Professional Migraine Tester/ King Of Pain

Hey y'all, I am at two years, 10 months of daily migraines and non stop ringing in the ears. I was hit by a hit and run driver one night after work. The huge truck passed the witness who was doing 80mph, trying to escape this idiot, and then the big redneck mobile jumped a set of railroad tracks and landed into the rear end of my truck, at over 80mph. I have no idea how I survived. No air bag deployment, just my face bouncing off the steering wheel and dash. I had a former eye socket fracture from before, and I got a new one on top of this-and, according to the ENT surgeon, the new one will never heal fully because of this. It took a year of constant ER visits (and many accusations of being a junkie) to find a doctor willing to treat me with pain meds. All the migraine specific meds do nothing, even the self injectors. We only recently found nerve damage being the cause of one, ha ha, of the migraines, the trauma caused the other one, the cluster ones in front. I am basically a shut in at this point, I just started getting nerve block injections. I have finally got a neurologist's referral to a pain clinic. I have a bag of meds, even the Fentanyl patches. Not how I wanted to end my career, ha ha, and not how I like to spend my days, hiding from the sun and living confined at home. I was so glad to find this spot researching the Alice In Wonderland Effect, trying to make sure I wasn't having some effect from the yet-to-be-determined-amount of brain damage!

Hi Cujo,

Welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear about such a terrible accident. I'm glad they are finally treating you appropriately. Although why anyone would try to claim your pain was not legitamate after an accident like that is beyond me.

Many people seem to have a significant injury in their past that triggers the migraines. Mine started with a bulging disk in my neck. My doctor told me that our bodies "learn to have migraines". Although I keep wondering if they can learn to have them, why can't they unlearn it?

I hope they are able to find an approach that works better for you. Are the nerve block injections working?

cujo the dog of war wrote: Hey y'all, I am at two years, 10 months of daily migraines and non stop ringing in the ears. I was hit by a hit and run driver one night after work. The huge truck passed the witness who was doing 80mph, trying to escape this idiot, and then the big redneck mobile jumped a set of railroad tracks and landed into the rear end of my truck, at over 80mph. I have no idea how I survived. No air bag deployment, just my face bouncing off the steering wheel and dash. I had a former eye socket fracture from before, and I got a new one on top of this-and, according to the ENT surgeon, the new one will never heal fully because of this. It took a year of constant ER visits (and many accusations of being a junkie) to find a doctor willing to treat me with pain meds. All the migraine specific meds do nothing, even the self injectors. We only recently found nerve damage being the cause of one, ha ha, of the migraines, the trauma caused the other one, the cluster ones in front. I am basically a shut in at this point, I just started getting nerve block injections. I have finally got a neurologist's referral to a pain clinic. I have a bag of meds, even the Fentanyl patches. Not how I wanted to end my career, ha ha, and not how I like to spend my days, hiding from the sun and living confined at home. I was so glad to find this spot researching the Alice In Wonderland Effect, trying to make sure I wasn't having some effect from the yet-to-be-determined-amount of brain damage!

Cujo

My migraines were the results of a motor cycle accident, severe head trauma, left hemisphere dysfunction etc. Cervical Spondylosis of the neck as well. I should have died, the driver of the motor cycle did die, I was a passenger. We hit an oncoming terrain vehicle head on at 70 miles an hour, they were on the wrong side of the road with no lights. None of them were hurt, they had been drinking.

I did the pain clinic for a year, occiptal lobe injections, cervical facet injections and Rhizotomy of the Ganglion nerves at C-2 on both sides. No releif, in fact it got worse, the nerves were really ticked off for being "fried".

I hope you have success, I hope everyone in the Underworld here finds real help.

Today is 18 migraines in the last 22 days. Not doing so great right now, However I honestly hope that everyone here will find a way to medicate and cope that allows ALL of outside, in the sun, feeling the breeze, swimming in the ocean and just having a few days to actually live...................
Trinity

Welcome to the Underground, Cujo-the Dog-of-War!
I love love love your nick!
and I love Stephen King! long live the King !!

