My Head: I have mentioned before that I have had daily chronic headaches for about 17 years. A friend of mine said, funny enough one week ago, that she thinks my headaches might correspond with the fact that I still have all of four of my wisdom teeth. My wisdom teeth came in when I was 16 and that was when my headaches started. I never thought about it, but that could be something. I have put up with some of the most excruciating headaches that have changed my life. The neurologists have told me that the headaches have caused depression and the depression can cause headaches. The headaches have been diagnosed as sinusitis, migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, or a combination of any of the above. I have had CAT scans, MRI scans, EKG scans, and many tests. My teeth ache, my face aches, my neck aches and my head aches all over the place at any given time of the day or whatever, it changes.
My History: I have taken medication for years. I have been to several neurologists and several medical doctors who have referred me around. There are so many medical receipts in my file that it is not even funny. I have been to a psychiatrist who gave me medication and for some time I even had panic and anxiety/depression so I can feel for people who experience this. My headaches do not have a label even though people seem to want to label them. No one has ever understood them. Our world moves way too fast for that and friends do not even seem to want to take time to want to understand or slow down to hear us out.
The Effects of Pain: I do not talk about try not to complain about my headaches to people. My in-laws think I am a complaining idiot for ever having a problem or being weak enough to have something wrong with me. Especially am I too weak, to them, to have a problem that does not show, like something that is not physically showing. Headaches are that awful thing like depression sufferers or other neurological patients have; no one sees your pain or your suffering. No one can actually really relate. I have often wished someone could plug me into a pain gauge so that they could see how badly I am hurting and that I am not making it up. Then I go through times where I think, "You know what, it doesn't matter what they think, forget them!" But it does matter to me what they think; I have always been like that. So it goes around in a cycle with me and my headaches continue.
Daily Life: Sometimes it hurts to move my eyes or turn my head. Sometimes getting out of the bed is out of the question, although this is rare, so I function on an irritated level. I have rebound headaches from medication as well. These are a different kind of headache and they can be as bad, sometimes, as the usual daily chronic headache. My typical headaches make me snappy. Sounds, especially loud abrupt ones really are awful. Bright lights can be bad but heat and cold really get to me, like a cold wind outside. I am just a waste for doing stuff because my heart rate cannot go up as my head will explode in a burst of pain. I have to take medication to function through the pain. It is blinding sometimes. I see lights, I cannot stand strong smells. I never get sick and throw up or get relief like that but I spend plenty of time nauseous. I would like to lay in a cold dark room but who gets that much luxury? I have to work, I have a husband and a family. I have to maintain a clean home and some semblance of a peaceful life. The pain gets me down in the dumps a lot and it is hard not to let the pain overwhelm my daily life.
As a Child: I fell when I was three, it was a story level in a house (or ten feet) and landed on concrete. What happened was my family had just moved into a house and my brothers were playing hide-and-go-seek. One brother hid me in a closet and told me to be quiet. I did just so but the bottom of the closet gave out since it was just cardboard and not a secure bottom at all. I fell and hit concrete. I hit my head but my neck healed rather straight instead of healing in the normal curve like everyone else (like on x-rays). So I do not know if that has anything to do with my headaches or not.
Optimism: I have been told many times, "I can help your headaches" or "This will help your headaches, just wait and see." I am very skeptical now. I was in one minor car accident with my brother where he was horsing around in his Mustang and my back got hurt and my leg ended up going numb and we went to the chiropractor. My brother felt really bad but who knows if this has anything to do with my headaches, I do not think so at all. That was when I was 13 and my headaches did not start for three years. My brother always wanted me to get help for my headaches and made my now-husband promise before we were married that he would help me with my pain. My husband has done everything he can and spent thousands of dollars of his own money trying to get me the best help he can for my headaches. He has been optimistic the whole time, trying.
