View Single Post
Old 10-24-2011, 10:13 PM
sufferer sufferer is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
10 yr Member
sufferer sufferer is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 5
10 yr Member
Confused greater occipital nerve pains

Can anyone please help.

I got diagnosed nearly 3 years ago with GON, i have had no trauma to the head since i was 14 and am now 29 (got hit by a vehicle) my specialist told me i have had this all these years but for some reason pain only started to come out around 4 years ago.
I first started to realise something was wrong when i had a lump come up on the lower part of my neck towards my left ear, it came up the size of a golf ball then would go after and few hours and was very painfull.
I informed my gp but as he never saw it and my neck was not painfull unless the lump was there, there was nothing he could do, i continued to complain about this and even told my ent specialist, eventually they sent me for head scans and all came back clear.
I was reffered to a pain specialist and was diagnosed GON. since my diagnosis i have been on every medication possible, i have GON blocks twice a year (the most the government will allow so i have been told) even though my specialist has said that due to my pains i need at least 3-4 a year to cope, my daily medication is AM carbamazapine 200mg, co-codamol 500's x2(every 4 hours) meptazinol 200mg,ibuprofen 400mg. AFT co codamol again, meptazinol 200mg ibuprofen. PM carbamazapine 400mg co-codamol again, meptazinol 200mg ibuprofen. As well as this i have diazipan 30mg in 10mg doses if and when needed.
This is all just in my daily routine yet nothing can get rid of the pain. i have had 5 GON blocks now the first one did make my pain worse as i was told there was a good chance it would but from injection 2 it has been great and after the injections i have been pain free for a while but then all of a sudden it's back and worse.
all of my pains are on the left side of my head face and neck, the lump still comes up a lot but seem to be fobbed off with swelling.
I have a full time job a a carer in a psychiatric hospital and i can't cope. i have so much time off work due to my pains i don't know what to do.
i am getting to the point where i just can't cope and most certainly can't look after my self when the pains get really bad.
please has any one got any sugestions that may help
thanks sufferer
sufferer is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote