So, where are we, head-injury wise?

Goodbye, Lyrica

So - I did what I was supposed to. I tapered off the gabapentin, on schedule. No side effects, no withdrawal.

Then I started Lyrica. I gave it a week at the starter dose with zero efficacy. Concussion neuro said double it, and I did.

Turns out that for me the drug has zero efficacy and only side effects. And the side effects are mental health effects. I realized that suddenly, and also remembered the last time I had those kind of side effects. It was the last time I was on Lyrica. Those are the only times I’ve ever had these kinds of mental health ramifications. I won’t get specific; I think most of you know what I mean.

I stopped it, and messaged concussion neuro about it. She agreed that I should quit it - I already had.

Reminds me of a joke my Dad used to tell about a drug that only provided side effects. That’s what this felt like. Intolerable side effects.

It took a few days to flush it from my system, but it’s gone now. I threw away every single pill.

And we’re back to our old friend - gabapentin. Good thing I didn’t throw those away. We’re playing with dosage, not quite there yet. She said 300 mg 3 times a day. When I told her that wasn’t helping we went to 600 3 times a day. May not be enough.

The pain patterns have changed a bit. The late afternoon is still when it kicks in, but I now have morning pain more frequently. It subsides a few hours after I wake, and since I’ve been getting out of bed around 5 there’s plenty of time before I need to get pain-free and serious so I can start work. It’s working, as long as I keep waking up when the rooster crows.

Also changing is my monthly migraine injection. Goodbye emgality, hello amovig. Just need to make sure it comes in the syringe form and not the pen. I may be in the minority of people who prefer the syringe but that’s entirely in character.

Few things make the pain better, but there are definitely things that make it worse. Sleeplessness, stress and anxiety are the three identified worseners. (yeah, I know that’s not a word. But maybe it should be.) I have strategies to manage stress, and I’m using them. Working out - hard. Playing guitar. Walking Bear. Would have been baking but for the condition of Bertha.

Those seem to be the only correlations - sleep, stress, anxiety. It’s not diet or barometric pressure or hormones or booze or any of the other things we’ve tried to find linkage with.

Speaking of working out, I’ll do a post about my current regimen, for those interested in the fitness strand of this blog.

So not much of an update; mostly rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I check in on the subreddit I follow about TBIs. Where in the beginning I was the questioner, now I’m the answerer. It’s a miserable group to belong to. I don’t stay there - I’ll see a notification, go in and answer the question and get out. Too dark a place.

As ever the head injury lets me work, and the early mornings are really productive. I’m feeling strong and capable throughout the day. Until 3:00-ish. I need to knock off by then but I’m usually able to manage everything I need to by that point.

That’s where I am. This is what I live with. This is why there’s now a thing called “Wendy Lurrie vs Uber.” The lawsuit is moving at a snail’s pace, but it’s been filed.

I know this post is a bit of a drag; the head injury is a major drag. I’ll leaven the next one.