Steriods

The second option is something I hadn’t really thought of but it’s apparently a thing. The doctor explained that migraines are thought to be the result of inflammation. Steriods can be used to reduce the inflammation but it needs to be a pretty heavy dose, and it may not work.

The upside is that it’s likely approved by insurance and if not, it’s probably financially feasible for us to cover out of pocket.

Headache Infusions

The final option is what’s called a headache infusion. Lizze has had this done a few times in the past with mixed results. It’s been many years since her last one and she’s never had them done by the Cleveland Clinic.

Essentially what happens is that she’s hooked up to an IV for six hours a day for four days. They pump her full of a combination of medications. Those medications are usually high dose preventives and narcotics. The idea is to break the migraine or more likely lessen it. This has been very effective for Lizze in the past but she’s also had them done and derived very little benefit.

A huge downside to this is the logistics. It has to also be approved by insurance and we won’t know anything until at least Monday.

Decisions Decisions

The Cefaly would be the ideal choice right now because it can be done in home and as needed. Assuming it actually worked, it would also be a safe, drug free solution that essentially required a one time, upfront cost.

Unfortunately, that cost is preventing us from taking advantage of the Cefaly. I’ll try to reach out to them once again because she actually has the script for it now. Maybe that will make a difference but I’m not holding my breath.

We aren’t writing this off completely, it’s just not affordable at this point in time.