Some good news, finally.
I’m seeing a new doctor who has decided the best course of
action is to redo several of the rhyzotomies (nerve ablations) that I had done
in April, the idea being that those didn’t work (and they seem to have made my
headache worse).
But before he can do these, he has to test block each joint
to see which has the nerves causing my headaches. He puts lidocaine into the
joint and I keep a headache log for six hours. And he has to block them twice
to be certain (and for insurance purposes).
In August, he blocked C1-C2 (the top joint in the neck). It
didn’t work. So last week he blocked C2-C3 and C3-C4, and it worked, no
headache for an hour and then a very slight one for the next five. So next week
he’ll do the test block again, and if it works again, we’ll schedule the
rhyzotomies.
The blocks are a pain in the ass. I have to take the whole
day from work (getting classes covered by really sweet colleagues), and Tony
has to drive me and stay the whole time. I have to fast starting the night
before. I can’t take Zanaflex,or drink water all day, so I have a killer
headache when I go in. My new doctor is much-sought-after, so the waiting time is
insane. This last time, I stayed at the surgery center for four hours. The shots
themselves took about two minutes. The rest of the time I sat in gown and
booties in a small room with the lights off (for my headache) with an IV of
fluid, waiting. Bad headache. Teary. Unable to read. Then I finally went into
the operating room where I got a tiny bit of IV pain meds to take the edge off
(the reason for the fasting, and not at all worth it), and bam, the shots. Then
I sat in recovery for half an hour and drank water and talked to the doctor.
Not a day I’m eager to repeat. But I’ll do it again next week.
I miss the ease of procedures with my last doctor. This guy
is highly recommended as someone who specialized in upper cervical procedures
and headaches like mine, but his practice is so much more complicated. I would
have been out in an hour and a half before.
At any rate, I’m moving forward. This looks promising.
The thing is, the rhyzotomy is not a fix. It’s a long-term
pain management procedure, and will give me up to a year without headaches, if
it works this time. That’s after the procedure itself, and the painful recovery,
and the month or two it will take for the nerves to really die. And then they
regenerate in nine, twelve months, and the headaches come back. And we do it
all over again.
I want a real fix. So while I’ve taken meds every day and
pursued various spine procedures for the last two years, I’ve also always done
some kind of physical therapy. This summer it was Neurokinetic Therapy, in
August it was regular PT, and right now I’m doing the MacKenzie Method with a
practitioner that a colleague eagerly recommended to me. And before that, I’ve
worked with three other physical therapists, three chiropractors, and a
myofascial release therapist.
While none of this has worked so far, I still want something
a mechanical cure, something I do to
my neck, to fix the problem. If not, I will spend the rest of my life getting injections,
nerve burns, taking meds, and doing whatever other new techniques pain
management invents.
I don’t understand why it’s been so hard to figure out how
to get rid of my headaches. So many more serious medical issues are easier to
solve. But the truth is, headaches are a conundrum. Doctors are never sure
exactly what is causing them, and treating them seems to be a “throw everything
at the wall and see what sticks” kind of process.
I’ve joined a headache group on Facebook, and people mostly
post about their latest meds and injections. It’s helpful to read about what
others have tried, and also overwhelming. Most group members have had migraines
for years. As far as I know, there is no cure for migraines. I feel really
fortunate that mine are not migraines, and that I might be able to fix them. It’s
just a matter of finding the treatment. So far, the Mackenzie Method is
promising. My neurologist at Jefferson Headache recommended it last year, but
it’s taken me this long to stumble on a practitioner.
It’s rare that a medical doctor would promote something a PT
method for headaches. Usually, I find MDs promote meds and procedures and are
not encouraging about physical therapies at all, and physical therapists
believe their practice will work permanently where the medical modes are just
temporary at best, and damaging to the body at worst.
But I don’t have time to mess around. These headaches have
already done enough damage to my life. So I’m pursuing both. My hopes are on
PT, but I’ll take the relief of injections/nerve ablations in the meantime.