What I Have Tried: Over the years, I have tried chiropractors, optometry for glasses and contacts (once they were off 8 clicks), a dental piece for my grinding teeth and TMJ, even a podiatrist for my feet, an attempt at acupuncture, a psychiatrist who recommended long-term methadone for chronic pain and a whole slew of medication at many neurologists in 13 years. It is so funny how many people have nicely and in the most naive way said to me, "Have you ever tried aspirin?" Ha! I just smile and pretty soon the conversation is over. I have been on percocet and vicodin - aspirin isn't going to cut it. I have tried completely coming off of any medication all together, for over a year at a time more than once, and so far nothing has worked. I am just about 'suggested' out by now, after 17 years. But when my friend mentioned my wisdom teeth, I actually got the chills. I never thought about it. The timing is right for when my headaches started and the thought of something possibly helping had almost completely gone out of my life.
What the Future Holds: I am going to have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. I do not need them and they are just more maintenance. They have abscessed on me a few times and they can get cavities any time. On the other hand, I have never wanted to just go and get them yanked out, for one thing out of fear of dry socket, which can happen. I did not really see a need to just get them yanked out before my friend mentioned what she did. I thought I was just fine before with four wisdom teeth; hey they are called wisdom teeth right - more wisdom for me! Hardy har.
Teeth Headaches: Sometimes my headaches do seem to come from my face, right from my actual teeth. My husband knows my head is bad when I tell him my head hurts like this. I told this to my neurologist the very last time I went to see him on March 7th. Right then and there he said, as usual, "sinusitis" and said I should have a scan ordered up. That is too expensive with my insurance and unnecessary because I know I do not have sinusitis. I have had this scan many times and I know it will show I do not have this sinusitis. I am not going to pay to be misdiagnosed yet another time. I do not need to be patronized and he was amazingly fast at diagnosing me in our uber-fast appointment that day anyway. I wish I could make what a neurologist makes for what they can get away with in such a politically incorrect way. My head hurt too bad that day to let him know how completely incorrect what he was doing was. As a man, as a doctor. No way man, no way.
We Shall See: Anyway, my future plans are to get my wisdom teeth removed because it is almost as though I think the crowding could be, if nothing else, adding to my headaches that NO ONE seems to be able to diagnose. The mystery headaches - wow how cool to have them at least better. Then I would not have to take so much medication that is so hard on my insides with the side effects that it has. So, we shall see.
My History: I have taken medication for years. I have been to several neurologists and several medical doctors who have referred me around. There are so many medical receipts in my file that it is not even funny. I have been to a psychiatrist who gave me medication and for some time I even had panic and anxiety/depression so I can feel for people who experience this. My headaches do not have a label even though people seem to want to label them. No one has ever understood them. Our world moves way too fast for that and friends do not even seem to want to take time to want to understand or slow down to hear us out.
The Effects of Pain: I do not talk about try not to complain about my headaches to people. My in-laws think I am a complaining idiot for ever having a problem or being weak enough to have something wrong with me. Especially am I too weak, to them, to have a problem that does not show, like something that is not physically showing. Headaches are that awful thing like depression sufferers or other neurological patients have; no one sees your pain or your suffering. No one can actually really relate. I have often wished someone could plug me into a pain gauge so that they could see how badly I am hurting and that I am not making it up. Then I go through times where I think, "You know what, it doesn't matter what they think, forget them!" But it does matter to me what they think; I have always been like that. So it goes around in a cycle with me and my headaches continue.
Daily Life: Sometimes it hurts to move my eyes or turn my head. Sometimes getting out of the bed is out of the question, although this is rare, so I function on an irritated level. I have rebound headaches from medication as well. These are a different kind of headache and they can be as bad, sometimes, as the usual daily chronic headache. My typical headaches make me snappy. Sounds, especially loud abrupt ones really are awful. Bright lights can be bad but heat and cold really get to me, like a cold wind outside. I am just a waste for doing stuff because my heart rate cannot go up as my head will explode in a burst of pain. I have to take medication to function through the pain. It is blinding sometimes. I see lights, I cannot stand strong smells. I never get sick and throw up or get relief like that but I spend plenty of time nauseous. I would like to lay in a cold dark room but who gets that much luxury? I have to work, I have a husband and a family. I have to maintain a clean home and some semblance of a peaceful life. The pain gets me down in the dumps a lot and it is hard not to let the pain overwhelm my daily life.
