Memory Loss & Chronic Severe Pain Getting Worse

 

Memory Loss

One of the first signs that made me think I had Lyme disease was memory loss. I have both long-term and short-term memory loss for about 5+ years now. I take mangosteen, memory tonic, supplements and much more to help me with this issue but nothing seems to help.

My short-term memory seems to be getting worse. I always take notes in my phone for simple tasks or things people do and take for granted to remind myself what to do and when. I will email myself to re-remind me and still forget. I have been wanted to ask my mom for razor blades fr my shaving razor and everyday I forgot to ask her for bout a week even with notes and reminders.

My friend and I send songs to each other and I keep sending the same songs and then I feel bad I always repeat myself. But it feels new to me like I have never talked about it or heard the song before. I just hope this doesn’t last for life and I get Alzheimer’s or dementia early on in life. I hope this may help someone with lyme who is wondering if memory loss is related and may be scared. I cannot remember most of my life and I will forget what I did the day before or even had for dinner. But recently it just seems to me I will forget I forgot was I was forgetting.

 

 

 

Chronic Severe Pain

I have been dealing with pain my whole life. I always thought everyone felt as crappy as I did and it was part of life and growing. When I was 20 years old I was told I had arthritis and chronic pain. The pain back then was mostly in my knees and hips. As lyme caused Fibromyalgia and other medical issues the pain was in my shoulder blades, neck, back, ankles…. etc. As I got sicker and bedridden 5 years ago the pain was from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head. It is a combination of muscle, bone, joint and nerve pain where some lymies will only have one or the other so every case of lyme is different and difficult to detect if you have it.

I have been on pain killers for about 20 years. I have tried every pill, liquid, patches, injections, infusions so right now I am out of options for pain meds. I still am waiting to get Ketamine and be knocked completely out that’s my last hope but I hear it only helps for the first 2-3 infusions. I am currently taking 150mg of Morphine (MS-Contin) per day, 40mg of Norco, medical marijuana, anti-inflammatory, senega root, and much more. They all help to take the edge off the pain but some nights they don’t touch the pain so I sit and try not to cry too much. You can’t even concentrate, hold a conversation, watch TV… or anything with severe pain.

Lately my pain seems to be getting worse and the last couple nights I was trying not to cry in front of my parents while watching tv with them. My dad will get upset if he talks to me and I don’t seem into his story but it’s hard to listen, comprehend or reply when you are overwhelmed in pain. I tried upping my senega root dose and one extra norco but it doesn’t seem to be helping. With my GP and digestive issues, IBS, I hate to switch pain killers since the cause back-up and constipation. I had some very horrible experiences with being backed-up too long and almost passing out on the toilet. Hoping I can try ketamine one day but one place wants way too much and the others won’t do ketamine for outsiders. My LLMD office should have it soon.

 

**Although everything may be dark and you see no light at the end of the tunnel, just keep your sails full and keep on going. We always have hope. Try to inspire someone today and make someone smile then you may smile seeing them happy. Have a much better day chronic illness family.

 

 

 

 

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Morphine, Opiates, Pain Killers And Constipation

 

Morphine, Opiates, Pain Killers And Constipation

Most of the meds (opiates, pain meds, other meds) we take with a chronic illness can cause really bad constipation. With my Norco I was constipated the first week on it but my body adjusted to it and I was regular. By the way Norco was my IBS savior, after having IBS for 10 years the Norco made me regular again. I am now using 90 mg of Morphine ER or MS Contin per day and I hear your body can never really adjust to the constipation with Morphine. I have possible Gastroparesis, slow digestion chronic dehydration and all my other meds that can help with the constipation also.

I had a really bad experience with the constipation from the morphine for the first 2 weeks. I was constipated or backed-up for 9 days! It wasn’t fun and wasn’t cool. I won’t go into details of how it all ended, way too much TMI, pain and passing out! But I will share how I have got the problem under control so far since then.

I am taking 1 cap full of Miralax or Polyethylene Glycol 3350, 1-2 stool softeners and 2 triple magnesium complex (I get them from swansons) and plenty of hydration with water each day. So far I seem to be having success one time per day or once every two days. I know it’s not good to take the stool softeners long term so I hope my body will start to adjust to the meds. I hope this info may help someone else going trough the same thing I did with the morphine. Best of luck to you and sorry readers for the TMI but I have to be honest and real.

Have a great flare-free day spoonie fam. Smile 🙂

 

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UCSF Pain Management Referral Appointment

UCSF Pain Management Appointment

 

After my visit to the Neuro Surgeon last month or so the doctor said he would refer me to UCSF for a “meeting of the minds” (a few doctors will see me all at once at the same appointment). The Neuro Surgeon was the first non-Lyme doctor to believe in my lyme and he said doing surgery wouldn’t help all my spinal issues and that I needed more help.

My appointment is on Monday in the pain management building. I believe this appointment is for the 3 doctors to ask a lot of questions and read my records and hopefully figure out some kind of diagnoses and prescriptions to help with my pain. It better not be a “we don’t believe in lyme go do yoga and get off the pain meds appointment”. I was told they will try to diagnose what else is wrong with me besides lyme, CFS, lupus, fibo…etc.

It feels good to have a doctor who takes my serious and actually referred me to some better doctors. I will try to update but I have been so sick lately it’s hard to keep up.

 

Keep up the fight and never give up!

 

 

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