Kodee Cessna's story

One day about four months ago I started to experience severe migraines, something I have never experienced. A few days later I started to feel a stiffness in my neck.

As a paramedic, I knew that my symptoms were indicative of meningitis. After a lumbar puncture, white blood cells were discovered in my CSF. At first I assumed that I had contracted bacterial meningitis from one of my patients, however the results of the CSF culture showed the presence of the Varicella (chicken pox) virus.

Recurrence of symptoms

A month after my treatment had been completed with migraines persisting the entire time, I began the feel the same symptoms as before, only this time they were exacerbated.

Surely enough, after seven lumbar punctures due to physician incompetence, it was revealed that I had Varicella in my CSF once again, only one month after the completion of the first treatment.

I was given the same medication at the same dosage and rate for the same amount of time via PICC line. After the three weeks of treatment, I was prescribed Valtrex 1 gram twice a day PO. I had been taking Hydrocodone 10-325 for the migraines and back pain stemming from my attending physician using my back as a pin cushion, which worked very well to control the pain.

However recently, my PCP has began to feel “uncomfortable” with continuing this, I assume because he thinks I am a drug seeker. He refers me to a neurologist who continued the Hydrocodone but in a 7.5-325 dose. He also gave me samples of Cambia and Ralpex as a sort of experiment to find the cause of my continuing migraines. Around this time I started to experience severe insomnia for which I was prescribed Amitryptaline.

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