Super-Fantastic Plastic has gotten a lot of compliments about our post regarding the cosmetic procedure that has helped many people find relief of their chronic migraines, Bad Plastic Surgery Can Really Give You A Headache, But Can A Cosmetic Procedure Cure Chronic Migraines.
Millions of people around the world suffer from these often debilitating headaches. As a migraine sufferer myself, I believe it's a commonly misunderstood condition. The severity and intensity of a migraine is much more than that of even the worst headache. While a headache may be very painful, a migraine is one of the worst agonies many will every experience in their lifetime. They're often accompanied by a sensitivity to light, sound and pressure, concentration can be seriously impaired, your vision may be adversely affected and the experience as a whole may destroy your quality of life - some migraine suffers have reported migraines that have lasted years!
Recently, the BBC has run a story on one such sufferer, Denise Richardson of Germany. Denise reports that her life had been completely controlled by her chronic migraines for over fifteen years. Only last year, she experienced a three-week migraine which sent her to her doctor several times seeking relief.
"Due to the severity and duration of the headache I had no choice but to keep going back to my doctor who prescribed several doses of intravenous painkillers, physiotherapy on my neck, osteopathy and manipulation," says Denise.
"Eventually the pain started to ease, but I felt desperate and very depressed with no prospect of either a temporary or, better still, permanent cure," she continues.
Then, Denise learned of the surgical technique to remove the corrugator muscle mentioned in our earlier post. Desperately seeking relief, Denise decided to contact the clinic in Berlin where Professor Thomas Muehlberger offered the procedure.
Denise, 53, received the required Botox to paralyze the the corrugator muscle and kept a "pain diary" for the next eight weeks chronicling her migraines in their frequency and severity. As Denise's migraines proved to occur far less often and were less severe after the Botox treatment, she was considered a candidate for the procedure and she went under the knife to have her corrugator muscle removed.
Denise reports to the BCC that the operation was a complete success.
"I went into the operation hopeful that, at the least, the headaches would be a lot less frequent, anything more than that I considered to be a bonus. But having no headaches at all is just fantastic," she says.
Despite Denise's success with the procedure, it is to be noted that even Muehlberger, who has recently opened a clinic in London to offer the procedure, believes the surgery not to be for everyone and only 50% of those wanting treatment are eligible.
"This is not a cure for all. The surgery is the smallest bit of the treatment, the selection process is what it is all about. It is about identifying the patients. I am not a magician or a guru. I am just a surgeon. Although the migraine procedure will not be suitable for all patients, it will offer many of those affected a real chance of freeing themselves from their migraines completely or at least reducing the severity and frequency of their attacks," offers Muehlberger.
Although Muehlberger reports a fair deal of success with the procedure and a recent US trial was also successful, some doctors in the UK and the US remain unconvinced. Neurologists on both sides of the Atlantic have advised patients not to have the procedure, but for millions who suffer with chronic migraines, the mere chance of any relief whatsoever is worth the risk.
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