Does anyone have experience with surgical interventions?
I'm new to this community. I have intractable migraines since 2009. No medication or therapy helped until I had a procedure called radio frequency of the ventral plexus nerve. That procedure was a miracle. It last 9-12 months with almost no headaches. The only Dr that performed it that I can find lost his medical license in 2016 for being impaired on the job. Now I'm back to my intractable migraines with no relief with drugs. People call me crazy when I tell them I'd go back to that Dr if he could do that procedure again. I know some of you can relate to that desperation. Now I have a Dr wanting to do a third occipital nerve block and if that works then a radio frequency ablation of a different nerve. I'm wondering if anyone has heard of the first RFA and also if anyone has gotten relief from the second RFA? Thanks!
Hi nmdhcak,
Welcome! Thank you for sharing your story with us. I've not had this procedure, but hopefully others will be along shortly to share their experiences with you.
In the meantime, please try not to lose hope! There are over 100 medications and supplements that can be used to treat migraine disease and when we add up all the combinations, that number goes dramatically. I hope you find this information helpful: https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start/.
Let me know what you think!
NancyI have had radio frequency lesioning done 3 times. It’s also known as nerve ablation.
The first time I had it done it was a miracle. I was pain free for almost 6 months. The same Dr did it a second time and unfortunately it did not work at all. I then moved from New York to Florida. I researched and found a Dr that was highly recommended. I underwent the procedure and I don’t know what he did, but I was in agony for almost 6 month. Perhaps he overturned my nerves. Now I’m afraid to do it again. I am now trying something that’s been used for 15 years. I don’t know why I never heard of it but my pain management Dr. Recommended it to me. It is done in the hospital, non invasive. I am having Ketamine infusions. You usually need about 10 to 15 infusions several weeks apart.
I have undergone my 2nd infusion. Had an impressive result after 1st infusion. No real change after the 2nd. But I’m going to follow it through. Especially since here in Florida they are making in next to impossible to get opioids. Ive been suffering for @ 40 years. Had to stop working.I recently had radio frequency ablation on my small & large left occipital nerves. I went into the procedure with low expectations due to the research I'd done. But I'm pleased to say I've had great success with it. I have had some pain on the small nerve, but I believe it's because the physician had a difficult time finding the nerve. We're watching it and I'll have another ablation if the pain increases. This is an area that my neurologist hasn't been able to to help reach with meds, nerve blocks, nor botox. Nothing has help except the ablation and I'm loving it! Now, if we could do something about my hemicrania continua, I'd be the happiest woman in the world.
I see you've not had any comments here for nearly 3 years, but that's how long I've been doing RF ablation/facet injection. My 1st pain management doc that did it for me 3x (2018, 2019, 2020) retired; he was addressing C3-C8 --basically all the cervical vertebrae, both sides. It helps reduce the pain of migraines A LOT, but I still have them... back to 1 Fiorinal/codeine from 4-6, plus Imitrex. Other preventatives I have tried included: Botox, CGRPs (3 different ones, they suck), beta blockers (made me dizzy), tricyclic antidepressants, Toxpamax, and I'm sure I've forgotten some things. I've tried melatonin (causes migraines), feverfew (yep, causes'em too), mega-B vitamins with CoQ, ginger, butterbur, caffeine/not, etc and so forth. Thanks to the State of Texas making it possible only for Pain Management docs to Rx pain meds, I "fired" my neurologist -- the PM did the same stuff she did and more, so why bother? My 1st PM doc retired in Dec; my Cervical stuff "wears out" in July-August, and I'm not sure about the new PM doc. She's "in" to ketamine, and sedating for all RF procedures -- 1st doc was okay with me going sedation free. The L4-S1 procedure doc 2 did for me with ketamine -- the procedure was okay, I guess, but the ketamine recovery was a 2-dimensional nightmare -- couldn't move, didn't know what was going on, couldn't understand anyone about anything (words didn't make sense), and I was apparently staring at the ceiling tiles without realizing what they were with no depth perception... While it might take 8-10 procedures with ketamine for any effect, I'm not doing that again, especially after nearly choking on stomach bile. The nurse tells me I was "very quiet" for being under ketamine, I think I was scared silly and doing the "perfectly still prey hiding" routine. I know there are better sedatives, my colonoscopy was nothing like that... so we'll stick with that.
