what a pain!

It's been more years than I can count that I have been on medication for migraines. I really hate having to take them too! When I went for my biannual checkup last week my neurologist and I discussed my general health and headache history. Then actually decreased one of my migraine medications by 25%. I cannot tell you how happy I am about this.


What I did find out was this... I've been getting a lot of nighttime headaches and when I told him my migraine meds weren't working on those headaches, he's diagnosed them (night time headaches on the right back of my head) as something other than migraines.(my migraines are right front face eye area always) Needless to say I was shocked. I just thought my migraines had changed somehow! Self diagnosis is probably not a good idea folks, leave it to the people who make the big bucks...

credit

He believes I have a bit of arthritis in my neck (ugh!) and it's causing my occipital nerve on the right side of my head to be inflamed and irritated. Makes sense really since I've used countless pillows in the past few months and we've changed our mattress and I can't get comfortable; lots of sleepless nights rolling around. Frankly I never thought my neck was responsible for those headache, although it does hurt when I lay down. I thought those nighttime headaches were all migraines. NOT!

The fix for now thank goodness wasn't too horrible and God willing will last as long as humanly possible, months hopefully. He took a reasonably large needle filled with medication (steroid) and shot it multiple times right into the nerve and surrounding area. Talk about a painful process, OUCH! It's called an occipital nerve block. Numbs the nerve, blocks the pain- that's after it stops hurting!! 


I'm sleeping like a baby, with the help of that shot, a low dose of muscle relaxer and some daily neck and back stretching exercises. Before that, I was just a bit of a pain in the neck..hehe!


I'm told similar therapies are available in the spine and I know people who have gotten injections in their knees and shoulders. Does anyone have any experience with this? Just wondering how you responded.

oh my aching head!

"H"

Unfortunatly I spent half of last night tossing and turning in bed with a headache, ugh!  And the thing is; for most of my adult life I have suffered with them.  So I guess it is no surprise that my choice of my "H" word..... is headache. 

Headaches are as you can imagine a very common condition, and I'll share some of my personal experience with my type of headache later in this post, but first lets learn about the most common ones shall we.

• Tension headache- due to tight muscles in the shoulder,scalp, jaw and neck.

• Migraine headache-Doctors used to believe migraines were linked to the opening and narrowing of blood vessels in the head. Now they believe the cause is related to genes that control the activity of some brain cell.

• Cluster headache-Scientists do not know exactly what causes cluster headaches, but they appear to be related to the body's sudden release of histamine or serotonin.

• Sinus headache-Sinus headache are associated with a deep and constant pain in the cheekbones, forehead, or bridge of the nose. The pain usually intensifies with sudden head movement or straining. 

Most people can manage and feel much better with lifestyle changes or taking over the counter pain relievers. Do you?

Oh how I wish I fell completely into this category!

My headache type is the migraine headache. For me the right side of my face goes numb and it feels like someone is sticking an ice pick in the back of my eye. {before I was diagnosed with migraines I used to call them eyeball headaches}

I've take several types of prescription medications{one daily & one at the onset of a headache}. This and lifestyle changes over the past twenty years or so has reduced my headaches frequency to as little as one or as many as six per month. Unfortunatly migraines can last as long as three days if they are really bad! The most  peculiar thing about my headaches is that mine always start when I'm sleeping! Weird huh?

I don't think I've ever met a person who has never had a headache, I don't think anyone is immune!

What have been you experiences with headaches? How do you manage them?

the pain of the holiday's

I had to keep myself from writing some really terribly gloomy posts this Christmas season. I tend to find myself being drawn to the past, getting very reflective as the year draws to a close and that can be both good and bad.

I know all of you would be very supportive but frankly I didn't want to be a Debby Downer for the holiday's. I found it becomes easy to fall into the negative pattern so I thought I'd attempt to keep a  mostly positive attitude on the blog and in my personal life. I'd say it worked....sorta! Except when the migraines come.

How'd you like to spend most every holiday with a migraine? I have just come out of a three day migraine. It is the most horrible feeling; but I'm a trooper so I tend to push through them. And there comes a point when I max out on my meds and I have no other choice!

Gretchen  Christmas 2005

Eric Christmas 2005

When you've been through what I've been through the holiday's are hard enough without physical pain added to the emotional. And I remember their last Christmas and the death of my precious children a few months later and I am SO grateful to God for all the Christmases we had together before they went home to be with You.