I am delicate
That is when I am not in complete agony
Neuralgia headache
Initially my doctor thought I had sinusitis, which i am prone to since i have had hay-fever since childhood and a recent MRI scan highlighted that my right sinuses are blocked and will probably need draining soon, however the pain this time was not in my nose, but around my eyes and lower forehead, and as it became more intense it centred itself further into my left eye and my left cheekbone.
The pain was so intense on Thursday night I cried all night, trying to find a painkiller that would simply reduce the pain slightly. It was dreadful. I wanted to be taken to hospital and to be given a general anaesthetic to remove the pain. I could understand people killing themselves over headaches. My hand was over my eye the whole time, I kept putting cold wet flannels on it, I thought it was going to burst the pain was so awful.
First thing on Friday morning we rang the duty doctor to ask for some different painkillers & the doctor also suggested antibiotics just in case, though I don’t have any symptoms of infection (temperature, feeling ill, achiness elsewhere etc). By the time I got to the doctor to collect the medicines I was crying again and asked the receptionist to ask the doctor increase the dose again. She told the duty doctor what a state I was in and I got to see my registered GP. He took one look at me and said “right, lets start again”.
After talking with me for 20 minutes he established that the pain I have is neuralgia caused by a damaged, injured or over-sensitive nerve in the side of my face that is causing my pain.
The medication that I am already taking for my Fibromyalgia treats this type of pain as it acts on the same receptors, pain receptors on the nerve endings, so he has just doubled the dose, and then given me some intense anti-inflammatories as my cheek is swollen from the pain, and if there is pressure on the nerve this will help relieve it.
24 hours later already i feel better. The new regime of painkillers is a much lower dose so I am not in as much pain, I can now brush my teeth again and drink cold water without wincing. But i am still very fragile, delicate. I need a lot of TLC!
These are the instructions I found on one website:
- Eat soft foods.
- Make sure your drinks and foods are not too cold or hot when you consume them.
- Wash you face with lukewarm water (body temperature).
- Use cotton pads when washing your face.
- Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water after eating if tooth brushing triggers an attack.
- Avoid known triggers as much as possible.
I have to wear a balaclava style scarf when I go outdoors, and I can’t wear any of my glasses as the weight of them hurts me, even though I have always had very lightweight frames with plastic lenses made for me, now I can’t wear any.
I am making an appointment with the dentist on Monday just to rule out an abscess which can often cause neuralgia like pain, but based on my history of fibromyalgia, it is much more likely to be a nerve problem. The only niggling worry is that it might be the start of MS. There I’ve said it.
Hopefully not. I don’t think it runs in our family.
So it’s me that’s delicate… like this little flower we found growing between the cracks of lava in Lanzarotte
Delicate Flower in Lanzarotte
For a more pictorial representation of delicate have a look at my first attempt 🙂
Day One 
