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My story of headache and migraine. Alternatives?
Headache & Migraine | Last Active: 6 days ago | Replies (4)Comment receiving replies
@giggles25
I like your username. 🤭
Your story is very relatable to me. My hormone changes (monthly cycle, pregnancy after years of infertility at 39, birth control and menopause) would trigger headaches and migraines with aura. Do you get aura? The weather also affects my headaches (when cloudy/raining). I can feel in my head when it is going to rain due to pressure changes.
I also drink coffee and think it helps because it causes blood vessels to constrict and put less pressure on the brain. NSAIDs and aspirin do the same for me but need to minimize taking them due to gastritis/esophogitis stomach erosions.
What type of work did you do? I worked in a desk job for over 30 years. Long hours and lots of stress. Did you ever get your cervical spine checked? I’m assuming you had your brain MRI with your neurologists. When I had daily headaches (would wake up with them) and disrupted sleep for long periods of time, I saw many doctors but wasn’t being fully/properly diagnosed.
Did your neurologist ever do EMG/nerve conduction studies on your upper/lower limbs? What other symptoms do you have now other than headaches?
I had cervical spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy (pinched nerve root/nerve) and myelopathy spinal cord flattening/compression at c5-c6 and had ACDF surgery. My daily headaches went away.
Any compression in your neck (spinal cord, nerves, blood vessels) can contribute to your headaches. It may be good to ask your neurologist to do a MRI of your cervical spine and refer you to an orthopedic spine specialist. I would not get anymore chiropractic adjustments until you learn more about what is going on in your neck.
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@dlydailyhope I hope I am replying correctly!
Thank you SO much for your reply! I think you have hit the jackpot. Just read this article on Cervical nerve root irritation. It states: "In all instances the symptoms are aggravated by certain motions and positions of the neck. Sewing, reading, driving a car, or any occupation or pleasure which necessitates holding the neck in flexion, hyperextension, rotation or lateral bending for any length of time increases the symptoms." And " In most instances the symptoms are worse at night and the patients have difficulty sleeping." It also says that people are often diagnosed with migraines. I have noticed that my headaches often occur after doing Pilates with weights (though low weight), knitting, bicycling, walking the dog on a leash, who pulls, and holding a folder with music in it, in front of me. I did have a MRI of the cervical spine in 2022 with diagnosis some degenerative disc disease, and also: "no impingement of the spinal cord, or evidence of impingement of the nerve roots." However, I have often wondered, if this MRI showed everything. I have had some tingling of the hands, but not a lot. I am extremely reluctant to get surgery for this. My neurologist will give me a nerve injection in the occipital nerve next month. I can ask for an EMG/nerve conduction study, but which specialist would be the most appropriate to see next? A nerve specialist?? Spine specialist?? Thank you!