Occipital nerve block injections: Has anyone out there had similar experience to mine?

[Trille]

I recently had billateral occipital nerve block injections (lidocaine only), for the first time. I have suffered from severe frequent migraine w. aura and chronic daily headache since the age of 7. I am now 55.

I had the nerve block 19 days ago and have since had the most excrutiating pain I can remember ever having (and I have had a lot). It is different from my usual daily pain, and it responds to nothing, incl. morphine. The consultant who gave me the injections has a secretary who told me to "take some paracetamol" when I phoned to ask for an appointment. She said an appointment would be a waste of the consultant's and her own time, and I am therefore left with nowhere to go with my questions...

... nowhere, that is, apart from here

Has anyone out there had a similar adverse, painful, reaction to nerve block injections? If so, did the pain subside after a time?

Thank you, lovelies, for being there.

[johnsmith]

This sounds like you need to be speaking to a lawyer.

You say: "She said an appointment would be a waste of the consultant's and her own time". This sounds like something went wrong and there is now a cover up going on.

For your normal headaches have a look at:

alexandertechnique.com/teac...

alexandertechnique.co.uk/le...

The above may not cure your problem. It will hopefully help make things a little easier.

In my 20s about 40 years ago I taught people how not to have migraines. Some migraines are caused by faulty muscle behaviour. This issue is often outside the medical profession understanding and lies in the realm of the complementary.

[Trille in reply to johnsmith]

Thank you, johnsmith. I know, I know - I should be speaking with PALS and making a formal complaint. What that secretary did was outright wrong. But I am in so much pain most of the day and night that I simply am too exhausted to do anything with this.

Thank you for your suggestion. I used to do Alexander technique, but it never really helped me much. I meditate to manage my pain.

Look after yourself.

[johnsmith in reply to Trille]

avma.org.uk/

might be worth looking at

[johnsmith in reply to Trille]

Very interested in your meditation. I do the same. I am planning to write something on the subject at some point.

Look forward to a reply on the subject.

[Teaweasel]

I struggled after my bilateral GON. For a couple of months after I couldn't lean back on my head or apply any pressure to where they'd injected. It was quite painful even when I didn't touch it, and a different and additional pain to my permanent migraine. Luckily it did ease off eventually and whilst it may work for others out there, it wasn't the answer for me (and it left me with a little bald spot one side, which luckily my hair covers). My neurologist has since tried botox which seem a better option for me.

Hope your pain eases soon!

[Trille in reply to Teaweasel]

Thank you, Teaweasel! What is GON?

I have been partly helped by botox injections for about 8 years, but recently, they stopped working altogether. I was given botox every 12 weeks and from about a week after the injections and the next 6 weeks, my migraines were reduced to 1-3 pr week. After week 6/7, the effect wore off and migraine frequency went back up to my 'default' of one every day until I was due the next lot. It wasn't total relief, but it certainly made migraines far more manageable.

I really hope botox will work for you! If your eyes get droopy, ask the doctor to place the injections a little higher up on your forehead.

Let me know how it goes

[Teaweasel in reply to Trille]

Ah whoops - GON = Greater Occipital Nerve block. That'll teach me to be too lazy to type it out!

My 1st treatment of Botox seemed great, although took a while to kick in. The 2nd that I had in Jan hasn't seemed as effective BUT I think that's down to me coming off my painkillers (for another issue). Going back next month for number 3

Haven't had an issue with droopy eyes luckily - more for the first week or so my eyebrows can get stuck up so I look a bit quizzical - I just need to notice it and shove it down lol!