Do you know of a good headache center in the states??

There is one in manhattan that I've wanted to try for my migraines. I've heard good things. If you google them it should come up.

I've been a patient at MHNI since 2001; I was with Dr. Rozen until 2009 when he left for Geisinger in PA. In December of 2010 I started with Dr. Gordon; I'm very comfortable with him and his knowledge.

My migraines (5 different types) are very difficult to control; my most problematic are the chronic daily migraine and the cluster feature migraine. Dr. Rozen brought me back from the brink..an incredible Doctor.

I was in the inpatient unit at Chelsea for 2-3 weeks in 2005; it was there that the true cluster headaches ended; while I still have cluster features (episodic, unilateral, 5 - 9 headaches per day, congestion, agitation, irritation); I don't have the drop on the floor in agony pain that is associated with them; since clusters are more frequently diagnosed in men, I was "interesting". Your current Dr. will not be able to tell you whether you will be admitted into the inpatient unit; only your MHNI Dr. can.

I had quit MHNI when they brought in a Dr. H ooker (yes that is his real name) after Dr. Rozen left; he was worthless..I saw him once?, maybe twice..didn't go back; he left for "personal reasons" and I got a letter telling me I would see Dr. Gordon if I came back. I did so, and my Husband and I both feel like I'm in very good hands.

Have my headaches been "cured", no, but 2 of the 3 are gone, 1 is controlled and the other 2 are better. MHNI has it's own quirks and you need to know how to navigate through their "requirements" (such as seeing one of their psychologists..not necessary in my mind), but I am truly blessed to have them in my own back yard.

I would tell you..I know nothing about Geisinger in Penn, but Dr. Rozen...I would go to him in a heartbeat; he is an AMAZING doctor.

Janice

Suzane; MRI's show (on me) the damage that chronic headaches do to the brain; These headaches damage the brain tissue and put you at a higher risk for stroke. When you talk to your Parliament Member, bring the statistics with you.

Good luck.
Janice

Suzane,

Best of luck with your Parliament representative. I know how hard it can be for those of us in the USA with insurance to get treatment. I can't imagine coming here for medical treatment with no insurance & not to mention the currency difference. I hope your government can help you out in some way. It's so unfair. I just wish that everyone could get what they needed for free & that people would want to help out other people just to help out.

Perhaps speak with some of your doctors about getting treatment in the USA. They may know of some places here as well. Also, as I've suggested to you before, do look into peripheral nerve stimulators for headache pain. You may find some promising information.

hugs,
Skeye

I have never been to any "headache centers" here in the united states, but I hope you get a chance to get into one as I know the pain from headaches and migraines. Right after I had my daughter in 2002, i suddenly started getting migraines for the first time in my life, and they where so bad I literally thought I was dying when I had my fist migraine, I was hospitalized for a week. So I started getting migraines one to three times a month with chronic severe daily headaches in between. I also couldn't find anything to help the migraines, sometimes Imitrex helped if I took it soon enough in injections, but for the daily headaches, I couldn't find anything to help. But for a about a year and half, my migrianes have almost disappeared the same as they had appeared years ago, but the daily headaches still come, nowhere near as painful, but I still get them.

I always get my head pain in my forehead, and it has nothing to do with my sinuses, as I guess it's a weird place to get headaches and migraines. BUt nobody should have to live this way, it's basically torchure. And I really hope you find some good treatment and they disappear or minamize in pain. I would have gone to a headache center if i had the money to travel and someone to help take care of my kids. But I know if you try really hard, you'll find a way to get there.

-carmen

LdyJane,

I've nver heard of RFP, I'll defiently look into this!!! Thanks for letting me know about this. My insurance wont cover Botox injections, my neuro has told me that it's usually what she would offer to patients like me, but my insruance (state insurance) wont even think twice about covering this. Just makes me so upset that insurance loves to play doctor with us and tell us what we can and cant have, and I absoutly can NOT pay for it out of pocket, I only receive SSI and child support for my kids, and that's barely enough to pay my living expenses as it is. Actually right now I have to pay $400 for a medication every month that my insurance wont cover, and I have to have it, and their's no cheaper substitution for it....

Headaches and migraines is just a terrible thing to live with, and all the treatments out their either don't work or have terrible side effects. Right now I take ibprofen for my headaches and I'm scared of what it's doing to my stomach. And when I get a migraine, I always pray that imitrex will work or else I suffer BIG time. I use to go to the ER all the time with them, but I learned quickly that the ER doctors and nurses don't treat people with migraines very well, they act like we're a waste of their time and space. I'll even emphasize to them that I don't want any narcotics and they still act terrible towards me, plus I hate laying in the ER in a cold room in an uncomfortable bed with them asking me a million questions, and hearing all the normal ER noises, which make my migraines so much worse, and I usually always end up leaving in the same pain I came in...then I'll receive a letter from the state scolding me for using the ER, so I give up....

-Carmen

Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago