Hi Di - Definitely find a doc who will take you in for cash, at a lower cost. My life was down in the dumps a bit as I went through school, only had one little income of my husband's, and no health insurance, etc. I never thought we'd get out of it, but things are moving along for us again (miraculously, at a time when it's harder for most everyone else). It was a long road, but we made it and things are better, and now I at least have a little insurance and income. Anyway, the thing that kept me alive was my doctor. For a while it was $20 office visits, then he bumped it to $40, then $50, but he was totally worth it, and he'd manipulate my muscles and ribs... it all kept me going. I wouldn't have survived without him. so, find a good one that won't charge you up the yang!

Has anyone checked into their blood sugar?

The diabestes I got from Cymbalta and/or Lyrica combined, was ongoing for one year before I noticed my own high blood pressure. These w/c docs are just great for taking blood test and never looking at them. Blurry vision is #1 symtpom for blood sugar.

By the way, I get the eye twitching thing, too. It lasts a few days, sometimes a week. Drives me crazy. I feel like it'll never stop. It goes away for a while, then comes back. But then one day it goes away and doesn't come back. So, there's an end in sight. (No pun intended.)
~ J

I had the sugar tested first thing, but everything has been good all 4 blood works over 6 weeks. The eye twitching is not as bad the last three days. When it was at its worse the double/triple vision and twitching; I did not have my valium for spasms to take. When I asked the new neuro to fill it he reduced to 5 mg instead of 10 mg. The double vision went into a ghosting effect, like everthing had shadows above it and the eye drove me nuts...
Yesteday The horrendous spasms on the left side, I forgot to take the valium and took it at bedtime. I woke and then took the one for the day. Today I had no double vision at all and not one twitch..

I don;t want to pi$$ him off but it seems to be related to the spasms in the shoulder, trap and into the scalense area. I never had the left side scalense toward the shoulder like this.

All test neg. MRA, MRI, carotids, brain neck, blod work and levels for ruling out Myasthenia Gravis, no auto-immune. There is Fybromyalgia.

I am working a NEW job that I am driving. This week I was on the road for 15 hours, over 350 miles. I have been doing insurance adjustments as a third party adjuster part time. It was to be a few calls a month, but this was a crazy week. I work from home, driviing per miles, and $15 an hour with time and half after 5 pm and before 8:30 am...which is frequest. I am used for the investagative work as in comercial vehicls with spills cargo or HazMat stuff, fatalities, or complicated issues.

My dh job of 42 years is closed so he is driving me most of the time. Especially the trips like today they needed someone to go to NY for a heavy equipment loss that came off the trailer. To the tune of $160,000 +

I do not make the final number crunches, I am the eyes and ears noting all the looked over facts. From my vehicl inpection training for rigs, I could tell the trailer was insufficient for the load...the bad part, our client is the truck towing it
But it is a boom on it and no chances can be overlooked if it will be put back into service. They know I get into the nuts bolts, have the repair shop, dealer on the ground accessing to understand and question every point I feel is needed infor for the assesment. This had been a proto type for the company.

Sorry to be long, but w dh without a job, or med coverage, now to have this at least if he works with me, as the other woman that had the stroke has hers, we can go full time and have benefits again.

It will eventually influance my SSDI. but if I can do it for the 36 months, it will increase my benefit amount. I saw mine go up almost $50 a month the last two years working part time.
I am not sure I could keep up with the load they are giving me, I know I couldn't if dh was not doing the driving.

This was a no commitment for hours, as in if no claims, no pay.....but everyday I get a new assignment.
I am enjoying the time in the car with dh too....we have not spent so much time alone since we dated in our 20's and 30's

He is helping aroung the house with the heavy stuff to.
i am going to soc sec on Tues to sign back up for part B and pick up a gap coverage and part D. DD is on the PA Chips card so she is OK and dh will have the Cobra for now.

We will be OK, it is so very tight, and anxious. If we have too dh can take out the mortgage money from IRA with out penalty. We won't loose the house at least.

I am rambling, better get some sleep. It feels good to be in investagative work again. Although I loved the kids I had for clients, working with an office of buzzy women was not healthy. I am use to having my expertice appreciated.

