September update

I have been terrible about updating my blog! And so much has been going on the past month! Well, I'll start with updating about my dizzy spells. I spent the better part of September feeling dizzy and passing out. When I pass out it is typically only a split second or I just have symptoms that let me know I need to sit down soon by everything going black. I consistently had a BP reading of 90/60ish which is fine but the dizzy spells had been pretty severe. I finally went to my PCP since it takes so long to get in to my electrophysiologist. My PCP discussed putting me on midodrine to get my BP up. I really don't need put on any new meds right now so I passed....going to try increasing my salt intake again. Maybe I just need a little more in my diet LOL. I take salt tabs now instead of dumping salt on all my food.....I've gotten a lot of looks over the years :) after increasing my sodium and water intake my dizzy spells are under control. I see my Dr at the end of October so hopefully he can shed some light on why I continue to struggle with these dizzy spells. Mid-September I met with a headache specialist who put me on medicine that helps prevent migraines. I have suffered from migraines since I was 8 so it is important to me to get them under control so I don't spend so many days each month suffering from them. I am currently on a mission to reduce my overall pain since it seems my hip pain is going to be around for awhile. My thinking is, if my migraines are under control then my overall pain level is reduced by 10%, for example. I also met with a dentist that specializes in TMJ. I have had TMJ symptoms for 12 years and have been grinding my teeth at night for about the same amount of time. I guess now is a good time to deal with it since it can potentially further reduce my pain. The x-rays taken showed that my TMJ is actually dislocated. I'll be wearing a series of retainers over the next month to get my joint back in place, including the cartilage which is no longer in-between the 2 bones. I picked up my first retainer on Tuesday and ended up having extreme face pain Wed. And Thurs. Along with a migraine. It was not fun and I seriously contemplated quitting. I couldn't eat for almost 2 days and threw up for 36 hrs. Yuk! The face pain isn't as bad today so I'm going to stick with it. Ugh, what did I get myself into!