So happy to hear that things are already getting better for you!
…and you lucky soul with an increase of gabapentin - so helpful for sleep!! (I remember the good ol’ days when I used to take it… 
)
Continuing to send good healing thoughts your way!
Thanks so much! The gabapentin hasn’t helped me sleep yet, but the muscle relaxer has and then it wears off. I might be one of those percentages that gabapentin doesn’t help much but I’ve been on the 600 mg for almost 15 years, I think, therefore I am not sure. 
If it’s any consolation gabapentin doesn’t do much for me either. Some people swear by it, I know a man who thinks it’s the best thing for him. For me the side effects were nasty. Nope, not for me.
Merl
I don’t get any side effects Merl, at least I don’t think so. I think it can cause tremors. But my tremor started with repair #2. No one has ever suggested something to replace it and they all say I’m on a low dose, originally with the 600mg/day routine. I’m fortunate that my Neurosurgeon knows that I have an abnormally high tolerance to pain…and many of my quirky reactions to meds which is probably why they’ve increased on the muscle relaxer. I just need to start taking it 3x/day and not the two I’ve been doing so I can get ahead of the pain.
After the accident which I think contributed to my aneurysm I had a lot of body pains. These pains very definitely increased after that accident.
About 10 years after the accident, (after suffering with 10 years of pain) I started to get into a very heavy-duty self-massage practice. I basically lay on the floor and lay on various hard objects.
One of the best things I have found is this thing called a Synergy Stone. They are here on amazon:
Another good tool is this larger ball:
Sometimes just a lacrosse ball is good. You can bend at the waist against a pillar or in a door frame (so your head sticks through the door frame); put the lacrosse ball on your shoulder and neck, and push with your legs. This will massage your trapezoid and neck muscles.
You can also get one of these things:
and or one of these:
I’m not sure if changes inside the skull (pressures on the brain?) cause body pains or muscles to tighten up, but I think so. So will just sitting on the couch.
Since my aneurysm surgery and investigation, I think that I my aneurysm was a “leaking” aneurysm. My neck hurt like crazy (like really crazy - like there was a shotgun being pulled on my right trapezoid ) for years. I now think that a bunch of this pain was
In short, I don’t really know what caused my neck pain, but I sure had it. The above tools helped.
As well as (finally), going to a CBP chiropractor:
Chiropractic BioPhysics – The Science of Spinal Health (idealspine.com)
Please do get better. Tell those docs they have to plug any leaks . .
Thanks for all the information! I did “graduate” PT right before I injured myself and am doing the exercises I can, I had to go to the lighter band with fewer reps but I do them a few more times a day. They did teach me an exercise to bring my shoulder blades together that helps.
Interestingly I was also in an accident being hit by a Ford Ranchero whilst on my horse back in ‘75. It took a few years for a PA to come into my life and give me the name of an orthopedic surgeon. He was able to diagnose me immediately but took X-rays of my spine to confirm, 18 dislocated with several in my neck, one that had been severing nerve to my arm at a whopping 90%. He told Mom and I another month and I’d never have been able to use it.
I tried my tens unit but it hurts more than it helps. Ice gives me some relief for a short time. I am in the “concussions may cause aneurysms” camp as it seems viable in my situation, no one in my family background has ever had one so it knocks familial out for me.
A bit of an update. I graduated Speech therapy again! 
. The Neurosurgeon’s NP saw me a week or so ago, changed me from gabapentin to lyrica and ordered a nerve conduction test as nothing conclusive showed up on the MRI. Apparently if the MRI can’t pinpoint the nerve, any surgery is a 50/50 if it will fix the issue. However, if it can pinpoint the nerve the success rate is like 97%. She can’t order an MRI for the muscles because she’s not an ortho person. If the nerve test that I’m really not looking forward to because quite frankly they hurt like the dickens, doesn’t show anything- she’ll refer me to Ortho at WFBH. In the meantime, I’m supposed to take it easy and what I do is overdo it and pay the price for the next few days. Getting ready to probably overdo it again today.
