588 Injections

BY: HILARY PEARSON

Hospital life.

Nerve block injections.

12 needles in my head.

12 injections of Bupivicaine.

2 injections in my shoulders.

You think I would be used to it by now.

I get these injections in my skull every two weeks.

.Every two weeks for the last 21 months.

588 injections so far.

The first ever injection triggered a panic attack. I could hear the needle crunch into my skull,  as one of the nerves the neurologist targets is close to my ear.

I was given Lorazepam to treat the anxiety.

Lorazepam acts on the brain and nerves (central nervous system) to produce a calming effect.

Bupivacaine is an anesthetic (numbing medicine) that blocks nerve impulses in your body.

My head is numb. It feels like a balloon. I can tie my hair up in a pony tail without triggering a migraine.

The Bupivicaine will wear off in 5 days.

I’ll take it. .

5 days without chronic migraines. Without severe chronic pain. .

The Women’s College Hospital Headache Clinic has made such a difference in my life. The injections allow me some peace. Some relief.

My least favourite part is washing the blood out of my hair after the injections.