The Beginning Part 2

“Oh. %*!@” (insert chosen expletive here) The pain came shooting from my left ear up to my eye and down to my jaw. It felt like someone was sticking a hot poker in my ear, and the other end was coming out my eye. Definitely one of the worst attacks I’ve had. Even the brushing of my hair on that side of my face caused pain. I immediately downed a double dose of Motrin (hey, it’s the equivalent of the prescription dose, give me a break) and picked up one of my library books. It’s practically a routine by now. Four or five times a night I would wake up with this pain, take some form of pills (on the off chance they would actually ease it), and pick up a book. Meaning I usually slept in two hour time spans in between being awake for an hour or more waiting for the pills to kick in. I could barely remember what an actual full night of sleep felt like. It’s really a good thing I don’t need to get up early. I would never function.

It all started last year. It seems like a lifetime ago. It came on slowly. At first I thought it was just a bad migraine. The night came, and I was still in pain. By the next day, I was thinking it was never going to end. Wondering maybe it had something to do with my jaw…maybe a brain tumor…anything I could possibly come up with that would justify this intense amount of pain I was experiencing. By the third night, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I had my parents take me to the ER. They shot me up with something, and sent me home.

A few weeks later, it started again. I tried every over-the-counter medicine known to man. Even hung myself upside-down off my bed, thinking maybe it’s a sinus thing, and this will make it feel better momentarily. (Try it when you have a cold…it’s great!) I spent many sleepless nights in pain, not knowing what to do or where to turn. The pain seemed to intensify at night. I ended up in the ER again. This time, I was throwing up because of the pain. They apparently now have cool little nifty bags to through up in, instead of basins. I took one home with me. They did CAT scan, and found nothing. The doctor said my sinuses looked completely normal, as did everything else. Once again, I got a shot full of medication, and was sent home. I was in and out of the ER for a few months after that. It was beginning to feel like my second home.