After the "spinal headache" went away after I had my 3rd baby, I just got a regular headache every day. I would joke with people and say "Now I just have a headache from having 3 kids!" But really, it sucked. I now think that it was maybe from the hormones(?).
When he was about 3 months old, I think those headaches stopped. Then when he was about 5 months old, I started having chronic neck pain. By the end of the day, I would get a horrible headache that started in the base of my head and then would go to the front.
Then it got worse. I would wake up with my neck hurting SOOO bad, and then by about 9 am, I would get the headache. Ibuprofen would not even make a dent in the pain. I stopped wanting to do anything. Cleaning my house, feeding my kids, breastfeeding, changing sheets, working on the computer, doing hair, was all SOOO painful. I lost the desire to move. Driving was also painful. Checking my blindspot, turning around to hand my kids something, and basically just sitting there caused more pain.
I knew I had to do something. I quit breastfeeding. I made an appointment with my family practitioner. He didn't really know what to recommend to me except he did prescribe me Naproxin (which is a stronger anti-infamitory like IBProfren) and some muscle relaxers. Since I have chronic pain, I think I am the type that could get addicted to strong pain killers, so I wanted to try everything else first. I remember the first time I took the medicine, I was so happy that I could check my blind spot and not have pain! These meds still were not enough though. I took the max amount of both that I could- day and night- and I still had pain.
I made an appointment with a
Physiatrist, (a rehabilitation physician, a medical doctor who are: Experts at diagnosing and treating pain). He thought I was a perfect canidate for Physical therapy and he reccomended someone in my area who he thought would be good for my condition. He also said that the PT may want me to go 2-3 times a week, but if I didn't think that was possible with my schedule/health insurance, that I should just tell the PT what I was able to do.
My health insurance is a $25 co-pay and then 80/20 insurance after that. So there was no way I could afford to go that often. On my first visit to the Physical therapy (I went to Seth Riley at Hand and Orthopedic Specialists in Bountiful, Utah) I told him my situation and he said that he teaches me to do the exercises at home and so he thought it would be okay if I came once every other week.
He told me that after 8 years of me being a hairstylist, and doing too much that I had gradually stopped using the little muscles that are close to my vetibraes and joints, and I was only using the big muscles on top that go from my neck to my shoulder.
I had been told not to ever jump on a trampoline, but the last two years I had jumped on one with my 2 little kids, just bouncing and small stuff like that, not thinking that it would be a problem. I also had heard some people who had this surgery were never allowed to go horse back riding... and I did that recently for 1 hour (and had the worst neck pain/headache after!)
I vowed to NEVER go horse back riding or jump on a trampoline again. He also talked to me about my migraines, me being a hairstylist, and all of my other everyday duties that affected my neck. I stopped carrying around my baby as much, started changing his diaper on the changing table instead of the floor, etc.
After doing the exercises he gave me, the next day my pain was always worse. I felt like I was never going to get better, I was only getting worse. Then after about 3 months, I noticed a difference.
3 months after that, he put me on a maintenance program. I HAVE to do the exercises at least once a week, but I should still do them every other day.
I should add in here that my husband didn't really want me to go to PT. We didn't have the money. He thought I could get on the internet and look at neck exercises to do. Boy was he wrong! The exercises the PT gave me were nothing like I would have found online. They were strengthening those little muscles deep in my neck, where the exercises online would have been working the big muscles that were already being over worked. Physical Therapists have a Doctorate degree, and are SOOO smart. He knew SOOO much. He tested my nerves, as he was worried about nerve damage when he heard about how my arm and half my face goes numb when I get a migraine. He taught me SOOO much.
So, It took 6 months of Physical Therapy, changing my lifestyle a little bit, and now, I only get the neck pain/headache after I have a long day where I do too much. Example: We recently moved to Montana. Everyday for about 2 weeks, I had to take my medicine and at about 7 pm I had to stop un-boxing the house. It just hurt too bad. The other day, I vacuumed and cleaned the whole upstairs. Then I got a neckache/headache in the afternoon.
The good news is that we bought a house that is a rambler. I only have to go up about 2 stairs to go in the house. It had a laundry room on the main floor, and in the basement, so I put my washer and dryer on the main floor. It is so nice to not have to carry loads of clothes up and down stairs all day. Also, my last house had wood floors throughout almost the whole upstairs... this house has carpet almost everywhere. I LOVE IT.
I think that with me continuing my physical therapy, and changing my lifestyle, (and as my baby grows up and can walk, and my kids can take care of themselves more) my pain will continue to go down. I probably on average only take my medicine once or twice a week.
I love Physical therapists! I think that I should have gone to one before I had surgery, right after I had surgery, and in between! It would have helped me sooo much! At least I went when I did, but I wish someone would have told me about them long ago.
And cannot sleep without it. We visited my parents last week, and I had horrible neck aches every morning because I had forgotten to bring my pillow (well, their pillow, actually). I did not like the pillow at first, but after about a week, I loved it. I loved the mattress imediatly, but have heard that it takes people awhile to get used to as well.
