Day Two

So today was not as easy as yesterday... it all started last night. At 10:30 PM I got another dose of DHE, and at about midnight my chest started to feel uncomfortable, like there was a big weight pressing on my chest. I called my nurse in, and she checked my vitals, all of which were normal, then messaged the doctor on staff for the night. The doctor told her to pause the DHE until she came up to assess me, so it was paused for about 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, my chest started to feel better, so the doctors agreed that the pressure and pain I felt was just my body having a completely healthy reaction to the DHE. They also said that the uncomfortable feeling should go away as my body gets more and more used to the DHE, which so far has been the case. While I have had some slight pressure during my two infusions so far today, it has not come near to the level it was at last night. Today I have also had a bit more trouble with the nausea. I have figured out that my stomach gets upset during the infusion and lasts for about half an hour afterwards as well. So, I took some tums and it is better now, so far at least...
Mostly though, my problem was with my head. It is ironic, but the DHE infusions can also induce a headache, or in my case, worsen a headache. Since my headaches are bad all on their own, today my pain level has been at a consistent 8, reaching a 9 multiple times. I could have taken medicine for it, but I did not want to. I don't like the feeling that the medicine gives me... I get woozy, weak, my head feels fuzzy, and I sleep for hours. I did not want to give in today in case tomorrow is even worse. One of the tricks with getting the best possible outcome from the treatment is taking care of me in the meantime. Even though I am used to just dealing with the nausea or pain, I should treat either or both in order for the DHE to work its magic properly. So, with that in mind, we are going to assess my headaches tomorrow and if they still are not better, I will be treated with the sleepy medicine. I am praying that it gets better tomorrow though, and I appreciate your prayers as well.
Sorry for all the technical sounding stuff if you don't find it interesting... Personally, I find it all fascinating! So fair warning, here comes a lesson type explanation of DHE, what it does and how it helps. One of the side effects is leg cramps, and it happens because of what the DHE does to my body. The DHE works for migraines because it constricts your blood vessels. Part of what causes migraines is the overload of nerve activity, which comes hand in hand with the blood pumping incorrectly. I'm not sure exactly how the blood vessels in my brain are working incorrectly, but I am guessing that it is because my blood vessels are overactive and that the blood pumps too quickly all throughout my brain. So, DHE constricts my blood vessels, guiding the blood to pump more regularly, therefore decreasing the nerve endings, then decreasing the pain. While it is amazing that it works so well to fix the blood vessels in my head, the rest of the blood vessels in my body are working perfectly 24/7. Unfortunately, the only way for me to get the infusion is for the DHE to pass all the way through my body, flowing from the PICC line into my heart, then down to my feet and hands and up to the tippy top of my head. When blood vessels constrict, blood clots become more likely. A blood clot is a small area in a blood vessel in which the blood starts to coagulate, kind of like when you get a cut and the blood dries on top of your skin, keeping any more blood from seeping out. Blood vessels are supposed to be able to move blood all around your body without any sort of hindrance, so blood clots are potentially very dangerous. Because of this, I take certain precautions. I move my arms even when I am sitting down watching a movie, to get a drink of water, color, text, etc., but I move my legs hardly at all when I am sitting down. Since my arms are moving often enough, the blood keeps flowing normally. If I just sat on my butt and watched movies all day, my leg muscles and blood vessels could cramp up so much that blood clots could form. It is still possible for me to get blood clots whether I go for walks or not, but it is much less likely for them to form if I go for a walk a few times a day. I don't have a lot of energy, so typically I just walk around my floor, go down the elevator to the garden, or explore another floor. I have not been on a walk longer than fifteen minutes at a time and probably will not be up to more than that much until a few weeks after I get home.
I am sharing this information because I have wonderful friends and family out there who want to know how I am doing. I am also sharing for anybody who might someday need a DHE treatment, be interested in neurology, or are just nerds like yours truly. I cannot explain any further why I am sharing, because I truly don't know any reasons beyond those. The only other reason I have is that God is telling me to share my story. I pray that He will be able to use my suffering to help others, whether they have a similar burden or not.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15
Love always,
Sierra