9 week headache - Headaches & Migraines Message Board

Leroi · 11-30-2003, 08:02 PM

Hello,

I am new here and searching for help for my wife who has had a severe headache for 9 weeks now. She has had only a few days where the pain was not as severe and one day with little or no pain, it was immediatlely after an injection of an antibiotic called Claforan (or similar). She had been on antibiotics for 2 weeks prior (we suspected a sinus infection because she has had sinus headaches before) and 2 weeks after, the first two weeks she was on Augmentin (amoxicillin) then Cefaclor and finally Floxin for a week. She has been to an ear nose and throat specialist who ordered an MRI which came back normal. She is now taking treatments from a chiropractor who X-Rayed her neck and found two vertabrae out of place and says two more treatments are needed to get them back into line, she has had three treatments so far.

Hydrocodone does nothing for the pain, tylenol, ibuprofen and aspirin as a "cocktail" seem to help some (an hour or two of sleep), but she is taking more than a standard dose. If she takes ibuprofen alone she takes three at a time, the "dose" of tylenol and aspirin has been two of each at a time and it settles her head down a while. Imitrex has no effect (the one time we have tried it), she kept it down (two 25 milligram pills) for six hours, but the nausea from the pain caused her not to be able to keep the contents of her stomach down. She cannot eat much at all.

At first smells and tastes were terrible to her, very sensitive to cooking smells and food either tasted too salty or too sweet even when fixed very bland to the rest of the family. This seems better since the chiropractic treatments, but she still isn't eating much at all, really scares me.

We are not very affluent (no insurance) and the money we have already spent has us broke.

The pain is centered around her left eye and forehead and top of the head above the left eye, which at one time would not look to the left, but that seems better since the chiropractic treatments? Her neck feels tight when I massage it, also the muscles in her upper back are tight and don't loosen up much even when I massage them a long time.

We really could use some advice, we pray constantly for help.

Mz Migraine · 11-30-2003, 09:30 PM

Your wife needs to see a Neurologist that specializes in migraines/headaches.
Make an appt, explain to them that you have no insurance, make arraingements to set up a payment plan & do not be ashamed to ask for free samples of medications. I do this all the time.

Drug manufacturers also give away free meds. Check out Needymeds.com

Since you have access to a comp, check out the websites of the drug manufacturers of all the medications that your wife is taking for "coupons".
Most if not all are found on the above website.

Leroi · 12-02-2003, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mz Migraine

Your wife needs to see a Neurologist that specializes in migraines/headaches.
Make an appt, explain to them that you have no insurance, make arraingements to set up a payment plan & do not be ashamed to ask for free samples of medications. I do this all the time.

Drug manufacturers also give away free meds. Check out Needymeds.com

Since you have access to a comp, check out the websites of the drug manufacturers of all the medications that your wife is taking for "coupons".
Most if not all are found on the above website.

Thankyou Mz Migraine,

I will heed your advice, I appreciate it very much.

The chiropractic treatments have not resulted in less pain, but we have stumbled upon something that seems to really be helping so far.

A lady down the road is a retired nurse and she told us about a lady she once knew that had an affliction called Trigeminal Neuralgia, she said once you have seen this affliction you never forget it.

I have done a small amount of online research about the disease and some of the symptoms match my wife's condition closely. One of the alternative treatments is a topical arthritis cream called Zostrix. After three applications, my wife is much improved! For the first time in weeks she is sitting up, reading the newspaper and she went to the mail-box to get the mail today!

We are still going to seek more help, but this "miracle" has been such a blessing so far. She actually slept all night and has been able to eat and keep down some solid food.

If anyone else tries Zostrix, follow the directions and do not apply heat or bandage the area where it is applied. It burns intensely, but that effect is supposed to go away after several days of application, but the medicinal value is not supposed to be reduced even when the burning goes away. The effects are supposedly cumulative.

Do not get this stuff in your eyes or mucous membranes, it is very hot. The active ingredient is purified capsaicin, which is the substance that makes hot peppers hot. It works by depleting Substance P, which from my understanding is what nerves use to transmit pain to the brain.

The usual treatments for TN are anticonvulsant drugs. We plan to get opinions from more doctors.

I hope this can be of help to others who have had trouble finding relief.

Jane13 · 12-10-2003, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leroi

Hello,

I am new here and searching for help for my wife who has had a severe headache for 9 weeks now. She has had only a few days where the pain was not as severe and one day with little or no pain, it was immediatlely after an injection of an antibiotic called Claforan (or similar). She had been on antibiotics for 2 weeks prior (we suspected a sinus infection because she has had sinus headaches before) and 2 weeks after, the first two weeks she was on Augmentin (amoxicillin) then Cefaclor and finally Floxin for a week. She has been to an ear nose and throat specialist who ordered an MRI which came back normal. She is now taking treatments from a chiropractor who X-Rayed her neck and found two vertabrae out of place and says two more treatments are needed to get them back into line, she has had three treatments so far.

Hydrocodone does nothing for the pain, tylenol, ibuprofen and aspirin as a "cocktail" seem to help some (an hour or two of sleep), but she is taking more than a standard dose. If she takes ibuprofen alone she takes three at a time, the "dose" of tylenol and aspirin has been two of each at a time and it settles her head down a while. Imitrex has no effect (the one time we have tried it), she kept it down (two 25 milligram pills) for six hours, but the nausea from the pain caused her not to be able to keep the contents of her stomach down. She cannot eat much at all.

At first smells and tastes were terrible to her, very sensitive to cooking smells and food either tasted too salty or too sweet even when fixed very bland to the rest of the family. This seems better since the chiropractic treatments, but she still isn't eating much at all, really scares me.

We are not very affluent (no insurance) and the money we have already spent has us broke.

The pain is centered around her left eye and forehead and top of the head above the left eye, which at one time would not look to the left, but that seems better since the chiropractic treatments? Her neck feels tight when I massage it, also the muscles in her upper back are tight and don't loosen up much even when I massage them a long time.

We really could use some advice, we pray constantly for help.

Have her get her atlas (c-1) which is located at the tip of her spine checked for a slight displacement. It took me 4 yrs of constant headaches and pressure to find out this was the problem. Some chiros do the adjustment ask them when u call. Or, like me, find a p.t. who knows about c-1 displacement. This was my saving grace and I want to pass on the info to everyone who suffers daily!! In my prayers!!

Jane

Leroi · 12-28-2003, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jane13

Have her get her atlas (c-1) which is located at the tip of her spine checked for a slight displacement. It took me 4 yrs of constant headaches and pressure to find out this was the problem. Some chiros do the adjustment ask them when u call. Or, like me, find a p.t. who knows about c-1 displacement. This was my saving grace and I want to pass on the info to everyone who suffers daily!! In my prayers!!

Jane

Thankyou Jane,

I will have the atlas (c-1) checked out, we are still searching for help and her eye is worse again now. We have an appointment with a neurologist in Memphis (no one here has helped) on the fourteenth, praying he/she will know what to do. The headache still has not ceased and it is so severe. I have never witnessed anything like this and she is so kind and good. I feel sometimes like GOD has forsaken us.