How terrible about your accident, (you too, Trinity) and so sorry you suffer so much as a result.
Let's hope one day there WILL BE an improvement, as there always is hope since you weren't born with it
there is room for improvement (for the headaches). (and other ailments). (resulting from the accident).
Yikes, I hope I make a modicum of sense at least, since I have a major migraine today.

Risa

Welcome to the underground!

Yes, those were terrible accidents!

One possibility after something like that would be a cranial CSF leak. Those buggers can be difficult to detect.

http://www.csfleak.org

Good information about cranial leaks on the above site.

Cheryl

Anna's Mom wrote:Yes, those were terrible accidents!

One possibility after something like that would be a cranial CSF leak. Those buggers can be difficult to detect.

http://www.csfleak.org

Good information about cranial leaks on the above site.

Cheryl

CSF Leak, I am going to check on that now. Thank so much for the information.
Trinity

You could post on the forum and ask for suggestions of a good doctor near you to check it out.

I wish the best for you!

Cheryl

So sorry to read of your accident too, 777Trinity. I know how the anger goes to the ones causing it. There is little doubt the idiot who hit me over 80mph in a 45 zone, after midnight, was drunk. I got the nickname from working with SpecOps, as during an ''hazing'' type indocrination, I picked up a tormentor and holding him at my head's height, bit his side, ha ha. Yeah, as soon as I got hit, and realized it was not a train I missed seeing after crossing the tracks, I knew I was hurt. The awful and instant pain in my head and neck, the ringing in the ears, it was like being blown up. I got a small test level of some nerve block shots a few weeks ago, and it really helped with the nerve-induced head pain, and helped identify what the neurologist suspected, that I also had the cluster party going on up in the front of my noggin. I call it the brain pain, ha ha! The shots in the neck this past Friday were useless, but she said she was trying a different type of meds. I was able to identify it did not numb all the way to the eye area, and now we know what doesn't work. The awful news, I have to get yet another MRI series this Friday, this time for the neck. So far my pleas for an updated look at the fractured eye socket falls on deaf ears; time to pull a a favor from another doc I know. I just want to see if it is open more, healing (although the surgeon said it never would), or at least to have a new copy to shove into the next ER doc's face who treats me like a junkie! I have to admit, a few weeks ago I was SO desperate, I had to finally go to three ER's in one day! The first was the doc who told me I was a liar, that all fractures heal. I came so very close to getting up off that bed and putting him into one! The second ER gave me some immediate relief and sent me to my neurologist's hospital's ER and to ask to be admitted. I got treatment, slowly, but not admitted. I started out at 0730 that morning, got home at 730 PM! Anyway, I have the good news! The doc has set me up referral to a pain clinic that will not only give injections, but treat me for the other migraines with narcotics. It has almost been three years, I am so tired of fighting for some real treatment,so this looks like some real promise. Now I just have to wait for the MRIs and the hopefully soon appointment with the pain clinic. I am so glad the doc also recorded my problem often with pain meds, my body adjusts fast. I had a horrendous injury in the service, and it took years of operations, so now morphine is like candy to me. I am more than a bit nervous of these Fentanyl patches, they make you feel short of breath at times! HA HA! Now to find where that ER doc lives! BWHA BWHA! And thank you all for your warm welcome! Mike

Sorry, I guess it goes without saying I am in pain at present. Actually, if I can break one, it is an average of two a day. But my bag of pills help some. HA HA Some. I did have a spinal leak looked at. I actually had to start and continue sleeping with a big wedge pillow to keep my head elevated. I have to-if I wake up flat, I am in agony. If I lay flat, i often wake up vomiting. And for about two years, I had spontaneous leaks of spinal fluid out my nose at night. So, for fear of pain and drowning, I have the ''Old Man'' pillow set up! HA HA It is a half of one of those back lift sleeping rigs. I found it online. I hope and think my spinal leak might have healed, it has not leaked in months. I do think that my immunity has been compromised though; I seem to get sick a lot more often. I have had pneumonia twice and bronchitis four times since the wreck. I think with the new treatment, I can get out more to the outdoor and indoor ranges! I used to train almost every week. Been in three branches of service, three law enforcement agencies and a government contractor and private contractor. Now I can hardly get out to teach my boxing dummy in the yard who is boss! Here's to hope and keeping the ER docs in line! Mike

