well the post was cut off for some reason. Thank goodness for pasting my posts to the clipboard before sending!

https://youtu.be/zgcWz8djIys

Apparently this site doesn't like youtube video links. My bad :(
here is the rest of my post (I hope)

^--- his video introduction - if you are considering seeing this guy at all, I suggest you watch this video. He suffered a month long headache himself as a neurologist. He GETS it!

8 hours ago, he spent an entire hour with me, talking about my headache. Diagnosing my headache. Scratching his head in utter perplexity as the ineptness of my previous doctors. I told him "No pressure, but you are my last hope - there simply isn't anyone better than you." He believed that I have a type of neck tension headache. I was doubtful - I have heard tension headache from EVERYONE before and the treatments I have been given for it have either done absolutely nothing or have made it worse.

He asked if he could do some test blocks to check his theory. Being the dutiful patient that I am, I said it was fine and jokingly said "Hey, you can only make it worse, right?".

Instead of the typical 'block the occipital nerves here, here, and here, where the book says to always inject, he took the time to press around on my upper neck / head and actually FIND the spots that hurt when you press hard on them. When I say hurt, I mean HURT - not uncomfortable spots, but spots that made me wince when he pressed hard. He did a VERY slow (this is also key - too fast and all you do is agitate the already inflamed area) injection in 5 different spots. Each time asking me what I felt. Was the pain getting better? Where do you feel the pressure from the injection? Most of the time my answer was the common (as he told me) "I don't know - maybe?"

For the first time in 4 years, 7 months, 17 days or one thousand six hundred ninety (1,690) days and 10 hours I had NO PAIN!!! NONE!! ZERO!! I could shake my head back and forth! I could look around with my eyes wide open and not squint at the glare from the fluorescent lights! Being temp blocks, the reprieve lasted just 15 minutes. 15 glorious minutes.

He asked me if I was better when he was done and I was struck speechless. And then I cried. I just broke down and let it all go. It wasn't just in my head. I have hope now for the first time in 4 years. I have tangible proof that my headache doesn't have to be with me until the day I die. I am in the tunnel still, but I can see a very dim light at the end when all there was only darkness before. I can start planning for the future - tentative plans, but I can MAKE PLANS!!

I went in with the meager hope of maybe being given medications X, Y, and Z and seeing if they worked - which I was pretty sure they wouldn't - nothing else has, why should these? Most of me felt that this would end like every other Dr. visit. "I'm sorry Brad, but we just don't have anything for you. Maybe you should see ."

Instead, I was given the greatest gift since my children were born.

The plan going forward - a plan Dr. Sethna used on himself and on many of his patients with near unfailing success is:

I am to start taking Tizanidine (Zanaflex). 4mg today, 6mg tomorrow, 8mg the next day... until I am at 16mg at bedtime. I should start noticing a change in my headache within 2 weeks. After a month, if we need to get it moving more (meaning I am not cured) I will be adding either 8mg 3x a day of Tizanidine in addition to the 16mg at night, or baclofen in a similar dosage scheme.

The process can take 5-6 months fully relieve, but that would be NO pain just in time for Christmas and my 40th birthday!!

I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now that I can't even describe all of the things zinging around my poor abused brain.

If any of you are in the same boat I am in (headache 24/7) and are in MN, or close enough that you can get here I STRONGLY recommend this Dr.! In a long line of mediocrity, he is the one who stands head and shoulders above the rest. If you aren't close enough to get here, or can't get here for whatever reason, please ask your neuro about the procedure I underwent today. They are temp blocks and the worst thing they can do is make it worse for a short period of time (and make your lower neck sore if your doc misses on one - my lower neck hurts like I pulled something but its pain that was WORTH IT!). At worst, if your doc disagrees, you've lost nothing. : )

I am now done with my shameless plugging and ranting about my visit!

Thank you! : )

I am so happy for you!!! I know you were at the point where you thought there was absolutely no hope for you or your headaches. I know I have said this many times, in many posts, but I will say it again. There ARE doctors out there who can help, as you have found out. It is just a matter of finding them. That's not always easy to do, but I'm so, so happy that you finally did find that person for you.

I glad that you have a plan of action. Only good things from here :)