Thanks for the update on how you are! We are so grateful you shared that with us … even though it likely wasn’t the news you were hoping for. Did you happen to know when your nerve test is scheduled? Will be sending healing thoughts to you regardless, but I especially like to do it on days you need it the most! 
You are bringing up a topic I was mulling about starting: appreciating it is highly personalized and extremely variable, but I had been wondering what other people’s signs are to prevent overdoing it. I am pretty horrible at the “listen to your body” advice, because I am not 100% sure what I am listening for, so am prone to overdoing it. (Um, is it completely obvious why I had a rupture in the first place??? ) I had been thinking if I know what signals others get might make me more aware and pay attention as to when to stop.
First, I will look for a prior topic that may already address, so no need to answer … unless you see a new topic posting. [O.k., I have missed all you guys during these quiet August days, so it was an excuse to stir up some trouble too! ]
Sending serenity and peace down your way @Moltroub!
Thanks so much! Aug 28, just around the corner! I can’t recall a specific topic about signs we’ve over done it. Most I think just type about them in an existing topic. I can be wrong, I often am. If you try the site search doohickey (magnifying glass) and can’t find one, I think it would be great if you’d be kind enough to start one! We’re pretty different from those who have an incidental find. You might also want to do an internet search on brain fatigue.
Trouble is fine in my book, after all, it was the name of the Labrador who saved my life when I popped my pipe. Ok so the owner whose dogs bred called her Trouble and she was already responding to it. We just added to her name when we sent in the registration form “Trouble on Good Friday” guess what day we brought her home? No, it wasn’t Christmas🤣
Just real briefly, I have not forgotten about your nerve test tomorrow (and thanks for helping me to learn about the bookmark feature - you are my first test of this feature 
).
I figure that you are likely heading off bright and early tomorrow, so I wanted to reach out the night before to wish you a peaceful and restful sleep. You are a fierce fighter who also has a beautiful, caring, and joyful soul, I believe they will be able to pinpoint the nerve for you to get you the answers you need!
Sending healing and positive thoughts your way - tonight and tomorrow too!
Please let us know how it went - but just when you are ready - we’ll be here for you!
Had a great tech who has worked in the field for 27 years and a Resident (Dr. Cooper) do my nerve test. The tech did the ultrasound, the Resident who’s a Fellow did the actually nerve stimulation part. Resident actually asked if I thought it was a nerve issue while I was giving the history of this injury. I said no, I’ve had many pinched nerves and none of them hurt, just started losing the ability to control my extremities. One of them was almost completely severed somewhere in my neck but i don’t remember which one. She actually asked what I thought it was! When I would answer her questions either myself or BH would say something about me talking to much, Dr Cooper would just say I asked, don’t worry about it.
On to the poke, prod and make a muscle side of the test. Seems I do have nerves and when they get cattle prodded, I say a lot of Jesus, Mary and Joseph’s. At some point I said it was a good thing she came back in with her white coat on and not dressed in black because I’m really not into S&M. Apparently they can tell if someone has high pain tolerance by the activity on their machine. When she was doing my little finger side of my hand it kept making both my legs jump off the bed in unison. Happens with some patients and not others. It was hilarious about my legs, not the needle getting zapped with more electricity. By the time she hit my bicep area, I was done with it. Fortunately she was almost done.
Then the Neurologist came in and said they saw I had an old carpal tunnel injury, yep from back in the early ‘80’s not worried about it, had a chronic pinched nerve at C7, yep from ‘75. Now I know where that thing was! I asked Dr. Gandhi how they could tell and she was dumbfounded and said because of the test. Wish I could have asked Dr. Cooper, she didn’t mind answering questions with a bit more detail, because after all, I didn’t major in medicine. But neither of it is causing my shoulder pain. Dr. Gandhi believes it’s in the realm of muscles, ligaments and tendons and I will need to get an MR of them. She mentioned rotator cuff, imagine that!
