Dashed hopes, yet again.
Last week I went to see a physiotherapist whom a friend swore by. Apparently he has cured all sorts of “incurable” patients, including a little boy who could barely walk. The child was up and running in no time after seeing him on a regular basis for a few weeks.
I immediately liked the doctor when I saw him, which I think is of great importance when it comes to treatment. He exerted pressure on my headache point and looked at my neck and jaw. He looked at me and said “I am 95% sure I know what it is. You’ll be fine” My immediate reaction was to tell him not to be overly confident given that I have been battling with this monster for over four years. Nonetheless, a little part of me deep inside wanted to sob with joy. All sorts of rhetorical questions flew around my mind: “Can you imagine if in two weeks you don’t have a headache?!”, “What will it be like?!” I even set myself all sorts of goals if the headache left me for good.
My second (and so far last) session a few days ago had a slightly different outcome. I told the doctor that there had been no difference in the headache since the first session. In fact, if anything, it had got slightly worse. He played around with the headache again, hitting the exact spot. As he was manipulating me, I could tell that he was also baffled.
“My patients all notice a difference after the first treatment. Come back next week for the final one, but if it hasn’t gone by then, then I can’t help you”. That was the end of our session. At this comment I also felt like crying, yet this time out of despair and disappointment. I warned him, “I told you I am an unusual case”.
I now feel indifferent at the third session which will take place in a few days. I would love to believe the headache will go away but I can’t imagine it will do so given that there has been no difference in the last two weeks. As I left I thought about an interesting fact that my mother told me years ago and which I believe I have mentioned in a previous blog post. In ancient times, Chinese doctors were only remunerated once they cured a patient. If they didn’t cure them, then that meant they didn’t carry out their job properly and thereby didn’t get paid. Should it not be like this now, especially after having been given dashed hopes, yet again? I thought to myself, what am I paying for here? For another sheet to add to my headache folder?
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I think this is why most doctors set low expectations, so the can exceed them. You frequently hear about stories where doctors told someone "they'll never walk again" and then they do walk again. I always wonder if the doctors just say that because it's the worst case scenario, whereas there is a potential that someone will walk again and they just don't say it in case the patient doesn't get there. Starting out with "there's a 95% chance I can cure you" sets the bar really high, so I wonder why he'd even say that.
ReplyDeleteHave you had your third session yet? Curious what the results were. I'm a fellow headache sufferer - 4 years now.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have! It seemed to have a more optimistic outcome than the second session. The physio advised having an x-ray taken of my neck as he still seems to be pretty sure something is out of place. Got the x-ray done and handed it to him. Now waiting to hear back. Will definitely post again once I know further.
ReplyDeleteI hope your headache gets better - any ideas as to what yours is? - and that this blog has helped you in some way. Thank you for reading.
Have you seen an LLMD and got tested for Lyme? I have had a headache for a year. Doctors in Texas hung up on me when I asked them to test me. I just wanted to go to every kind of doctor imaginable to figure out why I have this terrible headache. Only 40% of people remember a tick bite, see a tick or have a rash. I don't remember any of it. I just know I'm sick. My blood work came back and boom. Lyme. It's incredibly controversial and incredibly prevalent in the US, all over. Not just the east coast. I would seriously look into it. I saw your post about it but it's from several years ago I think. Just trying to help a fellow daily headache sufferer out.
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old daughter has had a headache since 9/12/12. Medicine doesn't work. Physical theropy doesn't work .we are going to try acupuncture next week. She has seen quite a few doctors and its the same . They say they can fix her and then nothing resolved. 3 neruo general doc. 3 different er docs. Rheumatologist . Testing so far ekg emg. MRI. Ct. Spinal tap..Only results was a positve Ana and high.. and a non blocking cyst in the third vertical. Told from all nothing to worry a out. The headache specialist has recomened diamond headache clinic inpatient. If the acupuncture doesn't work I guess its next. I do not think that doctors do not understand when you say headace everyday from when you wake up tell you sleep means...it means it doesn't go away.. all I want is for her headache to go away. I hope someone finds an answer to this.
