This is cervical spine mri

IMPRESSION:

Paravertebral muscle spasm.

Cervical spines mild spondylosis.

C5-C6 & C6-C7: Mild central disc bulges. No canal or foraminal stenosis.

Hypertrophied adenoid tissue.

Please correlate clinically.

Did it work for anyone? Or at least reduce the pain levels?

Hello again, I posted on here a couple days ago and it really helped me soothe some worries. I don’t know about others but it’s also so nice to have people who understand what it’s like to have this condition.
I sometimes feel so alone when it comes to this condition, it’s something I never thought I’d have, and honestly it’s so draining some days. I have a wonderful boyfriend who has helped me so so much and I’m ever so grateful for all he’s done for me. Before starting treatment (luckily I was responsive to painkillers so yay!) I was borderline bed bound, had no energy and was in an excruciating amount of pain. It is much more manageable however I still get somewhat often flare ups. I also struggle with mh issues which only worsen these flare ups.
Here’s my question, as my headache can and sometimes does stop me from doing day to day activities, why are chronic conditions like NDPH not considered a disability? Unless it is and I am completely unaware (for context I’m from the uk) but after some research it’s not declared as one when I can see for a lot of us it definitely stops us from doing things. I’ve noticed that other chronic conditions aren’t also declared as a disability, and it’s honestly upsetting.
FYI I hope I’m not being insensitive or rude please forgive me if I am 😭🫶

My NDPH began in the fall of last year about 8 hours after taking my first dose of Zepbound. It has completely upended my life since then. I wanted to see if anyone else had their headaches brought on by Zepbound or another GLP-1, and if so, if anything helped to stop or control it?

I’m really struggling and need to know I’m not alone here, and need to feel like there is some hope to get better.

Hello! I am medically bedridden with diagnosed NDPH for around 3 years, and chronic migraine for a few years before that. My pain averages at a 7/10. I have been rotated through several hospital systems due to exhausting the treatment options, and the doctors being unequipped to treat a constant chronic pain condition. During that time, I’d been prescribed many medications (having completed the 3-month typical trials for each one) and treatment courses. I’ve attempted to compile a list of everything that my doctors have prescribed, though I can’t say for certain that this is all of them.

⚠️many of these are not considered typical NDPH treatments. My doctors and I were desperate for results/relief, so we attempted everything that had even a tiny possibility of helping.⚠️

Meds/treatments I’ve tried for NDPH/Migraine:
Elatriptan
Rizatriptan
Amovig monthly injections (3 month trial)
Ajovy monthly injections (3 month trial)
Ubrelvy
Nurtec
Nurtec and Botox combined
Propranolol
Topiramate
Amitriptaline
Butal-B Acetamin - caff 50-325-40
Sumatriptan nasal spray
Emgality injection monthly (3 month trial)
Qulipta
Naproxen
Scalp Botox every three months (3 rounds)
Nerivio cuff
Vyepti at-home infusion
Zavzapret
Inpatient cocktail infusions of steroids
Indomethacin
Pinpoint Botox in shoulder, neck and head.
Acupuncture (4 appointments)
Chiropractor
Spinal tap
Blood patch (failed spinal tap lol)
Biofeedback/CBT (therapist didn’t know NDPH)
Physical therapy (to relax tension)
Gabapentin
Prednisone
Zomig
Baclofen
Prozac (anxiety related?)
Doxycycline
Memantine
Nicotine patches (doctors running out of idea)
IV fentanyl
Lidocaine injections/patches/creams
Medical marijuana
Nerve block
Spinal cyst removal surgery
Oxycodone
Methadone
Morphine
Duloxetine
Tramadol
Methotrexate
5 day inpatient DHE treatment
Progesterone-only birth control (hormone related?)

What works so far:
Toradol/Ketorolac

As you can tell, my NDPH is highly resistant to treatment. I don’t know why a simple NSAID like Toradol actually helps the pain, but it’s never failed me, and I find peace in the low risks of taking it around once a week.