Back to square 1😩. Ms Ryann has already ordered the MR and has put in for an Ortho. I couldn’t find one in our county and I am not going back to the doc who I feel gaslighted me in the next county over and I’m not using the other place because of what’s happened to some friends who knew a guy, if not themselves. BH will just have to drive me to Winston, we discussed it and although not ideal, it’s the best choice.
Had a couple of doctor appointments yesterday morning. Whilst seeing my Allergist PA, I asked her how one deals with a doctor who’s gaslighting them. She wished she knew, she had gone to the same place I did and left in tears because of it. Came home and took a pain pill, my shoulder doesn’t like being trapped behind a seat belt and turning the steering wheel. If anyone has learned some tricks when their being gaslighted by a medical professional, I’d sure like to learn them!
Oh, @Moltroub!
What a challenging day that must have been! (To put you through all that and then to say get an MR? Why not the MR first, as it is so much less invasive? But, I don’t even play a doctor on tv, so what do I know? ) Well, at least the good news is that you do not have to go through that again any time soon!
I just adore the way you handled the situation with humor. After all, what else can you do in those circumstances but laugh!? As you describe, it certainly seems that visiting Winston is more than worth it.
Alas, I have no gaslighting advice other than the obvious of just going elsewhere … or reporting your concerns to the appropriate governmental regulators/medical boards. At least you know you are not alone, since your allergist’s PA had the same reaction!
Thanks for the update, and hope you get some rest in the meantime!
I think the very first doc who works with my PCP should’ve ordered the MRI he knew I needed. He said the ortho would do it if I needed to see him. Gaslight Ortho didn’t, took an X-ray and said it was a pinched nerve. Got mad I guess when I said I can’t take steroid shots and he should’ve taken a couple of minutes to review my allergy list and I’d be seeing my Neurosurgeon. NP at the Neuro ordered the MRI of my neck and we saw her the same day. She explained she couldn’t order one of my shoulder, I thought she was covering both bases, until she ruled out a nerve issue. Might be an insurance thing.
I get the MRI of my shoulder Tuesday and see the Ortho at WFBH October 3 I think it is. They offered me one on the 1st, but BH can’t leave work on Day 1, corporate America has a lot of paperwork to be completed that day. BH has to work Labor Day because it’s their Day 1 this month.
Today is the day I see the ortho! I forgot to share the findings of the MRI of my shoulder Coraco-acromial Arch/AC Joint: Type 1 acromion. Coracoacromial and is thin. Small subacromial spur. Moderate acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis. Mild subacromial subdeltoid bursitis. Rotator Cuff: Muscle signal intensity and bulk is normal. Subscapularis tendon is normal. There is hypertrophic tendinopathy in the anterior supraspinatus tendon. There is mild bursal surface irregularity which could be a low-grade bursal surface tear or bursal surface fraying. No high-grade tear. Biceps Tendon: Normal. Labrum/Glenohumeral Joint: There is a posterior-superior labral tear from 11-12 o’clock. The articular cartilage is normal. No effusion or synovitis. Other: Axillary neurovascular bundle is normal. Deltoid muscle signal intensity and bulk is normal. No suspicious marrow replacing lesion.
When I saw Sergey the other day he thinks it’s the nerve and the bit happening in my shoulder together but more the nerve and suggested I up the Lyrica. I explained Ms. Ryann’s directions and my brain stayed in the State of Fog. He suggested taking one in the middle of the day. I reached out to Ms Ryann because she’s the one who prescribed it and she gave the go ahead. I didn’t know because we lost electricity due to Helene for a a day and internet for a few days. I tried looking up which stretches I could do and one issue was no stretch another was stretching, UGH. So I stopped stretching. But the Greek doctor whose name I’ve been trying hard to pronounce will be able to translate it, after all he speaks at least three languages, Greek, English and Medical!
Good luck today. Hope you get a good translation of what’s going on and some long term relief!