ReplyDeleteHi all. I just read this post and thought to myself: oh god.. there are others going through the same then. -right now I haven´t got much energy to read very far but you guys know how it is. -after 3 years of headache of every day (something most people just havent got a slightest clue of what its like) I´ve had MRI´s (3 now), X-rays of sinuses and head,and all sorts of blood tests and it all comes back negative. I would pay everything I got if only there was any certainty of the results but so far the medical endeavors have been all in vain.. so how would I all of a sudden start believing again? -For me the worst disapointments are the doctors that say you will get better and put me on another medication and charge 120€ for it. Because at that point I already know nothing was achieved and I need to come back in another month or so. For some reason getting nada results from the other therapists doesnt bug me so much since I never believed in them much in the first place -I just get a kick of paying to see a hypnotherapist who wants me to describe the pain with a color and go plant flowers in it. (did that ever work for anyone?) I used to go to see a doctor thinking that I pay this fee in order to get better but now seeing a doctor is like making a mandatory social visit to your inlaws, apart from the money. -Anyways.. I shouldnt be flooding on someone elses blog everythign I feel but I wanted to say my thanks to the writer: you are not alone. In the beginning I was worried I would die of this headache but now I am just worried what if it doesnt. -Noora, Finland
ReplyDeleteWe are trying tru wellness in Bloomingdale il...this is the first time we have seen any result change with krissi headache.her headache went to a 6 after just a few weeks...we are doing physical theropy.chiropractor and acupuncuter at this location. She is on no medication due to the fact that medication does not help.I wanted to leave this here so that it may help someone else means it helped us to releve some of her headache. It's never been a 6. Sleazy 8 ,9,or 10 everyday and all day long
ReplyDeleteI have read some of these posts, so sorry If you already discussed this. I had a headache for 76 straight days that was the big bang. It has been almost 2 yrs since. Its intermittent now and not as bad as it was before. I have to tell you this, because the posts I have read are saying IT CANT be a leak. Uh yes it can. CSF leaks cause Intercranial Hypotension... thus the headache gets better lying down. HOWEVER, it can also cause symptoms of HP.. which is the opposite Intracranial Hypertension. You can even flucuate between them on the same day. You do not have to be between 40-60 yrs old. AND You dont have to have had any kind of accident. CSF Leaks are not understood by 99% of ALL doctors. You need to see a specialist. Try Dr. Schievink in LA or Dr. Linda Gray at Duke. You can send your info and images to them and they will talk to you over the phone. I would say you have CSF Leak over Lyme. CSF leaks are misdiagnosed all the time.
ReplyDeleteToday my 24/7 tension headache reaching day num 9,180 . PH, you still have hope.
ReplyDeleteHi! I commented...forever ago....about homeopathy and how it's helped me. I got my headache 02/2010. I've tried most everything you have too. Homeopathy helped me for a while, then hit a stand still. This last year I've been having CranioSacral Therapy with the help of essential oils and it seems like the fix for me. It's not just a physical therapy, but emotional too. My headache is no longer every second! I still get a headache A LOT, but I have times where I don't. Which, to outsiders, isn't much. To ones like you and me, a miracle! I keep getting better so just thought I'd share.
ReplyDeleteHello Tori, great to hear your headache has improved - lucky you! What does Cranio Sacral Therapy involve exactly? Interested in hearing more. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of hard to explain. (Isn't most treatments?! haha) I was wary of it at first because I didn't understand it, but now I do and it isn't just some 'fake' thing. lol. As far as being a patient, I'm just laying down as the therapist uses light pressure to direct the tissues surrounding the craniosacral system to the correct spot. It doesn't feel like much of anything, but now that I've been doing it for a year--I CAN actually feel these tissues move. It's not a huge drastic feeling, but very light. I spent so long ignoring my body (for the sake of ignoring my headache) that I've had to learn to focus on my body to see where I'm actually hurting and not just attribute all pain to my headache. lol.
ReplyDeleteI pulled this from a website to explain it better. upledger.com
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance.
Using a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel – practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system.
How does it work? Few structures have as much influence over the body’s ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord that make up the central nervous system. And, the central nervous system is heavily influenced by the craniosacral system – the membranes and fluid that surround, protect and nourish the brain and spinal cord.
Every day your body endures stresses and strains that it must work to compensate for. Unfortunately, these changes often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system. These distortions can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord resulting in restrictions. This can create a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system, and potentially every other system it interacts with.
Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected and corrected using simple methods of touch. With a light touch, the CST practitioner uses his or her hands to evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.
By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, CranioSacral Therapy is able to alleviate a wide variety of dysfunctions, from chronic pain and sports injuries to stroke and neurological impairment.