Thread:Dustydog202/@comment-35319541-20180507193648/@comment-33002749-20180508032045

Lola,

No, I tried to work after my back surgery but was not able to so with my paralegal background I hired an attorney before I filed for disability. And my son Matt was in a very good fraternity that helped the community and a lot of his friends worked in DC and some for senators who helped people get their disability so one of them had his senator write a letter on my behalf after I had waited quite a while for a decision. After the letter I got a decision in less than a week that I had been approved. So sometimes knowing things and people helps a lot.

I am not having any problems with the Topamax. I do have problems with my memory, but most of them were because of the Lyrica I had to be on just to move. However, it got too expensive so now I'm on a cheaper drug, Gabapentin, which is a cousin and works about the same. That is what helps me with the burning and the water running feeling that I have. Also, the Chiari creates those problems with memory. It is called the Chiari fog. Actually for about 10 days after my surgery last year, before the allergy started to cause me problems, I was like my old self, my head had cleared, I could think straight, finish a conversation without losing words, or forgetting what I was talking about, it was great. Then the problems kicked in and the Chiari is back and I am back to feeling stupid all over again. Trust me, I know how you feel.

As for the dosage, my doctors closely monitor how much I take. In fact the next step for me if the surgery for the Chiari does not help lessen the number of migraines I have in a month is Botox injections. I can't say I'm thrilled about it, but since I have basically constant migraines now anything is better than that so I'm willing to try it.

As for the sertraline you mentioned, I am also on that, it is the generic of Zoloft, which I take for depression. I asked to be put on something because after I had to quit my job I became very depressed. I really loved my job and I was a workaholic. Not being able to work made me feel worthless and having one of my sister bring it up every time she saw me, which was not often thankfully since we live in different states about 2 hours apart and they never come to see me and I no longer drive, didn't make things better. I have had it raised higher when I needed it and lowered when I was doing well. Right now I'm on 100 mg which is a good maintenance dose for me. Someday I may be able to go without it, but not yet, I have too many things going on right now that can bring me down too low and I need to be steady right now.

We are all different, and different meds effect each of us differently. You should have found a different doctor, one who would have found something that worked better for you. I spent 3 years going to physical therapy on and off till my therapist told me that she really couldn't do anything more for me. I knew what to do, I knew all the exercises, I knew the position to sleep in and where to heat and ice, and I even knew how to put my rotating pelvis back into place. That is a story for a different time. However, massage therapy for your neck and head may help with your headaches. It helped with mine for a while, but Medicare is such a pain and it is hard to get them to pay for too many treatments at once so now I don't even try.

Ok, this is long enough. Talk to you later. Diane