Hi Thowell,
It sounds like you are desperately trying to get to the "root" cause of her suffering rather than seeking drugs to just mask her symptoms. If so, then one of the reasons you may feel frustrated by the attitude of the doctors that she has seen is because their education in allopathic medicine has taught them to primarily treat the "symptoms" with either drugs or surgery. Even if they were to diagnose her with a physical or emotional condition, they would most likely not look any further for the "root" cause of the problem because that is not in their realm of healthcare. My intention is not to degrade or demean allopathic medicine as it does have a great capacity for diagnostic testing, especially when it is used appropriately and the reports are compiled competently. But when someone is seeking the "root" cause of their health issue, Allopathy falls very short in that area.
Integrative medicine also combines allopathic education with all forms of diagnostic technology and often prescribes more elaborate serum testing. Their focus is to acknowledge the symptoms and incorporate whole body medicine to help find the "root" cause of the problem. They carefully and knowledgeably peel the onion, so to speak, as they recognize that symptoms are generally an indication of a problem that is caused by a bacteria, inflammation, a malfunction, a deficiency or other .... someplace else in the body. Some of the Integrative testing may seem a bit unusual if you are new to this type of healthcare but it is all relevant in trying to determine the "root" cause of the problem.
I just wanted to give you a bit of insight into Integrative care in case you were curious about it as I know caroline had made mention of it in her reply to you... on your original thread I think.
A few other things that come to mind and perhaps they have already been looked into....
At 6 years old when her symptoms first started... had she endured any injury or personal trauma, or had she witnessed anything rather traumatic near that time?
By any chance did she undergo any dental restorations or oral surgery then or since them? Did she wear any type of an orthodontic retainer? Does she have an over or under bite or does she wear braces on her teeth? Has she seen a dentist to check her Temporomandibular Joint? Does she grind or clench her teeth when she sleeps or when she is tired, anxious or nervous?
I hope whatever path you choose for her that the "root" cause will become known and she will get the help she needs to get better. Remember you are not alone in this journey... lots of moms, dads and caring people are here to hold you up along the way.
Hope you can check in soon and give us an update.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by thowell
It was advised to me to start a new thread specifically noting the process that we are going through. Let me start with a little background info.
In 2009 my daughter, who was 6 at the time, started complaining of neck pain. We were told she was having a neck spasm but there seemed to be no cause. As the months went by the episodes became more frequent. Finally, in 2011, her doctor began to take it seriously and started a series of referrals. She underwent, x-rays, catscan, MRI, and blood work. She was seen by, Ortho, Neurology, and Physical Therapy. Noone seemed to have any idea what was going on. The only thing that was ever identified is that she had a lack of curvature in her cervical spine due to muscle spasms.
In 2013 the spasms disappeared. We were overjoyed and for about 15 months or so Dd had basically no attacks. She was able to learn to ride a bike, swim and actually play like a healthy girl. She would still have the occasional headache, maybe a bit more than most children, but nothing compared to what she had been suffering with. For this we were very glad.
It was short lived and the first part of September it started again. She woke me up at 2:30 in the morning in massive pain. She was complaining of major neck pain along with a severe headache. I gave her 5mg Flexeril and eventually she was able to fall back to sleep. When she woke up the next morning the pain was still there. And so starts our journey all over again.
She has a constant muscle spasm on her right side of her neck which runs from the top of the shoulder to under the base of the skull. Her right shoulder is obviously higher than the left. Her eyesight has decreased, she was tested at around 20/60 and is scheduled with an Opthamologist. She has constant nausea, flushed cheeks, and sharp twinges of pain in jaw, ears, leg, and head. She has just had bloodwork and going for MRI today. She is going back to Ortho first per her Pediatrician. They have her on 600mg Gabapentin which doesnt seem to really help.
So this is our journey. It is debilitating pain for her and our family is struggling to deal with everything. The frustration from the lack of concern from the physicians is not helping. I will keep things updated here for anyone interested and also for my own sanity. I welcome any advice, ideas, or suggestions. Thanks for reading.
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