Need Help Finding a Doctor

By Miki Wednesday, January 02, 2008

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Hi, all. I am a 31-year-old female who suffers from chronic migraines. They can last for weeks, or even months, at a time. I was seeing a neurologist in my hometown, but the doctor was not listening to the problems I was having and refused to change the medication I was taking even though it was not helping me and I was having a lot of side-effects from it. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a doctor in the north Georgia or Chattanooga, TN area. I think there is a headache clinic in Rome, GA that is supposed to be good, but I don't know the name of the clinic or any of the doctors there. I would appreciate any recommendations that anyone has.

Thanks,

Miki

Comments (4) | Add comment

nutcracker1

1/ 2/08 1:07am

Please take a look at this list, maintained here on this site:

Migraine and headache specialists

Some of our forum members travel a long way, even by airplane, to see their specialists. So don't be discouraged if no one on the list is nearby.

As to your lengthy migraines, you should be contacting your doctor on an emergency basis, or heading to the emergency room, if a migraine lasts 72 hours without at least a four-hour break in the pain. Please look at this article on status migrainous . This is nothing to play around with. Migrainous strokes can be fatal.

Take care. I hope you will join us on the discussion forum. To get there, click on Migraine Forums under the orange Manage bar. You will find additional information and support there, and we would love to have you. Registration for the forums is separate from registration for this page, but of course, you can use the same info to register.

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

1/ 2/08 11:43am

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

Sounds to me like the first order of business is to fire that doctor! Nutcracker gave you the link for our patient recommended Migraine speicalists you can check out. We have two in GA, and three in TN, I think.

If you have Migraine pain lasting longer than 72 hours without a four-hour pain-free break while awake, this could be a condition called Status Migrainous that needs immediate medical attention. You may need to go to an ER or Urgent Care Clinic if your doctor is not "cutting it" so to speak. Here is information on Status Migrainous - The Basics.

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. We hope to see you there. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information on the main page of our site, MyMigraineConnection.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them to the forum or send me a message through my profile.

Welcome again,

Nancy Bonk
MyMigraineConnection.com Expert

PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!

GWP

1/ 2/08 3:32pm

I'm not good with my Tennessee geography, but I've started seeing Dr. Jan Brandes in Nashville. I saw her about a month ago, and I go back in 3 weeks. I've been on the preventives roller coaster for 18 years. I like my local neurologist, but he was about out of ideas to try. I'm continuing to see him. I think it's important for me to have a local guy for when I have an urgent problem.

Dr. Brandes is only in the office on Tuesdays, and she's pretty booked up. It only took me about 2 1/2 months to get in.

I fly from Central Mississippi to Nashville, through Dallas. It doesn't make sense, but that's how American does it. Nashville is an 8-hour drive, and flying is easier for me. I'm impressed with Dr. Brandes so far, and the trip is worth it for me. I spend Monday night and Tuesday night in Nashville and come home Wednesday.

For several years, I saw a specialist in Chicago. That was actually an easier trip. Southwest flies non-stop, and I could spend just one night because of the flight schedules. I LOVE Chicago, so the trip was a treat. It was worth the trip.

I agree that your current doctor should be toast. You deserve better.

Do mosey over to the Forum. Lots of information and support.

Gretchen in Mississippi

Sherry

1/ 2/08 11:48pm

HI, and welcome. I know there is a headache clinic in Augusta, it is called Walton Headache Center or something like that. I have never been there. I did look into it, but decided to try another doc closer. I am just south of Atlanta. Are you in GA? I have seen Dr. Kelman who is on the list here, and did not like him at all. I would not recommend him to anyone. I don't know of anyone in Tenn. except the one Gretchen mentioned. Good luck.

Sherry

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