I have been waiting for the perfect time to express my gratitude to Todd O'Mara and today is the day. Today officially marks one month that I am headache free, not just from migraines but any headache at all! This to me is a miracle. I have lived with chronic headaches for the past seven years of my life, during which I have been in and out of neurology appointments as doctors continued to increase my medications. I was on propranolol for over three years to help "prevent" my headaches. This is a heavy duty cardiac drug. I am only 36 years old and felt I was destined to spend the rest of my life on a higher dose of drugs than my grandma is taking. I suffered from not only continued devastating headaches while on this drug, but also the side effects that care with it. I was tired all of the time and it significantly worsened my raynauds. Due to continued headaches, which were almost daily, the neurologist changed my medication to Verapmil. Again, not without lovely side effects...even more tired, with orthostatic hypotension and, wait for it, constipation. In addition to my monthly neurology appointments, I also tried acupuncture. Unfortunately, after spending $50 twice a week for that over several months, that didn't work either. Finally, I have a best friend whom I have known since 5th grade whose husband is Todd O'Mara, PT. He suggested he might be able to help. I thought...physical therapy? How could that help my headaches? So I didn't take him up on the offer for several years, until, out of sheer desperation, I finally thought "why not!".
I started seeing Todd on Dec. 10th, 2012. I remember that day because that was the day my life began to change. At the first appointment he asked me about my headaches. I lump the term headaches to include migraines as well. I told him I get one or two migraines a monty and a headache about 5 days a week. My migraines are classified as "complex" by neurologists. I get numbness, nausea and vomiting, aura and aphasia with them. They make me non-functional, and since I work as a nurse practitioner in a hospital, this is not conducive to my career. I have had to get IV fluids several times and on two occasions thought I was having a stroke. I needed this to stop! I was becoming depressed and anxious everyday.
Todd started with teaching proper posture technique and stretching exercises. Over the next couple of weeks he started a procedure called dry needling. This is something I was fearful of, but was willing to try anything. The dry needling worked wonders!! Over the next several months I watched as my headaches decreased from 20 days a month, to ten, then four, etc. My neurologist stopped my daily medications on August 1st. I hadn't been off medications for headaches for 6 years! Todd was able to treat me a few times while I was experiencing a migraine. Even he didn't think it would work. I came in vomiting and in severe pain. He needled me and in minutes I had a 70% improvement. We were both astonished! Todd slowly weaned me off weekly therapy to what we now call occasional "tune ups". He is truly a mastermind at what he does and I would recommend him to anyone!!
I never thought I would be able to say that physical therapy and Todd O'Mara changed my life, but it, and he did! read more