Sufferring in Orange County, CA

jkl626 · 09-12-2012, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nospam

I had my Occipital trigger point injections last week and had immediate relief from the Marcaine. The anesthetic only last a few hours though and it takes a few days for the steroid to kick in. The headaches have been minimal to zero since Monday. I've been able to reduce my daily dose of Celebrex with a plan to wean off completely. I haven't needed to take Norco at all, just taking Valium and Gabapentin for now.

I also found that driving my main vehicle was aggravating my neck and headache. I drove my little Honda roadster which had been collecting dust (stick shift) and I surprisingly felt a lot better. I spoke to Dr. Ando and he stated that you want your weight forward towards your thighs/feet, not your butt/back. While the Honda had me in a good position, I could not tilt the seat forward to a proper position in my main car. I went shopping for some seat wedges and finally found one that fits my car well and allows me to drive without aggravation. I hated to spend the money but it was the only wedge I found that was comfy and didn't have my head hitting the sunroof.

http://www.relaxtheback.com/mccarty-...cushion-4.html

I don't mind paying a little extra for stuff at relax-the-back since they let me come in and test drive all of the products before purchasing.

I don't have to travel any for work until October and I have been able to spend 8 hour days in front of the computer for work with no issues so I am very thankful!

I just pray that I can keep these headaches away for good.

Thats Good News Marc! I am having trouble working. I cant tell from one day to the next how I'm going to feel. I felt great on Sunday,then did my exercises-I must have done too much strengthening because Monday I woke up in pain. I am thinking about more injections as well.
Do you think Nerontin can help muscle pain as well as nerve pain? I am not having good luck with anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants. My pt insurance is out again so unless they approve new visits I will be cutting down on my visits to Ando.also I think I have hit a plateau with my recovery and want to try some new things to add. Some possibilities are Water Therapy,Myofacial release,graston,feldenkreiss etc.

nospam · 09-12-2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkl626

Do you think Nerontin can help muscle pain as well as nerve pain? I am not having good luck with anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants.

I don't think Neurontin or Lyrica can help with muscle pain, only nerve. One thing that worked for both for me was Cymbalta. Unfortunately, it takes a few weeks to ramp up to a therapeutic dose (takes a while to cross the blood/brain barrier) and I had some annoying side effects the 1st week or so. Once I started getting great relief from the Cymbalta my blood pressure and pulse shot up and I had to stop it. I am on Pamelor now but only 10mg because at 20mg my blood pressure shoots up as well. The Cymbalta was more effective for pain than Pamelor for me. Pamelor helped me sleep when I was having insomnia.

I have given up on muscle relaxants, my pain doc said we build up a tolerance to them after a few weeks, so he doesn't like utilizing them regularly. I found that Valium/Diazapam works much better (Dr. Angle first put me on it and said it is most effective for TOS people). Ativan is another option in the same family (anxialitics) but is not as long lasting I'm told. Valium doesn't make me drowsy so I can take it and still function normally and drive.

If you feel like you are experiencing a flare of inflammation and NSAIDs are not working, maybe talk to your doctor about a Medrol DosePak (steroid taper).

Anne4tos · 09-13-2012, 09:10 AM

Oral NSAIDS and Diflofenac never did anything for me when prescribed by a TOS neurologist. Recently, my pain management Doctor gave me a sample of Pennsaid, a topical Diflofenac which uses DMSO to help absorption for some lower back pan I was having. I started applying it around my collarbones when they hurt, and it seems to be the only thing to date that helps.

I much prefer the topical idea over dosing my entire body as well.

nospam · 09-14-2012, 10:59 PM

I need to lose 15 lbs and I need some motivation. They are close to discharging me from PT. I'm doing great in Pilates and feeling my strength steadily returning. I am also swimming but don't really enjoy it enough to push myself to burn a lot of calories (I end up spending more time in the hot tub!

). I don't want to run outside because of my history of low back pain.

I figured I could go to the gym and run up and down the basketball court. I bought a basketball to take to the gym (so I wouldn't have to share). To my utter surprise, I can palm the ball with either hand...something I haven't been able to do in over 2 years. I haven't been to the gym yet, but I've been dribbling around the house and handling the ball. I feel this is beneficial to full recovery of my hand dexterity (which is not all there...my handwriting went from poor to horrendous). I can't wait to get on the court to run and dribble and shoot a few baskets. I just can't let anybody pressure me into joining a contact game. Maybe I can find somebody to play HORSE with.

Is P90x next?

I'm hopeful I really can do it by the end of the year!

nospam · 09-14-2012, 11:03 PM

I changed my signature...I think it's fitting.

nospam · 10-06-2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nospam

I had my Occipital trigger point injections last week and had immediate relief from the Marcaine. The anesthetic only last a few hours though and it takes a few days for the steroid to kick in. The headaches have been minimal to zero since Monday. I've been able to reduce my daily dose of Celebrex with a plan to wean off completely. I haven't needed to take Norco at all, just taking Valium and Gabapentin for now.

The good news is that my TOS symptoms are fading into the sunset, and I really have no more physical limitations.

The bad news is that the trigger point injections faded about a week ago and the occipital headaches came back with a vengeance. I'm back on Norco for now (covers up the headaches...stopped the Valium) along with Gabapentin and Nortriptyline. Since the block worked for a few weeks, I'm scheduled for botox on Tuesday. I hope to get relief from the headaches and residual neck tension for a few months with the botox. Dr. said it likely will need to be refreshed every 3-6 months and the occipital neuralgia may never permanently go away. It seems to be unfortunate residual of the TOS and c-spine issues I've had.

Botox injection locations for Occipital Neuralgia (I'm getting the full series of these injections):

jkl626 · 10-06-2012, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nospam

The good news is that my TOS symptoms are fading into the sunset, and I really have no more physical limitations.

The bad news is that the trigger point injections faded about a week ago and the occipital headaches came back with a vengeance. I'm back on Norco for now (covers up the headaches...stopped the Valium) along with Gabapentin and Nortriptyline. Since the block worked for a few weeks, I'm scheduled for botox on Tuesday. I hope to get relief from the headaches and residual neck tension for a few months with the botox. Dr. said it likely will need to be refreshed every 3-6 months and the occipital neuralgia may never permanently go away. It seems to be unfortunate residual of the TOS and c-spine issues I've had.

Botox injection locations for Occipital Neuralgia (I'm getting the full series of these injections):

Marc, I hope the botox helps, who is doing the injections?

nospam · 10-07-2012, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkl626

Marc, I hope the botox helps, who is doing the injections?

Neil Butani, my pain management neuro.

LosingHope · 10-08-2012, 08:46 PM

Marc - AWESOME that your TOS symptoms are "fading into the sunset" and you have no more physical limitations! Remind me how long it took you to get to this point? ;-)

Really sorry to hear your headaches are back. Best of luck to you with your botox tomorrow! Here's hoping it gives you some lasting relief!

stos2 · 10-11-2012, 10:37 AM

Marc I am happy to hear your TOS symptoms are fading, but I am so sorry to hear that your your headaches are still bothering you. I hope the botox gives you longer lasting relief. Good Luck with everything Marc, I feel your pain.

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