My Initial Experience With Lyrica

My family doctor has decided to give me Lyrica to try to see if it helps with my pain issues, particularly my severe chronic headaches.  I was asking to have my pain meds increased and she thought it would be safer to go a different route and she chose Lyrica instead.  She gave me enough samples to last for one week and then she wrote out a prescription for me to have filled. 

She said that you have to start at 75 mg. twice a day of Lyrica for the first week.  Then increase to 150 mg. twice a day.  I have only been on it a few days but I do notice a difference in my pain.  I didn’t have to take any pain pills today until almost lunch time and normally I have to take it as soon as I get up in the morning.  The down side of the medication I’m experiencing is extreme drowsiness and I wake up feeling like I have a hangover.  It’s the same feeling I get when I take sleeping medication.

I try not to get too excited when starting something new and when I see results quickly because that is normal for me.  But as soon as my body gets used to the medication, it no longer has the same effect and doesn’t work anymore.   I am hoping that the drowsiness and hangover feeling goes away by the time the samples are done because I would like to fill the prescription if it’s going to help with the pain, even if it is short-term relief until I build up a tolerance to it.

I know the television commercials and publicity for Lyrica has given Fibromyalgia awareness a huge boost but I’m wondering how many people the drug is really helping.

My Upcoming Appointment with the ENT

After 5 weeks of having fluid in my ear, I have finally gotten an appointment through my doctor with an ENT.  I have to wait until December 3rd for my appointment, however.  What is weird is that I had about 2 or 3 days where I didn’t feel any fluid at all in my ear and then all of a sudden – wham!  I could feel my ear filling up again.  I noticed yesterday that I was getting that pain back in my neck and in my head that is really sharp and my ear was full.  I am also running a fever off and on again.  I’m not going to get anymore antibiotics before I see the ENT.  I hope it doesn’t get any worse before then.  The probiotics I bought must not be doing much good since all of the symptoms are back strong again:  sinus pressure, sinus headache, neck pain, mouth and teeth pain, ear pain, and tenderness around my nose and sinus area.

I started feeling pretty good here the past few days and I thought that maybe, after two rounds of antibiotics in 3 weeks, I was better.  But that was wishful thinking, I guess.

Can anyone give me some suggestions on what to try?  This is everything I have tried for the sinus infection and ear fluid/pain:

• Antibiotics (Omnicef, 300 mg., Levaquin, 500 mg.)
• Probiotics
• Sinus rinse
• I’ve used Vicks on my forehead and sinus area to see if that loosens up my sinuses any.
• Nasal sprays

Pain Is Getting Worse In Arms Now

I don’t know if it is from my sinuses or if something new is going on but the pain I am experiencing is terrible.  It started in my legs back when my sinuses first became really bad.  Now the pain has moved to my arms and it is so bad, especially at night, that I can’t sleep.  I can’t lie, I can’t sit – no matter what I do I can’t relieve this awful pain.  I called the doctor’s office again today because my ear is still full of fluid and I can’t take this pain.  I am hoping to get a referral to an ENT.

I don’t think the pain is due to Fibromyalgia because it feels different than what I normally experience.  I don’t know if something is out of place in my neck, if it is tendonitis, or what.  All I know is that I am in total misery.  Hopefully I will hear something back from the doctor today.

Still Having Sinus and Ear Fluid Problems Along with Arm/Leg Pain

Today marks the 4th week that I have been dealing with all of this fluid in my right ear and it’s not getting any better. I will have times where I think the fluid and pressure is relieving and then it hits me again full force. Since October 10th I have been on a 10-day course of 300 mg. of Omnicef daily and after I finished that, I was on 10 days of Levaquin, 500 mg.

When I went to see the doctor both times about my sinuses and ear fluid, I also told her about the severe pain I have been having in my legs. I know that with Fibromyalgia it’s hard to tell sometimes if that is what is causing the pain. I told her, however, that this pain feels different as it is more of a burning, sharp kind of pain. My doctor thought maybe I was suffering from a potassium or magnesium deficiency but this was not the case. My blood work showed that both of these levels are fine.

Now I am having issues with this severe pain in my arms. It started in my left arm a few days ago and now it has moved to my right arm. The pain is so severe that it is keeping me awake at night. It kind of feels like it did when my carpal tunnel was really bad. I didn’t pull anything so I’m not sure what’s going on. When you have an illness like Fibromyalgia, it can be so difficult to know whether or not a new pain symptom is the FM or if something new has developed.

I am going to call the doctor to see if I can get a referral to an ENT doctor because I do not want to take anymore antibiotics.

My Journey With Gluten-Free Eating Begins

Last week I started cutting gluten out of my diet to see if I will start noticing any difference in my symptoms.  Instead of cutting all gluten products out of my diet at one time, I have been replacing gluten-free items for the regular foods I was eating as I run out of them.  The reason for slowly transitioning is because I know me and I would get too overwhelmed if I cut everything out at once.  I also have to consider having withdrawal symptoms from cutting out all of the gluten at once and I do not need to suffer from anymore symptoms.  I ran out of my favorite wheat bread last week and I replaced that with brown rice tortillas.  I am going tomorrow to get gluten-free noodles so that I can make some homemade chicken corn noodle soup.  I notice that since I’ve been sick with this sinus problem the only thing I can eat that doesn’t make me feel nauseated is chicken corn soup and chicken noodle soup.

I have been checking out online different gluten-free recipes and I hope that I can adjust to this new diet regimen without too much difficulty.  There will be lots of things that I am going to miss eating but it’s worth a shot to see if I feel any better. 

I’ll keep everyone posted on my gluten-free transition and progress!

Back to Doctor Again for Sinuses & Ear Fluid

On Monday I was back to see my doctor for my continuing sinus infection and ear fluid issues.  I was at the doctor’s office over 2 weeks ago due to the major fluid buildup in my right ear and even after 10 days of antibiotics (this time it was 300 mg. daily of Omnicef), the fluid was no better nor was the sinus pressure and sinus headaches.

This time when my doctor checked my right ear, she not only saw the same amount of fluid in there she also saw where it looks like my ear is getting infected from the fluid buildup.  I am now on a 10-day cycle of Levaquin, 500 mg. tablets. 

I am always so confused when it comes to taking antibiotics because I never had any luck with natural remedies.  Someone had commented on my last post about my sinus infections to use a Neti pot and try some other less-invasive methods of treatments.  The last time I went the totally natural route to treating sinus problems, I ended up extremely ill and could not talk for days and it took me months to get well.  So while I still use my Neti pot that I have,  I have found that I do get some relief, even if it is only short-term sometimes, by using antibiotics. 

I always notice when I have these bouts of sinus problems that I will start to feel better when I am on the antibiotics but once I am off of them for a few days the old symptoms return with a vengeance.  This time, however, I did not really notice much relief.  I also don’t like the fact that antibiotics kill off good bacteria with the bad and that our bodies can become immune to them.  This is where I’m sure I’m headed but I don’t know what else to do. 

I also use the nasal sprays and I have a nasal steroid that hasn’t helped dry up the ear fluid any.  Is it possible that my ears may need drained since they aren’t draining on their own?

Latest Sinus Infection & Ear Fluid Still Not Better

I just completed a 10-day round of Omnicef for my latest sinus infection that gave me the ear fluid bonus and I’m still not better.  My ear is still full of fluid and I am still suffering from the terrible sinus headaches.  I am so frustrated I don’t know what to do.  The past year has been a nightmare with trying to get rid of sinus infections and everytime I am on an antibiotic I fear that I have killed off whatever good bacteria I have, which probably isn’t much.  As I look back over my blog, it appears as though this is my six or seventh round of antibiotics since last September for sinuses. 

I am going to call my doctor today and see if I can get a referral to an ENT doctor.  Maybe they can help me get rid of these neverending infections.  I believe I was told one time that I have chronic sinusitis but I have been told over the years that I have so many things I can’t be sure.  It sounds as though it is chronic since they don’t go away.  What do you do then to treat sinuses when it’s chronic? 

I don’t know if this is used to treat recurring sinus infections, but I think if I could have IV antibiotics I would probably get rid of it.  Anything given through an IV is always more effective so I need to see if this is an option.  Any suggestions?  I did find some information on chronic sinusitis online.  Here are the symptoms and it sounds like what I’ve been dealing with.

Chronic Sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis is swelling (inflammation) of the air-filled spaces (sinuses) behind the forehead, cheeks, and eyes, which continues for a long time or keeps coming back.  Symptoms may last for 3 months or longer and include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Cough
• Facial pain around eyes or in the forehead and cheeks
• Headache, in front of head or around the eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Nasal drainage that is yellow, yellow-green and thick
• Pain in the mouth/teeth

Anyone out there suffering with me?  I need help on this one!

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