I Got Into the new Headache Clinic!

Woohoo! The new headache clinic accepted me, and they mailed me 21 pages of forms to fill out. Goodness. It took me 2 days' worth of free time to fill them out. Once they receive my forms, they'll mail me an appointment card.

IUD is OUT

No, this is not the book review I mentioned in my last post. It will come in the near future, I promise.

But I do have some news. I got my Mirena IUD removed today! See this post for background information.

My gyno didn't try to talk me out of it, and she was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing for which I'm grateful. I thought it would be painful so I took two Aleves about an hour before - I already had some cramps and a headache - but I don't know if they made a difference. They sure didn't help my headache! Anyway, there was a second of intense pain when she pulled it out (felt like really bad cramps but as a sharp pain) and that was it. I wasn't even sore afterward.

She said I'll get my normal period back in about a month, and then I'll be able to get my hormones tested. Then maybe I'll find out if they're related to my headaches.

Merry Christmas!

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.'

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'"

Luke 2: 8-14, New Living Translation

Headache Procedures

Below is an excerpt from the Houston Chronicle on headache procedures. Click here for the full article, called "So many ways to treat so many types of headache" by Cindy George.

I wasn't aware of these procedures. If you've tried one or more, I'd love to hear from you on whether or not they worked!

- - - - - - - -

Procedures
• NERVE BLOCK: The occipital nerve block, called ONB, is a 10-minute outpatient steroid injection around pinched nerves that stretch from the upper neck to the back of the eyes.
"That will help relieve chronic daily headaches and migraines," Derman (Dr. Howard S. Derman, a neurologist at The Methodist Hospital) said.

The medication doesn't go into the bloodstream and there are no side effects from the steroids, he said.

After 140 procedures in the last 18 months, Derman reports a 65 percent success rate.

• NERVE DECOMPRESSION SURGERY: Involves an incision at the back of the head to remove thick tissue that squeezes occipital nerves.
"The decompression is very effective in relieving headaches that have been going on for years," Blake (Dr. Pamela Blake, a Houston neurologist at Memorial Hermann Northwest) said. She evaluates patients and determines which nerves need the operation.

A surgeon performs the decompression. Ideal candidates have had daily, constant headaches for more than 6 months and do not respond well to medications. About half of patients with insurance are covered for the procedure.

• NERVE STIMULATION IMPLANT: A device connected to a battery pack, similar to a pacemaker, is placed under the skin to stimulate occipital nerves and drown out pain.
"The theory is that your brain can only listen to one type of stimulation at a time," Blake said. "If we can drive out painful stimulus with painless stimulus, the brain will listen to that."

This is an option for people who did not respond to decompression surgery or whose insurance will not cover the surgery.

Headaches and Hormones

I visited my neurologist this week and I have a few things to discuss. Warning - hormonal discussion ahead, with all the gory details.


Earlier I wrote how I plan to visit a new neurologist who specializes in hormonal headaches. I brought it up to my neurologist, and he seemed familiar with her and said that she would probably put me on estrogen, which I've tried before. However, I still want to see her, so, my neurologist is filling out a referral for me and then the new place has to evaluate my files and decide whether or not they'll accept me. Yep, apparently I have to be accepted. With all the people who suffer from headaches/migraines (I think I read the other day it's 20% of women), I'm sure they get a lot of requests. I'll post on my blog as soon as I get accepted (might as well think positively).

Hormonal Issues and My IUD
I told my neurologist that I've been spotting and cramping still (sometimes one or the other, sometimes both, at all different times throughout the month). If you don't follow my blog, I should mention that I have an intrauterine device - IUD - Mirena - because I felt that the Pill gave me migraines. I've tried the Patch also, and the Pill for months straight and had breakthrough bleeding. Fun stuff. So anyway, my neuro asked me if I had breast tenderness (yes) and cysts (I think so) which the IUD can cause. He thinks I should get the IUD out next month when I visit my gyno. Btw, dummy me didn't check to see if the IUD was covered in my insurance two years ago, and the Mirena plus insertion cost about $1,000. One. Thousand. Bucks. And it's supposed to last five years. That would have pretty much been the cost of the Pill for five years, so that made it a little better. But after two years??? And removal costs $175.

My husband does NOT want me to get it out, because of money. I hate to go against him, but it's my body, and I don't like what's happening with it.

Hormonal Tests
One reason my neuro wants it out, aside from the reasons above, is so I can have a normal period and get my hormones tested. A few visits ago I asked him about getting my hormones tested and he said it wouldn't help, but that's because he thought my headaches were from muscle tension and I think now he realizes it's hormones, because all the anxiety meds and muscle relaxers didn't help.

