Nerve block yesterday.. my experience and can you tell me yours please?

[rhea_smith1991]

Hello! I suffer with chronic migraines, hemiplegic and cluster headaches.. I have just had the occipital nerve block done on my right side yesterday.. (the right side is the side I get the cluster and is the most painful, I also get migraines left side so if this works on the right side am going to get the left side done next) Just thought I would share my experience incase anyone was wanting to get it done and feeling anxious.. I had to get it done in theatre as it’s most sterile there but your fully awake for it, they used an ultrasound first to locate the nerve and then injected a numbing agent first and then the nerve block.. It stung a bit and was uncomfortable for a few seconds but that was It and it was over really quick (nothing compared to the head pains we are all used to living with!) afterwards my head was numb and my neck was heavy also into my shoulder and that lasted for about 6/8 hours.. Today I feel ok neck still stiff injection sites but sore but feeling ok.. all in all not a bad experience.. the doctor said the steroid in the injection can take up to a week to fully work.. am really hoping this works! I’ve had a bad past few months being in chronic pain every day and no preventative I’ve tried or pain killer touching it! Does anyone have any success stories from the nerve block? When I was looking online all I read was horror stories of the procedure (which wasn’t horrible) and that it made things worse sometimes and didn’t work 😩 am hoping mines successful!

Am also on candesartan only 4mg and my BP is already at 90 sometimes goes into 80s and am really dizzy from it so I don’t think this is the one for me! Does anyone have any other preventative medication they have had success with? I’ve tried propranolol which also lowered my BP and heart rate so I don’t think any type of BP tablet is right for me..

[Onthemove1971]

Glad it was over quickly, that is what I remember from having it.

Are you taking any preventative?

I take magnesium glycinate 3x a day and my migraines are less often and now not as painful. I also take feverfew 2x a day. I do not like to take any medication, but this has been life changing. The magnisuim takes about 2 months to start to decrease the number I had and now they are much less painful. I make sure not to skip a dose and in fact the migraine is "sitting" there at noon so I take a dose and it goes away.

Good luck in finding answers..

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Hello, am still on the candersartan 4mg but u really don’t like it and won’t to change to something else but they told me to try this for 3 more weeks 😭 are you on any other medication? Yes I have just ordered magnesium glycinate to take so will be starting that when it comes.. do you take 300mg a day? Glad it’s helping you! Did the nerve block help you? I haven’t been to bad today off it am hoping it helps me 😩 I can also get Botox in between the nerve blocks they said x

[scottlondon in reply to rhea_smith1991]

If you are going to try magnesium look up the magnesium advocacy group on Facebook, it’s advised you take 5mg per lb in body weight.

I hope it helps you.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to scottlondon]

Every Neurologist I have seen says that you can take up to 1500mg a day, YES I know this is high, but close to this really is what is making the difference for me. I was taking it 400mg 2x a day and it was helping but not enough. Now I am taking it 3x a day and this has changed my life. I feel the migraine waiting and when I take my noon dose it goes away.

Lots to learn, just wanted to share my experience with you.

Let me know how it goes in a few months.

[LarryDahlka in reply to rhea_smith1991]

I'm on a new regime of amerge(Naratriptan) 2x's a day and if I have any headaches in-between I take Nurtec which is a new non-triptan medication, system seems to be working

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to LarryDahlka]

I didn’t think any type of triptan could be used daily? My nuro hates me takin any pain killers she says try and avoid everything even paracetamol as she believes it all contributes to more migraines in the long run.. (which is easier said than done for her!) I’ve tried sumatriptan and had a horrible reaction to it 😩 felt like I was burning up and my chest was so tight and sore. I’ve never heard of Nurtec? Will have a lil look x

[darthwilko82]

Hi. Glad the procedure went well and hope you get some respite.

With regards lowering your BP with the meds - I'm not sure but I think the majority of preventative medication lower your BP. There may be some that don't but I think when I was trying different ones at the beginning, I found that my BP was lower on them.

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to darthwilko82]

Hello and thank you! My Bp is naturally low in its 90s so with it Gettin lowered to 80 on a small dose I can’t see me tolerating the 16mg dose they want me on and to be honest it’s not helping with my migraines.. hence the nerve block.. are you on any preventative medication? Hope your well x

[darthwilko82 in reply to rhea_smith1991]

Yeah I'm on propranolol 160mg which has helped me no end. I've always had a reasonably mid range BP and the propranolol hasn't affected it much. I've had to change my diet and try to eliminate stress from my life as much as possible - which has helped.

