Pain management.

I went to a pain management doctor for the first time last week, and I think he might just save my life.  I go back tomorrow for Botox injections and a TENS unit.  The doctor doesn't have much faith in either of the two, but he doesn't want to skip over any less invasive procedures before moving on to more invasive ones.  If the Botox and TENS don't work, we'll begin the process of trying a nerve stimulator.

The biggest hurdle to cross with the nerve stimulator will be getting insurance to cover it, because it isn't FDA-approved.  If my current insurance won't cover it, I'm changing insurances in January and will try it again with the new insurance.  I'm really hoping I can have it done before January, though.  I begin a teaching internship in January and will be in a classroom full of high schoolers everyday.  That could make for a really big headache if I don't find some real relief before then.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of these procedures will work.  Things look more hopeful now than they have in a long time--or ever, really.

Where I've been.

In my quest for a cure--or relief of any sort, really--I've been through several doctors and many medications.  Here's a list of the medications I've tried:

1. Midrin
2. Elavil
3. Topamax
4. Cymbalta
5. Paxil
6. Inderal
7. Zomig
8. Maxalt
9. Imitrex
10. Treximet
11. Axert
12. Zonegran
13. Flexeril
14. Dolgic
15. Ultram
16. Lortab
17. DHE
18. Toradol
19. Reglan
20. Verelan
21. Tylenol 3
22. Demerol
23. Phenergen
24. Dilaudit
25. Stadol
26. Darvocet
27. Zofran
28. Lamictal
29. Prednisone
30. Morphine
31. Depakote
32. Seroquel
33. Piroxicam
34. Migrelief
35. Vitamin D
36. Nadolol
37. Lexapro

Yes, thirty-seven. After these thirty-seven medications, my current doctor deemed me "unresponsive to medication."  That's not quite what you want to hear when you're in constant pain--especially when all tests have returned normal and no one can find a cause.

Which brings me to where I am now.  I'm still on a few preventatives, none of which offer real relief, but they do allow me to carry on a pseudo-normal life.  I take Darvocet, Piroxicam, and Zofran when the pain and nausea get unbearable.  I recently had occipital nerve injections, which offered a day or two of relief each time.  Because the injections helped some, I may be eligible for an occipital nerve stimulator, which is implanted under the skin and sends electrical impulses to the nerves so they don't feel pain.  I have an appointment with a pain management doctor in a few weeks to be evaluated for a stimulator.  I'm praying this is the answer.  We'll see.

Another headache blog.

I've lived with a constant headache for nearly 7 years now and a debilitating headache for a little over 2 years.  During the past several years, I have turned to lots of places looking for direction.  One of those places is the Internet.  While WebMD and the Wikipedia (and more reputable medical websites) have been helpful, the most useful information has come from fellow migraneurs' personal blogs.  It's always comforting to know that there are others out there going through similar things.  It's hopeful to see that others have been where I am and have moved on to lead normal lives.  It's helpful to hear about treatments and procedures from a patient's point of view rather than a doctor's.

So I decided I should start a headache blog, too.  I hope my blog can be as helpful to others as the blogs I've read have been to me.