alarm, and then it was too late to reschedule when I did wake up! So I'll try again on Monday... ugh!! But I had a really nice nap! :D

Yes, Tricia, he is funny! He was a scientist before becoming a neuro. Guess that wasn't challenging enough for him. He's very smart! And it's the local I don't like. That burns.... OWE!!! See... wussy!! :)

Thanks for the Maxalt experience w/ your hubby. We'll see how it does for me.

Glad you liked the Man Song. I thought it was funny, too!

Found out today that my man won't be home as early as he or I had hoped. For some unGodly reason, the rest of the guys will be back in their home towns before he even gets to leave where he's at, which puts him about 2 weeks or more behind everyone else and into April for coming home. He may miss my Birthday now. Originally he would have been home a couple days before his (end of March), but now it will probably be after mine (April 14th.) It sucks because they are having a homecoming as each group comes back to the states and then there will be one lonely man all by himself. Some homecoming I'm sure they won't give him for his services. Such a crock!!!! I still plan on going down there...we might just have the whole place to ourselves! Now I'm going to have to change my room reservations for two weeks later than I already have them!! UGH!! But I think I'll wait until month when we supposedly get dates and times for them coming back. HA!!! If I change I have until March 1 to do so, so I have time. It's just so frustrating and he's not happy either, because they won't tell him why he has to stay while everyone else gets to pack up to go home. He's very down now after finding this news out. Doesn't help his morale any.

Thanks, Tricia!!!

Thanks, John! The neuro didn't put the sutures there, the neurosurgeon did, so it's definitely not his domain.

We are NOT having a mild winter at all. It started about a month ahead of schedule w/ ice storms and snow and we got that about every weekend for over a month in fact. Bitter cold temps and very little melting that created more ice. Got more snow yesterday and that put us at over 22" for the season so far. More than we've had in a long time this early. We didn't have much of a fall before winter hit and stuck around. And I'm sure we'll have six more weeks of it when that stupid groundhog sees his shadow!! :) I'm so ready to head south and get away from the cold. I HATE it!!

Sorry to hear it's been brutal there! HA! :D

Lisa

[JohnS]

Now I understand the suture comment, he is right. The winter comment was tounge in cheek, my daughter and grandkids live in Boone, I've been getting regular weather updates. Of course the kids think it is great because schools close and they can play in the snow.

Oh and six weeks more winter, I know all about that, grew up in Pennsylvania and I know where Punxsutawney is; and who Phil is. :eek:

Now be sure to get rid of that snow by May, my grandson is graduating from High School and my wife and I are planning a trip to Boone, maybe we can see the Kate Shelley High Bridge and Mamie Eisenhower's birthplace while we are there.

Sorry you missed the Dr Appt and had to reschedule, you'll get there next time; at least the nap was good! I fully understand the disappointment that your husband won't get home as originally thought; NONETHELESS his service is appreciated, be proud of him. I'll bet if you contact his unit they'd arrange a homecoming for one soldier, especially seeing as how he would represent the last unit member to return. I sure hope this is his last tour. Render him a proud salute for me.

[Kitty]

Lisa, I surely hope your appointment on Monday works out. That sounds like something that should be looked at, and probably something that can be fixed. We have enough pain with this whole process!! Fix as much of it as possible!!:rolleyes:

Sorry about your man not coming home as expected. That's got to be very disappointing for both of you. :( (I think that might be a tremendous understatement...)

You'll be in my thoughts.

Kitty

[heartland]

John... Glad I cleared that up. He's definitely not a suture kinda guy! :)

I wondered on the weather after I wrote all that, so sorry if I sounded a bit testy (hate winter and pissed Doug won't be home as planned!) I'm sure it'll be gone by May and nice then, it usually is unless there's a thunderstorm, which has happened before on graduation party days. My son has only missed one day of school due to weather since most of it has come on the weekends, so he's been lucky, or should I say, I have! :D He loves the snow very much though. Built a nice big snowman in the backyard and sleds almost daily if it's not bone chilling cold. We've gone through a lot of hot chocolate this season for sure.

I figured everyone knew who Phil was... stupid groundhog anyhow!! I bet if it was a female groundhog (HA!) she wouldn't see her shadow and we'd be all set for spring! Like that'll happen.

