Hi Joan. I'm so glad to hear from you but sorry that you're not getting relief from headaches. I've gotten terrible migraines ever since I had my original meningioma resected in 2001 but they are on the same side. I control them with medication. Last year I started getting a very different type of headache (very sudden onset, very severe, only last a few minutes) and those headaches were the same side as my meningioma but opposite side from where I had a recurrence in 2017. My neurosurgeon did not think my headaches were related to my meningiomas. I also saw my neurologist about the headaches. I would recommend you see a neurologist if you can. They specialize in treating headaches. Mine started me out on Alleve every day which helped but when I stopped the Alleve, the headaches started up again. He ordered an MRA for me (which is similar to an MRI) to rule out an aneurysm. It was normal. Over a period of months, the headaches gradually grew less and less frequent. I don't know if this was a coincidence, but during the time I was having them, I had an appointment with my dentist. I told him about the headaches. He asked if I felt that I ever clinched my teeth or did I grind them, especially during the night while sleeping? He said I should first try to make a conscious effort not to do either of those, and if the headaches persist, to try a bite plate to wear overnight. It's like a retainer just for your top teeth that you sleep in. He said grinding and clinching your teeth can definitely cause headaches and he said a bite plate can be very effective. During the timeframe where the headaches became less frequent and finally stopped, any time during the day when I was stressed or rushing, I could feel that I was clinching my teeth. When I started focusing on not clinching them, that's when the headaches became more and more less frequent and finally stopped. Like I said, it could have been a coincidence, but I think it helped.
You've made a great start by consulting with your neurosurgeon and PC and trying PT. I totally understand about not wanting to see more doctors when they haven't helped so far. But maybe consider a neurologist and perhaps your dentist. Neurologists have all kinds of treatments for headaches. My brother-in-law is a retired neurologist. He sometimes taught patients techniques such as biofeedback to control headaches.
Have you seen a neurologist yet at Mayo or locally where you live? Also, if you can, try PT for a few appointments. I have a physical therapist that I've gone to off and on for years whenever my disc in my lower back acts up and the exercises she gives me to do are much more effective than pain med. Please keep in touch. Jill

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