In 2003, I started having debilitating migraines. I never had them before then. Most days, I couldn’t stand getting out of bed as the pain was so intense. For five years, I went to 20 different doctors. I was diagnosed with allergies and got allergy shots, which didn’t help. I was given five different migraine specific medicines, which d…
In 2003, I started having debilitating migraines. I never had them before then. Most days, I couldn’t stand getting out of bed as the pain was so intense. For five years, I went to 20 different doctors. I was diagnosed with allergies and got allergy shots, which didn’t help. I was given five different migraine specific medicines, which didn’t help. I was given Naproxen, to Celebrex, to Vicodin, to Percocet, to Fentanyl patches, to OxyContin, which only made me sick and still have terrible migraines. I cold turkeyed off the OxyContin and thought I was going to die. It was horrid. I was told it was depression causing the migraines, not the debilitating migraines causing me depression. Lexapro, Zoloft, Valium, Ridalin, Adderall, and now Vyvanse. Then I was told that the answer to the migraines was absolutely hormonal. I had a full hysterectomy at 26, only to wake up from surgery with the same intense headache I went into surgery with. I was completely defeated and literally could not see the point of living. My dad called and begged me to see his pain specialist. By then I trusted no doctors and I didn’t have it in me to try. God bless my dad, he was persistent and insistent so I went to make him stop asking me. His doctor hardly had to touch me and said it was TMJ, a jaw disorder. I thought he was another crazy guy in a white coat, but I listened and did what he said, including wearing braces for a second time and eventually jaw surgery where 8mm of bone was removed from my upper palate. I woke up from surgery, face black and blue and more swollen than a basketball, but it was the first time in five years there was no pain in my head. I couldn’t help but go everywhere I couldn’t while I had been confined to bed by the intense pain. I’m sure I scared countless people with my face looking so bruised and swollen, but I didn’t care. I’ve never had a headache since and that doctor literally saved my life. I hope your patients know how blessed they are to have you as their doc, Midwest Doc. You are what is ‘extremely rare’ and what a precious resource you are for those under your care. I am truly thankful for all I endured during those five years. It prepared me and strengthened my resolve in having the largest part of my own health research and decisions. The insistence on the COVID vaccines by so many didn’t stand a chance against me after everything that happened to me years ago. I appreciate you, Doc, and all the knowledge you share with all of us. God bless you greatly.
Similar story for me, but migraines weren't as extreme as yours and the fix was also not as extreme. Had migraines for decades, tried many different doctors, a lot of whom where not the standard western doc's. But nothing helped. 20 years ago or so I discovered that one or two cups of strong coffee would knock out a migraine most of the time. (I was not a regular coffee or caffeine user.) So I just lived with them. I got them about every 3 weeks on average. A year and a half ago thru an unusual set of circumstances (I had an acute situation with head pain as base of skull) I saw a chiropractor (I'd seen chiro's in the past and they had not helped) because he had a PEMF machine. He told me he didn't think the machine would help and went on to say that the cause for 40% of migraine sufferers is muscular. He treated me by pressing very hard on my jaw muscles to release the muscle. Second time I saw him, I jokingly said, just don't break my jaw because it felt like he was pressing it so hard he actually could. He said, no, I'm not pressing that hard, and showed me by pressing on my wrist. Third time I saw him he said I'm going to release you, which meant, come back as needed. He initially thought I'd need to see a TMJ specialist and get a splint made, but now doesn't think so. I see him every 2 or 3 months. Haven't had a headache since starting to see him and that was a year and a half ago. I used to get one or two a month.
PS I did try a migraine pharmaceutical once, but hated the way it made me feel like someone was choking me. So at that time, I just went back to coffee. It was way more comfortable and more fun! ;-)
My son started having migraines when he was about 3 years old. I thought he had a brain tumor, so I took him to his pediatrician. She asked me a series of questions, things like: Do they wake him up at night? Does he vomit? And the answers were no.
She said, “Some kids just have headaches.” Several years and many ibuprofen tablets later, he started vomiting and they were waking him up at night. I was furious because I thought his brain tumor was now advanced.
At the same time, my daughter had developed scoliosis. The same pediatrician said that there was nothing we could do until it got worse, and then they’d do surgery.
She had also developed a severe ragweed allergy.
I was desperate enough to take her to a chiropractor, who managed to stop and then reverse her scoliosis.
We were in his office and while he was working on her, I read the chart on his wall and it said that vertebra out of place in a certain location would cause allergies. It was the same place her scoliosis had been.
It occurred to me that she hadn’t had an allergic reaction since we’d addressed her back problem.
Also on the chart, it said that vertebra out of place in the neck would cause headaches. I asked the doc if he thought he could do anything for my son’s headaches. He walked over to him, touched his neck and said, “If I press right here, will you get a headache?”
Son said yes. Doc took X-rays and his top vertebra was visibly tilted and out of place. It took a while to get the tendons and ligaments stretched out right so they didn’t continually pull that vertebra back out, but he completely quit having headaches.
He’s in his 20s now and he knows if he starts getting migraines, he has to go get popped and put it back in place.
