today was no fun at all

Today's injections were not at all what I was expecting. Once again... my confidence in this pain clinic is low because these two injections were completely different... and I was completely unprepared.

For the first injection they just gave me a shot of a demerol / vistaril combo and I was only slightly altered during the procedure. Completely able to communicate, in and out of the pain clinic in a little over an hourl

Today... I was on IV sedation (think: propafol) and instead of one little puncture, I have six. I was completely knocked out but not in that good way where you're awake in one place and then awake in another... i had a sensation of dying, of going over and being in a completely different realm. I wanted to communicate and couldn't. They moved me out of the procedure room quickly, long before I was awake but I was vaguely aware of being told to hold my head up... and someone moving me from a wheelchair to the recliners in recovery. I have been horribly dizzy ever since... riding home i was so sick to my stomach that I have to give it the "drunk treatment" (you know... stay as still as possible and as cool as possible)

Every time I've had my blood pressure taken in the past two months, it has been high. The past three times when I've been at the pain clinic, it's been at least 155/95... the nurse said that pain could be causing it to be higher and told me to follow up with my regular doctor. then... the odd thing... after the procedure when she took it, it was still just as high (in other words, when I was highly medicated). I asked if it stayed high during the procedure (they kept oxygen and a bp cuff and a pulse monitor on me during the procedure) and she said that it had stayed high... even when I was unconscious. This has me really concerned.

BUT... I have this weekend to rest and I will. there is a searing pain in my lower back, some of the same muscle weakness that I struggled with before... I have a significant headache, which I attribute to the blood pressure issue and the fact that I didn't have coffee today. Honestly... I just don't feel well.

So that's the story... happy weekend, y'all.