Facebook

Yeah, I'm a nerd, I'm on Facebook a lot.  As I was browsing around, I realized there are several groups for migraines and nerve stimulators in general, but none specifically dedicated to occipital nerve stimulation.  I've found these groups to be great sources of information and a great way for people to communicate.  Blogs are good too but they are obviously rather one-sided.  So please consider joining the group.  Sometimes the discussions are a little slow to get going but feel free to invite friends or anyone you know who may be interested.

Here is the link to the group:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/232392623486874/

Hope to see you there!

Two New Blogs

I have two new blogs to share with you related to occipital nerve stimulators.

The first is from Tara who has been diagnosed with hemicrania continua and is looking into getting a stimulator to help manage her pain.  You can find her blog at: http://hemicranialady.blogspot.com

The second is from "Ms.J" who has been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia and although she's been suffering for years, she is just starting her journey into the world of ONS.  You can find her blog at: http://on-neurostim.blogspot.com

I'm still way behind on getting my list of doctors updated, although since I've heard it has actually helped people find a doctor, I know it's an important thing to do.  I also need to update my links and labels.  I've been pretty lax about keeping up with this blog lately but updating it is at the top of my list, I swear!

If anyone has a blog that relates to occipital nerve stimulation that you want to have linked to on this site, let me know.  As always, my email is always open.

New ONS Blog

I don't often have much to post anymore since my stimulator is in and working well.  It's hard enough to find the info that people want on this blog so I've vowed not to bog it down with a bunch of useful posts just to keep it active.  Consequently, I now go months without posting.  But even if I'm quiet, I'm still here and check my email daily so you can get in touch with me.

A fellow headache sufferer and blog reader has decided to blog about her experience getting a stimulator.  I want to share it so that people can hear a more current and different story than mine.  Because resources regarding occipital nerve stimulators seem to be so hard to come across, I'm really excited that "nutmeg04" has decided to document her experience.

Her blog can be found at:
http://stimulationsurgery.blogspot.com/ 

She just got her trial stimulator put in TODAY so show her some support and have a look!

List of ONS Doctors--Updated

I have just updated the list of doctors that are known to use occipital nerve stimulators for headache treatment from names readers have submitted to me.  If you have any to add, please e-mail me.  And thank you everyone for helping me compile this list.  I've been told by several people that it has been a great resource for them.

This list can always be found on the righthand side of the blog for easy access (you may have to scroll down a bit to see it).  Also, as one reader suggested, you can try contacting your local university pain management center.  Most of them implant nerve stimulators for many indications, possibly including headaches. But in the meantime, here is the current list:

NOTE: I cannot, and do not, vouch for any of these doctors, except Dr. Elborno as he is the only one I personally have any experience with.

Dr. Ahmed Elborno
Midwest Academy of Pain & Spine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Robert Narotzky
Central Wyoming Neurosurgery
Casper, WY

Dr. Miles Day
Lubbock, TX

Swedish Pain and Headache Center
Seattle, WA

Mayo Clinic
Scottsdale, AZ

Elliot Pain Center
Manchester, NH

Dr. Thimineun
Comprehensive Headache & Pain Center
Derby, CT

Dr. Nagy Mekhail
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH

Dr. Linqui Zhou
Woodbury, NJ

Dr. Peter Pahapill
United Neurosurgery Associates
St. Paul MN

Dr. Ashwini Sharan
Jefferson Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA

Dr. William Witt
Cardinal Hill Rehab Hospital
Lexington, KY

Dr. Ramsin Benyamin
Millenium Pain Center
Bloomington-Normal, IL

Dr. James North
Winston-Salem, NC

Drs. Didier Demesmin and Jeffery Gehret
University Pain Management Center

Somerset, NJ

Dr. Hammam Akbik
UC Pain Management Center

West Chester, OH

Precision Neurosurgery
Melbourne, VIC--Australia

Dr. Andrew Parent
London, Ontario--Canada

According to Medtronic, other doctors also available in Montreal and Vancouver