My 18 year old daughter has had debilitating daily 24/7 chronic headaches for 5 years now. We've taken her to over 50 doctors and alternative medical practices here in the Seattle area as well as the Mayo Clinic in Minn. Her pain has never changed, never moved - always across her forehead, in her temples and behind her eyes. Reading and concentrating make it worse. Sometimes it's worse from out of the blue. She awakens with a pain level of 7 and sometimes up to a 9. It stays about and 8 or 9 all day. She takes Percocet when it's too horrible to tolerate anymore. The Percocet drops the pain down to maybe a 6 or 7.
Here'a a synopsis of where we've taken her - all to no relief or answers:
anesthesiologist and acupuncturist, Children’s Hospital Seattle; Chiari Malformation Specialist, Children’s Hospital Seattle; UW Headache Center; Evergreen Pain Center sympathetic stellate block, occipital block, sphenopalatine ganglion block; Neurologist, Overlake Neurology; Mayo Clinic, acoustic neuroma removal on right; Acoustic Neuroma Specialist, Mayo Clinic; Swedish Hospital – did Botox in forehead, neck and shoulders area, also did occipital block; Children’s Hospital, Audiology; Behavioral Medicine Associates; Spine & Sports Rehab.; Chiropractor; NW Asthma & Allergy Center; Acupuncturist; Audiologist; Gynecological Endocrinologist; Neurology, Children’s Hospital, Seattle; Neurologist, Swedish; UW Oral Medicine; Pain Specialist, dry needling University of Washington Medical Cente; massage therapist; Endocrinology, Poly Clinic; Rheumatology; Nutritionist; MRA; MRI’s with and without contrast; Hearing Clinic; Neuropthomologist, Swedish.
Alyssa has also been put on numerous medications:
Medications Alyssa has been on in alphabetical order:
Acqtic
Amatriptyline, 10 mg
Ambien 10mg for sleep - ongoing
Amerge
Aspirin
Axert
Benedryl for sleep
CQ10
Cymbalta 120mg - ongoing
Cytomel 2.5 mg, 5 mg
Demerol
Dilaudid
Diltiazem 60 mg
Duragesic 12 mcg/Hr patch 01/07
Fentanyl transdermal
Flexiril 5 mg
Fluoxetine 10 mg, 1/07
Frova
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Hydrocodone 10/325
Hydromorphone 4 mg
Ibuprofen
Levothyroxine, 50 mg
Levoxyl 050
Lexapro 10 mg, 2/07
Lidoderm 5% patch, 05/07
Low Ogestrel 2.8
Lyrica 25 mg, 100 mg 3/07
Maxalt, 10 mg
Medro oxyprogesterone 10 mg
Melatonin for sleep
Metoclopramide 10 mg 2/07
Metformin HCL 500 mg 2x/day
Methadone
Metoclopramide, 10 mg for nausea, 2/07
Migralief
Migranal Nasal Spray
Morphine sulf ER 15 mg 03/07
MS Contin
Nadolol 20 mg 2/07
Naprosyn
Nortriptyline 10 mg
Ovcon 35
Oxycodone w/ APAP 5/325, 10/325 - ongoing
Oxycodone HCL 15 mg
Percocet
Propoxy –N/APAP 100-650 tab 05/07
Reglan
Relpax
Roserem
Topomax up to 100 mg
Tramadol HCL 50 mg, 06/07
Tylenol
Tylenol PM for sleep
Vitamin B
Zonegran
Zonisamide 100 mg, 25 mg 2/07
This is extremely frustrating to all of us. We need help. She continues to be in daily pain. We want our daughter back and she wants her life back.