Chronic Pain

Hello everyone.

 

This is my first time posting on this board, or on any board dealing with pain issues.  I just figured nobody cared, or would listen.  I have had migraines now for over 5 years.  Each day I wake up and feel like I have been out all night drinking.  I don't drink, just feel like I have been lol.  Then to top things off, those aren't the worst of my headaches.  I get no less than 3-5 full blown migraines each week.  They can last anywhere from 6-48 hours.  I'm in a living hell.  My doctor droped me after he "found out" I was recieving pain meds from the pain management specialist HE sent me too.

 

I had told the nurse practioner, that I was recieving 5/500 hydrocodone ACAP from the pain management doc.  She then asked if I needed a refill on the 10mg lortabs my Family Doctor was giving me.  I told her not right now, I still have some left.  Long story short they kept writing me the 10mg tabs for when the headaches went into a full blown migraine, and advised me to take the 5mg ones during the phyiscal therapy I was doing.  I went for something in my neck.  The pain management doc seemed to belive I had a pinched greater occipital nerve.

 

So, now Im not sure what to do.  I need a new family doctor, and I swear Im about to put a  bullet in my head just to relieve the pressure from all these headaches.  Should I tell my new doctor everything that happend?  Or just start over from square one, and hope they get me back on a pain management program.

 

I was on hydrocodone, klonopins for my anxiety, and zoloft for the depression that comes with chronic pain.

 

any suggestions would be apprieciated.

 

feel free to send me a private message, or just respond in here.

 

Thanks,

Sweep 

Well, I know everyone is different, but I will say this:

I have had migraines since I was about 12. I am now 26. I have more or less learned to deal with them by watching my diet, and working threw what I eat. Also avoiding driving at night, etc. Since I joined the Military, I have survived through 12 IED attacks, suffering numerous concusions.

I have tried a lot of the older medications for Migraines, and had nothing help. A close friend of mine takes a medication called Zomig. I haven't done any research on it, or heard about it. He says it gets rid of his headaches, but makes him feel queasy. Like you I am on Zoloft. I used to be on some serious nerve / pain management meds, but I quit all of them, because I like to be in control of my own body. Pain is a way of life, so I just deal with it.

I am going to look into this Zomig stuff, and I would urge you to do the same.

 

I hope this helps, and I wish you well with your headaches.

 

- Synthetics

Oh my friend, you are in desperate need of preventative medications.  It sounds as though you are trapped in "rebound headache" hell.  That's from all the pain pills you have to take. 

 

On 3 classes of preventatives, I now have about 2 baddish weeks, culminating in 3 truly crappy days, per month.  THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT FOR ME.  I have never found the triptans to work for me; Imitrex, Maxalt, Midrin, Zomig etc.  but some antiseizures, along with beta blockers, help enough for me to have a great quality life most of the time.  I have had severe migraine disease since I was 6 years old; I'm 42 now and I work happily full-time in a professional capacity, I have a fun volunteer job, I'm married (VERY happily) with 2 kids. 

 

I say the happy stuff because I don't want you to give up.  There are over 100 medications that have shown effects as migraine preventatives.  It takes FRIGGIN FOREVER to tease thru them and figure out what works, in what combination, at what doses.  You need a VERY patient neurologist who is familiar with pain management.  There is no quick fix.  Plenty of times I just "dig deep" and grit my teeth and  go on; I'm sure you do to.  You need a doc who will work with you.

 

Do not give up.  It's terrible to have to say this, but the pain meds may actually be making the pain WORSE. I know, makes no sense, but there it is.  You need a good doc to work with you on this.

 

I can send you the link with the list of preventatives; let me know if you want it.  And in the short term, you may find that your pain reduces if you save all narcotics only for those most severe "gully-washers" that register as above an 8 on the pain scale of 0-10; after a bit of time you may find that the less severe pain reduces.  NOT easy to do, I know....................................but it might be worth a try.

 

 

Dear Sweep.,

 I agree with Nanccccy (?) on most things.

 Among other things I  was diagnosed with occipital nerve problems. Migraines too. Everyone is unique and headaches are tricky to diagnose and treat. a headache specialist will be most useful.

1. Please do not do the bullet in the head method.  I have been there too. Things are better for me now. You have to find the right helpers soon!!!!

2. What city are you in?I can try to help track some referrals down through my docs. Did you drop the pain mgmt doc too? Or just the family practitioner? What do you need the family doc for if you have the pain management specialist?

3. The opiate/narcotics etc can give worse headaches because they can increase pressure in the head. also the up/down of their levels in the blood can give withdrawal headaches ('rebound headaches") as the other person said. Talk to the pain med guy, If the pain mgmt doc doesn't know that, drop him too.

4. Give any doc the complete history along with all the meds you take and have taken. get copies of all your records and take them to all new doctors. Insist they copy them and file them. Bring all test results and films.

5. Make sure they know what triggers worst pain if you know. Scents, lights, noises, certain foods, coffee/ not having coffee, meds/not taking meds.

 6. The occipital nerve thing: he may be right or wrong. If thats it, a shot in the nerve with anesthesia should stop the pain for a few hours or days, and will confirm the diagnosis. But really it is best to find a good headache specialist and they will start from the beginning and track it down.

7. Pain med docs often focus on drugs to reduce symptoms rather than trying to eliminate the problem itself. make sure they are thinking about more than pills.

 

Call me if you need. Dave 510-290-2463 

 

I've dealt with migraines most of my life; headaches so bad that I felt like someone was hitting me upside the head with a hammer.  I used to rely on over-the-counter pain meds but overused them; this lead to the development of bleeding ulcers last year.

I found that improving my diet actually helped to curb the migraines; when I get them, I apply cold cloths and sometimes heating pads, and I can still take extra strength Tylenol.  For the residual joint pain, I try stretching exercises, and have found a cream called Joint Medic that helps.

I hope these suggestions help.

WELCOME SWEEP , I  QUESS I CAN SAY I AM LUCKY FOR I HAVE NEVER HAD ONE , MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU ! ONE DAY AT A TIME ...........RAINEY  XO