But bottom line, calmig the spasms has not only reduced with valium, it goes away with the correct dose I was on before.
Hugs and love Sorry for typos, I am dragging so much driving.
di

Double vision is one syptom I don't have from TOS.

I do have problems with weaker eyesight and trouble reading when I get severe headaches from the occipital neuralgia, so maybe the neck tightness is affecting you in that way....strange that your docs haven't been able to figure out what's wrong. I'm glad it sounds like they are being thorough about figuring it out.

Regarding what BW wrote about the HHA's, usually you have to require skilled nursing services for an acute (not chronic) condition for insurance to cover HHA services. Some area senior centers can help with reduced cost homemakers (sliding scale pay) and may offer services to younger disabled people too.

Hi guys,

I donthave much time to reply to this right now but I am going to tell you whats been happending to me and then I will come back later and post in depth. Have to go to easter service in a few minutes.

Di I have been having that ghost vision in my right eye. I know exactly what you are talking about.

Recently I was dx'd with a major zoster outbreak. What is that? varicella zoster virus. Essentially its shingles. And I did not have a distinguishing rash. ONe small sore in my ear. And when its in that area it can affect the eyes and the cranial nerves and cause the most hellaicous headache. And for me it was severe enough that it caused shoulder and limb num=mbness and a paralysis feeling. And swollen lymph nodes. And cranial nerve palsy that can extend into your shoulder since the 11th cranial nerve supplies the trap muscles from teh spinal accesorry nerve.

It can be brought on my many things. But stress can certainly do it. And it can come without the rash too. Its from the chicken pox and the virus stays in your nerves.

It affected my eyes and my muscles especially the traps and neck muscles. I will explain later in detail.

But Di, try a couple of things. Your corneas mya be dry from whatever is causing all this for you. When the top layer of the cornea gets dry it ripples and causes that ghosting imaging.

Go to the drug store and get saline solution. Must be perservative free. Try to get systane ultra. Put those drops in religiously every 30 in for 2 days and then every hour for a couple of days. It really helped me and that ghosting image.

Second ask your doc if you can try and anti-viral med for a week. Apparently its a very safe drug. If it makes you feel better then you will know.

Serisouly guys you will not beleive the last couple of months for me.

Shelly it sounds horrible what you have gone through. It seems to be one thing on top of another. That is not fair. I hope that you have a turn around with the nicer weather and get a break from this monsterous attack on you.

An anti viral, like the valtrex? I did that route, a little relief on my back and traps. The best relief I had was when I had the asthma turn into bronchitis and had steroid doses when I got bad. The shingle type stuff went away, the knife in the area above the wing, and terrible occipital cervo genic headaches that would not go away, DID.

My eyes do not feel dry, maybe they are though. I sqeeze my eyes , maybe to get drops to cover them ???? They when I swueeze it can trigger a twitch or pulling feeling.

I look at things and really have to strain. THe worse it has been, I was driving to the neuro and at a red light there were three on top of each other. THe car in front of me, the roof had a ghosting and the undercarriage had another ghosting.

I have gotten behind on my trigger point injections, medications I am taking half doses to last longer. But the valium id the one thing that really helps, at the correct level.

My Katie had chicken pox last May, this past Christmas she had shingles. But she still has breakouts of them, tiny dots, across the traps, under the arm into the chest area. It is terrible. They just won;t let her alone.

Why can't there be an inection that is a long lasting anti inflamatory or cure?
Why can't there be a pill that multi task symptoms?
Why do friends have to have their health attacked?

di

It is horrible that you suffer so much, with no let up.

You need to check with your local health department. In our area there's Kentucky Homeplace. If you don't have ins, they sign you up for this program. The drug companies are providing meds through this program. You have to get your Rx's on individual scripts. Take them to the Health Department and they send to the drug companies. They either send directly to you, or with some drugs to your doctor, a 3 month supply. You can also ask for samples from your doc. They won't have Valium in sample form, but many, many other drugs they will have. And if you're breaking then in two, maybe you ought to tell your doc that so they can write a higher dose for you. I know how that is, stretching a script. I'm sure they're generic.

I've also heard of people ordering their Rx's from Canada, getting a much better price. I think you still have to have a RX.

I hope you find some relief.

Happy Easter Di

(Broken Wings)