In 2003, I started having debilitating migraines. I never had them before then. Most days, I couldn’t stand getting out of bed as the pain was so intense. For five years, I went to 20 different doctors. I was diagnosed with allergies and got allergy shots, which didn’t help. I was given five different migraine specific medicines, which didn’t help. I was given Naproxen, to Celebrex, to Vicodin, to Percocet, to Fentanyl patches, to OxyContin, which only made me sick and still have terrible migraines. I cold turkeyed off the OxyContin and thought I was going to die. It was horrid. I was told it was depression causing the migraines, not the debilitating migraines causing me depression. Lexapro, Zoloft, Valium, Ridalin, Adderall, and now Vyvanse. Then I was told that the answer to the migraines was absolutely hormonal. I had a full hysterectomy at 26, only to wake up from surgery with the same intense headache I went into surgery with. I was completely defeated and literally could not see the point of living. My dad called and begged me to see his pain specialist. By then I trusted no doctors and I didn’t have it in me to try. God bless my dad, he was persistent and insistent so I went to make him stop asking me. His doctor hardly had to touch me and said it was TMJ, a jaw disorder. I thought he was another crazy guy in a white coat, but I listened and did what he said, including wearing braces for a second time and eventually jaw surgery where 8mm of bone was removed from my upper palate. I woke up from surgery, face black and blue and more swollen than a basketball, but it was the first time in five years there was no pain in my head. I couldn’t help but go everywhere I couldn’t while I had been confined to bed by the intense pain. I’m sure I scared countless people with my face looking so bruised and swollen, but I didn’t care. I’ve never had a headache since and that doctor literally saved my life. I hope your patients know how blessed they are to have you as their doc, Midwest Doc. You are what is ‘extremely rare’ and what a precious resource you are for those under your care. I am truly thankful for all I endured during those five years. It prepared me and strengthened my resolve in having the largest part of my own health research and decisions. The insistence on the COVID vaccines by so many didn’t stand a chance against me after everything that happened to me years ago. I appreciate you, Doc, and all the knowledge you share with all of us. God bless you greatly.
Similar story for me, but migraines weren't as extreme as yours and the fix was also not as extreme. Had migraines for decades, tried many different doctors, a lot of whom where not the standard western doc's. But nothing helped. 20 years ago or so I discovered that one or two cups of strong coffee would knock out a migraine most of the time. (I was not a regular coffee or caffeine user.) So I just lived with them. I got them about every 3 weeks on average. A year and a half ago thru an unusual set of circumstances (I had an acute situation with head pain as base of skull) I saw a chiropractor (I'd seen chiro's in the past and they had not helped) because he had a PEMF machine. He told me he didn't think the machine would help and went on to say that the cause for 40% of migraine sufferers is muscular. He treated me by pressing very hard on my jaw muscles to release the muscle. Second time I saw him, I jokingly said, just don't break my jaw because it felt like he was pressing it so hard he actually could. He said, no, I'm not pressing that hard, and showed me by pressing on my wrist. Third time I saw him he said I'm going to release you, which meant, come back as needed. He initially thought I'd need to see a TMJ specialist and get a splint made, but now doesn't think so. I see him every 2 or 3 months. Haven't had a headache since starting to see him and that was a year and a half ago. I used to get one or two a month.
PS I did try a migraine pharmaceutical once, but hated the way it made me feel like someone was choking me. So at that time, I just went back to coffee. It was way more comfortable and more fun! ;-)
My son started having migraines when he was about 3 years old. I thought he had a brain tumor, so I took him to his pediatrician. She asked me a series of questions, things like: Do they wake him up at night? Does he vomit? And the answers were no.
She said, “Some kids just have headaches.” Several years and many ibuprofen tablets later, he started vomiting and they were waking him up at night. I was furious because I thought his brain tumor was now advanced.
At the same time, my daughter had developed scoliosis. The same pediatrician said that there was nothing we could do until it got worse, and then they’d do surgery.
She had also developed a severe ragweed allergy.
I was desperate enough to take her to a chiropractor, who managed to stop and then reverse her scoliosis.
We were in his office and while he was working on her, I read the chart on his wall and it said that vertebra out of place in a certain location would cause allergies. It was the same place her scoliosis had been.
It occurred to me that she hadn’t had an allergic reaction since we’d addressed her back problem.
Also on the chart, it said that vertebra out of place in the neck would cause headaches. I asked the doc if he thought he could do anything for my son’s headaches. He walked over to him, touched his neck and said, “If I press right here, will you get a headache?”
Son said yes. Doc took X-rays and his top vertebra was visibly tilted and out of place. It took a while to get the tendons and ligaments stretched out right so they didn’t continually pull that vertebra back out, but he completely quit having headaches.
He’s in his 20s now and he knows if he starts getting migraines, he has to go get popped and put it back in place.
Doc said it was probably injured at delivery.
Do you remember which vertebrae was correlated with the allergies? I've never heard of this but would be interested to know.
It was right in the middle of her back. Next time I’m in the office, if I can remember it, I’ll take a picture and email it to you.
The good ones seem to be really good and thank goodness for them.
Very happy for you : )
Wow. God bless you Gia.