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Sunday 30 January 2011

NEW LENS

Well the good news is that there has been no TN pain at all since my last post. The crawling sensation on the left side of my face has continued same as before and I'm coping with the side effects of the medication. To tell the truth, I don't really know what’s a side effect and what's not. It would be easy to blame every ache and pain or every stupid thought I have as a side effect, then I remember that all those things were there before I started taking the medication. I even tried to blame not doing my share of housework or going on shopping trips with my wife as a side effect. Not a chance ;-)

My photography outings continue to go well and the results can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutz1/ I've also bought myself a new 120-400 zoom lens which should give me the capacity to take decent wildlife shots although I reckon I'll need some tuition to get the best from the lens.

After 20 years of touring with a caravan, my wife and I have decided to look for a more permanent solution. We are currently looking for a new static caravan within easy reach of our home. We've viewed quite a few sites, but the one that ticks all the boxes is Croy Beach. You've probably guessed from the title, it’s right on the beach with the most magnificent views towards Culzean Castle, the Ailsa Craig, Arran, and even over to Ireland on a clear day. It's priced accordingly, that's the only down side.
Portencross

Portencross

Saturday 22 January 2011

SIDE EFFECTS


Since I got out of my bed yesterday morning, I’ve been feeling really weird. I have difficulty in stopping my hands, and other parts of my body for that matter, jumping involuntarily. It’s particularly noticeable if I’m typing or relaxing reading a book. When I’m typing, I’ll invariably hit keys two or three times. My hands will spasm when I’m reading and I’ll drop the book. Another example is if I put and arm straight out to lean on something, I will have a spasm at my elbow and fall forward. I also have a tingling sensation at the tips of my fingers and in other parts of my body which I would say is linked to the spasm. I’m fortunate in that I still have no TN pain although the crawling sensation under the skin on my face is back.
So what do I think? I think it’s all related to my medication. I was always very quick to say I had no side effects. I may have been too keen to say I had no side effects when in fact I did, a classic case of denial. When I think about it, I always had a good memory for names, places etc. Now, I need to write things like that down or I forget them in 10 minutes. I maybe need to discuss this on a serious level with my doc although I don’t think I would be willing to reduce my medication yet.
Loch Long

Thursday 20 January 2011

DOGS

I managed out for a few hours on Tuesday with nothing but my camera for company. First stop was Greenan Beach on the south side of Ayr for a few shots of the ruined castle. Greenan Beach is a dog walker’s paradise. How do I know this? Because of the amount of dog cr*p which spoils an otherwise beautiful place. I'm not against dogs, but I do object to their cr*p all over my boots. And another thing while I'm on the subject, why do dog owners think it's OK for their dogs to run at you leaving you in doubt as to whether they’re going to stop before they collide with you. They also think it's OK for their dogs, which are covered in all sorts, to jump up on your perfectly clean clothing and then presume a simple sorry will make things OK. I have a suggestion for all dog owners; clean up after you and keep them under control (the dogs that is). Rant over. I know there are a lot of responsible dog owners out there just in case anyone is thinking of sending me hate mail.
Anyway, I got some nice shots of Greenan Castle after which I headed to the Ballast Bank at Troon for the best sunset ever (in my mind it's always going to be the best sunset ever). When I arrived it looked really promising, low cloud and a nice gap between the cloud and the horizon. While I was waiting I could see some squalls blowing in rapidly from north of Arran, really dark looking beasts. A heavy one hit the shore, fortunately I was still in my car. I noticed another photographer down on the rocks crouched low against the rain trying to shelter his kit. The rain passed as quickly as it arrived, leaving low cloud and a shimmering yellow horizon. I managed a few shots before the sun disappeared fully into the sea.
When I returned to my car, I met the other photographer. Turns out he was an online contact of mine through the Flickr website.  It was the first time we'd met face to face. Another heavy shower of rain arrived just then, so it was only the briefest of formalities before we retreated to the shelter of our respective vehicles.
The following day, baby sitting duties. Both granddaughters, Faye age three (going on 23) and Beth age four months. Faye never gives her tongue a rest. Everything I say is met with a question seeking clarification. She's very much like her Grandmother in that respect. The little one seems to think the world is great place and does a lot of smiling and sleeping, except when she's hungry. I heard her chuckling for the first time yesterday. It's great having them, but it's also great handing them back.
I know I may come to regret this, but my TN seems to have deserted me completely at the moment. I don't have any symptoms at all, even the crawling sensation under my skin is gone. I'll stick with the medication meantime, just in case.
Greenan Castle

Ballast Bank, Troon

Tuesday 18 January 2011

NOTHING TO REPORT

All I have to report is that there is nothing to report. I still have the crawling sensation under my skin where the pain would have been, but no pain (I might regret saying that).
The weather here is pretty good at the moment, sunny, cold and dry, so I might go out for a few hours this afternoon and try and get some decent photos. I haven't decided where I'll go yet, but weather permitting, I'll finish the day off at Troon. The sunsets there can be quite phenomenal.