We saw the Kate Shelley bridge this summer on our train ride... my son LOVES trains... he's been on it a couple times now. Drove by Mamie's, but haven't ever stopped. Someday maybe. Hope you enjoy your visit, though I'm sure you will being w/ family.

That's okay on the appt. I'm going to call this morning and see if I can get in today or tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted on that. Yes, the nap was very good, thanks!

Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of him and support him 110% for what he's doing. I tell him that all the time. Ever since he got this news his morale has been cut in half, if not more, he's very down and doesn't like being jerked around by people that don't care. He's so sick of being there and wants to come home so badly. This news was his last straw and breaking point I think, as he gave them a piece of his mind and was not nice about it either. He's a strong man and I'm sure he'll be fine, but I worry about him, naturally. When I talked to him yesterday morning he wasn't himself and was very upset and angry... I wished I could have reached through the damn phone and hugged and kissed him and make him feel a little better. :( I hate not being able to do anything, but continue to support him, as much as he hates it there, the people he works w/, his job and such. He's normally the happy go lucky type that can make the best out of anything in order to get the job done and still keep morale up, but now it's not going to be so easy. Him being the last of his battalion to come back means nothing, because he's w/ an active duty battalion while deployed and will come back to his "old" one once he returns which is a reserve battalion. Our ombudsman said she probably won't even stay until he's home, and this was after she said she'd be there from the first group comes to when the last one gets home... I guess Doug isn't included in that and she said the military probably won't pay for her to stay down there another 2-3 weeks just for one soldier... last one or not. That is why I'm going to try my darndest to get money saved up so I can at least be down there for him to welcome him "home" and we can have the 96 together. Crossing fingers and toes for that one. Come he!! or high water, I will be down there one way or another. He deserves me more than anything the military will give him anyway, which won't be much. Oh, he won't be doing this again, thank God!!! Will do on the salute... if he ever gets to leave that he!! hole, as he calls it.

Thanks, Kitty! Will keep you all posted on the appt. and hopefully I'll make it to this one and they understand that I slept through the last one and just didn't show up! I'm sure they will.

Yes, extremely disappointed is even an understatement. Frustrated, angry and every other bad emotion you can think of applies. We are NOT happy and it's a fiasco all around. He almost feels punished for a job well done, because he's the only one that does anything. I told him you're too good at what you do!! Couldn't leave one of the losers behind, nope, had to be him. The replacements will already be there so in reality there's no reason for him to stay to teach anyone anything since they will have been there a couple weeks already to learn it. It's not rocket science!!! :mad: And to make things worse for him, he's got a knee that's really been bothering him, but medical there is about worthless. He's going to keep going until the doctor actually looks at his knee so that it's documented in his medical records for when he comes back as proof.... well and find out what's wrong w/ it. And w/ sort of compensating (he doesn't gimp around, because that draws attention to him and he HATES that!) he other knee has started bothering him, too, but not as badly. He's been wearing a brace I sent him, but it's not really helping anymore. I think he's torn up and lost cartilage from what he's telling me (which is rare that he even told me he hurt... modest man) because it's popping and cracking, especially going up and down stairs, walking over big rocks and sound arthritis like to me, but doesn't seem better the more he's on it. Hopefully he'll get that addressed and then maybe they will decide NOT TO KEEP HIM AND SEND HIM HOME to get fixed!!!!! I kept telling him that I'd hate for him to come home and not be able to do what he wanted because his knee(s) is hurting. Silly man finally decided to try medical and the doctor never even looked at his knee, said he was young (didn't ask his name, age, medical records or anything, which he had in his hand!) and that he'd be fine! Gave him two different kind of pills to take, but didn't even know if Doug had any allergies to any meds, so Doug won't take them. Yet they just sent his roomie home yesterday that's 10 years younger to have shoulder surgery. Guess he saw the same doc, but had to go back to him 4-5 times and then go through the run around back here in the states in order for something to be done.

Sorry that was so long... it's just so frustrating and nice to get it out, even if it's just typing in space! Thanks for listening, it's been a rough weekend and going to be an even rougher remainder to this deployment for both of us.

Lisa