The Scarecrow

We had a change of insurance this year and with that change I opted to find a new neurologist. I grew tired my last one because he began to treat my problems by shoving more pills at me instead of listening and trying to correct the problem. I know that I have some weird problems and I know that I am an unusual case, but if you're not capable of dealing with it, I would much rather be passed on to a colleague than just passed by.

After my stroke, I developed chronic pain in my right side. It is constant but varies in intensity. Some days I can barely walk, but others I can be pretty active. My new neurologist is not willing to rule out a form of epilepsy due to stroke. And finally, my migraines have worsened considerably over the last three years. So you can imagine why I can be a bit of an enigmatic patient.

I am still leery of my new neurologist because she seems very focused on getting one particular new medication to work for me. But she did take me off of two other ones. And as far as I am concerned, the fewer pills, the better. She did refer me to a headache clinic because she realized that my migraines were out of her realm of expertise. I am grateful for that. And when I do go in to see her, she sits and talks to me like a person should. She never rushes, interrupts or makes assumptions. She listens and makes me feel like she may really have my best interests at heart. In between appointments, her nurse calls to check on my progress. So I think I'm going to stick with her a while longer.

My headache specialist has been really impressive. He made me feel normal. I wish he dealt with chronic pain, too. I got re-approved for Botox for migraines. I am really excited about that because Botox was the only thing that helped to prevent my migraines. He is also trying to find out what is causing all my headaches. I have them nearly everyday. And for anyone that has had migraines, I hope you can empathize. For anyone that hasn't, I hope you don't think I'm just whining about a headache. This doctor has told me that if we can get down to the root of the problem, we can help make my days more pain free. That would be grand.

Pain is the biggest side effect I have from my stroke. I remember it setting in right away. I remember being in recovery and being pain. According to the neurologist it happens, but it is highly unusual. So I thought maybe if I deal with the things that aren't so unusual, I can slowly start feeling better. I'm working on my migraines and my chest pain. Writing helps me work on my agraphia, which is trouble writing after a stroke. I am doing really well with my aphasia as well. Every once in a while I slip and say something really off the wall. But my brain seems to be making the new connections I was promised it would.

"Brains are the only things worth having in this world.” 
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz