So to follow up on the Drugs and my on going health and my mental health.
To start my Neck issues started in late 2024, it would hit at the end of the day and would occur while reading my phone on the train. I worked towards some studies that I needed to complete and then The week I completed them I focused on my neck.
So I saw my doctor and got a MRI. It showed a bulging disc. So we started physio.
Physio would work to tame the pain but It wouldn't go away so in Feb 25 I asked for a referral to a neck specialist to investigate my options. The neck guy sent me for another MRI and for one on my brain.
The MRI was done in the same MRI machine as before and of course came back with the same results a bulged disc on the left, but I was complaining about pain on the right.
During this time my Dr had prescribed Lyrica for the pain, I took it on a Friday night, got up the next morning (early) to go watch our Jr Reps at Leichhardt and my first action out of bed was the hug the way. I stopped taking that drug instantly.
My neck specialist said he couldn't in good faith operate with the symptoms and prescribed Gabapentin which I started taking and as such was able to attend the grand final day of Junior reps last year, they also refereed me to a neurologist for the pain.
The neurologist was happy with that diagnoses and cause of action and told me here were higher doses of Gabapentin if I needed it, he asked it I noticed how it worked and described it as working gradually, taking a few weeks to get things right.
So over the next few months I started to develop side effects on Gabapentin. Dizziness drowsiness, and occasional dopiness
In November I asked my boss if I could work from home as I could no longer trust myself getting about on the train.
In December I cancelled meetings in the office and missed the work end of year function.
That is when I decided that I would stop taking the drug, as you can't take this drug when you are driving and I had to drive up the Central Coast to see my parents for Christmas I stopped on the 23rd of December.
So the last four months have been an absolute nightmare, starting from three 48 hour bouts insomnia, too the time I needed to go to the emergency room because of extremely low blood pressure, to having a fall. (remember kids’ gravity is the natural enemy of men)
In March I had a test Direction in my neck too nullify three pain receptors, C4 C5 and C6. That worked amazingly well and I signed up to have RFA done on those 3 pain nerves.
I had the RFA treatment on Wednesday, it is a needle that disable's the pain receptors via radio frequency. And even though I have been struggling, I have been able to make it out to our home games here at Comm bank stadium.
Today was the first day that I've gone out to the James Hardie centre of excellence to watch any other great of football.
Those last four months have been an absolute mental health nightmare. I don't know if any of you understand but when you live alone, and you can't get by on your own, it is an amazingly scary thing.
I feel like I have lost four months of my life to this decision, including any of the ramp up to my 50th birthday which was on the 18th of March. The best we could do to celebrate it was have some family come down, because I was in no fit state to have a birthday party in the middle of March.
to follow up on the Drugs and my ongoing health and my mental health.
So to start my Neck issues started in late 2024, it would hit at the end of the day and would occur while reading my phone on the train. I worked towards some studies that I needed to complete and then The week I completed them I focused on my neck.
So I saw my doctor and got a MRI. It showed a bulging disc. So we started physio.
Physio would work to tame the pain but It wouldn't go away so in Feb 25 I asked for a referral to a neck specialist to investigate my options. The neck guy sent me for another MRI and for one on my brain.
The MRI was done in the same MRI machine as before and of course came back with the same results a bulged disc on the left, but I was complaining about pain on the right.
During this time my Dr had prescribed Lyrica for the pain, I took it on a Friday night, got up the next morning (early) to go watch our Jr Reps at Leichhardt and my first action out of bed was the hug the way. I stopped taking that drug instantly.
My neck specialist said he couldn't in good faith operate with the symptoms and prescribed Gabapentin which I started taking and as such was able to attend the grand final day of Junior reps last year, they also refereed me to a neurologist for the pain.
The neurologist was happy with that diagnoses and cause of action and told me here were higher doses of Gabapentin if I needed it, he asked it I noticed how it worked and described it as working gradually, taking a few weeks to get things right.
So over the next few months I started to develop side effects on Gabapentin. Dizziness drowsiness, and occasional dopiness
In November I asked my boss if I could work from home as I could no longer trust myself getting about on the train.
In December I cancelled meetings in the office and missed the work end of year function.
That is when I decided that I would stop taking the drug, as you can't take this drug when you are driving and I had to drive up the Central Coast to see my parents for Christmas I stopped on the 23rd of December.
So the last four months have been an absolute nightmare, starting from three 48 hour bouts insomnia, too the time I needed to go to the emergency room because of extremely low blood pressure, to having a fall. (remember kids’ gravity is the natural enemy of men)
In March I had a test Direction in my neck too nullify three pain receptors, C4 C5 and C6. That worked amazingly well and I signed up to have RFA done on those 3 pain nerves.
I had the RFA treatment on Wednesday, it is a needle that disable's the pain receptors via radio frequency. And even though I have been struggling, I have been able to make it out to our home games here at Comm bank stadium.
Today was the first day that I've gone out to the James Hardie centre of excellence to watch any other great of football.
Those last four months have been an absolute mental health nightmare. I don't know if any of you understand but when you live alone, and you can't get by on your own, it is an amazingly scary thing.
I feel like I have lost four months of my life to this decision, including any of the ramp up to my 50th birthday which was on the 18th of March. The best we could do to celebrate it was have some family come down, because I was in no fit state to have a birthday party in the middle of March.
you are one strong guy.
