What is a never block to relieve neck & migraines

[msausele]

May 2004 I had a 4 level neck fusion, car accident. I've been to several neurosurgeons, & many different types of doctors, and try 20-25 different medications including 3 different types of physical therapy.  I was told I might be a considered for a nerve block.  I am bedridden 75 to 85% of my life.  And absolutly SRESS plays a role, a thought after the death of my brother, sister, 2 close girls friends, a divorce and job lost, job out of school classes,plus raising 2 kids and my 70 yr Old mom moved in.  But the pain subsided only 5 -8 % untill some other small event happens, there's no such thing as living stress free.  I thank god for doctors and medicine but I still pray and pray for research to find something, anything to in help the pain of so many who suffer from this disabilitating waste of life.  People need to know a migraine is not a headache.  So my question, would a nerve block starting from C1 to C7, pain down the arms, hands, around the shoulder blades, and the 2 spots in the head from headaches.  Not to mention the sever tiredness from all these meds.  Would it be worth taking another chance at some hope for my life & my families?
     Thankyou,   marie  Penn

[Tuckamore]

Hello Marie,

Please forgive my tardy response. Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am glad that you found us and took the time from your painful day to post. I am sorry to hear about your disabling pain. We can relate.

The American Academy of Neurology is advocating the use of nerve blocks for migraines.
I think that a nerve block by a skilled practitioner is worth a try.

Occipital nerve block is a procedure where anesthetic agents like lidocaine and bupivacaine are injected near the occipital nerve on the back of the head near the base of the skull. The injection is done on the side of the migraine headache. The information I have states that within five minutes after the nerve block, 60% of patients had mild or no headache and 75% of patients had mild or no light sensitivity. Studies reveal that over half of the patients didn't even experience the normal side effects of these type of injections.

However again according to what I have read this is a short term treatment that will last for just a few days. However if you suffer from a true occipital neuralgia from nerve entrapment of the occipital nerve the results may be different. The occipital nerve block may be of long-term benefit if this is the cause of your migraines.

Have you seen a Pain Management Therapist? I think they may also be beneficial in treating your pain. Migraines are a horrible condition. I am so sorry that you have to deal with these debilitating headaches.

We also have a migraine headache forum that may have more personal information for you. You are always welcome here but I encourage you to also post there. Just click on the word forums at the left hand top side of this page. Our forms are listed in alphabetical order. If you have any trouble finding it please let me know.

You've had more than you share of tragedies in your life that must certainly add stress. As you recognize stress can add greatly to chronic pain of any type. I am so very sorry. We offer you are support and hope that you will become active in our community. The winding journey through chronic pain can be extremely difficult and we are all on that path.

I hope you will let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to your updates.

Take Care,
~Tuck

[Jaybay]

Good grief!  You have really been put through the mill.  Actually, it sounds like you're still flying around in that mill and you surely have my sympathy for whatever it's worth.  

The only experience I have with migraines stemmed from hormonal changes, and the tryptan meds worked fairly well for those.  I am also fused, screwed and plated at the lower 3 levels of my neck, but thankfully have no more pain from that.  It took a whole lot of weightlifting to get over the resulting pain from those two surgeries - far more than anything attempted in physical therapy.

If you haven't actually been to a pain management specialist, it's past time to go.  If there was a surgical solution to this problem, it sounds like it would have been attempted by now, so that leaves pain management.  You already know meds alone don't get you where you want to be, so it's certainly worth talking to a pain doc about steroid injections and some of the other nerve tricks they have up their sleeves.

Bear in mind that the emphasis in a pain practice is on "management" not "cure."  If you go into it with realistic goals, the chances of improvement are greater.  Disappointment just adds to your stress and pain, so have a thorough discussion with the pain doc about your goals and the doctor's own success rate before jumping on the shot jockey express.  

If you haven't tried it yet, give a few months with a pain psychologist a try.  A good one will be able to help teach you some different ways to cope with your pain and all the changes that are happening in your life.  After all these years, I have to say that in many ways, my pain shrink has helped me more than all the meds that have been thrown at my pain.  I kept laying around waiting to live life until the pain was gone, and that just wasn't going to happen.  It took a while, but now I can at least live a life WITH the pain (and nausea, and vomiting and other assorted issues!).  Yeah, it's a lot different than I thought it would be, but I enjoy what I can and try to forget the worst days once they're gone.

Don't give up on finding ways to improve your life.  After all, if you give up you DEFINITELY won't ever feel any better.  Keep that hope alive!