Thread by @ThatRealDani

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna Feb 2019 I had occipital nerve block for the left side of my head. I had been experiencing occipital neuralgia for more than a year but had not described it accurately for my pain mgmt doc. The moment I did, it was an AHA moment for us both and he had me come in later that week/1

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna to the outpatient clinic, where he does all of them, but wanted to monitor me bc w/o medication, my BP is 70s/40s (90s/60s medicated). Concern was w/my heartrate and BP. Husband drove me to and from, but I was in so much pain before the block that no way I could have driven/2

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna I needed two shots. They numb the area before giving the shot. It was administered in that notch in my skull that's kinda below/behind ear. It feels weird as hell; like your head is getting very heavy and full. After the first shot, the doc asked me to lift/roll my head around/3

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna I think in an effort to see how I felt after the first shot. I think you're supposed to immediately be out of pain, and they have you roll around your head to get the block moving. We waited - I can't think how long, maybe less than 15 minutes - before I got the second one/4

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna And that's when I was like, "Okay, this is helping." You have to hold very still when they're giving the shot, and don't freak out if it feels like the doc is wiggling the needle around. My head felt like it was not attached to my body for a very long time afterward/5

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna It was a funny feeling. The only strange thing my family noted that I did afterward was making strange popping noises with my mouth. Can't give an explanation for that.
I have not had the same issue w/occipital neuralgia since, but I do have CSF leak that's been detected since/6

@JeninaB12 @_una_tuna It took more than a year after the ONB to realize I had a CSF leak, but mine is the kind that spontaneously corrects itself, too. I can tell you that the ON headache is EXTREMELY different than the CSF headache, though, and I'm very glad I did it. I wish you well. LMK how it goes