Round a Bout Way Back to Beginning
 

It's been 15 months since my initial fall (December 2008). I stayed with my initial neurologist way too long. Got a second opinion from a neurologist in August 2009. We have been trying different medications for continued headaches. First was nortriptyline - 2 months, didn't like the side effects. Saw him again at the end of January. Put on propranolol (beta blocker) and he wanted to have an MRI/MRA/MRV done thinking there would be no problem. Had those done and they saw something abnormal with the scan (looked like an aneurysm). Then had a CAT scan done and it they still thought they saw an abnormality. Last Friday, had an angiogram done to rule out an aneurysm. Thank God they did not find one. Everything is great with my vessels, etc. So, back to the beginning. Headaches constantly - can't run without pain, can't bike without pain, etc. This is the start of the exercising season with the weather finally turning nice in Wisconsin! I spent most of last summer sitting out of things because of my headaches and it is starting to look as if this summer may be the same. I am weaning off of the beta blockers because my pulse is hovering around 45 bpm and I am finding that I am winded walking up the stairs. I am very active, so to not be able to exercise very hard because of being winded all the time is not so good. I follow up with my neuro the beginning of May. Depending on the pain, I may have to see him earlier to try another med. Besides the headaches, I have a constant ringing in my ears that sometimes tries to see if it can be louder than any other sounds around me! I try not to concentrate on it because I think it could drive me insane. So, from a neuro standpoint, there is nothing abnormal. I almost wish they would have found something so that maybe my symptoms would have gone away. So, I feel the same way I did in the beginning. I do not take life for granted, because my tests could have come back a lot worse. I have gotten a whole new perspective. But, I am also finding it hard to stay positive when all the things I love to do both for myself and my family are still hard to do.

Sheds,

The head aches are the most difficult symptom to treat. I have TBI friends who deal with them at a migraine level daily.

Have you tried finding a doctor who specializes in migraines?

Have you tried journalling your diet to see if there are any food triggers? Some people become sensitized to specific food additives.

I wish I could help you more. I have frequent dull head aches. None to the level of yours from what I can tell. My worst respond to 1000mgs of aspirin and 1000mgs of Tylenol combined. It is OK to mix these two. They actually multiple the effect. Almost like a Tylenol with codeine.

I take enteric aspirin daily as therapy. Enteric aspirin does not dissolve in the stomach so it is easy to take.

It IS Hard!
 

I'm glad things aren't worse for you, sometimes we long for a diagnosis that is more concrete and can be "fixed". I feel for you and sympathize with you. All this enforced "down time" has really pushed me into some new perspectives as well. It is really hard to stay positive when things are so hard and you can't be what you want to be for yourself and especially for your family. I figuratively close my eyes to the state of my house (pre-injury it was pretty clean and tidy), and let go of lots of what I used to do (for now, at least). It is discouraging, but fight it! I don't mean the PCS, I know you just have to allow time for healing and can't push through it, I mean fight the discouragement. Try to focus on what is still good, what you can do, people who care about you, the times when you don't have headaches, beautiful springtime. Be nice to yourself and don't get down on yourself because of what you can't do right now, your value as a person is not dependent on what you can accomplish, it is inherent. Whatever works for you...just keep your nose up and keep swimming, you'll make it! Hang in there. :hug: