An awesome invitation

[DharmasMom]

I see a neurologist every three months for migraines and cluster headaches. I had my regular appointment today. I have been seeing this new nurse practitioner for about a year and she is super awesome, she is so on top of things. She is also a big dog lover and ESPECIALLY GSDs. We talk about my dog and my involvement in rescue every time I am there.

Today, I was telling her how the girls love to go for car rides and go every where with me possible. She invited me to bring them to my appointments!! How cool is that?? She said flat out that she has no problem with me bringing them right on in with me. I totally <3 her. Of course I won't and I told her that. I understand that not everybody shares my love of dogs and some are even afraid of this breed. Dharma is very well behaved (Pippa still has a lot of fear issues and while she is well behaved she scares and gets nervous very easily) but I know that some people would be freaked out so the girls will remain at home. I LOVED that she invited them and thought that was so cool though.

I admit, that scored just as many points as the fact she is better than any other dr I have for anything hands down.

[LissG]

i'm sorry to hear about your migraines....but that is soooo aaaaaawwwweeeeesssssoooooooooooome that you can bring your dogs!!!! i wish my doctor did that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *jealous* lol

[Stosh]

That's great! My mom sees a dr that brings his dog to the office- a Golden named Sandy Paws [it's in FL].

[DharmasMom]

Thanks! She really is super awesome. I started seeing her because of my cluster headaches. My last neurologist was good with my migraines but when I finally got diagnosed with clusters (it only took 15 years) she was a nightmare and treated me like crap basically because I had done all of this research on them and what the latest research showed, what treatments were supposed to work best and what course of action to take. My last cycle lasted 3 months and I was just about ready to shoot myself (I am not kidding- they call them the "suicide headache" for a reason). She and I actually had a fight in the office and I never went back after that visit. I found this nurse practitioner on a cluster headache website that highly recommended her for my area as an expert in them and she completely is. She confirmed ALL of the research I had done and agreed with everything I had found. She actually listens to everything I have to say. She even works to reduce my migraine incidents where as my other doctor was content with the number I had a month.

The fact she is a big time animal lover and ESPECIALLY dog lover with GSDs being her absolute favorite just makes her that much better. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to her office but it is worth it. We were joking today because she pulled something off my arm and I asked "Is that dog hair?"
She laughed and said "No, I expect you to be covered with dog hair. It was a string."

I just thought it was so cool that she told me I could bring the dogs. When she first said something, I made the comment that I wouldn't want to leave them in the car that long. She looked at me and said "You can bring them in. I wouldn't care. It would be fine."

[brembo]

Ask for an appointment at the end of the day so that the waiting room is empty.

My old job, where I was the manager, was extremely dog friendly. I allowed animals if they behaved and were house trained. The really nice thing was that my office had a side door that lead out our parking lot, which was surrounded by a 12' chainlink fence (iffy neighborhood). So, the dogs could go outside and have a good 1/2 acre to run around that was escape proof. I had a litany of clients that stopped by to simply chat and let their dogs have a day out with them. One guy had a pair of standard poodles that were an absolute riot. Newfies, JRTs, Goldens, Labs, Dobes, GSD(mine) and a Rottie were common visitors.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by DharmasMom

My last cycle lasted 3 months and I was just about ready to shoot myself (I am not kidding- they call them the "suicide headache" for a reason). She and I actually had a fight in the office and I never went back after that visit. I found this nurse practitioner on a cluster headache website that highly recommended her for my area as an expert in them and she completely is. She confirmed ALL of the research I had done and agreed with everything I had found. She actually listens to everything I have to say. She even works to reduce my migraine incidents where as my other doctor was content with the number I had a month.

Awesome. Isn't it great to find a compassionate, competent doctor after dealing with one who just doesn't seem to give a crap about you?

Curious what differentiates migraines from clusters. I get migraines and I know very intimately what a "suicide headache" is. Fortunately the Sumitriptan helps. How do they treat clusters?

[DharmasMom]

Originally Posted by brembo

Ask for an appointment at the end of the day so that the waiting room is empty.

That is actually a good idea!

Originally Posted by Freestep

Awesome. Isn't it great to find a compassionate, competent doctor after dealing with one who just doesn't seem to give a crap about you?

Curious what differentiates migraines from clusters. I get migraines and I know very intimately what a "suicide headache" is. Fortunately the Sumitriptan helps. How do they treat clusters?

Yes, it has been SUCH a relief to find her. Even though I haven't cycled yet I feel in good hands when I do. She was telling me today all about her plan for when I do. I am actually not afraid for them to start- hopefully with the new regiment I am on, I won't for a while but she and both know that by my past history I am actually past due. We are crossing our finger that the new plan is actually working.

The difference is the way the headache feels, how the act, and how your body responds although they are both vascular. My migraines are pretty much anytime, anywhere. Stress is a big trigger. I have different intensities though, can have nausea and vomiting and can be light sensitive and can be on the right or left side of my head. My grandmother had them so I have a hereditary component.

My dad had clusters. With my clusters there is vascular involvement but also trigeminal nerve involvement. 99% of the time it will start when I am asleep. It wakes me up from a sound sleep. The pain goes from the top of my head, behind my left eye, down into my left ear and down to the left side of my jaw. It feels like someone is sticking a hot poker into the side of my head but 100 times worse. Laying still makes it worse. I pace, I rock, I cry, I have banged my head into the wall. I can feel my ear canal and I want to pull my eye out of my head. I have never gotten nauseous or thrown up though. Once I got the proper diagnosis, I found out that Imitrex shots and ONLY the shots will stop it in minutes. Which is so much better than the 2 hours or so that I used to suffer from. They usually occur with a pattern. My pattern has always been every other day (or night) for 3-4 weeks. Usually at around the same time. It always took high dose steroids to break it. I knew this even before I knew what was wrong with me. My last cycle though didn't follow the pattern. I was having 2-3 a day sometimes, I had several while I was awake. Steroids did nothing. The cycle lasted 3 months.

They say oxygen will also stop it quickly. My old neurologist basically called me an idiot for asking for an O2 tank for my house. My new one wrote me a script on my first visit- she agreed that it works and works well for some people.

There has been research done that these seeds that are a derivative of LSD work wonders at breaking a cycle. They are illegal in this country but there are people who have suffered from clusters for years that got rid of them completely by steeping the seeds in water and making a tea. My new neuro and I have even talked about that. She has told me she has a pt that they have changed her life. She says flat out that she obviously can't condone them but she understands people who go that route and she would never report someone.

I would take the worst migraine I have ever had, laying on the bathroom floor, puking my guts out over my clusters any day.

[Chicagocanine]

That's great that you found someone who both is good with your condition AND loves GSDs! I've never found a doctor who was an animal lover as far as I know at least. I mean it's never really come up so I don't know how I would know. The only time I've brother up my pets was when I told the dermatologist one of my cats had been diagnosed with ringworm (when I thought a rash on my leg might be ringworm, but it wasn't.)
I was diagnosed with migraines recently, another doctor I saw thought they were sinus headaches but the stuff they recommended never worked. My regular doctor disagreed and he thinks they are facial migrains. He's been good so far about trying things to reduce them.. I don't know why no one ever said anything before because I've been having regular headaches for years and no other doctor really tried to do anything about them. Lately they've been getting worse though. I'm going for a follow-up this week.

[DharmasMom]

I am sorry to hear that you have them as well. I am glad you are finally getting properly diagnosed and treated though. That makes a huge difference (that and a really good dr as I have recently discovered). I wish you all the best on getting them under control. I know that the preventatives, for me it is Topamax, has made all the difference. I went from 2-3 migraines a week to 3-4 a month and the intensity is a lot less.

I don't remember how we originally got on the subject of my dogs and then my involvement in rescue. We have a great relationship though and that convo led to her telling me about her love of animals/dogs/GSDs.

She cracked me up today. She has an 18 year old cat. She said when she started dating her husband though the cat was 3 and he told her she would have to get rid of the cat if they were going to live together. She flat out told him that the cat had been with her longer than he had and it wasn't going to happen so if he wanted to stay he better make friends with the cat. HA, that is soooo like me.

Her hubby now adores the cat, btw.

[KZoppa]

Debbi, i think i said it on facebook but i'm so totally saying it again.... THAT IS AWESOME!!! I would LOVE to be able to take Shasta to the clinic with me when i go in for appointments. I might be less tense if i could take her. I seriously hate dealing with doctors.

I've dealt with migraines since 3rd grade. My teacher thought i was faking it when i suddenly started crying in the middle of class because my head hurt so bad i couldnt see and even a whisper was like someone was yelling with a microphone with my ear pressed up to the speaker. Definitely has prevented me from sleeping some nights. Its usually a pain that starts behind my right eye and gradually just starts pounding all over so much it feels like my head is going to explode.