Head & Neck Nerve Blocks

Well I had my block & I was sceptical I have to admit & very nervous. Because if it doesn't work going through the nose, then they goes through the side of the face. The procedure was pretty interesting and MUCH better than I thought it would be. I was worried for nothing. The occipital head block was worst. The worse part was sniffing the lidocaine through my nose & having it go down the back of my throat. It is day three (?) I believe & my migraines are gone. (Knock on wood) This is a first for me. The head block part hasn't worked as well, but I don't usually get good results & he said his patients don't get good results. I talked to other patients & a nurse who had the Sphenopalatine blocks done & they ALL had excellent results.

Yes, he has had 75% results. His office is always packed & was highly recommended by my doctor. I think that more people haven't heard of them because insurance hasn't been covering this procedure for very long. In my opinion. It is VERY pricey.

You need to have someone drive you because afterwards you feel a weird sensation...almost dizzy and can't walk straight. I definitely couldn't drive afterwards. They use a dye that is used in MRI's and they insert a catheter into your nose (after it is numb). They also use a type of x-ray machine to make sure the placement is correct. It is all very interesting. No pain, a very slight discomfort but nothing you can't handle at all. I HIGHLY recommend it. I return to the doctors in four weeks to follow-up & let him know how I'm doing. I will keep you posted. I have done botox for migraines & it is helpful but nothing has worked like this has. I've never gone 3-days without a migraine.

I have had the cranial nerve blocks done on many different occasions. I have found them to be very helpful in stopping a "series" of migraines if you will. If I am in a rut and cannot get out, the injections have really helped me! I do caution you however, they are quite uncomfortable, I mea they really hurt! My dr. always starts in the back of the head/neck area and works toward the front of my head, then above the eyes and then below the eyes and then done! Relief comes!
They usually last for several weeks until a migraine occurs again. I have never done Botox just the normal blocks.
Best wishes to you! I hope you find some relief somewhere!

chandlertoo wrote:Well I had my block & I was sceptical I have to admit & very nervous. Because if it doesn't work going through the nose, then they goes through the side of the face. The procedure was pretty interesting and MUCH better than I thought it would be. I was worried for nothing. The occipital head block was worst. The worse part was sniffing the lidocaine through my nose & having it go down the back of my throat. It is day three (?) I believe & my migraines are gone. (Knock on wood) This is a first for me. The head block part hasn't worked as well, but I don't usually get good results & he said his patients don't get good results. I talked to other patients & a nurse who had the Sphenopalatine blocks done & they ALL had excellent results.

Yes, he has had 75% results. His office is always packed & was highly recommended by my doctor. I think that more people haven't heard of them because insurance hasn't been covering this procedure for very long. In my opinion. It is VERY pricey.

You need to have someone drive you because afterwards you feel a weird sensation...almost dizzy and can't walk straight. I definitely couldn't drive afterwards. They use a dye that is used in MRI's and they insert a catheter into your nose (after it is numb). They also use a type of x-ray machine to make sure the placement is correct. It is all very interesting. No pain, a very slight discomfort but nothing you can't handle at all. I HIGHLY recommend it. I return to the doctors in four weeks to follow-up & let him know how I'm doing. I will keep you posted. I have done botox for migraines & it is helpful but nothing has worked like this has. I've never gone 3-days without a migraine.

I went over seven weeks without a migraine which is a record for me. Now I only get them about three times a week. I now call my doctor Dr. Miracle. I met the three men today who invented this procedure and I am very grateful to them. It is a VERY new procedure and that is why people haven't heard of it. Each time you have it done your migraine will get better and better. Next week I will have another block done. It is truly a miracle. I am sending an email to one of the men to give him the link to this forum and hopefully he will add more information for all of you. My doctor is Dr. Raul Weston in Centerville, Utah and he is wonderful. My best to all of you.

Hello everyone,

I was researching that last post from chandlertoo to determine how her sphenopalatine ganglia block procedure was done. Apparently, her SPG block was done with a new technology called the SphenoCath from Dolor Technologies, LLC. I found two uTube videos on this approach:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZlYLXP6sXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn7Rk8K0ldA

The first link shows an SPG procedure done with the SphenoCath under x-ray (fluoroscopy), and the second link shows shows an SPG procedure done with a tactile approach in the office. According to the videos, we can reach the company at info@sphenocath.com. Hope this helps!