Friday, February 4, 2011

So, now what?

Lately, Becca has been in quite a bit of pain.  I have no idea where the pain is originating from or how bad it is.  She gets this crease in her forehead over her right eye whenever she is in pain.  I noticed it first when she had her ACE procedure done, pretty major abdominal surgery, so it was pretty major abdominal pain she was in.  Becca is not the kind of child to tell you "I've got a headache", even if she's got a roofing nail stuck in the top of her skull.  She's got a pretty high threshold for pain.  She usually picks her cuticles till they bleed, and rips at her fingernails, chewing them down to nubs.  Often she will chew them too short, and they bleed.  You and I know that hurts.  Doesn't affect her.  So, that's what is on my mind this month.  Pain.  Where.  How much.  Why.  What can I do?
As many Mito mom's know, Pain is an added "bonus" to the disease.  Frequent migranes are common, generalized abdominal pain, specific abdominal pain, joint pain, oh it just stinks.  How do I address this?  Do we start medicating her to keep her out of pain, or do we run more tests to see what is paining her?   Becca has been through so very many invasive and non-invasive tests and procedures, that I am in no hurry to put her through anything else.  When Rebecca is in pain, she's a brat.  A screaming meemee, ranting, raving lunatic, stomping around the house.  It kills me inside.  It makes everyone in the house look like they just saw the Loch Ness Monster go cruising through the living room.  They all have this big eyed, stunned look on their faces.  Why must I keep it all together?  I just want to hold her in my arms and comfort her, like I did when she was a baby. 
So, do I medicate her, make her a drooling, blank stared, slack jawed zombie?  Or do I let her suffer, and we all suffer with her.  That is the million dollar question of the day.

2 comments:

  1. Eileen.. So sorry to hear about Becca being in Pain.. I can only say for myself living with "MITO" and the pain it brings is horrible.. That pain medicine does help.. You dont need to give her a over loaded amount but just enough to ease the pain would be good.. It could be muscle cramping pain , Gut pain.. You name it.. The one bad thing about Mito is the pain and the progression.. As we all know.. So I would recommend some kind of pain meds.. Start off at a low dose and work up if you need to.. Good Luck.. And Love Ya's..

    ReplyDelete
  2. is it that she isn't feeling the pain or shows it in a non typical way? she must feel it to some degree and i know i am cranky with just a little headache...and we all know what cramps can do to a sane person!

    I think Gina has a good point...start with low amounts and see if she is happier. You all deserve happy kiddo!!

    thanks for sharing your life with us!
    Di

    ReplyDelete