kev,
I'm sorry for what you are going through. I have no words of wisdom or helpful suggestions... but I do want to let you know you're not alone.

I've had constant, nearly unbearable head pain for just over 2.5 years now, with no break. I no longer remember what its like to not have head pain.

Some days, like you, I just feel like I can not take it anymore! I've tried many different medications and treatments and NOTHING has ever touched it. No combination of ibuprofen or tylenol or anything else that can be bought OTC does anything, so I no longer even bother.

I do take Topamax, but its unclear whether it helps at all. Recently we attempted to up my dosage from 200mg to 400mgs a day, very slowly. By the time I got to 300mgs, I had side effects mimicking a severe kidney infection, complete with fever and chills, all due to the Topamax, so now I'm back down to 200mgs a day. But even at 300mgs, my head pain had not decreased.

Its so frustrating and upsetting that at almost 43 years of age, this might be what my life is like forever. My rehab doc is running out of options, unless I'm willing to consider trying botox, which I have reservations about and might not work anyhow.

When the pain is at its worst, it feels like there's just not enough room in my skull and what I really want to do (but won't) is take a drill and drill a hole and release some of the pressure. That's what it feels like it needs, is a hole drilled up near the top of my head, on the right hand side, right near the point of impact.

That to me is what I think would make it feel better. I know it sounds stupid and drastic and all that. But that point of impact is where the pain starts and radiates down and out from. The worse the pain is the farther down my head and face it comes.

On a really bad day it can be all the way down to my jaw and neck... on a better day, it'll only hurt down as far as my eyes. (Envision pouring a liquid on the top of your head on the right hand side and how far down it goes on a given day marks the severity of the pain.)

Extra sleep helps a bit, but I often wake up crying in the night from the pain. Dark quiet places help, but that gets old after 2.5 years... at some point life HAS to go on?

I do sometimes wonder just how much one person should have to cope with? Haven't we all put up with enough yet? Its exhausting and horrible and frustrating. But you're not alone. Sadly there's a bunch of us out here suffering with you.

Starr