He said I’m a challenging case to diagnose🤣. But I don’t need surgery! He had to point to a couple of my meds on the screen when asking if I was still on them and what for as I either didn’t understand his pronunciation or he didn’t use the generic name. He pressed on the spot below my scapula that’s been hurting really bad and made it hurt a lot more. Showed us a picture of the nerve route from my C7 pinched nerve. So I start PT as scheduled next week.
Wanted to do a cortisone shot, but BH said no, I can’t take them. We debated, he explained it’s just an umbrella term and could be one of many steroids. He asked me to have my Neurosurgeon reach out to him so I sent a message to Ms. Ryann through my portal. Ms Ryann replied to me with a not sure what I could take as they’ve got a list of some that I’m either listed as sensitive or allergic to. I replied to see if her Triage RN can reply to him. It’s really frustrating to have to be our own advocate.
I did give him a short lecture on why he should not give people with aphasia a word as I couldn’t think of any more words. I was a little affronted when he called my tractor a lawnmower BH said I was nice about it both times and thought it funny that I asked him if he knew what a 3 pt was and went on to explain the bucket and Front End Loader, implements for both the FEL and the 3 pt as well as the belly mower connection and why I chose the tractor. Apparently after my two lectures, I thanked him for allowing me to teach a doctor something.
I hope PT can help. I have issues with steroids as well and getting through to doctors about that is always a challenge. Those I’ve encountered throw steroids at everything, and while I understand their usefulness for the majority, I can never understand why they dont accept that everyone can’t take them. They accept an adverse reaction to any and every other drug, but look at you like you have no idea what you’re talking if you resist steroids. But I’ll end my rant now!
Back to the point of my reply…I hope PT works well and/or they find something suitable to get you relief. Chronic pain is exhausting and frustrating.
P.S. OMG, I apologize for not even thinking that you must have had to have dealt with Helene! Soooo glad you guys are safe and sound, and I hope all is o.k.!!
Rant away, I do apparently. Thank you, I’m hoping it works as well as it has in the past. I just wish they’d let me have a few more weeks than insurance allows, but I always wish that. Fingers crossed they can help get me to the yellow band which I can’t do right now.
We are good thank you. Fortunately we have both a gas generator and a solar generator that we can charge with the gas if there’s no sun. BH had to pull the gas generator up from my shop and get the heavy solar generator into the house. First time for that and I do believe we are getting a whole house generator. .
We do have members up in the Blue Ridge that aren’t faring as well. I know one that just got power back a day or two ago. Our government has been doing everything they can despite what’s been posted on the internet. Please don’t believe everything you read. We see helicopters flying that way from sun up to sun down every day as they’re leaving from the Lincolnton/Lincoln Airport over in Iron Station. The first day or two was all military helicopters and now we see private helicopters. I understand the Hickory Airport has been even busier as it’s larger. We aren’t on their flight path.
Our grader has been up in West Jefferson clearing out a campground with some other heavy equipment operators. There’s running water and the campground owners are allowing folks to stay there. They’re dropping donated water at a place below W Jefferson. We have another friend who is a trucker. He has told his church they can use his container to store donations in and when he gets back home, he’ll deliver it to wherever it’s needed. We just filled up his truck bed with moving boxes, yesterday. Much safer for him and the donated articles. States from all around have been sending folks to help the search and rescue efforts. It’s a huge undertaking and everyone working or volunteering needs to be safe. Fall is here and it’s getting crisp in the mornings, winter is right around the corner. We are going through our clothes for coats, etc. We and some others we know will donate more as the rush to donate wanes. We just want to make sure our donations are free to those that need them, so we are sticking with the multitude of churches and not the big organizations if that makes sense.
Before I ruptured, I was in CPS and our mountains as well as the county I worked for had major problems with meth labs, more so in the mountains I think. But we had to have specific training in walking into homes where meth was being cooked. I worry about the search and rescue people, a lot. Please keep everyone up in the Blue Ridge in your thought and prayers.