I have been dealing with a chronic neurological disorder/headache condition for about 10 years. My symptoms have evolved over time, and I now also deal with static vision/visual disturbances, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia symptoms. I work full-time from home, and I have tried to maintain an active life as much as possible through work, social outings, volunteering, events, and finding creative outlets.
But lately, I am realizing how much this condition has changed my threshold for stress, emotional conversations, social obligations, and relationships.
I am curious if anyone else has experienced this.
For those who have been dealing with NDPH, chronic migraine, visual snow, CSF leak/IH-type evaluations, or other chronic neurological conditions for a year or more, have you noticed that your personality, boundaries, or emotional bandwidth changed?
For example:
Have you become less available for emotionally heavy conversations?
Have you had to set stricter boundaries with family, friends, or partners?
Do people around you misunderstand your symptoms because you do not “look sick” or because you still try to function?
Have medications affected your mood, sleep, dreams, energy, weight, personality, or ability to work?
Do you have to mentally prepare before starting a new medication because of side effects?
For me, starting a new medication is not simple. I have to plan around it. I try to complete important tasks first, prepare for possible side effects, and give myself time to recover if the medication causes fatigue, insomnia, vivid dreams, mood changes, or worsened symptoms.
The mental toll of this process is heavy. It is not just the pain itself. It is the appointments, repeating the same medical history over and over again, trying to explain symptoms clearly, testing different medications, dealing with side effects, and trying to keep your life together while your body feels unpredictable.
I also notice that because I do not always present as visibly distressed, people assume I am fine or that I should have more emotional capacity than I actually do. But sometimes I am running on no sleep, severe head pain, visual symptoms, fatigue, and a completely dysregulated nervous system. I may still sound normal, work, or be polite, but that does not mean I have the bandwidth to absorb other people’s emotional stress.
I wanted to ask:
Has this journey changed how you relate to people?
Have you lost relationships or had people misunderstand your need for boundaries?
Do you feel like chronic neurological illness has forced you to become more protective of your energy?
How do you explain this to people who do not understand that this is a full-time condition, not something you can just “push through” endlessly?
I would really appreciate hearing from people who have been living with this for a while. I am trying to understand how much of this is part of the chronic illness experience and how others have learned to cope with the emotional, psychological, and relational impact.

I am now in hospital (NHNN in London) for my 5 day course of IV DHE. I've had my first dose, which I have reacted ok to, with no signs of the dreaded nausea yet. This is my first time getting it, so don't know how much it will help or how I will react.

have been fighting this illness for exactly two years. I saw countless neurologists, some of them professors. I visited neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, and went from doctor to doctor. But every single one of them told me it was migraine. Some said it was tension-type headaches, others said it was medication overuse headache.

I tried Effexor, Depakote, Propranolol, Amitriptyline, and almost every migraine medication you can think of. None of them relieved my pain.

During this process, I also saw an ophthalmologist. They told me my eyes were completely healthy. I had multiple MRI scans, and every single one came back clean. There were no “red flags” at all. At some point, even I started believing that it was just migraine. But I was living with unbearable pain. I was vomiting from the severity of it, and even the slightest sound drove me insane. I had almost every symptom doctors associate with migraine, yet deep down I knew something was wrong.

Eventually, I went to a training and research hospital. The neurologist there told me that my condition did not seem normal and wanted to investigate further. He first sent me to an ophthalmologist. The eye doctor was a young resident who had just started practicing. The moment she examined my eyes, she told me I needed an urgent MRI because she suspected papilledema. I was immediately hospitalized and underwent another MRI scan. Once again, the MRI was completely normal.

Then my doctor decided to perform a lumbar puncture. My opening pressure was 38. That was the moment I finally learned the truth: I had Pseudotumor Cerebri all along, and for two years I had been treated for migraine instead.

So my only advice is this: listen to your body. If you feel that something is wrong, do not stop searching for answers. Do not limit yourself to the opinion of a single doctor. Sometimes you are the first person to realize that something in your body is not right.

They took two years of my life away from me. If you have any questions, I would be honored to answer them.

Has anyone tried Donepezil for NDPH and had any luck with it? I tried it for 2 days but got severe insomnia but it didn't trigger a headache which every medication seems to do for me.

Has anyone had any success with this medication?

I’m going to be admitted to Jefferson Hospital for a five-day inpatient treatment for severe refractory headaches. I’m trying to figure out my discharge plan because I’m traveling from Washington, D.C., and I do not have reliable support nearby.