Rich x

[scottlondon]

Another thing you could check out is a documentary on YouTube called the magic pill.

[chelsea00]

hi

After the injection, it took at least 3 weeks before i noticed any change in my migraines, mine was right side only. Now, more than a year later, i only get an occasional migraine. I don't take any preventatives and only take paracetamol and ibupfrofen at these times.

I have had migraines since childhood.

It certainly worked well for me.

I hope you will have some relief soon.

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to chelsea00]

Aww that’s great, am so happy it has worked for toy! Am hoping I have success with it too.

[babs1234]

The GONB didn’t work for me but speaking to a lady in the waiting room she told me they worked for her. Keeping fingers crossed for you

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to babs1234]

Aww am sorry to hear it never worked for you.. have you tried anything else that’s worked?

[babs1234 in reply to rhea_smith1991]

I’m using the gammacore which has refused frequency and intensity. I also take magnesium, B2, B12, and VitD They are much better than they were. I have hemicrania continua

[iconoclasts]

Hi, I have regular (3-4 monthly) Botox injections for cluster headaches. It works well for me, bringing down the pain levels and frequency by 60 percent.

I've had nerve block done for my back pain. It works a treat! First time I've had it was OK pain-wise, but 2nd time was painful like hell. I will have to remember to keep telling my pain doctor not to be so stingy with pain relief beforehand.

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to iconoclasts]

Oh that’s great! Am happy your having some relief! Am hoping the nerve block is a success for me, also I know I can get Botox in between the nerve blocks too so if it’s worked for you might give that a go too!

[iconoclasts in reply to rhea_smith1991]

I was actually the first person they've tried Botox on at my local hospital's Pain Clinic - an NHS patient since 2014 for severe migraine (regular Botox injections), and since 2018 for severe back pain (Radio Frequency Lesioning/Denervation).

Since then they've trained up Pain Clinic nurses, which means that dozens of people with migraines get Botox injections.

Once referred to the Pain Clinic by my GP, I have tried other treatments such as TENS, acupuncture, and CBT, but those have not worked for me at all; CBT merely equipped me with an insight into workings of pain on theoretical basis only. The reason they've investigated/started Botox for me was that I could not handle opiates (they have actually been triggering my migraines), and no other treatments worked.

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to iconoclasts]

Ohh wow! Well am really glad ur works for you! Yes my nuro advices against all pain killers especially opiates she says they really do make them worse in the long run.. She says if it’s really bad have a triptan (no more than one day a week, but they don’t work for me anyway just give me chest pains) and a naproxen (which av had a stomach ulcer in the past from so I don’t take them even with a ppi I wouldn’t taken naproxen ever again don’t wana to chance another ulcer/bleeding). So because I can’t take pain killers I need some sort of preventative.. do you take any oral preventative as well?

Also you said the nerve block hurt more the second time? Oh I hope that’s not the case for me as it really wasn’t bad the first. 😭

[dylandolly]

Hi,I had chronic migraine daily for about 5 years I had the nerve block both sides and unfortunately it didnt work for me neither did botox.now I take high dose magnesium vit B and D but the thing thats helped me the most is Amitriptyline which has changed my life .I have been taking it for 3 years now and haven't had a migraine or had a migraine stomach which made me sick when I had the migraine in 3 years which feels like a miracle to me.hoping the nerve block helps you

[rhea_smith1991 in reply to dylandolly]

Aww sorry it didn’t work for you 😭 am really hoping it works for me.. Ahh so happy the amytriptiline works for you, what does do you take? And how have the side effects been? I think that’s what I want to try next.

[dylandolly in reply to rhea_smith1991]

Hi when I was given Amitriptyline I had a lot going on in my life,I had an underactive thyroid and also going through the menopause and with daily headaches I was at the end of my tether,I couldnt sleep for more than 3 hours a night and this had been going on for months,I was absolutely drained of energy.My GP who was fantastic was trying me on lots of different things but nothing help.my daughter read about Amitriptyline and I asked my doctor for that.I was to take 75mg at night,it was the first decent sleep I had for so long I think I slept for 10 hours and waking up with no headache was brilliant and my mood changed also as I didnt feel ill.so from then on Ive been fantastic I still get the odd headache but nothing to complain about and its never a migraine.so the only side affect was sleeping a bit more 8/9 hours a night.Oh and now I take 50mg a night as I dont need as much.I dont think GP's would usually give you as much for headaches its more for your mood but thank god my GP did its been a life changer for me.hoping you fined something that does the same for you