As a Child: I fell when I was three, it was a story level in a house (or ten feet) and landed on concrete. What happened was my family had just moved into a house and my brothers were playing hide-and-go-seek. One brother hid me in a closet and told me to be quiet. I did just so but the bottom of the closet gave out since it was just cardboard and not a secure bottom at all. I fell and hit concrete. I hit my head but my neck healed rather straight instead of healing in the normal curve like everyone else (like on x-rays). So I do not know if that has anything to do with my headaches or not.
Optimism: I have been told many times, "I can help your headaches" or "This will help your headaches, just wait and see." I am very skeptical now. I was in one minor car accident with my brother where he was horsing around in his Mustang and my back got hurt and my leg ended up going numb and we went to the chiropractor. My brother felt really bad but who knows if this has anything to do with my headaches, I do not think so at all. That was when I was 13 and my headaches did not start for three years. My brother always wanted me to get help for my headaches and made my now-husband promise before we were married that he would help me with my pain. My husband has done everything he can and spent thousands of dollars of his own money trying to get me the best help he can for my headaches. He has been optimistic the whole time, trying.
What I Have Tried: Over the years, I have tried chiropractors, optometry for glasses and contacts (once they were off 8 clicks), a dental piece for my grinding teeth and TMJ, even a podiatrist for my feet, an attempt at acupuncture, a psychiatrist who recommended long-term methadone for chronic pain and a whole slew of medication at many neurologists in 13 years. It is so funny how many people have nicely and in the most naive way said to me, "Have you ever tried aspirin?" Ha! I just smile and pretty soon the conversation is over. I have been on percocet and vicodin - aspirin isn't going to cut it. I have tried completely coming off of any medication all together, for over a year at a time more than once, and so far nothing has worked. I am just about 'suggested' out by now, after 17 years. But when my friend mentioned my wisdom teeth, I actually got the chills. I never thought about it. The timing is right for when my headaches started and the thought of something possibly helping had almost completely gone out of my life.
What the Future Holds: I am going to have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. I do not need them and they are just more maintenance. They have abscessed on me a few times and they can get cavities any time. On the other hand, I have never wanted to just go and get them yanked out, for one thing out of fear of dry socket, which can happen. I did not really see a need to just get them yanked out before my friend mentioned what she did. I thought I was just fine before with four wisdom teeth; hey they are called wisdom teeth right - more wisdom for me! Hardy har.
Teeth Headaches: Sometimes my headaches do seem to come from my face, right from my actual teeth. My husband knows my head is bad when I tell him my head hurts like this. I told this to my neurologist the very last time I went to see him on March 7th. Right then and there he said, as usual, "sinusitis" and said I should have a scan ordered up. That is too expensive with my insurance and unnecessary because I know I do not have sinusitis. I have had this scan many times and I know it will show I do not have this sinusitis. I am not going to pay to be misdiagnosed yet another time. I do not need to be patronized and he was amazingly fast at diagnosing me in our uber-fast appointment that day anyway. I wish I could make what a neurologist makes for what they can get away with in such a politically incorrect way. My head hurt too bad that day to let him know how completely incorrect what he was doing was. As a man, as a doctor. No way man, no way.
We Shall See: Anyway, my future plans are to get my wisdom teeth removed because it is almost as though I think the crowding could be, if nothing else, adding to my headaches that NO ONE seems to be able to diagnose. The mystery headaches - wow how cool to have them at least better. Then I would not have to take so much medication that is so hard on my insides with the side effects that it has. So, we shall see.
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