Migraine

Hi,
I've been reading this forum and getting great information for the last six months and finally am posting. My 16 year old son starting developing frequent headaches in September 2007 and by October 2007, he had a constant, every waking moment headache, always left-sided, with bright, glaring or fluorescent lights making it worse. It was also worse with stress or strenuous exercise. We have taken him to many doctors, starting with his family doctor, on to a local neurologist, and then to two headache specialists/clinics in California including UCSF headache clinic (not counting trips to urgent care, an ENT and the opthamalogist.)

He tried several different preventatives--topamax & lamictal, propranolol, nortriptyline, prozac. He tried a course of prednisone, several triptans, an occipital nerve injection, shots of torodol, a short trial of vicadin, to try to break the pain cycle. Nothing seemed to budge his constant headache at all-- he seemed to get the unpleasant side effects of most of these medications, without any positive effects. I knew from reading this forum that you have to keep trying, but it wasn't always easy to convince my very discouraged 16 year old to try a new medication.

I had been reading about Dr. John Claude Krusz's approach, having first seen his name on your recommended doctors list. Well, three weeks ago, we finally took the trip from California to Dallas, to see Dr. Krusz. We were desperate, my son was getting so worn down from the constant pain and had put so much of his life on hold. We were hoping for some pain relief and/or some new ideas.

We didn't expect a miracle, but the result seemed like it. After his second day of treatment,(IV infusion of magnesium and 3 other medications) my son was headache free for the first time in over a year! His headache has only come back 2 times in the 3 weeks since we've been back, and it didn't last very long. I guess I should post more about our experience in the doctor section, but I wanted to thank you migraine connection folks, and the people who posted about their experiences with Dr. Krusz for helping us to find the right help for my son. (And everyone's postings about Jane, the IV nurse, were true. My son just loved her, he told his Dad, "She's the nicest person you'll every meet.")

We now have hope for managing these headaches and my son feels like he can start to rebuild his life.

SusanL

Susan welcome and thank you for sharing such a wonderful sucsess with your son.

I hope all continues to go well for you. Do you have a local doctor that would work with Dr. K to facilitate treatment between visits? You might be surprised at how willing some doctors are to work with others like that.

I hope all continue well for you. I have a 17 year old son who gets occasional migraines. Even that is painful to watch.

Take care,

Cindy

Susan,

Words cannot express how happy I am for you and your son! I also travel to see Dr. K and I just adore him and his staff. I have been seeing him since January of this year and he helped reduce the length and severity of my Migraines. Right now we're working on reducing the frequency of them and I know we can do it!!

When you have a moment, please check out the Start Here Folder for important information and guidelines about the forum.

We're so glad you decided to post and that the forum has been such a great source of education and support for you the last six months. Have you seen this article yet?

• Learning About Migraines – Where To Start

I look forward to seeing you around the forum and hearing all about your son's progress. If you have any questions, just ask away

Hi, Susan, welcome to the forum. We are glad you started posting.

I am so glad you were able to get the right help for your son. While there may be setbacks in the future, at least you have a good doctor on your side. Knowing that our forum was part of helping you find that help is just the icing on the cake, but believe me, it is our privilege.

When you get a chance, take a look at the Start Here folder. You've been around long enough that this may be "elementary" for you, but another thing to check out is this article:

• Learning About Migraines and Headaches - Where To Start

Keep those experiences and questions coming.

Susan,

I'm glad you found us. You're right about the information here being so helpful.

I'm so sorry your son is going through this. Trying to cope as a teenager is very hard. With all the resources California has, it's a shame you couldn't find a doctor here to help you. That being said, I'm glad you were able to see Dr. Krusz and that he has given you and your son some hope. Hang in there. We're here for you.