Monday, January 19, 2015

Torticollis. Have you heard of it?

You know what is said about best plans...I had planned to be so good about updating the blog daily,   Then, life got in the way.  Over a week ago, Chefy came home and told me that he was not feeling well.  His neck was hurting and he felt horrible.  I gave him 2 ibuprofen and he dosed off for a little while.  When he woke up, he was feeling even worse.  He could barely move his neck at all.  Turning to the right or left, up or down was very painful.  We called our family nurse, aka my mom.  She said to get him a heating pad to use and to give him 400 mg more of ibuprofen.  The pain eased enough for him to sleep part of the night.

Chefy woke me up early the next morning asking me to take him to the ER.  That NEVER happens!  My hubby hates to go to any doctor, much less the emergency room, so I knew he was in pain.  Luckily the ER was slow when we arrived so he was taken back quickly.  They came in and checked him out and diagnosed him with Torticollis.  Never heard of it?  Neither had we!  Here is what it is:
Torticollis, also known as wry neck or loxia, is a dystonic condition defined by an abnormal, asymmetrical head or neck position, which may be due to a variety of causes.(thanks Wikipedia)

The doctor gave Chefy a shot of prednisone, a prescription for pain killers and a prescription for muscle relaxers and sent him home.  Here we are, more than a week later, and Chefy is still in pain. Some of the stiffness has gone away, but not all of it.  Chefy is relying on muscle relaxers to ease up the pain enough to be able to sleep at night, and his ibuprofen is helping him be able to work.  It's crazy.  This appeared out of the clear blue, and it just wants to hang around.  After calling the doctor, we found out that this stiffness could go on for a while, and once it does go away, it can come back.  UGH!

My last week has been spent taking care of Chefy.  Praying that all my readers are healthy and are enjoying a wonderful 2015.  God Bless You All!  

~~~Shelly~~

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