Im frustrated. So beyond frustrated. The headaches and migraines are just torture at this point.

Ive expended the medicines I can use for headaches and migraines according to my neurologist. Ive tried at least 20, and none touch them besides zomig (which I can only take 9 a month, and wc wont pay no more and its over $500 for them so I cant afford it). Im allergic to sulfa, and he says most are sulfa based, so im out of luck.

Ive been taking at least 2-4 excederine (minus the caffeine, I went Marks way and got them individually, but I forget there names right now) a day and 10-12 ibuprofen a day. This has been going on now for almost 2 months, along with taking my amytryptolin at night. My stomach cant handle it anymore, my belly is beyond swollen, and I can barely eat, and have massive (sorry) diarrhea.

Havent taken the excederine and ibuprofen in almost a week. My heads at an all time worst, and the seizures are full bore.

What else is there to try that is OTC? Im waiting on authorization for a headache/migraine specialist, but its still at least a few weeks out. Dont think I can stand a few more weeks of these. This is probably the worst ive been since the injury in January. I cant function worth a dime because these migraines are so non stop, and cant even sleep because they pound so much. Oh, and the tinnitus is back big time as well.

ARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH SORRY I HAD TO VENT

I'm really sorry to read how bad the pain has become.

I read an interesting article about post trauma headaches and the doctor was talking about how important it was to find the true cause of the problem first, so that specific treatments can be used. different cause of headaches / different treatments.

BrainLine Talks with Dr. Nathan Zasler
Post-Traumatic Headache after TBI

Well ive had a neuropsych, and they know where the damaged areas are, and confidently think they know where seizures are coming from but still nothing being done.

Fed up.

Kev, I am so very sorry!!! I know how debilitating headaches can be... Can you call and see if there is a cancelation and you can get into someone sooner? Where are the headaches? Do you know what kind they are, aside from post traumatic?

Mostly on the left side. They start around my eye socket and create a ton of pressure, and then radiate on just the left side of my head. Usually lasts for a few hours. I then get a little break, but usually a tension headache pops up. Then it starts over again in a few hours.

Thats the vast majority. The ones that wake me up at night are in the back of my head. At the very crown of my head, just a pulsating headache like im being held upside down and the blood rushes to my head kind of throb. Usually followed by a left side migraine.

I occasionally get a temple to temple headache, which I assume is a tension headache.

Should add I occasionally get the same thing on the right side but its much rarer.

kev,
I'm sorry for what you are going through. I have no words of wisdom or helpful suggestions... but I do want to let you know you're not alone.

I've had constant, nearly unbearable head pain for just over 2.5 years now, with no break. I no longer remember what its like to not have head pain.

Some days, like you, I just feel like I can not take it anymore! I've tried many different medications and treatments and NOTHING has ever touched it. No combination of ibuprofen or tylenol or anything else that can be bought OTC does anything, so I no longer even bother.

I do take Topamax, but its unclear whether it helps at all. Recently we attempted to up my dosage from 200mg to 400mgs a day, very slowly. By the time I got to 300mgs, I had side effects mimicking a severe kidney infection, complete with fever and chills, all due to the Topamax, so now I'm back down to 200mgs a day. But even at 300mgs, my head pain had not decreased.

Its so frustrating and upsetting that at almost 43 years of age, this might be what my life is like forever. My rehab doc is running out of options, unless I'm willing to consider trying botox, which I have reservations about and might not work anyhow.

When the pain is at its worst, it feels like there's just not enough room in my skull and what I really want to do (but won't) is take a drill and drill a hole and release some of the pressure. That's what it feels like it needs, is a hole drilled up near the top of my head, on the right hand side, right near the point of impact.

That to me is what I think would make it feel better. I know it sounds stupid and drastic and all that. But that point of impact is where the pain starts and radiates down and out from. The worse the pain is the farther down my head and face it comes.

On a really bad day it can be all the way down to my jaw and neck... on a better day, it'll only hurt down as far as my eyes. (Envision pouring a liquid on the top of your head on the right hand side and how far down it goes on a given day marks the severity of the pain.)

Extra sleep helps a bit, but I often wake up crying in the night from the pain. Dark quiet places help, but that gets old after 2.5 years... at some point life HAS to go on?

I do sometimes wonder just how much one person should have to cope with? Haven't we all put up with enough yet? Its exhausting and horrible and frustrating. But you're not alone. Sadly there's a bunch of us out here suffering with you.

Starr

Kev, have you tried acupuncture? The pressure point for headache is in the gap between the thumb and index finger. You might find some relief just be squeezing that area.

I will admit that acupuncture didn't help my TBI headache, but others have found it efficacious.

Have you been checked for damage to your jaw? TMJ/TMD are not uncommon after head injury. Neither is clenching. All of that can contribute to headache.

In my experience, the Advil will only hurt your stomach and even your liver. I've got an ulcer from the stuff.

A spinal tap to measure the pressure inside my skull eliminated the very severe pain that I was experiencing the first 6 months after the car accident that I was in.

The pain was so very severe that I am pretty convinced that I would have killed myself had it not ended. My heart goes out to you at Starr and everyone else who is in ongoing pain, especially ongoing severe pain. That's no way to live. I recommend that you all keep looking for a solution though - I believe there is a solution for everyone!!!

Chiropratic work might also help. I recommend finding someone who uses the "Gonstead Method": http://gonstead.com/

You may also ask to have an MRI of your neck to see if some nerves are being pinched. I remember when they gave my entire spine an MRI and discovered that my neck's disks had all become so "bulging" from the accident that they were recommending neck surgery for me... I opted for Physical Therapy instead and over the years the pain from the bulging disks reduced and is now virtually gone most of the time. I think neck surgery should be a last resort... not sure what the MRI's showed exactly, but I met at least one neurosurgeon who was very convinced that surgery was my only option.

Acupuncture might work... you just never know.

And maybe a CT of your sinuses or a visit to the allergist just to prove that it's not really bad allergies? I assume you're inside a lot... dust mites and lack of energy to clean as much might not be helping the situation.

HI
My daughter had acupuncture and it relieved the headache right away. We were at Stanford Integrative Clinic in Palo Alto, CA. The headache came back within a few days but that gave her some relief. We eventually found a local acupuncturist here in Santa Cruz, Ca and a different type of acupuncture was given which helped for a longer time period. If you have the ability to interview the acupuncturist, you could ask them if they have dealt with mTBIs/TBIs.

The headaches are so bad....I sorry that you are going through this.