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Bells palsy and chronic headaches? Does anyone have any good info or help out there? sm

Posted By: my head hurts!! on 2005-11-16
In Reply to:

Unfortunately, I have had Bells palsy for the past 8 years. I got it while pregnant and had a pretty severe case. I was extremely sick with that pregnancy and then ended up with the Bells palsy. In fact, my baby quit growing after I got the Bells palsy! Thank God I was about 32 weeks when I got it. Anyway, over time the symptoms have not been as bad. For the most part to look at me you couldnt tell I had the Bells--until I smiled at you. Then, of course, you would know it. I have regained some use of muscles, but not all. I have been able to get my eye to close, but it is not tight, so I still battle with dry eye every night/morning. My forehead has been completely "dead" since this happened. Even electric stim could not move the muscle! Whenever I get a headache it always seems to settle on the dead part of my forehead. My headaches have been increasing lately, and currently I have had a headache for five days! I have tried Advil, Tylenol and Excedrin Migraine with no relief. My neurologist cant see me until January since I havent been to him for years. I can not afford an MRI right now and have no desire to start taking any type of pain med. Does anyone have any experience with Bells or have any ideas. I was wondering if a TENS unit might help. I have been reading about that on the internet. Sorry this is so long. Thank you for any help. As you can imagine, I am having a very hard time working all day at my computer with this!




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Anyone type info on rebound headaches?
I've been told by my doctor to stop my medication for chronic headaches - she says I have rebound headaches.  Has anyone out there been through this?  It's been a week, and my head is killing me.  She said I would have headaches for about two or three weeks, then they would taper off.  Any ideas on getting through this period of time?  Has anyone typed this?
That's a good suggestion. I knew someone that had headaches and it turned out to be from small
from her gas logs. They were not installed properly (not that anybody is using gas logs this time of year, LOL).
Has anyone had/have Bell's Palsy?

This past Labor Day was my four-year anniversary of waking up with Bell's.  I had surgery two weeks previously and they figured it was the "shock" to my body that triggered the herpes virus which caused shingles in my ear (yes very ouchy!) which then triggered the Bell's.  After four years, I have the use of my left eye and I am able to hear out of my left ear.  However, I still do not have use of the left side of my face (no smile). 


The last few weeks I have been having tingling and twitching in my nose, cheeks and eye on the left side.  Do you think this could be the Bell's still healing?  If there was a surgery to repair my smile, I'd be the first one to sign up!  They mentioned surgery when I first came down with it and I said absolutely not - I was only two weeks postop and wasn't going to go through another surgery.  I'm regretting that decision now.


If you know of any information regarding surgery, healing - anything!, please let me know!



Michelle


Bell's palsy
I've had it twice. The first time was probably 30 years ago or so when I was in high school, and then I got it again about 5 years ago or so. I believe I received steroid shots to clear it up. I would have hated to let it run its natural course. I honestly can't recall much about mine, but I hated it. I could not imagine having it for 4 years!
And bells on my toes! Sorry, couldn't help it! nm
nm
I know some lady who woke up w/Bells and

Your other new symptoms sound like maybe (guessing here, I'm not a doctor) - trigeminal neuralgia (?).  I'm not sure - but maybe read up on it and possibly reconsult with your neurologist.  I hope you feel better real soon though!!! 



Yes, one of the simpler ones out there w/o a lot of bells&whistles. Easy to use. nm
s
I like ShortHand. No bells and whistles. Easy. nm
s
Same here! Love it. No bells or whistles or categories. Easy! nm
s
Poseidon adventure - the old lady going to Israel - ring any bells? (sm)
You must be a real youngster.
Okay, Thanks for all the good info
I am so glad I checked the chat line here before I quit for the day. Thanks for all the helpful info. I think the major problem with MQ and the employees and why so many are so upset is that they leave us in the dark so much. Plus, every office seems to operate by a different formula, which gets some people understandably upset. AND, MTing as a career is definitely NOT what it used to be, meaning a respected, good paying career. With nationalization, the pay has decreased, there is offshoring, which MQ participates in, AND, most of all, we all seem to be no more than an employee number now instead of a valued employee! Hey! I'd better get down from my soap box and go join the family before hitting the sack! Thanks again.
Looking for Info, good or bad, regarding
TC Transcription out of Florida.  Taking on a second position with them and wondering if anybody has had any experience with them.  Good and bad appreciated, if any.  I posted on the company board but did not get any response (that could be good or bad).
THANK YOU! You have given me some good info!
I was just looking for information and not just opinions. Your post was very helpful. Thank you again!
Good info - Thank you! (nm)
x
really? Good info, thanks.....sm
Thanks :) -  I do have great skin and told I look 15 years younger than I am...*LOL* - I like hearing that
good info - thanks !

