I have been told that I should try a nerve stimulator for head pain resulting from neck issues, which triggers migraine. Has anyone tried one of these, and what were your results? I am becoming desperate, but don't want to be stupid and cover up pain caused by something that could be fixed.
Thank you so much.
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I have occipitical neuralgia with severe migraines. I have had this condition for 25 years. I too have tried many procedures to aleviate the pain. In 2002 I had a spinal stimulator implanted for treatment of the headaches. The procedure requires general anesthia and is done out patient. I had it done in Houston, Texas which is approximately 4 hours away from my home in Louisiana. The stimulators were not successful for me. From 2002 to 2003 I had 4 procedures to insert, upgrad and repair the stimulators for the R and L Occipitical Nerve. My personal opinion is that the procedure would have been more successful if after the surgery (the connections at C-2 and C3) my neck would have been put in a collar to stabalize the neck. The procedure is done outpatient and my husband and I drove back to LA the same day. The wiring in the neck did not stay connected. I asked my physician about the possibility of me staying in the hospital overnight and using a neck brace to stabalize the neck for the car ride home. On the second time he tried rewiring the stimulator I did stay overnight and I personaly purchased a soft collar for the ride home. The stimulator did work for a few weeks. It works likes a tens unit but on the inside of the body. You can control the amount of stimulation. It feels like a tingling where the wiring is connected to the nerve and it did relieve some of the pain. However, I had to have 4 surgeries to upgrade and fix the wiring, because the connection did not stay connected. I feel if the surgery had been done closer to my home and if the neck was immobilized for 2 weeks the stimulator would have been successful. However, in Sept of 2004 the stimulator was taken out because the wiring just did not stay connected. I think you should do more research before trying this option.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm so sad that you 've had to struggle so with it, and with the pain.
Yes, I decided to wait and listen to myself... the part of me that was telling me, "this is your last chance. Don't take it until you really feel like you are ready to try your last option and deal with it if it doesn't work."
Occam's Razor: Usually the simplest answer is the right answer.
I decided instead to start back at the basics, many of which had been skipped along the way. Unfortunately, it was not with my Neuro's blessing who couldn't believe the simple things could have been missed all this time.
I decided to educate myself since nobody was helping me by answering my questions. I learned more about the anatomy of the head and neck and specifics about enzymes and the chain reactions that happen in our brains, how our brains work, and how the medications we take affect us and why they work for some people. This led me to something very simple and yet overlooked all these years-- vitamins, the basic building blocks of our bodies.
While I did not find a magic potion for myself, I did find several deficiencies once I got pushy and demanded testing. I was told "you look too good to have deficiencies. I would know if you had anything like that.", but my neuro found that he was wrong, and for the first time in several years, I found some relief.
Had I not worked so hard to figure this out on my own, I'm not sure where I'd be. I was nearing the end of my rope. I am not cured, but I am much better. I was deficient a very long time, so I will likely have permanent damage to deal with as well.
I am glad I didn't go with the stimulator, though I was almost giddy with anticipation when it was offered to me. The thought that something so simple might help me and give me back my life was very powerful. No more drugs, no more pain. What could have been better? It boiled down to me not being willing to accept the changes the stimulator would have brought to my already limited life. not when there were still the possibilities out there we had not explored.
I may still end up with the surgery, but for now, this was the right decision for me. I've put that stimulator "in my back pocket" in case I might need to try it later.
In the meantime, I'm trying to get healthy in every other facet of my body and life first. I'm not really starting over at the beginning, but it is a new beginning of sorts for me. I'm exercising patience. A lot of patience.
There are many new meds coming out in the next months. Much research being done. Migraine is a hot topic, and I want to be able to use what they are learning, and I don't care if that's vitamins, drugs, or walking around with a flashing neon light contraption strapped to my head and plugged into the closest wall outlet. I have no aversions to becoming bionic LOL!... just so long as it works.
Ellen