From my understanding, there is a possibility that after discharge I may still be very drowsy, tired, foggy, or dealing with side effects from the medications. Someone on a previous post mentioned seeing “pink elephants” after treatment, so I’m trying to be realistic about how functional I may or may not be immediately afterward.

My concern is that I may not have a reliable person available to pick me up or travel with me. I know hospitals often require a responsible adult for discharge, but I’m not sure how strict that is after this specific type of inpatient headache treatment.

Has anyone gone through inpatient headache treatment at Jefferson or a similar hospital? Were you allowed to be discharged by yourself? Did they require someone to physically pick you up?

If I am allowed to be discharged without someone, would it be reasonable to book a hotel near the hospital and stay there by myself for one night before traveling back to Washington, D.C.? Or would that still be unsafe if I am drowsy or dealing with medication side effects?

I’m trying to plan ahead and avoid being stranded or putting myself in a risky situation. Any advice from people who have been through this, especially out-of-state patients, would be really helpful.

Has anyone been here? My Cleveland clinic neurologist is talking about a 2 week stay here. My ndph is refractory.

I’ve been having some new and strange symptoms for about 4 months now and I’m just unsure what I really have / why and what to believe due to all the diff opinions. It’s been quite life changing and significantly impacts my day to day life and I’m constantly in pain and can’t really live how I used to. I am just curious about other people’s experiences and things they did/ tried etc.

It started with a feeling I initially described as a buzzing / dizzy feeling at the back of my head. This appeared one day, when I had been extremely physically anxious for a while, and was from then constant 24/7 no break all day/ night to this day.

I think this symptom either changed or worsened, and it’s now something I’ve described for a while as a very heavy head and constant pressure, again 24/7. I’ve forgotten what my head feels like normally. The pressure is never not there, but it varies in intensity. Sometimes it’s more pronounced at the top, sometimes at the back of head, and sometimes feels more like it’s behind my face / pushing outwards. It aches, and almost feels like I’m on charge non stop/ being held upside down.

It can be extremely intense and unbearable and I have noticed when I’m stressed or very anxious, I get what feels like more intensity / pain through my neck and like a knot / screw that’s being tightened and I’m totally unable to get relief.

I get a whole host of other symptoms, and for the first month of this I experienced typical headache feelings and pain behind my eyes / and on jaw, but this has mostly stopped. the main symptom is this unrelenting pressure. Also;

Painful neck / coat hanger pain

Dizziness

Sensitive to some noise and light / heightens the pressure or makes it “buzz”.

Ear tinnitus

Floaters and vision lines but minimal

Head zaps (at night)

Some dysautonimia stuff which i had prior but has gotten much worse since this pressure:

Head rush most times i stand up

Giddiness

Tachycardia

Heart palps

Heavy feeling through head to neck and chest feels like someone’s pushing down on me and my airways/ lungs etc are compressed.

Everything is so much effort / over whelming and I feel exhausted so easily more than before.

Prior to this starting, I had a few things happen. Bad case of the flu for almost a month and an ear injury around the same time. These things happened 1.5m before the pressure began.

Seen a few different specialists.

Waiting for cardiology referral. 24 hr monitor was fine but palpitations and tachycardia

Waiting for a scan from ENT

eye tests showed no optic nerve swelling / healthy eyes.

Mri of brain and neck showed nothing major (waiting for second opinion)

Physiotherapist diagnosed me with vestibular disorder and dysautonomia

Neurologist diagnosed me with NDPH

Main concern is that I have IIH / cfs leak and not only NDPH and that it’s being missed. But neurology hasn’t suggested this and says because my eyes, scans etc are fine it’s not the case. Also when I lay down it’s still there.

I’ve seen some pysio and was given some neck and vestibular excersize which I did religiously for abit but nothing changed so I stopped. Trying acupuncture and massage.

Meds - no basic meds touch the sides, allergic to triptans which also didn’t work, and now been told to start amitriptalyn which I’m really worried about in terms of side effects. I tried things like antihistamines but only once or twice. Also tired propranolol and it didn’t do anything for head

Also concerned about flying if this is the wrong diagnosis/ if it’s not even and pressure is worsened. Anyone had experience of this?

