Originally Posted by LisaB

My name is Lisa and I am new to your message board. I am 34 and in good general health. I hope that someone who has been through what I am going through can shed some light on what's going on.

I am currently undiagnosed but in constant pain. This has been going on for about a year now. The pain originates from the left side of the back of my neck, which actually is tolerable. What I cannot tolerate are the headaches that come as a result. The headaches are so bad that everything is blurry and sometimes I even pass out or vomit. I have had to cut my hours at work in half because I just can't deal with the pain. I have no insurance either, so all of this is becoming extremely expensive.

My CT scans came back normal and my X-rays were normal as well. I am currently waiting for results from my MRI test.

I have been on multiple migraine medications, pain relievers and muscle relaxers. I have had many different steroid injections (and other injections too, I believe, I just can't remember what they were). I saw a chiropractor for a few months and have also tried massage therapy. I find very little relief from any of it.

Can anyone tell me if Occipital Neuralgia can be diagnosed from an MRI? If not, how is it diagnosed? Does anyone have any ideas on what else could be causing me so much pain?

Just some additional information:
- I have been in 2 car accidents, the 1st time I was rear-ended about 5 years ago and experienced no real pain following the accident. It doesn't seem like that could be the root of the pain, but who knows? The 2nd time I lost control of my car on the ice and ended up in a ditch. This accident was 4 years ago and again, I experienced no real pain afterward.
- I do have some family members who have had issues with their backs/necks. My dad just had to have surgery on his neck last year for a nerve problem. My mom developed neck pain following a car accident and her pain disappeared with help from a chiropractor. Both my brother and my sister have had back problems and so have I (mine was due to a lifting injury when I was 17).

I just read somewhere that family history can play a big part in degenerative disc disease, but I'm not sure if that is where my problem lies.

I have done my research and I truly believe that Occipital Neuralgia may be the right diagnosis, but can anyone tell me how it is diagnosed and has anyone found relief with any non-surgical treatments?

Thank you for bearing with my VERY LOOOOOONG post!!!

Any help you could give me would be sincerely appreciated!

Lisa