World's Longest headache - 18 years!

[airbus310]

I have had a 24/7 hreadache since 1989. It is located right in the centre of my forehead and and is usually an 8 or a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale. There is no treatment, medication, drug, specialist, scan or alternative therapy treatment that I have not undergone in an effort to find the cause. The best of the best in Australia have worked on it all to no avail. MRI's by 8, CT Scans by 4 anything with "..oscopy" on the end of, anti depressants, high dosage morphine patches, not one single thing has ever look like working. It has been diganosed as not being physosymatic mainly as a result of its continuity and refusal to react to any medications.
I am 64 and in excellent health - other than this constant companion. I do not intend seeing this 2008 year out I am afraid as it has finally beaten me!

[jacc123]

My neck curves and tends to make my head lean backwards. It is straight while lying on the table whcih causes me to woner if test are accurate when not your normal position.

[airbus310]

An MRI  does a 360 degrees picture of your body, head etc. so they can get a 3D look at your body part.

X-Rays not so good, just a straight look at the body part but they both serve a different purpose so that is why most Docs go for the X-Ray first and then the MRI.

[jacc123]

It is annoying to me that MRI and X-rays are done with the area lying straight and flat, not in the position which is "normal" for you. How can these tests be totally accurate?

[airbus310]

Yep, I have been put on an anti depressant called Pristiq and one of its unknown and somewhat miraculous side effects is to reduce headache pain, and it has!

I have been on 50 mgs twice daily and the effect has been dramatic!

The headache is now only a very minor ache on the pain scale being around 1-3 at most! To me that is like a win in the Lotto!

Occasionally I get a bit of a spike but that only lasts for a minute or so. I can very tentatively say - touch wood - that the headache has just about gone!

My biggest fear is of course that the Pristiq will eventually "wear off" and back will come the pain!

It is not an easy drug to take as, like most of them, you have to suffer through the nausea, dry mouth and feeling worse for a week or so. It took me about five weeks to get past it all but once there, it was worth every minute of it!

I am a very (very) uptight person after all those years of constant 24/7 chronic pain and now I have to work on getting my old happy self back again. Won't be easy but at least I am now fighting off the front foot!

Thanks for all the replies and advice!

I hope NOT to be back! Watch this space!

[DavidC123]

What an interesting feeling to find this thread. I am not alone, 12 years here. Started with a tiny li'l thing and has been progressing ever since. Little rough at this point, but amazing what one can endure when given time to adapt. Doc's can't seem to find a cause and from what I read there seems to be little relief out there. Starting with a new Doc and taking another shot at finding some relief. The noggin is a funny thing, though I stopped laughing to hard about my headaches years ago. 55 now, if it continues to progress at the rate it has I can't imagine what it will be like in another 12 years. I figure on being around to find out though.

[airbus310]

Certainly pleased to relinquish my position as worlds longest headache! So sorry to hear of yours as I know the pain and frustrations you must be suffering.

I put my original post up in '09 I think, I have now notched up twenty five years!