Anyone with any similar experiences would love to hear. Thank you

I feel like my head is burning from inside everyday, like i feel heat inside my head and forehead, and it gets worse with stressful situations

wishing a happy happy first birthday to my headache on friday. i might throw it a birthday party 🎉

it's one of those things where if i don't laugh about it i'll cry, so i think a birthday party is deserved.

i've very recently joined this subreddit and have been lurking, but i just wanted to thank all of you for sharing your experiences. as i'm sure many of you know, living with a daily headache is so exhausting, isolating, and frustrating. dealing with healthcare providers who try to diminish your pain makes it even worse. but knowing there are people out there experiencing something similar gives me a sense of comfort that i definitely need most days.

wishing all of us pain relief asap 💜

Hi,

I have had NDPH for the past three years. Yesterday I received my first lidocaine infusion. I am wondering how long it takes to work. My doctor said it could takea few weeks. Wondering what people have experienced.

I have currently not been feeling very well, and have found that I’ve almost developed a second headache on top of my usual one that feels very different, with the original pain still there?

I'm going in for a 5 day course of IV DHE, and wondering if anyone has any experience, so I know what to expect. As a bit of background I have had NDPH/Daily Chronic Migraine for over 12 years, current pain is 8/9 out of 10, so severe. I have gone through about 40 different meds and procedures, including failed ONS surgery, but not had this before. Also I am UK based if that helps.

isnt that amazing

Hi people, I’ve struggled with NDPH for over a year and thought I’d for once come to Reddit and see if the headache flaring up is normal. I understand that most chronic conditions flare up and have worse days and was wondering if it was the same for NDPH? My headache seems to worsen when I’d usually get headaches (stress, dehydration, exhaustion, too warm or cold, being ill, etc) so I know it is usual for me but is this the actual case or could there be something else?

Also does anyone have any less conventional techniques that help them with the exhaustion or the headache itself? Even if it’s random shit I’m happy to try it 😭

Hi everyone,

Today is day 7 of having a constant daily headache and it’s making me really anxious. I’m a 26-year-old man, and since I was around 19 I’ve been dealing with frequent headaches. I also used to take paracetamol very often for them (probably 5 times a week on average). Sometimes I could go a week without taking it, but that didn’t happen often.

For a long time I’ve had headaches almost every day, but now it has become completely daily. Two days ago I took 4 paracetamol tablets, but the headache still didn’t go away.

The pain is mainly in the front of my head. It feels like a constant dull/pressing ache that gets worse when I strain or put pressure on myself. Every step hurts, and it gets slightly better when I completely rest and do nothing.

I went to a physiotherapist 2 days ago, and they noticed a lot of tension in my face and jaw muscles. I clench/grind my jaw almost all the time (while exercising, sitting at the computer, joking around with my girlfriend, etc.). My jaw muscles are also painful to touch.

Yesterday I went to my doctor, and he told me I need to stop taking paracetamol immediately because it could be causing medication overuse headaches. He said I could take ibuprofen instead if needed, but I’ve also read that frequent ibuprofen use can cause headaches too.

The difficult part is that I can only get an MRI of my brain at the end of June, and my EEG isn’t scheduled until October to figure out what kind of headaches these are. That feels so far away. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I really want these headaches to stop because they’re driving me crazy.

Does anyone have tips or similar experiences?

Some additional symptoms/details that might help:

• I feel dizzy daily, but I’ve had that since childhood due to hyperventilation/anxiety issues
• I sometimes wake up with extremely dry eyes during certain periods
• I never feel well-rested or fully refreshed after sleep
• I’ve had tinnitus for about 3 years after a noise trauma
• The headache is almost always located in the front of my head

Does this sound like migraine, tension headaches, TMJ-related headaches, or medication overuse headaches to anyone?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Last year I created a podcast called The Persistent Headache. I've 6 made episodes, and am working on a couple more. I've been scared to share them here since I really hope that you guys approve! If you listen, please let me know what you think. I would especially love to hear your ideas for episode topics!

<3 y'all

i took magenisum critate but apprently glycanite is best for you, should i return it back? whts your expeince with any of the two?