My wife and her migraines. . .

Well, now for something present tense. I'll give more history and background as it comes to me. My wife has had an on-going battle with migraines. I really can't remember when the last day was that she was headache free. To make a long story short, she has seen several neurologists, has a list of previously tried medications 2 pages long, and no pain medicine seems to completely get rid of her pain. Even a trip to the E.R. and a shot of demerol, won't give her complete relief. After 19 years of trying to find any meds that will prevent them, or any meds to help the pain we have ended up at the Universitiy Pain Clinic. They are surprised at her lack of responsiveness to meds, and hope they can help. We are however fighting our insurance to pay for Botox, which the doctor believes could help because she also has a lot of tension in her neck. We have also run into a problem with the insurance rejecting payment for medicine that the doctor wants to prescribe, or limitting the amount of medication they will pay for in a month.
We are going to the clinic tomorrow for a stellate ganglion block. It is a type of nerve block that. We've tried other types of blocks in the past that were not effective, but this one is a little different. After looking online and reading up on the block, it actually sounds scary. They will use light sedation and local anesthetic, but they give the injection in the front of the neck next to the vocal chords. She won't be able to swallow of cough while they give the injection. From the internet reports given by other pain clinics, they will use dye and some kind of x-ray to get the proper placement of the injection. I am very nervous even though I know she is in good hands and I will be at her side. She is also very nervous about the procedure. If it gives her relief from the headaches, it will all be worth it. The headaches have literally changed her life and her lifestyle. It really makes me sad that she cannot enjoy life more because of the terrible pain that she is in on a consistent basis. Enough for today, but I will update you to let you know how the nerve block went!