I had the Sphenopalatine Ganglion and the following is what did not help
In 2015 a neurologist I had as a doctor at the #VA medical facility in #AmericanLake had recommended to try a procedure called #sphenopalatine #ganglion, of which it took over a year before I could convince myself to attempt to go through the procedure. When initially told about the procedure I was told and I verified with many questions as I know how I am in reference to my memory problems and cognitive disorders after my Psalm Sunday 2000 head injury, in which personally I am infuriated the procedure went as it had. Nonetheless I will explain a bit more, before going into other details.
The neurologist had told me though she used the term catheter I thought it sounded more as a shot, because of the injection which is shot into the gland within the area behind the nasal cavity area; of which I was told and made sure to fully understand and comprehend what I was being told at the time, which was a total of two injections on per nostril for the first time. I was told in the first time there would only be two shots one per nostril, and for the majority of patients who underwent the procedure there was around 50% of the people who felt better and did not need another set of injections. I was told and made sure to understand and comprehend that of the 50% of people the shot did not work on, 50% of the initial 50% would get relief instantly from the headaches and migraines as in reference to the first group. Of the second 50% of then 50% that such did not work for if there was a need, then a third round of the shots would occur. From the last group if none of the shots worked for what was remaining of the individuals, then there would be no further attempts in regards of the #SphenopalatineGanglionBlock injections.
My neurologist at the #AmericanLake VA facility in #Lakewood #Washington and I had an extremely long discussion about the procedure, as I had many problems with the fact of a catheter or needle to shoot directly through my nasal cavity into my face to give an injection into a small gland. I told my hairstylist about being told of the procedure after the appointment later in the week, as well as several people I knew where I was volunteering at in #Seattle Washington. For several months I refused to fully try the procedure, however because of the electrocution going on to me each second of each minute of each hour of each day of each week of each year I had already been up there to that point; I gave the idea for trying the procedure further thought. Over a year after the recommendation, I followed through and made the appointment in the Seattle VA since the American Lake VA did not do the work.
When I called to make the appointment the female I spoke with on the phone which was different than my neurologist had told me the procedure changed from three separate sets of two shots, to three separate sets of two shots for six weeks in a row. Then the female I spoke with on the phone told me the procedure worked for her after the first set of six shots per nostril, though the same 50% group ratio for the second set of six weeks of two shots, then the same numbers in reference to the last 50% of the 50% such did not work for. For the initial set up for the appointment I told the female on the phone to book only one appointment of which she attempted to get me to rethink the situation and schedule the full six weeks of treatment, which I refused her. After an almost 1 hour phone call just speaking with that one female appointment maker, the phone call ended with the one appointment being made.
I was driven to the #Seattle VA hospital and after being taken into the back by the resident doctor to have the procedure re-explained to me, I told her what I had told the neurologist in American Lake VA as well as the female on the phone call. I also added to what I told the neurologist in the American Lake VA as well as my hairstylist, and the people I volunteered with at the location in Seattle; of which is the truth, which is the VA American Lake dentist office had referred me to see a civilian dentist because of the need for Nitrous to calm me down enough to have dental work completed. Since the VA #dentist who was accustomed to working on veterans who had experienced far more than I during their active duty/national guard/reservist time in the Armed Forces of the United States of America; I thought of how bad I must have been to work on, and how much of a baby I must have come across as. In my defense though dealing with headaches and migraines while having the sound of a drill inside of my head when getting dental work completed, does not help my headaches or migraines. I thought that seemed as common sense years ago back when I first discussed the after effects from dental work in 2010 through to 2012, though each dentist told me they had medical training which would differ from the realities of the truth I was explaining.
One dentist actually asked me "Why would you think the sound of a drill could ever make headache or migraine pain worse?" of which that female did not like my response of "I did not think it took a head injury to figure out the headache and migraine pain levels mixed with high pitch sounds, would not get better." I do not know why she was offended, in all honesty. It made sense to me then, just as it still makes sense to me now, just as it made sense to the different people I spoke with about the dental work aspects in regards to headaches and migraines.
