Botox for reduction of daily headaches

I have been waiting for my husband to post an update on his headache blog. He really just does not like to deal with it.  I don't blame him, but I feel strongly that it is important to provide hope for others who are suffering.  There have been so many days I have felt like crying when we reach another dead end to solving this headache phenomena.  It came on just suddenly and has not gone away long term without some major medical intervention.

 We were so hopeful when we had cervical radio-frequency ablation. However, recovery time is long and the benefits for him decreased with each procedure.  The first two procedures lasted 3-4 months.  The last two were 30-33 days.   He had his last procedure in December.  It wore off in January.  It was not until the end of July and three new doctors later that Botox was introduced into the picture.  The goal is to use the botox  to paralysis the nerve endings where it was injected. He was told not to expect any cosmetic benefits.  (I didn't notice any either.)  The DR injected his forehead along his eyebrows all the way into his hairline every few centimenter.  Then she did the same thing at the top and  base of his neck and into his shoulders. 

The first few days he seemed fine.  The recovery from this procedure was quick and the lido-cane in the injection provided some immediate relief. It was about 5 days afterward that his headaches returned to pre-procedure levels.  They stayed there for 5 days and we thought the procedure did not work, but then it began to get better and better.  The Botox did not make the headaches go away, but they are much more livable. He went from having them be at a pain level of 7-9 daily for the last several months to 1-3 post Botox.  When they would rise higher than a 3 they came down pretty quickly. 

We were told to expect this to last 2-6 months.  We are almost to three months and he is having bad days every week now for the last 3 weeks.  So we know the party is coming to an end, but at least we finally have a new option.

Meanwhile,  the pain management doctor, requires that he not take any pain meds at all.  His old doctor told him not more than twice a week on his really bad days, but the new one says use of any pain meds at all, may be too much and cause the headache to be stronger.This is really hard on those hard days.  Thankfully there is anti-nausea meds to help when the pain is really bad. She also sent him to a pain psychologist, who worked on controlling pain through breathing and relaxing. He only had three visits with this DR, because it was more to satisfy the insurance companies requirements that we have done everything, should we need to proceed with  even more less traditional treatments.

Well that is it in a nutshell.  Hope anyone out there suffering gets the help they need.  Everyone deserves hope.  And when one doctor is out of suggestions, have them refer you one to another, then to another.  Some one out there has your answer.