thanks to all of you for the good info!
I appreciate you taking the time to give me the tips!  Now if I can just get used to the fact I will have an empty nest
chronic illness
God bless you.  I have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and I still work full time, I have a friend diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she still works full time..Hang in there, honey..You can live with a chronic illness..I have lived with my SLE for 36 years and my friend with multiple sclerosis for 10 years..
Chronic Yawner!

Anyone ever have to put up with a chronic yawner who dictates during/through a yawn? How could anyone be THAT tired? Life must be tough when you make more than +$250,000 a year--poor thing--wish I could get that exhausted!


boss this to me the other day and really has a lot of good info; sm
cancer classifications

stage and grade
Lowercase stage and grade.

Use roman numerals for cancer stages. For subdivisions of cancer stages, add capital letters on the line and arabic suffixes, without internal spaces or hyphens.

stage 0 (indicates carcinoma in situ)
stage I, stage IA
stage II, stage II3
stage III
stage IV, stage IVB

Use arabic numerals for grades.

grade 1
grade 2
grade 3
grade 4

Aster-Coller
Staging system for colon cancer from the least involvement at stage A and B1 through the most extensive involvement at stage D.

The patient's Aster-Coller B2 lesion extends through the entire thickness of the colon wall, with no involvement of nearby nodes.

Broders index
Classification of aggressiveness of tumor malignancy developed in the 1920s by AC Broders. Reported as grade 1 (most differentiation and best prognosis) through grade 4 (least differentiation and poorest prognosis).

Lowercase grade; use arabic numerals.

Broders grade 3

cervical cytology
Three different systems are currently in use for cervical cytology: the Papanicolaou test (Pap smear), the CIN classification system, and the Bethesda system.

The Papanicolaou test uses roman numerals to classify cervical cytology samples from class I (within normal limits) through class V (carcinoma).

CIN is an acronym for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and is expressed with arabic numerals from grade 1 (least severe) to grade 3 (most severe). Place a hyphen between CIN and the numeral.

CIN-1,CIN-2, CIN-3
or CIN grade 1, CIN grade 2, CIN grade 3

A cervical cytology sample that is within normal limits in the Bethesda system corresponds with a Pap class I or II; Bethesda's atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASCUS) corresponds with Pap class III; Bethesda's low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) corresponds with Pap class III and CIN grade 1; and Bethesda's high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) corresponds with Pap classes III and IV and CIN grades 2 and 3. In the Bethesda system, the next higher level is labeled simply "carcinoma," corresponding with Pap class V and with "carcinoma" in the CIN system.

Clark level
Describes invasion level of primary malignant melanoma of the skin from the epidermis.

Use roman numerals I (least deep) to IV (deepest). Lowercase level.

Clark level I into underlying papillary dermis
Clark level II to junction of papillary and reticular dermis
Clark level III into reticular dermis
Clark level IV into the subcutaneous fat

Dukes classification
Named for British pathologist Cuthbert E. Dukes (1890-1977). Classifies extent of operable adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum.

Do not use an apostrophe before or after the s. Follow Dukes with capital letter.

Dukes A confined to mucosa
Dukes B extending into the muscularis mucosae
Dukes C extending through the bowel wall, with
metastasis to lymph nodes

When the Dukes classification is further defined by numbers, use arabic numerals on the same line with the letter, with no space between.

Dukes C2

FAB classification
French-American-British morphologic classification system for acute nonlymphoid leukemia.

Express with capital M followed by arabic numeral (1 through 6); do not space between the M and the numeral.

M1 myeloblastic, no differentiation
M2 myeloblastic, differentiation
M3 promyelocytic
M4 myelomonocytic
M5 monocytic
M6 erythroleukemia

FAB staging of carcinoma utilizes TNM classification of malignant tumors

See: (TNM staging below).

FAB T1 N1 M0

FIGO staging
Federation Internationale DE Gynécologie et Obstétrique system for staging gynecologic malignancy, particularly carcinomas of the ovary. Expressed as stage I (least severe) to stage IV (most severe), with subdivisions within each stage (a, b, c).

Lowercase stage, and use roman numerals. Use lowercase letters to indicate subdivisions within a stage.

Diagnosis: Ovarian carcinoma, FIGO stage IIc.

Gleason tumor grade
Also known as Gleason score. The system scores or grades the prognosis for adenocarcinoma of the prostate, with a scale of 1 through 5 for each dominant and secondary pattern; these are then totaled for the score. The higher the score, the poorer the prognosis.

Lowercase grade or score, and use arabic numerals.

Diagnosis: Adenocarcinoma of prostate, Gleason score 8.
Gleason score 3 + 2 = 5.
Gleason 3 + 3 with a total score of 6.

Jewett classification of bladder carcinoma
Use capitals as follows:

O in situ (Note: this is the letter O, not a zero)
A involving submucosa
B involving muscle
C involving surrounding tissue
D involving distant sites

Diagnosis: Bladder carcinoma, Jewett class B.

Karnofsky rating scale, Karnofsky status
Scale for rating performance status of patients with malignant neoplasms.

Use arabic numerals: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. (Normal is 100, moribund is 10.)

TNM staging system for malignant tumors
System for staging malignant tumors, developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer and the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer.

T tumor size or involvement
N regional lymph node involvement
M extent of metastasis

Write TNM expressions with arabic numerals on the line and a space after each number.

T2 N1 M1
T4 N3 M1

Letters and symbols following the letters T, N, and M:

X means assessment cannot be done.
0 (zero) indicates no evidence found.
Numbers indicate increasing evidence of the characteristics represented by those letters.
Tis indicates tumor in situ.
Tis N0 M0

The TNM system criteria for defining cancer stages vary according to the type of cancer. Thus a stage II cancer of one type may be defined as T1 N0 M0, while one of another type may be defined as T2 N1 M0.

Staging indicators are used along with TNM criteria to define cancers and assess stages. These are expressed with capital letters and arabic numerals.

grade GX, G1, G2, G3, G4
host performance H0, H1, H2, H3, H4
lymphatic invasion LX, L0, L1, L2
residual tumor RX, R0, R1, R2
scleral invasion SX, S0, S1, S2
venous invasion VX, V0, V1, V2

prefixes
Lowercase prefixes on the line with TNM and other symbols indicate criteria used to describe and stage the tumor, e.g., cTNM, aT2.

letter determining criteria
a autopsy staging
c clinical classification
P pathological classification
r retreatment classification
y, yp classification during or following treatment with multiple
modalities

suffixes
The suffix (m) (in parentheses) indicates the presence of multiple primary tumors in a single site. Other suffixes may be used, such as the following in the nasopharynx:

T2a nasopharyngeal tumor extending to soft
tissues of oropharynx and/or nasal fossa
without parapharyngeal extension
T2b nasopharyngeal tumor extending to soft
tissues of oropharynx and/or nasal fossa
with parapharyngeal extension


Good info here. As for the mail........sm
I just write "refused" on the envelope and put it right back into the mail. It may take a couple of times for them to get the message, but they will take you off their list if you do this.
any info good or bad would be appreciated

on JLG and All Type. Speaking with one, actual offer from the other but not sure about either. Concern for more is flexibility which they both promise, but I heard that one before.


Lots of good info Ace...Thanks. NM
nm
just need a few good pieces of info
from what i understand, name, address, ph#, esp w/SS#, birth date, maiden name .... everyone should definitely educate themselves about this, as its very widespread now.
Chronic chapped lips
This seems so goofy --- go to the dermatologist for chapped lips?  I have had this problem consistently for the past couple of months.  I haven't been sunburned.  My lips are swollen (love the swelling - looks like collagen!  LOL!)  and chapped, can't get enough chapstick (no MQ jokes - LOL).  I read this could be a malignant of premalignant condition and I should see a dermatologist!  Wow!  Anyone have any insight into this problem?  Thanks in advance! 
I have a chronic pain condition as well
It is giving me a break right now so I won't talk too much about it so I don't wake it up.:) This is my first relief in 10 years from severe RA which seems to have been in every joint at one time or another. So, totally understand your emotions on needing to feel like a useful member of society and take care of your responsibilities. Before RA, I worked for 17 years. I did try the disability route and was denied 5 years ago 5 times! Never tried again. I didn't want to then but to help the husband with the bills, I thought it was best and it would have been good for the marriage as well.

