I think I figured out what has been going on with me lately. Thursday was the 4 week mark from the last procedure I had. When I had the procedure, I had some bad weakness in my right leg and especially my foot. I’ve always had problems on that side, but this was worse than normal. It was difficult to walk properly because of the weakness in my foot. I had a handful of decent days in a row this last week. Wednesday and Thursday was when the big flare up hit. I also noticed last night that my foot wasn’t bothering me all that much anymore. It felt like it was back to normal.
So I think the ablation helped for 4 weeks. It took 2-1/2 weeks just to get past the surgical pain and back to baseline, so I only was able to experience a bit more than a week of the improvement. This helped keep away the flare ups, although the pain levels were still pretty high, and I couldn’t have gotten by without the constant use of ice packs. When the positive effects of the ablation started wearing off, the flare ups came right back. The fact that my right foot was bothering me extra after the procedure, but not anymore, tells me that the nerves have grown back and recovered from the burning process. I think the lack of weakness in my right leg tells the whole story.
The last time I had RF ablation was several years ago, and I had it done on my SI joints. Guess how much relief I got from it? About a month. They did it twice and I had the same results both time. This led to a surgery. Now I have terrible health insurance though. The doctor said they can only get the ablation done every 6 months. So even though the effects have worn off, I will have to wait another 5 months at best to try this again. I’m guessing they won’t pay for a surgery without having tried 2 or 3 rounds of RF ablation first. But by forcing me to wait for the next procedure, they are forcing me to stay in pain. By not paying for the procedures and surgeries they should be paying for, they are forcing me to be in pain, and to stay this way for as long as they desire it. This is so very cruel. How can you force someone to remain in pain? If it was your pet, they would at least put the animal down. Nobody would force their pet to stay in pain for an extra 6 months. Why is it OK to do this for a human being?
When I first started this website, I wanted to raise money to go to Mexico and get the surgery I needed and pay out of pocket. While this procedure is supposed to provide pain relief, it also offers diagnostics. The results of this ablation make me confident that my original thought to get that surgery was the correct thought. It is still the correct thought and the correct course of treatment. At the rate Medicaid moves, a surgery here in the U.S. probably won’t happen for at least 2 more years. YEARS! They will force me to stay in pain and bankrupt me in the process. I can’t wait that long. I need the help now. I believe I have all the diagnostics I need to move forward with this. Too bad the healthcare industry in The States is so ass backwards and broken. I really don’t know what to do or how to get myself out of this mess, and I need to get myself out of it. Nobody will help me get there.
I woke up with a mild headache today, and despite treating it, it has grown all day. At this point it’s a proper migraine. I was starting to pass out in my recliner, but I couldn’t get comfortable enough, so I dropped down to my futon on the floor and I passed out within about 20 seconds. I haven’t passed out from pain in a while. This time it wasn’t from fibromyalgia, it was from a migraine. Both are brutal. Thankfully I don’t get too many migraines, but unfortunately I don’t feel any better for having passed out.
Headache beginning to break at about 8:00. We’re supposed to get a break in this insanely hot weather tomorrow. Maybe I’ll peak my head outside tomorrow – although it’s supposed to rain a lot. I’m am very much looking forward to a proper autumn. The only time we get San Francisco weather out here in this crap hole city. I spoke with a friend of mine in Fort Bragg and she said she had to use her heating last night. I miss good weather so much.