Quasi-scientific Stuff
I will attempt to explain why my neuro wants my IUD out and hormones checked. The Mirena IUD has the hormone levonorgestrel, which is synthetic progesterone, a natural female hormone. Levonorgestrel acts like progesterone in the female parts and the brain for most women, but for some, like me, it doesn't fit the receptors. My neuro thinks that I need the progesterone because he suspects my levels are low and that is why I started my period somewhat late (age 15) and had heavy periods and cramping. My mom went through the same thing (she does not have headaches, but my dad gets migraines, with his fibromyalgia) so I thought nothing of it. If I do have some form of a progesterone deficiency, the hormone tests would reflect it and I could then take pills to fix it, and PERHAPS, my headaches would then go away.

Just the thought of there finally being a cause of my headaches is extremely exciting to me, and I want to yank the IUD out (ouch, not really) and get the tests done immediately! But, I have to wait for a normal period first.

Other Updates
Btw - I get to stop Abilify, thank the Lord. And I mean that. It was awful.

My neuro also recommended a book, Natural Hormone Balance for Women, by Uzzi Reiss, M.D./O.B. GYN. Yes, that's seven letters after his name! I checked it out from the library today and will do a book review post when I'm done.

Thanks for reading! As always, feel free to comment to share your experiences, thoughts, or opinions!

Natural Products

A few posts ago I talked about eating more natural foods, and I mentioned that I'm switching to more natural products as well. I searched the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and bought the safest products I could find at Whole Foods and CVS. Because these products are free of fragrances and other "toxins" that alter the body's hormones and do other bad things, I thought that my headaches might improve. Here are my thoughts.



Negatives first:
-my headaches have not improved
-the soap is made of olive oil and is very hard to clean off my shower door
-I'm not 100% sure that fluoride-free toothpaste prevents cavities, but I'm going to ask my dentist when I see him next. For now, I use toothpaste with fluoride about once a week to be safe. ***UPDATE! I called my dentist and he does NOT recommend fluoride-free toothpaste, since that's what prevents cavities. Bummer. I guess you just spit toothpaste out anyway (of course I'm sure some is absorbed).***
-all these products are expensive, even with coupons
-the shampoo and conditioner stink
-the deodorant, which is pretty much salt water, doesn't work well but I do sweat a lot for a girl

Positives:
-I feel better about the products I use, and by that I mean I feel like these products are healthy for my body
-I have a goat milk soap that I'm going to try next - maybe that will work better than the oil-based one
-the shaving cream, which looks like toothpaste, doesn't lather much, but it still provides excellent coverage without having to use a lot, and I haven't cut myself shaving at all

I use mineral makeup and was hoping to convert all my makeup to the best brands on the database, but what I found was extremely expensive, so I'm sticking to what I have for now. I do use Alba lip gloss, which has 82% certified organic ingredients (what's the remaining 18%? Who knows). Also, I use a regular unscented lotion. I might buy a natural one from the database eventually.

P.S. - Keep the comments coming on the post below on Abilify!
P.P.S. - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :o)

Abilify Side Effects?

I've been on my "full" dose of Abilify for about two weeks. Full is in quotes because it's only 1 mg/day, whereas if I was taking it for bipolar disorder and not headaches, I'd be on 20 mg, according to my neurologist. Check out my first Abilify post.

Because I had to start it so gradually, I'm thinking the dosage is high enough to cause side effects. So, here they are, and please note that I'm reluctant to post these because I've had a cold the last week and a half, so these could be from the cold:

- Vivid dreams. Very very creepily realistic.
- Loss of appetite (this one's got to be from my cold).
- INABILITY TO CONCENTRATE. I'm at work right now, and I figured all I was doing was staring at the computer screen, so I might as well post about it on my blog. Seriously, I have a lot of work to do and my job has been ridiculously difficult lately just because I can't focus!
- Depression. **Let me change this to "Anxiety." While I do feel down, I'm more anxious than anything. I don't want to misrepresent the lovely side effects!** A depression medicine, causing depression? Strange, but it happens. My neurologist said Abilify would lower my anxiety (I haven't been diagnosed, but I worry all the time), and I think it's done the opposite. I'm restless and yet in a zone.

If you're on Abilify, please share your experiences! I can live with the side effects, but I still have headaches, so what's the point. I'm going to stick with it until my next appointment in December because I know meds take a while to work, but I don't anticipate that happening. Sorry to be negative.

