Pain after occipital nerve block- anyone else?!

[Bumblebee90]

Hi there,

So I had an occipital nerve block on both sides of my head on Monday and was told there would be some short term pain in the areas due to the aggravation of the nerve. It's now Thursday and for the last three days the back of my head, neck and shoulders have been incredibly tight and achey and I've had to be very careful with my movements to prevent sharp pains in the back of my head/neck.

The doctors seems to think this is standard and I just need to take it easy but I wasn't made aware of this at the hospital when I had the injections. It does appear to be easing slowly but still very uncomfortable and I have had to take time off work as I cannot sit upright at my desk.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks in advance!

[Cally01]

Hello 😀 I had nothing at all when i had both sides done but I'm starting to think I'm not the norm😐 my sister in law got them 4wks ago and was wiped out with pain in her eyes/head/ back of her head/ neck and shoulders. It lasted 2 1/2 weeks.

She doesn't think its helped her severity or fequency at all and she injects sumatriptan to get relief.

Hope you get some relief 😀 you learn fast how differently we all react to different procedures. Good luck

[Margauxjean in reply to Cally01]

How often does your sister have to inject Sumatriptan?

Many thanks.

[Cally01 in reply to Margauxjean]

Well...she definitely uses it too much but there's nothing more she can do. She uses it on the onset of a migraine which is every day, I'm sure she will be having rebound headaches and she knows this but she sees no choice. She's exausted everything.

I on the other hand inject sumatriptan as soon as i have aura and one injection usually wipes it out.

😆

[Margauxjean in reply to Cally01]

Thank you for your reply. I am in the same boat with Naratriptan-- daily usage keeps me relatively migraine free for 10+ years now with occasional breakthrough headaches that don't respond to meds. I live in San Francisco, not the UK, and had to recently change my insurance plan and the new medical insurance is refusing to cover more than 18 Naratripan a month. Healthcare here is deplorable.

Yes, I could I he T Sumatriptan at the onset, but that would also be daily so I use the tablets of which I take one each night as preventative. It's hard to know what's best.

Take care and send warm healing wishes to your sister.

[Margauxjean in reply to Margauxjean]

Edit note--

"... could inject Sumatriptan at the onset..."

[Cally01 in reply to Margauxjean]

It's just aweful 😭 takes over life as you know it !!!

I wish you well and hope you find a way to control them better 😆

Take care .

[md5299]

When I had mine done I had some swelling which went in a couple of days.

[shello28]

Hi there. Yes i had pain and soreness at the injection sights too but it does ease.... hope you get some relief.

[jackiesutton62]

Yes I've had 3 lots of dual trigger point injections and was very stiff for days. I also had a numb head for 24 hrs each time but sadly had no relief on any of the 3 tries. Good luck

[Leylabell53]

I had it done and the ache went by the next day. Maybe you were unlucky. Maybe it's down to the person doing the injections. I had mine done at the migraine clinic in London. Would like to get it done again but it's so expensive I can't afford it. Hope the pain has gone away now.

[Mia51]

Didnt work for me ,just a waste of time

[lkr1959]

Had mine done 2 weeks ago, bit sore at the time, but nothing compared with a migraine, dissapointingly, headache only reduced for a couple of days now it's back and the pain down both branches of the nerve is worse. Been an occasional Migraine sufferer for many, many years, three months ago developed daily headaches that then triggered almost daily Migraines, have tried some preventatives, but I'm a nightmare with all barbituates and don't tolerate any narcotics, have VERY low B.P so Topiramax and anything which causes lowering of blood pressure is out, now my sleep patteren has gone A.W.O.L so I'm finding it very difficult to function on any level, if anyone has had any luck with anydrugs or treatments I'd love to hear from you, I'm a brit living in Texas, so subject tothe crazy healthcare insurance rules ! Thanks in advance Lynne.

[FiFi77 in reply to lkr1959]

Sounds like you have had a dreadful time, I hope it all gets better 😐. Just curious, what is your base BP? Mine is typically 90/50 (does drop lower at times) however I am on Topiramax. Just thought I would mention it as It has given me amazing relief in conjunction with the Nerve Blocks. I actually didn't even realize it was unsafe lol

[lkr1959 in reply to FiFi77]

Mine like yours is normal at 90/45, has been recorded at 70/45. Yes I do function on it well, take the usual precautions, don't stand to quick, bed over too long, drink loads and use lots of salt ! On Dr's recomendation.

[FiFi77 in reply to lkr1959]

I have also been prescribed with Diazepam to assist with sleeplessness. Although this is not for everyone. I find for me it helps and has little side effects. I hope it all works out for you

[Wolfiesmom08 in reply to lkr1959]

If I lived in Texas I would go here.

anodyneheadachepain.com

Dr Krutz. Just reading old posts. My headaches are bad and was thinking of flying to Texas.

[FiFi77]

Hi, I have been getting Nerve Block Injections monthly for almost 3 years. For me the reaction varies, usually I am sore and a little stiff for a couple of days following the injection. However I would estimate 1 out of 4 are not so good. This was the case with the one I had yesterday. Very sore, can't move my neck, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion and nausea (immediately following). In saying that I don't regret having them as they offer me so much relief. I also use them in conjunction with botox and Topiramax. I hope you feel better soon 😊

[Lx91]

Hi.

I used to get nerve block injections but only suffered with a slight ache and occasional pain at the actual site, but the nurses could never believe how well I was for the injections as they never caused a great amount of pain. They worked relatively well for me giving me a few months pain relief but my neurologist said thats not long enough so I'm interested that fiona you have them every month...this would have probably have been great for me.

I'm now on a trial for botox but am personally not impressed however it is meant to be great for migraine whereas I have cluster headaches, it keeps my dull pains away and not had so many general headaches but it never stops on onser of the excruciating cluster headaches.

May be worth a try for you as it's much less painful? I've heard lots of amazing results about it.

L x

[rosemvas]

I just had occipital nerve blocks 2 days ago and I have a very tight painful stiff neck & shoulders as well as the whole back of my head. It feels good if I rub it but then the headache gets worse over the top of my head temples forehead eyes etc. I'm treating this like a bad C 2 HA and just lying down with ice etc. Hope the steroids kick in soon.

[Camp-girl in reply to rosemvas]

I just had my first nerve block today in my neck. And I have a lot of pain stiff neck and soreness in the area. I tried icing it for a while that didn't help I think I'm going to try ibuprofen. I was curious on how long it did affect you the pain I mean and how long did it take for the steroids to kick in?

[Zizzo]

I am having the exact same response. Hours after the occipital block I have burst into tears. I think it’s extremely painful. But the pain is a overwhelming yet dull pain. It’s in the base of my head/skull. As well as down my back and I don’t have full range of motion in my neck otherwise that would just intensify the pain. It’s all very confusing because the pain seemed to go away at first.

[Zizzo in reply to Zizzo]

And the crying has been repetitive. It was as I drove to work. A couple times at work and again later. The pain I think is just too much.

[xlurvex]

I just had this done today and now experiencing these same exact symptoms!! Hence why I’m up at 4am googling things 😭 does this mean that the block did not work???