The hips keep me from sitting long periods, but you have MT companies who will work with you. One I work for now wants at least 800/lines per day but prefers 1000+. However, mentioned it was okay to break frequently as long as when the MT is on that the MT is very productive. So you might have a longer work day than the other MTs. However, there is hope. I would say even with your nursing background and good grasp of medical terminology and anatomy/physiology, you should still find a program in transcription or a good mentor or both. My heart goes out to you. I thought of nursing and my condition is the only reason I didn't go for it, but it is in demand, that and technology jobs are in demand also. I try to stick with the jobs that are in high demand.

I am going to try to leave a web site for you to take a look around that will give you an idea of what companies expect an MT to know:

http://www.hpisum.com/home.ihtml

You will have to cut and paste the address in the address box, but there is a lot of information there. Other posters may have more information for you. Best wishes.
Can you get cancer from chronic mouth

I have a wisdom tooth that is coming in. I do NOT do well w/ dentists/anesthesia, etc...well a few months back i had an appointment to have this removed.  long story short even though the dentist knew I was freaked out about the local anesthesia he took so long to do the extraction my mouth was no longer numb when the hygenist tested my gum area.  I freaked out, left crying and vowed to never go back to him.  Well now that the tooth is slowly coming in more and more i have an ulcer that seems to be getting bigger from where i am more or less chewing the inside of my mouth. 


It doesn't really hurt or bother me that much, i would much rather deal with the ulcer than have another panic attack/heart racing event from the local at the dentist's office.  My concern is this:  Can you develop cancer from a chronic mouth ulcer? My aunt died of oral (tongue) cancer last year so i'm paranoid about it.


 


Any info you can give is welcom.  Thanks!


surgical equipment info is good
nm
Some good info! Would you mind another question?
Do you know what causes the discrepancies in character counts between Word and Dictaphone (specifically ExText)?  I have been wondering about this for a while. The line count at my company is 65 characters including spaces.  TIA
any bit of info is good to know; ignore the post below
nm
Good cardiology info site?
 
I don't think you'll get a good answer from the info...
you provided. It varies too much from location to location.

I've seen some MTs on here that say inhouse in their area make less than $10 an hour. Our local starts newbies (providing they pass the tests) at $16.79 an hour.
I have one PA with a chronic allergy or sinus problem....
which is, of course, not his fault, but makes him very hard to understand.  He has a very deep voice and likes to raise and lower the volume at random.  And at least every other sentence, he says "Excuse me," like he made a mistake, but then just repeats what he said and keeps on going.  He also likes to say, "Delete." a lot.  I think he is even the one who dropped a "F" bomb on me one day. 
Need some good oncology sites. Any info appreciated. nm
x
Same thing here. I have chronic tinnitus and hear crickets
when it gets really really acute with sinusitis to go with it. People think I am crazy when I tell them I hear crickets but that's what it sounds like.
It already has. I have to work from home because of disability due to chronic disease.
My physicians and visiting nurses are extraordinarily caring individuals who fortunate have (more so than I had previously thought, apparently).

Also, I can understand venting about a situation you feel you have no control over. I assume you desired sympathy or empathy or just someone to say, "I know where you are coming from," but to post incoherently and then lash out at those that reply is only going to add to your frustrations and negative feelings.

I am sorry you feel as though your health care providers don't care if you did, but I am sure that is not the reality of the situation. If you had taken the time to provide context to your rant, then you might have received the type of replies you were looking for, whatever that may have been.

Best of luck to you.
do a google search-were many hits and should find good info--nm
//
Do an archive search - good info posted a few weeks ago.
nm
I heard crickets til I realized it was winter. Was really the start of chronic
:=
agree - many MT's have chronic back/neck/shoulder problems also
x
A good place to get reasonable, objective info regarding ADHD is CHADD

just keep it in mind for the future. www.chad.org. Also there are some informative videos at coolnurse.com. About 10 videos regarding ADHD. you will have do a search on the site but it's worth it. If it's in her father's family it could be possible that she has it, and if so, you needed to get educated about it and be her advocate. School systems respond very well to confident, well prepared parents who come in to meet for a plan that allows for reasonable accomodations. I've been doing it for years.


