Thought I would give a little update on how my recovery has been going, since it’s been awhile since my last post!
I honestly can't believe it's been a year and a half since my migraine surgery. It seems like it hasn't been that long, but then again, it seems like a lifetime away!
It sounds crazy, but I am an entirely different person these days, physically and mentally, because of that surgery. It literally changed my life.
To recap, I had posterior occipital nerve decompression surgery in July of 2018 to relive my chronic migraines and occipital neuralgia. I had tried everything you could imagine to help keep them under control, including medications, holistic methods and supplements, Botox, etc, and nothing fully worked. Nothing gave me complete relief. I was living in chronic pain each day and every part of my life was suffering because of it. Fast forward to a consult with a surgeon and my neurologist in the Houston area, who recommended this surgery to me. It was completely scary to say "yes" to them cutting open the back of my head and neck, but at the same time, I knew it was what needed to be done. And I am so glad I did it!
If you missed my original blog post on my surgery, you can find it here..
http://ericandbrittney.blogspot.com/2018/07/migraine-surgery-recovery.html
Since the surgery, I have had about an 80% reduction in my migraines, which is mind blowing! For someone who had a migraine almost every day, that is a HUGE improvement! I still get occasional headaches, because I have "triggers" that can cause these, like certain smells, sounds, weather, stress, etc. But to give you a bit of a background, I have a very strong genetic component to my headaches and migraines. My dad and my grandmother (dad's mom) have a history of chronic migraines as well. So going into the surgery, my surgeon and neurologist both said I would not be able to have 100% relief, just because of genetics. But that's ok with me because 80% reduction is pretty great!
When I do get headaches these days, they don't last for nearly as long or have the severity they used to. I used to have a headache all day long and the pain would be anywhere from a 7-10 on the pain scale. Now they last for around 3-4 hours and are anywhere from a 2-5 on the pain scale. Don't get me wrong, I still get the bad migraines at times, but they are few and far between, which I can handle!
I finally graduated from physical therapy about a year after my surgery (July 2019), but I still have times where my neck tenses up and I have to sit on the heating pad for awhile. I can tell if I am too stressed or have done too much heavy lifting that my neck will be sore for day or two, so I just have to be careful. The heating pad has been my best friend!
The numbness that I had on my head and neck is now completely gone! My nerves have completely woken up, which is also a big relief. That numbness was one of the worst parts of the whole recovery process. I can feel my scalp again!
I am completely off all medications, both pre-surgery meds and post-surgery meds! Huge win! I was taking so many different preventative medications before surgery, as well as medications to stop migraines when they started. Then after surgery, I was on 8 different supplements, aleve, nerve pain medication, pain medication, and migraine preventatives. Now I take one vitamin and I have one medication I use if I start to get a migraine. Every other medication is GONE!! I do also get Botox every 12 weeks for migraine prevention. I had tried Botox pre-surgery, but unfortunately it didn't work because of all the scar tissue on my occipital nerves. Now that the scar tissue is gone, the Botox can actually do its job. It has also given me a lot of relief!
I was cleared to start running again about 8 months after my surgery, but only short distances. And I had to start with a lot of walking. When I run, I have to be careful with my neck and shoulders and try not to get too tense, or else I will be on the heating pad for the rest of the week. I am still not able to do any crazy heavy lifting or any exercises that uses a rowing motion. And I can't do any presses of any sort. So no Orange Theory or weight lifting competitions for me anytime soon ;)
My hair has almost completely grown out! I think I have about 2 inches or so, for that section of my hair that was shaved off, to reach my longest length. Only took a year and a half to get it back!
I go to regular checkups with both my neurologist and surgeon every 3 months. They like to keep a close eye on my recovery and make sure I am recovering like I should be. They have become more like my friends than my doctors at this point, and I am so incredibly grateful for them.
Overall, I have had amazing results from this surgery and I am so happy I went ahead and had it done! I have had a lot of people ask specifics about my history, migraines, and recovery because they want to know if they could benefit from this surgery. Unfortunately, there are so many people suffering from chronic migraines and have yet to hear about this type of procedure. And there isn't enough information about it online either. So if you have any questions about anything, please ask! I am more than happy to share.
Here are a few resources to help anyone out who wants to know a bit more about it...
Here is a website that my neurologist and my surgeon have put together for information about this surgery.
http://www.chronicdailyheadache.com/
And here is a great video explaining the process to diagnosing occipital neuralgia and recommending nerve decompression surgery. It is actually an interview done with my neurologist, Dr. Pamela Blake, and it is very informative!
https://www.peledmigrainesurgery.com/blog/entry/in-this-episode-ziv-m-peled-md-speaks-with-board-certified-neurologist-pamela-blake-md-about-the-role-of-peripheral-nerves-in-unremitting-head-and-or-neck-pain.html
Hoping year 2 post-op is even better!