cujo the dog of war wrote: Sorry, I guess it goes without saying I am in pain at present. Actually, if I can break one, it is an average of two a day. But my bag of pills help some. HA HA Some. I did have a spinal leak looked at. I actually had to start and continue sleeping with a big wedge pillow to keep my head elevated. I have to-if I wake up flat, I am in agony. If I lay flat, i often wake up vomiting. And for about two years, I had spontaneous leaks of spinal fluid out my nose at night. So, for fear of pain and drowning, I have the ''Old Man'' pillow set up! HA HA It is a half of one of those back lift sleeping rigs. I found it online. I hope and think my spinal leak might have healed, it has not leaked in months. I do think that my immunity has been compromised though; I seem to get sick a lot more often. I have had pneumonia twice and bronchitis four times since the wreck. I think with the new treatment, I can get out more to the outdoor and indoor ranges! I used to train almost every week. Been in three branches of service, three law enforcement agencies and a government contractor and private contractor. Now I can hardly get out to teach my boxing dummy in the yard who is boss! Here's to hope and keeping the ER docs in line! Mike

Hang in there Mike, we all know this "migraine war" is hell. Trying Lisinopril 10mg next as part of my arsenal to work as a migraine preventative. It seems I have CSF pressure not a leak, so hopefullly this old school B/P med will help releive some of that. Met someone who used it and has gone 18 months with just 3 migraines........I KNOW...way to good to be true, but has been for him. Met his wife who is an RN and she said prior to the Lisinopril he was down 3-4 days a week with migraine. Took about 3 months to kick in.

I keep hoping to find the right combination to get this hell monkey off my head.

Trinity

Best of luck with the new meds, Trinity! I know this next bit is slightly off topic, but I don't know how else to ask. Have any of y'all found that your immune system is weak or failing since this pain has started? I can only draw the conclusion that mine is. I have had some CT Scans and MRI's, with no mention of a damaged spleen, but I keep getting sick! Three weeks ago it was bronchitis out of no where. Last night/this morning, it looks like pneumonia again, just like last Summer! I'd honestly break down and cry, but my body hurts all over too much to do it-ha ha. Coughing up dark stuff suddenly, feel extremely achy all over, feel like you could just fall down and pass out. Trust me, I am not a hypochondriac, I try to ignore sickness when I can-I hate being down. Probably have to see my health clinic doc friend tomorrow. Maybe it IS time to take a good hard look at the spleen. HA ha ha! And now the cherry on top for yesterday! I went for the MRI series for nerve damage in my neck. I expected the one that is a small yet short tunnel that they did my head in with the ''cage.'' Nope. This one was about an 8 foot long Tunnel seemingly from Hellraiser the movie! I am a big guy, and they had me lie down on the bed and I figure, ''hey, just going into it to my chest." Nope again! I suddenly was in to my knees. The top is a couple of inches from my face, the sides so tight I could not have possibly got out on my own. My arms are wedged on my sides and I swear I hear Pinhead laughing, ha ha ha ARGH! So, reschedule the HELLRAISER ROOM to an open machine, with sedative anyway. Embarrassing, yes! Embarrassed enough to try it again? Hell no~! HA HA! My mind reels wondering who would buy that machine in the first place, ha ha! So, here I am, humbled and having a heavy chest and wheezing. Not too proud to cry either, ha ha ha ha! My body aches like a Two Dollar Crack ''Lady of the Evening" on Sunday morning! Bewildered overall! Mike

cujo the dog of war wrote: Best of luck with the new meds, Trinity! I know this next bit is slightly off topic, but I don't know how else to ask. Have any of y'all found that your immune system is weak or failing since this pain has started? I can only draw the conclusion that mine is. I have had some CT Scans and MRI's, with no mention of a damaged spleen, but I keep getting sick! Three weeks ago it was bronchitis out of no where. Last night/this morning, it looks like pneumonia again, just like last Summer! I'd honestly break down and cry, but my body hurts all over too much to do it-ha ha. Coughing up dark stuff suddenly, feel extremely achy all over, feel like you could just fall down and pass out. Trust me, I am not a hypochondriac, I try to ignore sickness when I can-I hate being down. Probably have to see my health clinic doc friend tomorrow. Maybe it IS time to take a good hard look at the spleen. HA ha ha! And now the cherry on top for yesterday! I went for the MRI series for nerve damage in my neck. I expected the one that is a small yet short tunnel that they did my head in with the ''cage.'' Nope. This one was about an 8 foot long Tunnel seemingly from Hellraiser the movie! I am a big guy, and they had me lie down on the bed and I figure, ''hey, just going into it to my chest." Nope again! I suddenly was in to my knees. The top is a couple of inches from my face, the sides so tight I could not have possibly got out on my own. My arms are wedged on my sides and I swear I hear Pinhead laughing, ha ha ha ARGH! So, reschedule the HELLRAISER ROOM to an open machine, with sedative anyway. Embarrassing, yes! Embarrassed enough to try it again? Hell no~! HA HA! My mind reels wondering who would buy that machine in the first place, ha ha! So, here I am, humbled and having a heavy chest and wheezing. Not too proud to cry either, ha ha ha ha! My body aches like a Two Dollar Crack ''Lady of the Evening" on Sunday morning! Bewildered overall! Mike

Hey Mike

Don't feel bad about the tight MRI, I can't do it without a sedative either, so claustophobic(need spell check) in there!

Hey you are not imagining that your immune system is down. My Endocrinologist put me on vitamin C & E for that very reason. It's Spring Valley, has 500mg of C and 400mg of E in each capsule. I just take 1 capsule each day, along with Calcium, D-3 and B-Complex, all his choices. I kept getting Diverticulitis and thought I would not live through that pain of infected intestines... gross!!! I've been on the vitamins about 3 months now and no more sinus infections either! Praise God those vitamins actually work and doctors are finally getting on board with it! They did blood work to see where I was deficient , might suggest you do the same.

My doc said our bodies are amazing and just about any organ in our body will heal itself if we treat it right with dietary measures. He's about 75 years old, walks faster than I do and weighs a good 75 pounds less than me and we are the same height. He is eccentric, quirky and sharp as a tack! I love this old guy, makes a lot of the "baby boomer" doctors look like idiots!

Trinity

Stress can definitely lower your immune system. And frequent, chronic migraine definitely counts as a major physical and physchological stressor. So I would not doubt it an lower our bodies ability to fight things off. A good round of supplemental vitamins is a great idea.

I am not sure - for the most part of my life I was anyway prone to sinus infections, so it's hard to say....

Risa

I think I agree with the immunse system thing. Since I have had migraines I catch every damn bug floating around here, or anywhere, even if someone walks by 30 ft away, I may just catch it!

I am wondering about the nerve blocks...if there is certainty that there is a nerve issue, could possibly ablation be better? Also I know that there is an implantable device that supposedly "turns the pain signals to the brain off". I was never a candidate for the implant, BUT I also did not suffer from a migraine issue due to an accident or physical situation.

I enjoyed reading your post, I wish you didn't have migraines, but you still seem to have your edge. Little sarcastic, little pissed off, and still looking for information. That attitude will take you a long way. Although you are shut in, you seem as if you have not given up! I was shut in for about 3 1/2 years. I know how much that sucks! Thankfully a forum like this can connect you to people who know what you are going though and will respond.

I am sorry this had to happen to you. I myself woke up one day and just had migraines. It has been just over 10 years ago. One day your life is just going along as planned and ***BAM*** the world is not what it used to be. Please take care.