Our headache service helps people who have headache problems or who suffer with migraines. When we see you in a clinic, this might be with a specialist nurse or a consultant. This depends on your problem and how far along in your treatment journey you are.
- Your first appointment will be with a Consultant Neurologist or a member of their team. This doctor will be an expert in headache problems.
- We will take a full headache history from you and discuss a treatment plan with you. We may also need to do further tests and scans.
- We will ask you to keep a headache diary. This helps us to establish your headache pattern and see if your treatment is working.
- Your follow up care will be either face-to-face or via phone. We will review your care at intervals specific to your needs.
- Our team will give you advice and support to help you manage your condition and get on with your daily life.
There are a variety of treatment options. This depends on what type of headache problem you have. Some of the options include:
- Looking at what medicines you take and whether any others might help. We may also think about any medicines you may need to stop.
- Looking at your lifestyle and how well you eat and sleep, or how much stress you are under. How much alcohol or caffeine you drink and how much exercise you do, can also play a part.
There are also some other treatments we can give. We will assess you to see if you are eligible. We follow NICE guidance to do this. If you are eligible, you will receive your first cycle at this stage. These treatments include:
- Nerve block injections to help relieve your pain. We do this in the occipital nerves. These nerves run from the back of the neck up to the scalp and can be a source of headaches and other pain. This can help us to determine if the occipital nerves are the source of your pain.
- Botox injections to help relieve the pain of bad migraines. We do this in the muscles around the head and neck. It can help to reduce how often you get a bad migraine. It can also help reduce how severe they are.
Whatever treatment you have, we will monitor you and see how well it is working.
Dr Gina Kennedy leads our headache service. She is a Consultant Neurologist and has worked at STSFT since 2013. Dr Kennedy is the clinical lead for Neurology services at the Trust and has a specialist interest in headaches.
We also have headache specialist nurses who will play a vital role in your ongoing care and treatment.
Where can I find out more?
- Monthly headache diary (click here). Please use this to keep a log of your headaches between your reviews.
- Click here for help and advice on living with migraines
- Click here to find out more about cluster headaches, treatment and support.
- Click here for information about Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). This is a disorder related to high pressure in the brain.
