Burglarizing squirrels and my poor sunburned scalp

I have squirrels in my attic.  Squirrels the size of small cats, since I've been feeding them bread and cookies and bird seed and peanuts and whatever else I've had that I could just toss out the patio door to the backyard.  No more of that!  Sometime after our chimney was professionally cleaned in October, 'cause surely it was there then or they would have told me, the vent on the side blew off in the wind and disappeared, leaving a hole 'bout the size of Texas in the side of the chimney.  Apparently it also left a flashing neon sign to COME RIGHT IN IT'S WARM IN HERE 'cause that's what they did.  I called a pest control company and the guy came out, found a dead rat up there, set some traps and scheduled an appointment to come back last Thursday to check them.  He did and nothing had been touched.  I've heard no more scratching and clawing in the wall either.  Bug Man got up on the roof and found the hole in the chimney.  He also found a smaller hole where they have chewed their way into the siding in the back of the house.  So he's coming back this week sometime to make those repairs.


I've been here nearly eight years (January 19th) and I've enjoyed feeding and watching the squirrels in my backyard.  I hate to stop feeding them but when they break into my house, I have to protect what's mine, right??


I bet you're wondering how I could have a sunburned scalp in the dead of winter, aren't you??  Well, I'm gonna tell you.  It's really not sunburned, it just feels like it.  After my brain MRI in November, I was diagnosed with 5th cranial neuritis, inflammation of the 5th cranial nerve right where it exits my brain stem.  That's causing the numbness in the right side of my face.  Well, now this has progressed to hot searing burning pain on that side from time to time.  I take 900 mg of Neurontin daily and I'm telling you, if I didn't, I would not be able to stand it.  I tested it Friday when I was home all day and didn't take my pills and by 3:00 that afternoon, I was in so much pain, I said, "Screw that.  I need some drugs!"!!  I've done a lot of research online about this and talked with people who are in the know about such things (my sister, who fights her own demon every single day of her life and knows how to match symptoms with what it is you've got, two doctors I work with and a PA who brings her baby to us) and I've come to the conclusion that this 5th cranial neuritis is trigeminal neuralgia.  I just have all of the symptoms of it and now that my scalp burns like I've been on the beach for five hours in July with no floppy hat on and no good sense, I'm convinced that's what I have.  Maybe the neuritis has turned into neuralgia.  Maybe it's been that the whole time, I don't know.  I do know that I'm in pain now when I was just numb before.  And that my drugs are my best good friend.  Even though they make me forget things, names and what I'm even saying sometimes.  I called my doctor and he wants me to give it three more months.  If I'm no better by then, we're going to try some other things.  I know this is a waiting game.  I know it's going to take time for that nerve to heal.  It's been 15 weeks since the numbness started and Doc told me it could take NINE TO TWELVE MONTHS to get well.  I know I could have a long road ahead of me.


I know all that but if my head is gonna feel like it's been to the beach, I want it to have been to the beach.  I'm just sayin'.