Head Pain Update

The nurse practitioner I saw on Monday discussed my condition with my regular doctor. They decided that because there were only a few bumps, that it probably wasn't a rash like shingles would cause. My doctor believed it is an atypical migraine and told me to call my neurologist. They also lowered one of my diabetic medicines to help with the hypoglycemia. 

I called my neurologist and was able to talk to one of the nurses eventually. I described what was going on, and she made me an appointment to see the headache clinic's nurse practitioner today at 10:30 am. The nurse suggested that they may need to do a procedure to inject lidocaine into the back of my head, neck, and shoulders.

 

I hope it will help. I'm sure she will also check again for shingles, but unless more of a rash shows up, it is unlikely to be shingles. What I know at this point is that it's the worst migraine/headache that I have had in years. When I was teaching, I'd have headaches that would make me cry myself to sleep; the pain was so severe. The only medicine I had that would help was a combination of a potent muscle relaxer (Flexeril) and a strong opioid (Lortab or Percocet). Lortab helped the most, but FDA took it off the market. Those medicines only helped because they put me to sleep and allowed the pain to subside eventually.

 

The worst headache I ever had was when I had one of these bad ones and took an Imitrex prescribed to me. Instead of helping, the Imitrex intensified the pain dramatically. I remember it being so bad I dropped to my knees, and all I could do was curl up in a ball and cry. I probably should have gone to the emergency room because I've never had pain that intense before, but I did not have any insurance at the time, so I just suffered through it.

 

The good thing about the Headache Clinic is that they understand just how painful and debilitating a migraine can be. Not all doctors understand the intensity of the pain associated with migraines. I'm appreciative that my regular doctor understood that I was in constant pain and could get me into the Headache Clinic. I pray they can help me today.