#sphenocath

[bedbugbiting]

I am really worried about getting another nerve block. My track record is really hit or miss so far. If this goes badly then it might be time to stop.

I did NOT have this weird pain in my cheek until after this last block and that is very upsetting.

[bedbugbiting]

My neurologist’s office scared me with a new form that said that if Medicare refused to cover my nerve block that I would be billed “an estimated $900-$2000.” Um, no. Apparently, I’m already approved, though, and I can just...get nerve blocks when my doctor orders them. So I’m scheduled to get them every two weeks now and I might soon get them every week. 

So, that’s what’s going on there.

That’s a lot of money for a little tube stuck up your nose.

[bedbugbiting]

I had a few good days after the nerve block but today is awful and yesterday was awful so I think it just wears off after a week. I might actually have to call Medicare and ask how often I can get it done. The neurologist said some people do it once a week, which seems excessive but if I can avoid feeling like this, that would be great. The sphenocath web site says you can do it up to three times a week but that sounds ridiculous.

[bedbugbiting]

I got a nerve block for the first time in six months and I feel so much better I can't even believe it. Some fluid got in my ears, even, but still a massive improvement. I didn't even sneeze in my doctor's face.

My second neurologist is psychic or something because he mentioned the drug I was too scared to bring up to the other doctor. He's done this before. Or perhaps I just have a good idea of what drugs might help because I read so much about it. Anyway, I might go on it soon if increasing Tegretol doesn't help.

[bedbugbiting]

My nerve block went okay. I didn’t even feel the second half, which is kind of weird. I felt light-headed after. I’m still going every two weeks. 

[momo2atl-blog]

I’ve had migraines for as long as I can remember and was diagnosed with chronic migraines at the age of 6.  Doctors from military installation hospitals loaded me full of strong, adult doses of narcotics including Midrin (isometheptene mucate, dichloralphenazone and acetaminophen), a combination of a pain reliever and fever reducer, a sedative, and a vasoconstrictor.  It made me sluggish and unable to perform basic motor functions; I usually spent the rest of the day in bed.

I was asked by my boss to help with a multi-channel marketing campaign for a hospital promoting a product/procedure call Sphenocath.  I spent many hours researching, watching youtube videos of the procedure, and reading the blogs of people who had tried it.

For those of you who don’t know, Sphenocath is a minimally-invasive (and I do mean minimal) procedure in which a flexible tube is inserted into the patient’s nasal cavity and a lidocaine mixture is sprayed onto the sphenopalatine ganglion, a bundle of nerves located in the nasal cavity. 

Ok, so, that’s the official talk.  After reading about the procedure, I decided the only way to really understand it, was to do it.  In the past year, I have had this procedure done over eight times.  I go to my pain relief center, where they place me on an office bed with my neck on a rolled cushion that places my head at a downward angle.  My doctor fills an injection tube with a long, flexible tube attached to it. They use a live X-ray to ensure they are placing the tube in the right spot and not poking my nasal passage. This is mildly uncomfortable, but not painful.  When they’ve reached the right spot, she depresses the lidocaine onto the nerve, they do not inject it INTO the nerve.

This is the worst part.  I don’t know if you’ve ever tried lidocaine; it’s nasty.  Imagine crushing a plain aspirin and mixing it with water and that almost comes close to what it tastes like.  So they do this in both nostrils.  I have gone in with massive migraines and while the taste of the lidocaine is disgusting, there is an almost instantaneous relief. 

There are multiple kinds of migraines and this procedure works best for allergen related migraines, usually triggered by a sinus headache, and barometric pressure shifts.  I am sensitive to both.  My migraines are also triggered by hormonal changes around my menstrual cycle and food triggers (highly processed foods, artificial food coloring and dyes, high tannin wines, and MSG).

All that to say... this marketing campaign has been close to my heart since it launched. I’ve given company presentations on it and been involved in the writing of not only the social media, but the website copy, direct mail flyers, and additional written materials.  I worked with the phenomenal copywriter Josh Klein, based out of Florida.  This campaign is what started my interest and love of copywriting; up until this point, I had been enjoying my analytical work.

[annikalita]

Got my first SPG block yesterday! This is me in the neurologist’s office (with sunglasses, naturally) just before the unpleasantness ensued. Smiling despite my 6/10 migraine because I was full of hope that the SPG block would be my savior. The experience was pretty unpleasant, but brief. Within a couple of hours my migraine was essentially gone! Today was a good day, with no pain above a 3 and much less than that for most of the day. Keeping my fingers crossed that the relief will continue!

[muggle394]

Got my first ever SPGB done

Not a very pleasant experience, but it wasn't too horrible to not repeat again. Which is good because my doctor wants me to come back in a week to get another one done, a series of 3 total (for this month at least), and then if, after the 3 SPGB's, I don't have any improvement then they'll just add that to the list of things that don't work for my migraines.