seeking joy in a life with chronic migraine, chronic daily headache and chronic illness
Medtronic makes my particular stimulator, which consists of a battery box in my chest (below my collarbone, but above my breast) with leads (wires) that run up my neck and to the back of my head. When the stimulator is on, I feel a vibration in the back of my head. The leads are prone… Continue reading Nerve Stimulation Devices: Leads & Batteries
All the headache forums have been abuzz this week with questions about nerve stimulation to treat migraines. I’ve had an occipital nerve stimulator since December 2003, so I can share a patient’s perspective. I haven’t blogged about it much yet because I don’t know where to start. It’s time to get over that. For those… Continue reading Nerve Stimulation for Migraines
Cefaly, an electrical nerve stimulation device that is worn like a headband across the forehead and stimulates the nerves through the skin, is my latest experiment in preventing and aborting migraines. There’s a ton of information to share, so I’m breaking it up into several posts, starting with the basics. If you can’t wait to… Continue reading Cefaly External Neurostimulation Device for Preventing & Aborting Migraine Attacks
Being helpless in the face of illness is like window shopping. You’re looking through the glass at all the possibilities for an effective treatment. Every time you start to walk through the door, thinking you’ve found what will provide relief, the metal grate slams down at your feet. You can stick your fingers through the… Continue reading Nerve Stimulator Heartbreak
My feelings about nerve stimulation has obviously changed over time and I have often wished that I wrote about the process as I went along. Mary Gustafson, a journalist in her mid-20s, has done exactly that on her blog That Headache Girl. Mary, who is insightful and hilarious, describes the personal and technical aspects of… Continue reading A Nerve Stimulatoree’s Positive Experience