More needles and more ouchies

Last week I ended my blog post just before heading out to receive my occipital and cervical nerve blocks. I am happy to report that the procedure went very well.  Yay!  I am always apprehensive and slightly sick to my stomach on treatment day.   I trust my new headache specialist, but I just secretly wish I didn't have to go through all of this "stuff" to feel better. However, I am blessed to finally have gained some significant progress in my long term management.  When I seemed to have reached my lowest, God stood me up and gave me His grace and strength to keep persevering along the unknown path. Mercy me, I am learning what true trust and surrender really feels like.  It is a daily, mindful practice for sure!

These occipital and cervical nerve blocks are generally given between the eight and ten week time span between the Botox treatments. They are supposed to hopefully bridge the gap until the twelve week Botox.   The medicine is a type of lidocaine to numb the areas where the headaches occur most frequently.  Sometimes the doctor will add a small amount of a steroid along  with the lidocaine.  This varies per doctor.  It isn't exactly "fun" to receive more needles, but at least it isn't as many as the thirty one or so for the Botox injections.  My forehead and neck get a bit red and lumpy but that doesn't last long.  Overall, what minor and temporary discomfort I experience is NOTHING compared to what I endure with days of awful migraine.   Hip hip hooray!   

So, with permission, my dear Dr. Grosberg posed for a pic with me for my blog.  He is excited when his patients help raise awareness for headache and migraine disorder.  He is AWESOME and God has blessed me abundantly for putting him in my path.  Truly!   He is a gentle and caring physician who seems brilliant and who is constantly doing research to find more effective treatment for this disease.  

Life is hard.

Life is messy.

Life is beautiful.     

Here is my beautiful for the week