Occipital Neuralgia

When I was 10 yrs old I had my first migraine. Both my Mom and myself thought I was dying of a brain tumor. A trip to the ER put that thought to rest! I was given liquid co*ine in a horrible cherry elixir and swore I would never have a migraine again! As we all know that was a fruitless pledge. Here I am 69 yrs old and have the label of a chronic migraine sufferer (oh goody!). Typically I will have at least one a month if not more but they last days, not hours and are disruptive to my life. The last one I had was for 22 days... I've heard of people suffering longer. Sometimes I can continue to function, albeit at dimmished capacity. Other times I am bedridden, moaning that my pillow hurts. This last bout was a lot. I broke down and went to an urgent care but they couldn't help me. I waited 7 more days, hoping my neurologist would return my calls then went to the ER. They were more than nice to me. A migraine cocktail was given, twice, with no relief. Then I was asked about my Occipital Neuralgia history (from a fall) and we decided on nerve blocks. I finally got some relief, if not all the way symptom-less. I hadn't connected my migraine to the neuralgia as up until the last couple of days, I didn't have pressure or the electrical like zaps I usually get until the last few days. The shooting pains this time went from one side of my face across to my opposite temple then to the top of my head. . It was something new and unnaturally painful. I was told to consult my neurologist. I came away from that appointment with a new diagnosis: Trigeminal Neuralgia! A treatment plan was worked out. I will be having nerve blocks every 4 weeks until everything settles down. What I learned was migraines irritate the nerves due to a bunch of reasons but in my case it was most likely from tension in my shoulders from being in pain that set off the Trigeminal/Occipital nerves. This time instead of simply (!) having a migraine, I hit the triffecta! I had no idea that was possible. My chronic migraine history is now complicated and I must admit I am a bit daunted by it. I am frightened the pains will return. I figured I would write all of this out and reach out to see how many suffering with migraines have either Occipital or Trigeminal neuralgia or both and if so, how do they deal with them. I am completely incapacitated when the Occipital Neuralgia hits.

Hi, my name is Lysa4444. I'm here because of the following:

#MightyTogether #ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome #Anxiety #Depression #Migraine #Fibromyalgia #AutismSpectrumDisorder #PTSD #ADHD #OCD #EmptySellaSyndrome #OccipitalNeuralgia #hashimoto 'sThyroiditis #Asthma #Agoraphobia #GERD #IBS

Hi, my name is FKBP14andZNF469. I've been diagnosed with, um, a whole bunch of stuff this year. I’m hoping to meet others who know more than I do about EDS and maybe disambiguate whether all of it is part of this condition or maybe some of it is unrelated.

#MightyTogether #Fibromyalgia #ADHD #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #OccipitalNeuralgia #Aneurysm

For close to eight years I have been a facilitator for two in-person mental health peer to peer groups a week. Since April attendance to the groups have steadily declined for various reasons. Then since the beginning of September, no one came to the meetings, not a single soul. I knew the meetings would have to stop so I made the announcement on our Facebook page what the last day would be. I got a few objections which I thought odd since no one was attending. I arrived yesterday at the building where the meetings had been held and it was being closed up, the owners were moving. So that is that. The groups were intended as support for those having mental health issues, to share ideas on how to cope with day to day life. It was very successful for eight years, then it wasn't. I wish I knew why. In the beginning the groups were established under a national mental health organization. We broke from them due to disagreements over policy. Unfortunately, that took away our ability to get the word out about us. Today I feel sad and lost. And like I let people down even though that isn't rational. I'm going to try and be good to myself today and enjoy the little things… like my cat on my lap and my dog at my feet. Thanks for letting me express my feelings.

So yesterday I dressed up a bit to go to facilitate a peer to peer mental health group. It is a very casual setting and most of the time we are all dressed in jeans and comfy tops, T-shirts and the like. I was feeling good and wanted to look good too. It was a fun change. When I got home I took a picture of myself in my full length bathroom mirror (I didn't have anyone who could take a picture at the time). I liked it. I sent the picture to my daughter and she really liked it. Then I began wondering what the heck I was thinking. As we do, I systematically tore my looks to bits. I've inwardly cringed, thinking about what others must think when they look at me. I'm not one of the beautiful people! Today, I began my day by not wanting to even go outside... I must be hideous! I was embarrassed. But then I realized something: I not only was letting echoes of my Step-Father's voice that told me how ugly I was get to me even after all of these years, but allowing my mental illness to control my own self esteem. I would never talk to a friend the way I was talking to myself! I would point out all of the good qualities in her picture and in life! I would build her up, not tear her down, so what was I doing?! I don't know why we do these terrible things to ourselves. I'm worthy of self love, self appreciation. I restarted my thoughts with realizing I'm not hideous; small children don't laugh at me, dogs don't bark and try to run away when I approach. My looks are fine. My beauty is in my soul... right where it should be. I hope you have a wonderful day and accept yourself as you are.