Thursday, June 13, 2013

Migraine & Headache Awareness Month #12- The Box: You are the experiment

What situation in your Migraine/Headache Disorders treatment has made you feel most like a guinea pig or lab rat?

I have had migraines since I was a teenager and am now in my 30's, I was pretty used to what the migraine experience was all about.  So when in November 2009 I experienced a pain that I had never felt before and could not imagine living through I knew that something was wrong.  After tests and a change in neurologists I was diagnosed with Cluster Headaches.  Not having any idea what this was or how to treat it, I put a lot of faith in my neurologist at the time; BIG MISTAKE.  From the beginning I was prescribed numerous drug cocktails that were changed on a weekly basis.  Meaning that I was unable to tell if a drug was working because of all of the different side effects and because my body was never given enough time to truly acclimate to the medications.  After 6 months of no improvement, my neurologist decided that I should spend time in the hospital getting IV medication 24/7.  This measured up to me being so medicated that I could not tell who was coming and going.  I could not tell if my pain was improving because I could not stay awake long enough to measure anything.  When I was released 4 days later, without any improvements, I was prescribed stronger drugs that left me like the walking dead.  I could not put words together, could not keep my balance, basically I could not focus. 
What is so frightening is that I continued with this doctor for 4 more months because I was afraid to give up on him.  I had given him almost a year of my life and all he did was make everything worse.  I am not saying that the medications he put me on were not common medications used, but I was never given any time to let them do the work they were supposed to. 

June 2013, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, is dedicated to Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache Disorders. The 2013 Migraine and Headache Awareness Month Blog Challenge is a project of FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment