Has anyone had bilateral occiptital nerve block injections as a treatment for headaches? I am one year four months post op. My headaches have come back and are horrible (almost as bad as pre-surgery). My NS sent me to a pain mngt dr who now wants to do the nerve injections. My insurance refuses to pay for them because they are "experimental". They are quiet expensive and I am considering paying out of pocket for them because I need relief! I was wondering has it worked for anyone here? I'd love to here from you guys!
I have not had this done, but I’m interested to hear what others say about it. I’m sorry your feeling so bad.
I to have been offered the same injections for returning headaches but have not done them (due to an unrelated medical thing eating what I had set aside for copays). sorry i can't be of any assitance but I also want to know what anyone else has to say. If you do get them, please let me know and I will do the same.
I have had Major and Minor Occipital Nerve blocks and they were very successful.I will continue to have them for the rest of
my life. The first ones lasted 3.5 years.
Have you been diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia? They should not be denied experimental. That tells me whoever the Dr
trying to get a pre auth isn't submitting the correct information. Have you called your insurer? Who is your insurance with and
what kind of policy do you have and what is the speciality of the dr. that is trying to get them approved? I may can help.
Tracy Z.
I have had Occipital Nerve Block injections to the back of my head. They did nothing for me. I have not had decompression surgery though, it's still a possibility for me.
I haven’t had surgery, but had the block done. It helped me, but my insurance did not pay for them either! > $ 600.00
I have had nerve blocks done on several occasions and found limited results. What I do like about them is that they do relieve the pain your’e currently in almost instantly but that does depend on who is doing them. So they are good for me to get to relieve pain experienced at the time. I have had them combined with iv infusions that were a little more successful. I go In for pain management in two weeks which consists of a 5 day iv infusion. Hopefully this will be a better option for me for long term results.
I have had the experimental injections, but they did not work. I am 15 months Post op and I have a lot if trauma to my head because of scar tissue and severe infection in my head.
@MRe....If you hadn't had surgery I will guarantee the Dr. just submitted the claim with a headache diagnosis and that's why it was denied. Ask you Dr. if they submitted it with a secondary diagnosis of CM. You can always appeal the denial. The Dr. should do it for you.
This is a great article on coding for Occipital Neuralgia & Injections, so they won't be denied. You would be surprised at the coding errors that never get corrected that will leave you without care or with a large bill.
The Dr's are so busy they usually don't follow up and assume your insurance just won't cover it, instead he needs a good medical coder/insurer claims billing person.
@ Mommy23......Occipital Nerve Blocks shouldn't even require a pre auth. Was your Dr. maybe getting a pre auth for botox injections for headaches? That is really strange. That's why I asked his speciality. It may also be because you haven't had surgery.
http://codinginstitute.blogspot.com/2011/11/7840-or-7238-headache-c...
They really dont work in my opinion. I just had a 2nd set done this week. All it did was numb my head, scalp, neck and shoulder nerves & muscles etc… Not the chiari pain inside. Ive also had an epidural, only helped neck herniation for a short time.
Im new this yr to chiari. Im a 5mm living w so many symptoms. I found that most meds have side effects, but advil is the best for me, ice packs, hydrating myself, potassium.
Im still in research mode with regards to my condition.
God bless you. Feel free to email me.
Has your neuro recently checked your csf flow (brain fluid)? My neuro said the loack of or dampened csf fluid will cause the headaches. Ask for csf study.
Thanks for all the responses! I did go ahead and get the injections. It’s been about 8 hours and the left side of my head/scalp area is still numb. I’m just now starting to feel pain and pressure at the back of my head. I was told that it may take a couple of days for the steroids in the injection to kick in. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get some relief. I will definitely keep you guys posted.
I’ve got my fingers crossed too
If they injected steroids, just monitor your sugar intake and heart if you have any arrythmia issues like me. I get palpitations and cant sleep.
God bless.
Jozy, it’s funny you say that about you can’t sleep. Last night I just could not go to sleep! Even after taking ambien, I was wide awake! Never thought it was a side effect of the injection until now! Thanks for the info. I will definitely be more aware of those things. Also, did steroids help you at all?
Girl as crazy as all our symptoms may seem, we all need to stick together with any advice we can get. I am so blessed for the site!
The steroids are great but very bad for your heart (my heart dr said) if you have arrhythmia problems like me & any sugar intake like sweets or fruits will increase the effects of the arrhythmias. Just be very careful I had my 2nd dose of trial shots this week and it confirmed that I have a serious problem with steroids as well as the shots not working for me. It only numbed my head & my neck area but it did nothing for the internal Chiari pain in fact it confirmed all the symptoms I had inside even more. I’ve had insomnia and arrythmias again for several days now. I had to take heart med Atenolol last night for the first time in over a year to calm my heart down. i was exhausted, in tears and it was awful. I just really wanted a klonapin so I could SLEEP! Its helped me in times like this.
Im in my first year of chiari, learning and educating myself as much as possible. I call it “Im in research mode” and just trusting God everyday for strength, answers and believing it will come. In the mean time, I strive to stay emotionally and spiritually strong as well as know there are other worse situations in this world. I just lost a gf to cancer last week. She left 2 lil girls and a wonderful husband behind. It happened too fast.
I am grateful for my husband, kids, job and having such a wonderful God watching over me!
Blessings & prayers to you.
Do you happen to know if steroid injections come with an increased blood clot rise?
I did have the blocks after a car accident that lasted about 18 months. Although, they didn't get rid of the headaches entirely, they did help. I am actually considering having it done again. I take many Fiorecet and would like to stop or decrease. It could be the combo of Chiari and lupus, but I have chronic migraines and living in a place with bright sun makes it so much worse.
I think everyone should weigh the pros and cons and make the decision for themselves.
Hugs & Health,
DeAnne