JenEric Designs

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

The slow wheel of healthcare has finally come around. Here’s my last update from April. If you don’t want to read all that, I have had issues the past 2 years with:

• Pain in both my forearms
• Dizzyness
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Tingling in my hands and feet
• Numb and tingling on my left cheek
• Blurry vision in my left eye
• Pain in the joints of my hands and feet

The Road So Far

I’ve seen 3 family doctors, 2 neurologists, 1 elbow surgeon, 3 physios, 1 neuro-ophthalmologist, and a neurologist who specializes in MS; and I’ve been poked, prodded, and shoved in metal tubes a lot.

Here’s a list of things that have been eliminated as possibilities for what’s wrong with me:

• MS and other degenerative neurological disorders (this is a ‘we don’t see signs but if there are changes, come see us’)
• Tennis elbow
• Spinal injury
• Brain tumour

Last year, I did intensive physio with the clinic associated with WSIB. It was a three-pronged rehab, physio, and therapy. Each helped a little but had their limits. The clinic’s goal was only to get me back to work and not to find the root cause of my problems.

It was effective at lowering my pain levels by 20 to 30 percent. It’s gotten a little worse since but I’m still better a year later than I was when I started. My pain is constant but manageable, both because I’m used to it and because of the physio. It still makes everything harder however. That doctor did say I have mild carpal-tunnel and should keep an eye on it.

What’s Wrong with Me

The most recent round of doctors have cleared me of those scary ones mentioned above, and the nice MS doctor has diagnosed me with Complex Migraines (also called Atypical Migraines) and Foraminal Stenosis in the C5-6 disks.

Foraminal Stenosis means that the nerves outside my spine are being pinched. The recommendation is physio to help with back strength and posture. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be referred to a surgeon.

As for the main culprit, they think its Complex Migraines. The quick explanation of this is that I’m having non-pain migraine symptoms regularly. So the blurry vision is like halos, and the rest are typical migraine issues, but my body doesn’t always include more then a feeling of pressure in my left temple.

For the migraines, the doctor recommends:

• Discovering my triggers
• Avoiding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco (Not going to be hard since I barely drink and don’t do either of the others)
• Drinking at least 2 litres of liquid a day
• A vitamine combo of 400mg each of Magnesium, Co-Enzyme Q10, and vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• Regular sleep habits (Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time all week)
• Consuming the same amount of caffeine each day
• Eating regularly (same time every day)

If that doesn’t work after 3 months, I should talk to my doctor about pain killers or going to a pain clinic.

In the meantime, he recommends I get tested for sleep apnea, get a colonoscopy, and as mentioned above, see a physio.

That means I have a plan for moving forward and a tentative diagnoses. Let’s hope the above can fix me.

I still find it amazing that all this pain in my arms and hands could be caused by migraines, but that’s what we have.

Thanks for reading,

Éric