Chronic daily headache

hi aristotle-

 i'm pretty new here as well and learning as well so let me say that what works for one may not work for another so its really a discussion for you and your doctor. ( did i get that right guys? ;o)..).. anyway, I've been dealing with chronic head pain for over 9 years now and am currently taking opana, norco, topomax, lyrica and kertolac as a supplemental prn for the past week for pain. I go back to my pain doc this coming monday and am hoping he will be willing to increase the opana from 10 mgs up to 20 mgs and increase the norco back up to 6 x's a day for breakthrough or perhaps switch to something else as it only seems to last for about an hour and 1/2 or so and the breakthroughs are very intense. I also have a supra-orbital nerve stimulator implanted in the right side of my forehead.  I'm always interested when I hear that someone else is dealing with chronic headaches so anything you'd be willing to share would be willing.

welcome

cat

Hello dear headache sufferers!! My headaches started ten years ago. No trauma. Just temporal headahces that started just like that and have never gone away. I was diagnosed with TMJ and had appliance after appliance and then braces. In that time my headaches were off the wall. I was off work for a year and a half. I am a paediatric nurse. The only med that worked then was Methadone and I had tried everything. Got better in 2005 only having pain here and there. During this time I had also seen tons of dr , tried many meds and tried many forms of treatment. I got back to work. Then in sept 2007 the headaches came back and just got worse and worse. I started seeing all the different doctors again, all the treatments possible, a natural pain relief clinic, all the meds. And this time i knew what it involved going on opiates and coming off of them. I am off work again since Oct 2008. Once again nothing is working. the Orthodontist has tried four different appliances and non help. i think i will be getting braces again soon to correct my bite once again. Dr. don't know what to do. My pain dr. has nothing else he can do to help me. I have tried botox twice, nerve blocks. i am on oxycodone prn and try to keep it to one tab early afternoon and two at night. Other meds are cymbalta and seroquel for sleeping. i take magnesuim, this is good for the muscles to relax, vit D, most people in chronic pain have a low vit. D and mine was certainly low, nutra sea, your fish oils., and vit B12. My pain continues to be 10/10, 24/7. I struggle thru my days but am trying to accept, bit by bit, that this is the way it may be. My faith helps me thru my dark days. I rest a lot with ice on head. It's the only thing that will help me. I live in Ottawa, Ont. and am trying to find out if some of the procedures done in the states are available here, such as the iv infusions of ketamine and lidocaine, the radiofrequency ablation, and the stimulator. CATAHOULA, could you give me more info on your stimulator. I am also wondering if that would help my kind of headache. They are always the same, always bilateral temporal and feel like pressure.
Well that's a start for now. I am sorry for all of you suffering with horrible headaches. It has certainly taken my life away from me and i need to learn to get my life back. Ask me any questions or share more of your info if it may help any of us that is suffering. There is also a migraine/headache forum here at HW so check it out. You may get some info there.
Blessings to all and low pain day vibes to everyone!!!

Suzane

tmj,
The DHE was the med given to my granddaughter for her head too. I remember tell you but couldn't remember the med then I asked my daughter and forgot to post it and then I read that Jsmomma posted and remembered. She was only 16 the first time she received it and then had another hospital stay the second time at 17. I think because of her age they hospitalized her and would give her antinausea drugs to boot. I beleive it was Reglan and something else can't remember but whatever that was it caused her to have an Occular event with her eye rolling back and staying there and they administered Benedryl to release it. They told her she could never take meds in that family because of that. Anyway she ended up with a Pain Management doc that did subcranial stimulation -- massages basically and it helped her more than anything. Every trigger point they touched was painful to her and they said most of her pain was related to stress. She is a gifted kid and put so much pressure on herself that none of us were aware of because she internalizes so well and we just don't see it. But because of the gifted part she never lost out on school, had to pull one summer school session, but will graduate this spring with her class.
Since she found out she hasn't been hospitalized for headaches, has muscle relaxers, knows what to look for when they start and can get them under control before she gets to the point of not functioning. Like I told you she went to Childrens Mercy in Kansas City and will be 18 this month so if she goes again she'll go to the MidAmerica Neuro Institute in KC also. I will gladly help you if you need it kiddo.

privey said...
tmj,
The DHE was the med given to my granddaughter for her head too. I remember tell you but couldn't remember the med then I asked my daughter and forgot to post it and then I read that Jsmomma posted and remembered. She was only 16 the first time she received it and then had another hospital stay the second time at 17. I think because of her age they hospitalized her and would give her antinausea drugs to boot. I beleive it was Reglan and something else can't remember but whatever that was it caused her to have an Occular event with her eye rolling back and staying there and they administered Benedryl to release it. They told her she could never take meds in that family because of that. Anyway she ended up with a Pain Management doc that did subcranial stimulation -- massages basically and it helped her more than anything. Every trigger point they touched was painful to her and they said most of her pain was related to stress. She is a gifted kid and put so much pressure on herself that none of us were aware of because she internalizes so well and we just don't see it. But because of the gifted part she never lost out on school, had to pull one summer school session, but will graduate this spring with her class.
Since she found out she hasn't been hospitalized for headaches, has muscle relaxers, knows what to look for when they start and can get them under control before she gets to the point of not functioning. Like I told you she went to Childrens Mercy in Kansas City and will be 18 this month so if she goes again she'll go to the MidAmerica Neuro Institute in KC also. I will gladly help you if you need it kiddo.

 

 

THANKS CATHY FOR THE INFO. RIGHT NOW I AM LOOKING INTO THESE KETAMINE INFUSIONS OR LIDOCAINE. THEY ARE USED TO BREAK THE PAIN CYCLE. I READ about IT BEING DONE AT A HOSP. IN CONNECTICUT. THEY SAID THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES DOING IT IN THE STATES. IT COSTS OVER FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. I ALSO SENT AN EMAIL TO AN ANESTHETIST AT MY HOSPITAL TO SEE IF I CAN GET INFO FROM HIM about IT BEING DONE IN ONTARIO. THANKS AGAIN MY FRIEND.

 

SUZANE