Emdat platform?? Good, bad or ugly? Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance. NM
/
Thank you fellow MT. I love that site.....good source of info without the complaing....
Thanks again.
Thank you fellow MT. I love that site.....good source of info without the complaining....
Thanks again.
headaches
Have you had a CT scan?
Headaches

I used to have daily headaches and I would take some type of pain reliever (usually Excedrin) two or three, sometimes more times a day.  Eventually it got to the point where the Excedring just wasn't cutting it anymore, so I went to see my doctor.  He referred me to a neurologist.  The first thing he told me was to stop taking any kind of over the counter pain meds.  He said I was having rebound headaches, and I had to "detox" from the meds I had been taking.  He also sent me for an MRI just to make sure there was no underlying cause for my daily headaches.


After my MRI and a complete exam by my neurologist we came to the conclusion that I was probably having migraines.  Although my headaches are always in the back of my head, new studies show that migraines are not always just in the front of your head around your eyes.  He put me on a medication called Topamax.  It is a drug that is normally prescribed for epilepsy, but has also been shown to help people that suffer from headaches.  It is used as a preventative medication.  I take it every night before bed so I don't wake up with a headache.  It takes some time to build up in the body, so it's not an instant fix.  There was a 2-3 week period of time when I thought I might die because I hurt so bad.


The only advice I can offer is this:  Make sure you are drinking plenty of water every day.  Water is known to help with headaches.  Make sure you are eating at least three times a day.  I realized after talking to my neuro that I would often skip meals because I would be busy and he told me that is a sure fire way to cause a headache.  Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep at night.  6-8 hours is key.


You may want to see about going to see a neurologist.  Or discuss the possibility of migraines with your doctor.  Since I have "detoxed" from the OTC meds, I still get headaches, but not nearly as often as I did before.  I take the Topamax at night, and once I was significantly "detoxed", my neuro doc prescribed Relpax, which is a migraine medication similar to Imitrex that I can take at the onset of a migraine.


It will be difficult but you can do it.   


I don't get headaches too often, but
when I do rhey're miserable. I picked up a Homedics Shiatsu massager at Walgreen's which is specifically designed for the posterior neck muscles. It is a tremendous help! Seven minutes of this and I almost fall asleep. It's a medication-free option to consider. Good luck--I know it hurts :(
headaches
Thank you very much for your concern. I appreciate it. I do feel a little better today, although still didn't rest well last night. Got to do something about that but not sure what yet.
headaches
I really feel for you. I used to have stress migraines and I was on Fioricet 3 x a day. Also, found out that the Fioricet did not help headaches, made them worse. It just may be that the medicines you are on, one or some are causing the headaches. I have restless legs and tried amitryptyline, did not help. When I stopped the Fioricet and went on Darvocet my headaches went away. They really should order a CT or MRI of your brain to see if you have migraines. TMJ, allergies will also give headaches. A chiropracter and acupuncture did not help me. What helped, a hysterectomy for fibroids, my headaches were all menstrual related. I know how you feel on all those medications and try to find a doctor who will listen to you and figure out what medicine might be having a rebound effect, or what other medicine you could take. I also wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning from restless legs, and I grind my teeth at night from TMJ, and the only medicine that helped with my fibromyalgia and TMJ and restless legs was Darvocet, there is something in that medicine that helps everything. Good luck, hope you get some answers soon, don't worry you will find a doctor who will listen to you, I did, and it was not in my head.
Those headaches do me in...
My husband has to literally hit my back by my shoulder blades and rub my shoulders every so often. I take Excedrin daily and freak out if we're low. But we're just goofing off at home, right? I also remember when I worked in-house about an MT who used to think about her grocery list while typing. When you mentioned you can't think about anything else while doing this, she came to my mind. She actually was very good and very fast. That was my first year doing this and I was in awe:-)
For those with headaches
Very often if you have someone massage your neck & shoulder muscles and the muscles along your occiput, you will be free of headaches.

If you don't have anyone to massage you, do what you can to yourself.

You can also use a tennis ball (lie on it or put between you and the wall). You can put it in a long sock and hang it down your back too (between you and the wall). It works great!

Often when I lie on the floor and use it along the occiput, the muscles are so tight that it refers pain around to the front of my head. Allow pain to reach 8/10 for brief spells and do a couple times a day if you can. :)