My Story-Ongoing, of course

By mlmiller6

2 min read

Hey everyone! My name is Melissa and I'm 20 years old. I recently joined this site after attending the Miles for Migraine Education Day in Philly, where they mentioned this site a lot. So, here's my story thus far!

Four years ago, I woke up with a headache. It hasn't gone away since. I've been to 5 different neurologists, a cardiologist, 2 physical therapists, a psychologist, a natural remedy practitioner, a neurological chiropractor, and more but I'll stop there. I was misdiagnosed once with Brachial Plexus Palsy (NOT something you want to be misdiagnosed with) and have since been left undiagnosed by every doctor I've seen. I've also tried medications (embarrassingly enough, I don't really remember the names of these medications) but none of them had any effect on me.

Basically, I wake up pain-free but the second I get out of bed, there is some level of pain in my head. Some days are definitely better than others. If I'm able to ignore the headache and convince myself it's not there, it's a good day! Usually, I have 1 really bad episode every week or two. I've been to the ER on multiple occasions when the pain was just too much to bear. I actually spent this past Thanksgiving (the whole week) hiding under my covers and full of random meds from the ER (they barely did anything). It's especially difficult for me at the moment because I'm a college student-I often struggle with getting work done because of my poor focus during an episode or simply because of the intensity of the pain. Often times, looking at a computer screen makes the pain worse, but unfortunately 90% of the work in college is online.

I really loved the Migraine Education Day and being able to meet so many amazing people who share my struggle. I was referred to Dr. Young at the Jefferson Headache Center and have since been attempting to make an appointment with him. If anyone has any thoughts or experiences from Jefferson, please share them with me! Or if my story somehow resonated with you, please reply! I love getting to interact with people and I think that support is vital for us migraine sufferers.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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DonnaFA Member
Hi mlmiller6! We're glad you found us, and thanks for sharing some of your story! You may actually be interested in reading a fairly recent story <a href="https://goo.gl/YI3e1b" rel="nofollow">which talks about Dr. Young and the headache clinic</a>. Also check the accompanying conversation. Thanks for being here! -Warmly, Donna (Migraine.com team)
1. mlmiller6 Member
 Hi Donna, Thank you for your reply! I read the story you suggested, as well as some others, and I'm currently trying to get an appointment with Dr. Young. It seems most people think he's worth trying! I appreciate your thoughts, take care! -Melissa
Joanna Bodner Community Admin
Hi mlmiller6! We are SO thrilled that you joined us here on our site! Migraine Education Day was such an awesome event & we were so grateful to have been part of it! How wonderful of you to been as well! We hope so share some additional information that was shared on that day as well, so stay tuned! 😀 Feel free to stop on by our Facebook page - <a href='http://www.facebook.com/MigraineDotCom/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>www.facebook.com/MigraineDotCom/</a> where you can connect and find support from many other members as well! Thanks SO much for taking the time to share your story & hope to hear more from you in the future! 😀 Take good care, Joanna (Migraine.com Team)
1. mlmiller6 Member
 Hi Joanna, Thanks so much for your reply! I look forward to becoming more involved in this site and community! ~Melissa
migraineur_n4dxbw Member
Melissa, I am like you and have a constant headache for many years but mine number to almost 20 and are 24/7. I have learned to live with the pain so that I do not need to frequent the ER. I have tried everything under the sun, even Native American healing ceremonies. Recently, I found a procedure called Spheno-cath. You can google it and find out a location near you that does this. It basically is where a special catheter that is inserted into the nasal cavity and Lidocaine is injected via the catheter into the nasal and cranial cavities. I have had several of these treatments along with pressure point Chiropractic care and injections of Lidocaine in the occipital lobes and the back of my neck. I believe that the combinations of all of this is starting to help ease my pain. You should look into this. It has helped many people. This is the first time I have mentioned it on this site. I need to post more about it. I was waiting to see if it was really making a difference and I think it is. I have gotten off one of my meds and am working on another. Let me know if what to know more or if you try it, how it works for you. Nothing has worked for me besides this in almost 20 years. It is a break through for me. Good luck!
1. mlmiller6 Member
 Hi Christy, Thanks so much for your reply and your suggestions! The spheno-cath honestly sounds kind of scary but I will definitely look into it. I am glad to hear that you have been getting some relief--after so many years of pain, a little relief is all we ask for. Please keep us posted with how you're doing and what treatments have been working for you! Best of luck! Melissa

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