Back to the appointment in reference to the actual day of the procedure of which the resident female told me that there would be temperature gauge strips adhered to my face to see if there was a temperature drop because of striking the wrong area, as one little slip could cause death. That was not helpful to calm my nerves, then when the male doctor to oversee the procedure came in to explain again to me of the procedure he then told me he thought I was being overdramatic since I have tattoos in my arms. When I told him the tattoos are in my skin and not inside of my face, he did not see the difference, continuing to tell me he knew better than I because of his credentials. I did what I could to remain calm when the male doctor said he noticed the weather changing, and the clear sky turning quickly into extremely dark clouds. He said he had watched the news weather forecast and the day was supposed to be clear and sunny that day as well as the rest of the week, and he was surprised of the amount of quick cloud coverage; of which I could make a joke in reference to a few things about my mood affecting the weather as well as the marine life throughout all of the waters before as well as after my #SCUBADiving and especially landing next to the USS/USNS #Vandenberg, though few have ever laughed at my jokes about such when referencing "weather you believe it or not", possibly because of not seeing the word in writing and only hearing the word from my mouth. You know such as "weather you believe it or not it is better when I am in a good mood, compared to being in a bad mood" and "weather you believe it or not life is much better when I am happy, compared to being upset" including "weather you believe it or not it is called Mother Nature, for a reason".
As a side not of which I only recently made this suggestion, maybe the VA should have doctors who have specialties in SCUBA Diving within neurology for those who have SCUBA Diving experiences for those sorts of medical aspects. I doubt I am the only person who has been involved with SCUBA Diving in which the medical treatments might differ for, especially with as many who either had been involved with SCUBA Diving as part of their profession in the military and/or went SCUBA Diving while stationed somewhere they could.
Nonetheless the male doctor observed the female resident get the supplies onto the wheeled medical table as I sat down to lay down backwards with my head and neck tilted backwards, for the procedure. As the female doctor did a cotton Q-tip swab with supposed numbing agent to make the injection supposedly less painful, then afterwards was the injection which not only did I feel the puncturing though also felt the electrical surge from the liquid being injected into the area while still dealing with the other electrical aspects especially being closer to the Seattle area of Washington where there is the obvious abundance of electrical and technological companies. While the injection was occurring I began choking on the fluid being injected because that apparently was considered normal for the procedure, which meant the electrical aspects being worsened where the fluid went; as those who know, liquid is a conductor for electricity to move forward.
Then after sitting up once the catheter or needle was removed and spitting out the supposed pain relief liquid, it was time for the second injection to the other side of my nose in my face. The male doctor told me to calm down, and then took a few steps backwards when I looked up at his direction. Possibly because of the lightning strike in the middle of the daytime a mist the darkened clouds, or possible because of the rage within my eyes; though such are just in a hypothetical reference, as a hypothetical possibility. The second side was done after I turned my face for the other portion of the procedure to be finished and when I sat up with the same response the female doctor told me "Do not worry about calling the VA for an appointment, I'll call you to check on how you are doing. I do not think, this is the right procedure for you."
I grabbed my jacket and left the office area as the male doctor simply moved out of my way to the door, saying nothing. I walked out of the Seattle VA to go to the car when it was pointed out to me of the temperature strips still on my face, which I ripped off of instantly. Calming myself through staring out of the window to the skies, I could not get back to the room I was kept in quick enough as the pain levels were beyond words. Though normally my hairstylist would wax the sides and back of my head once a week and cut my hair during such, initially there were double per week appointments. That pain levels did not decrease at all, and my hair was growing thicker and faster than previous to the injections. I have a short hairstyle because of the weight of my hair, thus my headaches and migraines were obviously worsened. Then in reference to when I once had gotten my eyebrows waxed once every 4-6 months, they were being waxed every week to every other week for over a year from the time of the injections. As my hair was growing faster and thicker, then I guess some can figure out the hair follicles were the equivalent of lightning rods for the electrical aspects; and thus the electrocutions I dealt with were worsened even further.
After the injections whereas I once could enjoy time in the location I volunteered in and though I still had, after the injections I felt the need at times to run out of the building. The reasons for such ironically were in timing with airplanes that were flying overhead and depending upon the type of airplanes and/or the cargo within which I do not know, depends whether the airplanes flew over within 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 or 25 minutes from when stepping outside of the building. Though I would guesstimate the aspect of when I landed at the bottom of the ocean next to the USS/USNS Vandenberg did not assist the electrical aspects, the portions in reference to the injections definitely did not assist either. Granted whereas I have seen and heard of others getting credit for far less deep SCUBA Dives and findings over the years, I have yet to have such and that obviously does not assist my attitude as some have said in regards to how I view myself. Since there are the memory and cognitive problems I deal with, how is it I am supposed to see positive about such when such has been denied for so long? I have been told to have a higher opinion of myself, yet I have wondered why? I have not ever needed to prove myself to myself, yet the aspects of others needing proof seemingly has been the problem; of which if such were to have been acknowledged to begin with, most likely my view of myself would not be as it has. Or did not one person ever think of that, before?
