Hello All!
I have been a lurker for years, and I feel that you guys are best to put my question to . (Sorry I have eaten all the pie, so I have none to offer!) While this subject is neither mundane or pointless to my family, I felt this thread probably fit best here, I assume a mod will move it if need be.
So to the subject at hand, My boyfriend recently visited the doctor for pain in his head. This pain is very severe, and seems to happen everytime he moves, even touching his hair causes him pain. The doctor told him that it is Occipital Nueralgia. She gave him a prescription for flexeril and a type of naproxin. These have not helped at all. We don’t have any medical insuranse, nor can we afford any. We are on a very limited budget and doctors, in my experience, tend to do as little as possible with those patients who don’t have a sure fire payment option, and I feel he wasn’t really treated to the best of her ability. Besides my opinions about insurance and care of those without it, he dosn’t want to rack up bills that we can’t pay on treatments that will not work. I am at a loss with this, as never having any experience with it. The pain seems to be getting worse by the day, and nothing eases it.
Now, I am not asking for medical advice, I know that isn’t what the board is for. I just want to know if there are any sufferers out there and what routes they have taken to allieviate, or possibly stop the pain. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated, and heard knowing you guys aren’t doctors.
Thanks ahead of time for any responses and nice to finally “meet” everyone!
I have trigeminal neuralgia, which is very similar but in a different part of the head. It is excruciatingly painful. I am fortunate to have medical insurance; still, it is difficult to arrive at the right preventive medication. It’s also difficult to convince people that such a condition exists and that it really!does!hurt! when they touch my face or even when I feel a breeze.
The drug Neurontin has been helpful to me in the past, although I am now on Topamax. There is not a day when I don’t feel some pain. I have to be very assertive to keep people from touching me when I know it is going to hurt me, and my husband helps me. Getting an actual diagnosis is a** very ** important accomplishment.
You don’t say where you live, and that would be helpful to learn if your boyfriend could get into a hospital-sponsored pain program. Now that he has his diagnosis, you and he can take the next steps of beating doors down to get help.
Yes we are in the US, in Arkansas. I have read about Nuerotin helping as well as the nerve block, but we aren’t sure what to do yet.
I am sorry to hear that you have this pain as well, I know it has to hurt. He cringes if I even touch his hair. How long have you been living with this?
I haven’t found any place local thus far that seems to know a whole lot about it, or that does any type of nueralogical research that might be handy.
Where do you live in Arkansas? Little Rock has a lot of specialists, especially at UAMS. People come from all over the country to go to UAMS. I know you don’t have insurace, but when my husband had cancer, we took him there and didn’t get turned away.
Can’t hurt to try. The worst they could do is tell you no.
I had your boyfriend’s problem many years ago. I was given a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory and it went away within a week or so, if I recall correctly.
It was scary at first. I thought something much more sinister might be going on. Good luck in finding assistance with this. I’m not in AK so I can’t help in that regard.
We have made some calls to UAMS (who knew they have come so far in their medicine and technology), we have an appointment next week, and financial aide. A trip to their ER proved helpful with some nuerotin and a steriod shot.
