So, an introduction. Sort of “in a nutshell”, but a lot of times I tend to keep typing and then realize it’s super long. Oops. Basically, I have been diagnosed with New Daily Persistent Headache (which I will refuse to type out… NDPH), which is a chronic daily headache. I will post the symptoms and info later.

January 2004:

My headache(s) started on a Sunday morning during my sophomore year of college, during winter break. I woke up, as normal, sat up, rubbed my eyes, started to get out of bed, and noticed that I had some pain on the right side of my head (specifically, near my eye). Later that week, since it didn’t go away with any over-the-counter meds or anything else, I went to the eye doctor. Check-up: OK. “Go to a neurologist,” he suggested. “Here’s the name of a childrens neurologist, I refer people to all the time, he’s great, and in town.”

Neurologist = BIG A-HOLE. Pardon my language, but he treated me like a child. I was 19 at the time, and he still treated me like I was 5 and was begging for a lollipop at the end of the appointment. My headache(s) were now mainly the whole right side of my head. [side-bar: the reason I say “headache(s) is because I have a constant headache, but the pain level goes up and down all day, making it seem like it is broken up into multiple headaches). We had to practically BEG for a CT-scan. His explanation of a CT-Scan = “We have little tiny cats and we inject them into you and they have little tiny cameras and they take little tiny pictures and send them back out to me.” He also tried to tell me that I had ADD, and that it was all in my head. Mmhmm. Clearly, we said “adios,” and went to a new neurologist who treated me like a REAL LIFE ADULT and took me seriously.

Then came the dentist (”You have TMJ, that’s what is causing the headaches”), the TMJ/myofacial pain specialist (”Yes, you have TMJ… No, you don’t have TMJ, you have an Indomethacin-responsive headache… No, you don’t…Hmm), the acupuncturist, the chiropractor, the massage therapist, my regular doctor, the gyno, the eye doctor AGAIN… INSANITY.

I am now working with my 2nd headache doctor. The reason why it’s my 2nd is because we (we = my mother and I… my mom has been instrumental in this whole “Operation: Stop Headache” business) felt that while the doc had found meds that were helping to kinda keep me stable, I wasn’t getting any better, and he wasn’t moving me along at all. My new docs have done a lot in less than a year, and hopefully will keep doing so.

Okay. So, that’s the “nutshell.” Sort of. It’s dinnertime. Dinner = leftover pizza from Unos!