Icicles at Loudoun Hill

Friday 14 January 2011

AQUAE SULIS

The visit to Aquae Sulis (Bath) went well. On arrival at the McDonald Bath Spa Hotel (5*), a concierge and two bell hops came swarming down the stairs, opened the car doors, saw to our luggage and we were checked in before we knew where we were. The lovely receptionist (Spanish) ‘upgraded’ us to a ‘garden view’ room which was very spacious with a nice sitting area. It took about 15 minutes to walk into the centre of Bath. All we did that first day was have a quick look around to get our bearings after which we returned to the hotel and made use of the extensive spa facilities. My favourite was the outdoor pool. I don’t know what its temperature was, but it was as warm as a very hot bath. It was great floating there in the dark looking up at the moon and stars, very relaxing, in fact so relaxing I fell asleep and nearly drowned.
The following day we arrived in the city centre about 9:30am. It was a miserable rainy day. The first place we visited was the Roman Baths. It was fantastic and we spent a lot of time there wandering over paving laid 2000 years ago and tramped on by God knows how many Roman feet. The hand held audio guide was excellent. At the end of the visit, we even got to sample the ‘waters’, a not to be missed experience :-)
I was keen to see and photograph the Georgian architecture at Royal Crescent and the Circus. However, a brief visit was all we managed due to the rain although I did manage to take some snapshots. Even in the rain it looked majestic. After a very nice lunch in All Bar One, we retreated to the sanctuary of our hotel and the spa.
This morning, I attended Crosshouse Hospital where I had my first appointment with consultant neurologist Doctor Vikki Marshall from The Southern General Hospital. At the risk of showing myself up as an aging old sexist, she was not at all what I expected. She was young, tall, slim and very good looking. What’s my point......I don’t really know, other than the fact that I am now a confirmed old duffer. She showed me the MRI scan of my brain which confirms two things; 1. I have a brain, and 2. there is nothing sinister there (other than my thoughts). She carried out a number of tests which confirmed the trigeminal nerve is in working order (boy, don’t I know it) and discussed the history of my condition. Bottom line is that she has referred me to a neuro-surgeon, which she said could take months. She also booked me a further appointment to see her in six months.  
While discussing my medication with her, I got the impression that she would have advised me to cut out the Gabapentin if I had been open to it. My position, and she did not disagree, was that I am relatively pain free at the moment, just infrequent minor jolts, and I would not be keen to cut down on of my medication. I think she may have been trying to identify which drug was most effective in my case, but the memory of my last bout of pain is still too raw to start messing about with my drugs. I asked her about managing the pain at home rather than turning up at A&E. She said that all the drugs I was on could be increased and agreed to write to my GP on the matter. So another visit to Dr Gaffney when I get confirmation that he has received the letter.
I’m still in a pretty positive frame of mind.

The Great Bath
Minerva
Genuine Roman?

Sunday 9 January 2011

A TRIP TO BATH

I suppose this blog is starting to become a bit mundane as my TN settles down. It’s perhaps time to change the titles to better reflect the content of the individual blog entries. I now appear to be in the fortunate position that my TN has settled to the point where only deliberate actions by myself can bring on the pain. The side effects of the meds are another issue completely. So, to summarise, the TN is buried somewhere deep in my head at the moment and resting. The side effects of the meds are; no pain (in a relative sense), a good night’s sleep (I mean good night’s sleep as in comatose), occasionally a bit of dopiness, no change there then says my wife, tingling sensations where the pain would have been although this has now started in my fingertips as well, and some occasional muscle spasms. Conclusion: I'm doing OK just now, dare I say, in remission, but I know things can change pretty quickly.
I finally managed to get accommodation booked for our stay in the ancient City of Bath. We have two nights DBB in a spa hotel (must remember and take my Speedo's, calm down girls) ten minutes walk from the city centre. I need to start planning the journey (400 miles) and researching what to see and do. I'm really looking forward to this trip. I hope my TN remains in it’s current state for the next three days at least.

Loudoun Hill

Saturday 8 January 2011

MY TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA 41

Today was a another good day. My wife went out for a long lunch with some of her friends and I managed to get out in the fresh air and take some photos. I went and climbed Loudoun Hill hoping for the best sunset ever.....it didn't materialise. In any event, I got some decent shots.
I'm now getting some really strange tingling sensations in the tips of my fingers. Strange though it sounds, it's similar to the tingling I get on my face and scalp. More problematic is the twitch/spasm which makes it really difficult to type, or even hold a fork and knife or  cup of tea or coffee for that matter. It's just something else to bring up with the doc next week.

The Irvine Valley

Friday 7 January 2011

MY TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA 40

Well, not my best ever day. I attended the funeral of a friend and former colleague who died at the age of 57 after a short illness. He retired from the Force in 2004 and the turnout from retired police officers was good to see. The minister gave a good old fashioned 'bible thumping' sermon and his daughter read a short and very touching poem. I'm sure he would have no complaints about his send off.
I've spent the last two days getting my dad's laptop up and running. It's strange that a man like him with a fantastic understanding of how the world fits together in terms of engineering, building, nature etc. is absolutely terrified of the dark arts of computing. Having said that he spends a lot of his time reading all sorts of technical papers he digs up through Google.
The movement under the skin on my face has settled, leaving a mild burning sensation, again not uncomfortable. TN is a bind but I suppose I should be thankful that I'm in no pain meantime. Onward and upward dear friends.

Dean Castle, Kilmarnock