I know this discussion was done before but I can't find it and I do not remember what was said. Anyhow cutting to the chase, it has been 1 week since the cervical fusion and the pressure headaches are going through the roof. Bad enough, taking Vicodin 1 every 4 hours from the surgical pain (sometime I take 2 to ease it. But it does not touch the pressure headache. What can I suggest to my PCP? I know he will not go directly to the hard stuff cause he is like that but I want some relief. I can't sleep. I can't enjoy the kids tv , PC or anything? It is even causing lack of sleep.
Have they mentioned a diuretic? Caffeine acts as a mild one, anything to decrease the fluid pressure build up may help. Definitely speak with your doctor first, but I find I can feel when my ICP rises and despite being on morphine and Norco daily, they do nothing to help with that but a Jet Alert 200mg caffeine pill helps to quell the headache. Again, ask your provider if these may help. I hope you find relief soon.
how long has it been since you had your surgery? I had those headaches for 2 weeks but I refuse take those neds because they weren't helping anyway. I took excerdrin migrane they worked miracles.
My PCP prescribed Fiorcet for my headaches. If I take it before the headache gets too bad, it does help most of the time. Ice packs on the back of my head/neck and on top of my head helps too. I hope you find something that works and you feel better soon!
Michael if I am not sure which is which anymore but if you stand up and your head feels better your pressure is hi if you lay flat and your head feels better your pressure is LOW or that may be the other way around my husband is not here to ask..
have you tried laying FLAT?
if you are looking for suggestions to give to PCP a CT scan Show if you have fluid build up in the brain...PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TO LONG to do this, a similar senerio almost cost me my life...although for me it was under different circumstaces thanks to a persistant husband and a ER doctor who was on his toes I am here to tell my story!!
Thanks all.
I need yelled at cause I did something stupid, but it relieved much of the pressure for a while. Anyhow what I did was I laid down after taking 2 vicodin and 1 amrix (muscle relaxer), tucked in several ice packs into the neck brace (still afraid to remove it) and let my girls pile ice packs (frozen veggies to baggies of ice) from mid chest to top of head. placed CPAP on and took 1/2 nap. Fortunately I did not get pneumonia but pressure did go down from about 8/10 to 4/10. Pressure building again, but has been stressful last couple of days with kids
LOL sorry..I cant yell at you- Ive done some crazy things trying to find relief,,,, BUT I will strongly suggest you CALL YOUR doctor and tell them the amount of problems you are having and gently suggest or nudge them to give you a scan to make sure you DO NOT have fluid building up in your brain!!!!! LIKE NOW or first thing tomorrow
Lisa,
I tried but I cann't get in until April 3rd at earliest. ER won't due anything, they look at me weird when I say I have Chiari and I have not been in a mood enough to educate the allegedly educated doctors.
thats a real shame- Michael- perhaps you can call your NS who done the last surgery and tell the nurse you are having extreme headaches and play it up a bit more then it actually is, to 1 make your point and 2 to get seen and 3 get the scan it sounds like you need..
Michael,
If the headaches are a new thing (severity not there presence), following surgery that is, I would strongly recommend you insist the doctor see you. Unfortunately you have to be your own best health advocate as too many times physicians miss things or offices make mistakes (it is the 8th leading cause of death in the US ya know:). You pay them, they work for you so don't take no for an answer. The only reason I say this is that if the headaches are significantly worse post op it can be an indicator of a complication. Increased blood pressure, fluid retention, stress even diabetic conditions can aggravate the headaches through increased intercranial pressure, but you just want to make really sure there isn't some new complication post surgery (swelling in the region from the fusion) that is increasing that pressure too. Gotta rule it out and if the doctor's office wont see you - you might need a new doctor. All this only because if it is increased ICP, that can do some significant things, none of which you would love.
Michael Salasky said:
Lisa,
I tried but I cann't get in until April 3rd at earliest. ER won't due anything, they look at me weird when I say I have Chiari and I have not been in a mood enough to educate the allegedly educated doctors.
I am sorta pressuring you Michael because after i had my decompression my "pains" were first dismissed because of the surgery and because i was vomiting at the time it was thought that i was in so much pain because i wasnt able to hold down the meds- however had they taken in all the CLUES and forgot about the fact that i just had decompression surgery they would have found that i have fluid on the brain... however they did not listen to the CLUES until 19 days had passed and it was almost too late--- i am very thankful for my husbands persistance and an E R doctor who happened to be on his toes and saying this is not right something is really wrong with her, and ordered a scan this is when they found out i needed a shunt placed under an emergency situation to save my life!!...
Had these 2 men (husband and E.R.Dr.) Not done what they did, when they did- I may not be here today to push you into being your own advocate!!..( i learned 3 months AFTER shunt placement how bad i really was and how they really expected my quality of life to be-- and I am well really damn luckly by all accounts to be able to do what i can--even with the 6 weeks of lost time to me)
PLEASE DO NOT PUT Yourself in that situation!! if at all you can prevent needing a shunt PLEASE do so!! i dont like having one i think its a cause to many of my current issues!!
to this day tho' all the NS's who looks at ALL my MRI's pre and post decompression can not understand why I had the complication to start with as I had NO PRIOR indication of Hydrocephalus or fluid build up ANYWHERE on the brain or in spinal column.
I take Fiorcet & if it's really bad the pharmacist told me to add Midol. Yes even for men...I really hope you feel better. Pressure headaches are horrible and only we Chiarians understand !!! I hope your wife & daughters are doing well!!!
JUst got off the phone with the doc and I got an ass chewing and you all might as well join in to. In short the doc said I am doing TOO MUCH. He stated I should sit down, lay down, relax and HEAL. I am still trying to do things around the house cause Chrissy is still on and off with how she is feeling and both of us can't be down at the same time or the house would crumble. I just have to take a chill and listen to the instructions (and my body) and stop doing for a few days. I know that last night after getting about 12 hours of sleep (unfortunately not consecutive) the pressure has gone down significantly. This morning it was a 2/10, then the day started by going to the cardiologist, I cooked lunch did some things around the house, played with Emmy for a while (the pressure was building) and get the phone call and I swear my right cheek is missing, so you guys (and gals) can take the other side since I DO DESERVE IT for doing TOO MUCH.
I guess I wanted to feel better to fast and wanted to try to feel normal again, am I wrong for that feeling? I just don't want to get back in the vicious cycle I was in earlier that really didn't do me any good. Going to lay down for a bit and try to relax..so hard when you want so much
I have had Migraines since I was 13 getting worse as I got older. I went to multiple doctors and neurologists to find out want was wrong and no one could tell me. It wasn't until I went to my eye doctor that I found out that I have Pseudotumor cerebri which occurs when the intracranial pressure (the pressure inside the skull) increases. It will also affect you vision. I had to have spinal taps every six months just relieve the pressure. But now they want to put a shunt in so the fluid would drain by its self when it gets to high.
Michael hey--nothing wrong with wanting to be "normal" but, well now ya know doc was serious when he said take it easy..and listen to your body!! One step at a time!