Hi, my name is Laureen I am a body builder and I am from New Hampshire. I have had headaches most of my life and like most people thought they were just migraines. About 5-6 years ago they started to get extremely intense.

I had what the doctors and myself thought was vertigo and was treated for migraines and vertigo.

About 2 yrs later I tried to get out of bed and fell to the floor, I couldn't stand up. My legs wouldn't work.

My husband called the Dr. She took me right in and ordered an MRI. Two days later I had the MRI. The next night we got the awful news. I had a Right Posterior Arachnoid Cyst.

I went to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in the country. They read my MRI and scheduled me for surgery the next week. A couple of days later I had my very first seizure. I don't remember a thing. All I remember is waking up to my friend screaming my name in my face. I thought she was nuts, totally. She told me what had happened. I couldn't believe it. I went and picked up my kids from school and we went home.

I called the Dr. and she put me on anticonvulsants. They removed the cyst, very painful surgery, different pain than the awful headaches. Kinda relief to have a different pain rather than the everyday all day headaches. After about 5 days I went home, couldn't walk on my own, couldn't talk very well, went through 3 weeks of therapy and was better, or so I thought.

About three months later the headaches returned, the Dr's thought it was nerve pain from the surgery. I accepted that diagnosis until about two months later and I was still in severe pain. The Dr. ordered another MRI and guess what... It grew back to the same size as when they took it out. Talking about BAD LUCK!!

Well now it is two and half years later and I still have headaches everyday and not full blown seizures but what I call "Loss Of Time". I can't remember where I am or where I am going. Pretty scary sometimes. They have me back on my seizure meds and they also have me on Periactin. Between the two and Migrinal Nasal Spray, I can keep my headaches down to a dull roar. They said they may never be able to relieve my headaches completely but I will take this over the Most Piercing Headaches Ever.

In August of this year the Dr. From Dartmouth admitted me for 5 days and did what they call the DHE Protocol. They hook you up to IV's and give you three doses of DHE everyday for 5 days. It helps to calm the inflammation in your head. It did. Then they send you home with the DHE but in nasal spray called MIGRINAL 4 mg. It works good.

I hope this helps someone, I feel soooo much better.

My symptoms include:
chronic fatigue
depression
insomnia
weight gain
phonophobia
photophobia
night terrors
mouth sores
dizzy spells
loss of time (seizure)

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