OccipiWHAT? Occipital neuralgia is a condition that occurs when the base of the nerves become compressed or damaged. This results in chronic, often burning headaches that may be localized to the back or side of the head and spread to the top of the scalp.  I know you are reading this and thinking, “This is not a very Danielle post”.  You are correct, but this is a wellness blog and I promised to be super transparent at all times and costs.  Here is my husband’s journey with occipital neuralgia.

For the past 3 years, my husband Keith has complained about headaches off and on.  Nothing crazy, but definitely more than the average person.  In June of this year his headaches became unbearable.  Throbbing, painful, debilitating and often resulting in him vomiting at least 5 times a week.  It had gotten out of control and I was begging him to see a neurologist.

He refused to make an appointment and continued to suffer.  OH, and being a man, he was not suffering in silence, LOL!!!  Out of nowhere sometime in July he decides he is allergic to our house.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Allergic to the house!  I didn’t know if I should laugh, cry or have him committed!  I decided to humor him and we had the house tested for all kinds of molds and other stuff.

Our home came back normal.  Keith was truly losing his mind by August.  We tried everything you could think of to see what was triggering these horrific headaches.  Here is what we knew in August: 1.  Fine all day until the end of the workday.  When he sat down to relax, BAM!  Instant headache.  2.  Thinks alcohol might be trigger and stops drinking.  3.  When we go to our house in the Berkshires, no headaches.  4.  I had not changed any cleaning products or detergents.  5.  No changes in diet.

We began to think the worst.  Keith finally made an appointment with a neurologist.  The doctor gave him a bunch of meds and sent him for an MRI.  This was becoming crazy.  The meds were not working and we were becoming increasingly anxious that something terrible was brewing.

One evening Keith felt 3 small bumps at the base of his neck.  Like little knots.  He started to rub them out and was feeling some relief from the horrible headache beginning to arise.  My mind starting racing and in true Danielle form, the Googling began.

It hit me like a ton of bricks that this all began with the start of quarantine.  Then I remembered that every time my family is at the eye doctor he asks about screen time.  He explains how looking down at our devices elongates a ligament behind the eye causing a deterioration in vision.  I began to wonder, “Could this same act cause headaches”?  Within seconds I found countless articles supporting my belief.

I told my husband what I thought and since he was so desperate for relief he listened.  He ordered a stand to hold his laptop higher, restricted use on his cellphone and went to a massage therapist to get those knots out.  Within days the headaches were gone.  We were so relieved and could not wait to tell the neurologist.

When the doctor asked Keith how he was, he said, “My wife cured me”.  Imagine that doctors surprise, lol.   After listening to everything again he agreed with my diagnosis, occipital neuralgia.

Now, I am not telling you this story to toot my own horn.  Unfortunately, Covid has brought many new ailments along with it.  I mean, ZOOM Fatigue?  I am not even going to get into that one.  I decided to write about it because I think it is important and scary.  Our children, significant others, family members, friends, etc… are spending countless hours on their devices nowadays.  We need to become educated on the consequences of this action.

This is the article that began the ball rolling in diagnosing Keith:

https://gizmodo.com/my-smartphone-gave-me-a-painful-neurological-condition-1711422212

It has become very clear to me, that we must decrease screen time.  I am admitting guilt here for myself as well.  There is an app on your phone that tells you how much time you spend on it daily.  You should do this.  I was spending over 6 hours a day on my phone.  This is not ok.

So, my dear friends, while this is not one of my traditional posts, I do hope you found it to be a worthwhile read.  You can follow me on Instagram @ketolupie for a deeper look into my lifestyle. 

I am also excited to announce I have begun the process of looking for a publisher for my book, “Keto for Autoimmune Healing”.  The crowdfunding will be over in a week and I am asking you to please click on the link to read my campaign and support me https://publishizer.com/keto-for-autoimmune-healing/?fbclid=IwAR27yAf_D_ynkhyZ4CHUK3m7SVCicBU8frCR3xiJL-5Qmn62q0RTalK-TP0