headache frustrations
Each person's headache journey is different. There are so many different types of headaches and it affects each of us so differently. Here is the next piece to the journey I have had this year.
So I went to see a new doctor since my insurance covers everything for the rest of the year. She is a neurologist physician assistant and has had migraine headaches herself. My first visit with her was not one that I was impressed by. The first thing she said was that all chronic headaches are just chronic migraines that are stuck in the migraine cycle. It made me frustrated at that point because I have never believed that all headaches are the same. Not everyone has the same treatment. What works for one person may not work for others. She said that the first thing to do was to take me off all of the pain medications and muscle relaxers. That same appointment they tried nerve blocks at the occipital level, temperal area, above each eye, and below each eye. The nerve block should numb the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve...but it only numbed the area where the needles placed the lidocane. I tried it again about 2 weeks later just to see if it did any better, but it was the same just localized numbness.
The next appointment I told her how I did and she said since it was just localized it wasn't worth repeating. At this point she told me that she thought I had IHC (Interacranial hypertension type headache) which is diagnosed with a spinal tap. I had already had 2 spinal taps which came back with normal pressure. She told me that I did not need to repeat it. With this diagnosis she said that the amount of salt you have affects the pressure in the spinal fluid. That means she wanted me to get rid of salt completely from my diet and to loose 10% of my body weight. The other thing she said was to do an insulin resistance blood test to see if that has an effect on it. I can not say that I believed either of these when she told me.
So I began looking into what food has no salt in it..Do you know what I found? It is really hard to find food with no salt in it at all!! The idea of not having salt doesn't sit well with me since your body actually does need the sodium to help the cells perform there functions. Then I decided to look up more about the intracranial pressure headache and found out that it shows up on an MRI also- which mine has been normal. I don't think that is a proper diagnosis with the 2 tests which truly show the pressure being high and they have been normal for me.
I did finally go get the insulin resistance test which wasn't much fun. The lab tech poked me with a new needle every 1/2 hour instead of putting one needle in and pulling out the blood that was needed in that manner. I sure had quite a bruise after that! I found out today that it was a normal test (which is exactly what I figured would be the case).
I have believed for a long time that the headaches I have deal a lot with the muscles. I have done trigger point injections, and strengthening exercises of the muscles for the last few weeks and I have felt a little better. It is just a matter of trying to figure out what to do to make it better completely.
The new doctor that I saw also told me that she said there is no answer and that I would just have to deal with it my entire life. I do not believe that is true! I know there is going to be something that will take the pain away. I just don't know what it is or when the pain will be gone completely.
So I went to see a new doctor since my insurance covers everything for the rest of the year. She is a neurologist physician assistant and has had migraine headaches herself. My first visit with her was not one that I was impressed by. The first thing she said was that all chronic headaches are just chronic migraines that are stuck in the migraine cycle. It made me frustrated at that point because I have never believed that all headaches are the same. Not everyone has the same treatment. What works for one person may not work for others. She said that the first thing to do was to take me off all of the pain medications and muscle relaxers. That same appointment they tried nerve blocks at the occipital level, temperal area, above each eye, and below each eye. The nerve block should numb the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve...but it only numbed the area where the needles placed the lidocane. I tried it again about 2 weeks later just to see if it did any better, but it was the same just localized numbness.
The next appointment I told her how I did and she said since it was just localized it wasn't worth repeating. At this point she told me that she thought I had IHC (Interacranial hypertension type headache) which is diagnosed with a spinal tap. I had already had 2 spinal taps which came back with normal pressure. She told me that I did not need to repeat it. With this diagnosis she said that the amount of salt you have affects the pressure in the spinal fluid. That means she wanted me to get rid of salt completely from my diet and to loose 10% of my body weight. The other thing she said was to do an insulin resistance blood test to see if that has an effect on it. I can not say that I believed either of these when she told me.
So I began looking into what food has no salt in it..Do you know what I found? It is really hard to find food with no salt in it at all!! The idea of not having salt doesn't sit well with me since your body actually does need the sodium to help the cells perform there functions. Then I decided to look up more about the intracranial pressure headache and found out that it shows up on an MRI also- which mine has been normal. I don't think that is a proper diagnosis with the 2 tests which truly show the pressure being high and they have been normal for me.
I did finally go get the insulin resistance test which wasn't much fun. The lab tech poked me with a new needle every 1/2 hour instead of putting one needle in and pulling out the blood that was needed in that manner. I sure had quite a bruise after that! I found out today that it was a normal test (which is exactly what I figured would be the case).
I have believed for a long time that the headaches I have deal a lot with the muscles. I have done trigger point injections, and strengthening exercises of the muscles for the last few weeks and I have felt a little better. It is just a matter of trying to figure out what to do to make it better completely.
The new doctor that I saw also told me that she said there is no answer and that I would just have to deal with it my entire life. I do not believe that is true! I know there is going to be something that will take the pain away. I just don't know what it is or when the pain will be gone completely.
I like your outlook and that you just keep looking. I wonder if physical therapy and chiropractors could do more. If it deals with muscles etc. You have probably already tried it though. Stay strong! The time will come one of these days and then you can make millions giving talks and write a book about your journey. Haha. Well you could!
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