Chronic Migraine from TBI Concussion

[soldieradvocate]

Son took an RPG concussion to his head a year ago in Afghanistan and has had daily headaches since. Has tried Topamax, Sumitriptan, Maxalt, Botox and Naproxen but nothing touches them. About 3 times a week, the headaches become so bad that he vomits violently and the pain is unbearable. He is seeing neurologist but nothing is improving. He does have a pineal cyst but they don't think that accounts for headaches. Right now, his life seems not worth living. It is so difficult to see him suffering so much. Nothing stops the pain nor nausea. He also suffers from insomnia due to PTSD so they contribute to the headaches. Any hope?

[Midijane]

Hello... just saw your post and couldn't not respond.

Ok, first of all, please tell your son my heart goes out to him and yes he will feel better again. I have no doubt! The road may be a stretch but he will get there.

Next, I would call the Neurologist's office and schedule the first appointment they have or ask them for a referral over the phone to either a pain clinic or a Migraine specialist. Or both, whichever could see him first.  I only mention an office appointment bc some physicians won't make any new changes for a patient without seeing them first. But if his Neuro doc will refer you onto the next step over the phone... then perfect.

Then, I would also ask the Neurologist's office nurse for a different medication for the headaches since he is still so symptomatic. And if it doesn't bring him relief today, I would call back tomorrow and let them know. I would expect med trials until he gets relief and I would drive that office batsh** crazy until my son had some relief.

Or, another option is simply to take him to an ER. He will get relief I promise. The only down side with an ER trip is that it is exhausting, overwhelming, and takes a little time while they question you to death before they will allow any medication. If your son felt up to that he could seek help today.

I'm an RN and while I specialized in the cardiac population, I do know a very small bit about how migraines are treated in the hospitals... and there are IV medications as well as a slew of other options to try that wouldn't be available at home. That is... they would allow for breakthrough pain relief until a long term plan could be put into place. Does that make sense? I hope so. Personally I like the ER idea. Fastest form of relief in my opinion.

Tell your son a new year is about to begin and a brighter future is starting.

M

[Eddie1994]

Greetings,

I'm so sorry to hear of your Son's plight and I thank him and you for his service.

What I am about to reveal you will not hear from any type of Doctor or Specialist Physician mainly because science cannot view the brain or Neurons with enough detail to precisely see damaged areas.  So what needs to be done is to borrow knowledge from technologies we do understand and that I namely telecommunications.  Telcom essentially works the same way the human central nervous system and neuron pathways operate.  Therefore, some of the same catastrophic damage we see in telecommunications systems occur in the human system as well.  For example, by stretching or crimping a cable TV line beyond its operating tolerance will cause strange distortions such as static/noise, or possibly ghosting or sound delay mismatch just to cite a few examples.  In the human central nervous system these distortions present as pain in unrelated areas of the body.  

I study these oddities simply because I have a engineering degree in telecommunications and more specifically have worked in the cable television industry since 1972, so one should learn a few things along the way.  In 1994, my wife suffered a traumatic brain injury and has had migraines since her surgery then. With her having logged more then 2,500 migraine days since then, I have had to occupy my time in some pursuit so  why not do it in some positive way.  During this time I have made numerous observations from my experiences during this time and I have presented to Neurologist, Neurosurgeons and Psychologists about my findings.  They could find no logical argument to counter my findings but also concurred that research for pain management is woefully inadequate.  

Your Son's life is worth living.  What needs to be found is what are causing his pain triggers.  You might be surprised to learn that everyday electrical devices could be the root triggers for his head pain.  The reason for this could be that the consussive forces not only damaged skull bone but also twisted, contorted, stretched and tore delicate neurons and axions in the brain.  By doing so, the forces permitted outside electrical fields to induce strange sensations such as migraines.  Furthermore, the consussive force upon the skull reduced the skull bones' natural ability to provide appropriate resistance to protect the central nervous system from outside electrical fields.  Keep in mid that the brain operates best within the elelectrical fields it prefers (search and read EEG).  Permit me to suggest a noninvasive medical procedure that most Doctors have no knowledge about and that is EEG Neurofeedback.  You might be surprised to know that the DOD is not studying and deploying this technology to the battlefield to help soldiers like your son.  I hope this post helps you and your son recover and lead happy and productive life.  By way of disclosure I have no direct or indirect financial interest in EEG Neurofeedback.  We do use this service for my wife and it has provided tremendous help in reducing the duration of her migraine episodes.  If you are interested in this technology, search on the acroynym ISNR.

Good luck and God Bless you and your Son.
Ed