To end on a positive note, I've decided to see a new neurologist. I'm going to speak with my current neuro about it in Dec.

Book Review: The Headache Cure

On a recent vacation, I read The Headache Cure by Joseph Kandel, M.D. and David Sudderth, M.D. I read the entire book in the car in about five hours (surprisingly, reading in a car does NOT give me a headache). I read it so quickly because it told me just about everything I already knew.


(image copyright 2008 Barnes & Noble)

If you're just starting to get headaches, this is the book for you. It's basic and covers lots of possible reasons and solutions.

However, if you're like me and have been suffering from headaches for years, you probably won't learn much from this book.

There was one part that was interesting, so of course I'm going to share it with my readers! If you want to try feverfew or other vitamins/supplements, this book gives some helpful buying tips:

* Buy vitamins/supplements manufactured in the U.S. or Canada only.
* Check ingredients to make sure there aren't lots of unecessary ones. For feverfew for example, it should only contain parthenolide.
*Ask your doctor about the dosage, or buy the product that has the lowest required dose.
*This goes without saying, but check with your doctor before you start taking vitamins/supplements because there's always a risk of interaction with your current prescription or OTC medications.

Echocardiogram results; Bystolic Q&A

Drum roll, please....

No hole in my heart! Woohoo. I was ready to have heart surgery too. Of course, I would have ruled out other things first. Anyway, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, see my last post. I encourage everyone who has headaches/migraines to get the test done though, assuming your insurance covers it, because ya never know...

So moving on to other things, this health Web site called Wellsphere publishes my blog (among other blogs) and they have a Q&A section, so I decided to ask a question. Here's the link, and here's the Q&A:

Q:

Is anyone else on Bystolic (nebivolol) for headaches/migraines?

I've been on it (5 mg/day) for at least six months, and while my migraines have gone away for the most part, I still have about 10-15 headaches a month. My neurologist thinks it's helping my migraines, but I'm not sure if it's that or something else. I didn't have many migraines that often to begin with.

If you're on it or have tried it, please weigh in. Is it helping? Did you have any side effects? (I haven't noticed any except for a slower heart rate). I'm nervous about being on such a new medication when I don't even think it's helping.

Thanks!

-Heather

A:

Heather,

Bystolic is a beta blocker, and beta blockers are quite effective Migraine preventive medications for many people. However, after five months, it's working as well as it's going to unless you increase your dosage. If you're worried about Bystolic because it's new, there are many older beta blockers you could try, including propranolol/Inderal (Note from Heather - I've tried these; bad side effects)

You are definitely still having too many Migraines. Research is increasingly showing that Migraine is a progressive neruological disease that can cause brain damage in some patients. Those who have three or more Migraines a month are at more risk for such damage than people who have fewer than three Migraines a month.

For more information, see Is Migraine a Progressive Brain Disease? and Yes, Migraines Can Cause Brain Damage.

Don't just settle. It's far too important. If your doctor won't work with you to find better treatment, it's time for a new doctor.

Good luck,

Teri

(Back to Heather:)

Now, Teri isn't a doctor, but she seems to have a lot of knowledge when it comes to headaches and migraines. Check out her blog here.

Speaking of migraines, I had my first one in a while (I mostly get headaches) on Friday. I'm nervous that since I've had my IUD for two years, my body is getting used to it and I'm going to have migraines like I did when my body got used to The Pill. I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see.

To wrap up this post, I'd like to thank God for the good test results today!

Echocardiogram

On November 10 I will have an echocardiogram at my neurologist's office. For those who are not familiar, research has shown that many people who have a hole in the heart also suffer from migraines. My mom, who is a nurse, saw this on tv and encouraged me to get a test - an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart.

Two really neat things for which I give God the credit - when I asked my neurologist about the test, I found out that a cardiologist actually comes to their office every Monday and can perform the test! The second absolutely extraordinary thing is that my insurance is actually going to cover the test! Praise God! Although they weren't certain they'd cover it at first, I wrote them a letter explaining how I was born with a functional heart murmur, which could be from a hole in my heart, so that might have helped.

So what happens if they find a hole? I'm trying not to think about that, especially since my aunt was telling me about someone who died from having surgery for a hole in his heart (but his was necessary and not related to migraines) - she told me this without knowing about my test too! But, there are people who have had the surgery and had a reduction in migraines.

I encourage you to read this post from The Daily Headache, a really neat blog that you've probably visited. The comments are particularly interesting.

I'll post my test results next week. Until then, hope you have a headache-free week (starting tomorrow - I mean, how can you NOT have a headache on election day? hehe).