New headache doctor

[jennifer7]

I finally went to a new pain doctor for my headaches, I'm near Chicago so I went to Dr Leonetti and Dr Holtman.  Dr Leonetti wrote an article last spring in the ANA newsletter about headaches and spoke at a previous symposium. 
He wants a MRI of my neck to check the nerves, he thinks something may have happened in the 10 hours I was twisted during surgery.  It was long enough that I came away with a bed sore, what's up with that???  It may be as easy to fix as physical therapy or neck extending
Dr Holtman is going to give me some nerve blocks tomorrow to help with the pain (very optimistic here) and also to help diagnostically.
If the nerve blocks don't work he did say we could work on changing the meds, topamax helps with the severity of my headaches but it is so hard to concentrate, I feel like I can't carry on a conversation for more than 2 minutes.  Good thing my job tends to move quick.
Jennifer

[CHD63]

Jennifer .....

It sounds like you have made good plans for help with the headaches.  Let us know what the MRI shows and whether the nerve blocks work.

Many thoughts and prayers for successful treatment!

Clarice

[Amplified2000]

Best of luck with the team at Loyola.

Is Leonetti still ridiculously tan?

I'm just out of the hospital following a 2 week string of trainwreck headaches after I thought my current Dr. had them under control and his conduct during my stay has me considering replacing him as my headache doc... unfortunately here in Chicago there arent too many options and I've already run thru some of the top docs (my current one being one of them.. not sure why, pompous ass that he is). I also have a history with Leonetti and while I think he was a fantastic Dr. and surgeon I am reluctant to ever step foot into Loyola again after my past experiences there... but his recent talks about post-AN headaches and my recent issues may lead me to give him another chance.

I'm very interested to hear how things go.. if I do go back to see him I hope he won't be mad at me for not letting him take out my AN even tho he was the one who found it.

[leapyrtwins]

Jennifer -

I had my surgery in the Chicago area too (Dr. Battista, Ear Institute of Chicago) but fortunately I don't suffer from headaches.

I asked Dr. Battista a few weeks ago about headache docs (someone else had asked me for a suggestion) and he told me that although he doesn't know any specific docs, he's heard good things about the Diamond Headache Clinic located at 1460 North Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60642 (773) 549-5140

Hopes this helps.

Kevin -

I've yet to meet Dr. Leonetti in person - somehow I missed him at the 2009 ANA Symposium (must have been too busy socializing with my Forum buddies) - but I've yet to meet a patient who's seen him who doesn't comment on his tan. 

Jan

[jennifer7]

Yes, he's still tan, caught me off guard when we met, especially after the snow storm we just had.

This morning I had the MRI of my neck, I got a copy of the CD and looked at the pictures, they look fine to me 
The nerve blocks didn't work, so that rules out the occipital nerve as the culprit of the pain.  On to the next one...  I have an appt next week with the pain dr to try something else.  The first pain dr waited months in between visits to see if what he gave me was helping, this dr is days--he would have seen me this week but I couldn't get the time off work. 

That must have been quite the trainwreck to be hospitalized for two weeks, was it related to your CSF leak?  Hope it doesn't come back any time soon.

Jan, thanks for the number, I'll save it in case this doesn't work out.

[Mei Mei]

Hi!   The nerve blocks (4) didn't work for me either and that's why Dr.Ducic recommended cutting the 3 nerves.   My radiologist called me back to do a third MRI of the area between the head and neck since he saw entrapment in the brain and neck MRIs, he wanted a more complete picture.   He offered this free of charge and I will always be so grateful to him for insisting on a complete picture.

Anyway, now we are gathering the information for all the doctors involved as to whether to cut the nerves by Dr. Ducic or take out the entrapped titanium mesh.   It would make sense to me to take out the cause of the entrapment because that is what would be irritating me to have these horrific headaches.

Since you are also not responding to the blocks maybe you have an entrapment like I do and need it removed.    Find out if there is an entrapment.   Dr. Ducic said because of the pins and needles on my scalp and pain when he touches it, I have damaged nerves from the surgery last Jan 2010.   Now I have to sit down with the nurse practitioner which surgery to do first if at all.   We are waiting for all the surgeons to write to us and formalize their conflicting opinions.

I wish you luck with this.

Mei Mei