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Oral Surgery

A week ago I had oral surgery which triggered an intense migraine that I've been unable to get rid of. Usually when I use my abortive medication of sumatriptin injection, it is 95% effective. Now the migraine comes back an hour later. I had two titatium implants placed in my lower jaw. I was totally numb from the Novacaine, but could feel, hear and smell the drill making the hole in my jaw. This isn't for the kind of implants that have teeth attached to them - these are for a new kind of denture which is a snap-on denture - more comfortable and sturdier than regular dentures. And more expensive too, I'm only 55 years old and lost all my teeth due to extensive bone loss from severe and extended anorexia. So on Monday, I saw my headache specialist for my bi-monthly nerve block injections and she took one look at me and told me that she wanted me to go into the hospital which the headache center is affiliated with and where she was on the neurology service so she would be the one directing my treatment. She said I could get IV pain meds. I said I had to go home and get some stuff and get someone to take care of my cat. She said no problem, actually it's better to come back to the ER early the next morning - less crowded.

I never went back to the hospital - I felt too guilty about not being at work - too much going on and having a reputation for always being the "sick one." So here I am still hurting - both migraine and jaw, still thinking about going into the hospital (doctor will be there until Friday), running out of Percocet, not wanting to waste sumatriptin injections
(insurance only pays for a limited amount). Just waiting for the weekend so I can collapse.

  1. Greetings Andrea,

    I'm so sorry to hear of all that you've been gong through in the past week. I'm glad to hear you've been in touch with your medical provider especially in light of your recent surgery. It sounds like you've been weighing out the pros/cons of receiving acute care for the migraine. How are things going today? I appreciate how difficult it can be to manage the guilt of living with chronic migraine, especially during a busy period at work. I thought this article may be of interest to you: https://migraine.com/blog/guilt/. Please remember you're not alone! Come here anytime for support, or on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MigraineDotCom/ (if desired). Thank you for being part of the community.

    Best,
    Brooke (Migraine.com team)

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