Occipital Neuralgia?

I went to the pain doctor at Barnes last Thursday.  His assistant, maybe resident, came in and asked all the questions and then pressed on my head behind my ears.  I about hit the ceiling.  He left the room and came back in with the doctor.  The doctor did the same and said that the other doctor thinks I have Occipital Neuralgia and he agreed.  He said this is a nerve that resides between the scalp and the skull and radiates pain from the back of the head.  This can be treated with a nerve block and steriod injection(s).  I left the office feeling relieved that there might be an answer/resolution to my head pain.  So I went home and googled Occipital Neuralgia.  Here is the description as quoted by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke.

Occipital neuralgia is a distinct type of headache characterized by piercing, throbbing, or electric-shock-like chronic pain in the upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears, usually on one side of the head. Typically, the pain of occipital neuralgia begins in the neck and then spreads upwards. Some individuals will also experience pain in the scalp, forehead, and behind the eyes. Their scalp may also be tender to the touch, and their eyes especially sensitive to light. The location of pain is related to the areas supplied by the greater and lesser occipital nerves, which run from the area where the spinal column meets the neck, up to the scalp at the back of the head. The pain is caused by irritation or injury to the nerves, which can be the result of trauma to the back of the head, pinching of the nerves by overly tight neck muscles, compression of the nerve as it leaves the spine due to osteoarthritis, or tumors or other types of lesions in the neck. Localized inflammation or infection, gout, diabetes, blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis), and frequent lengthy periods of keeping the head in a downward and forward position are also associated with occipital neuralgia. In many cases, however, no cause can be found. A positive response (relief from pain) after an anesthetic nerve block will confirm the diagnosis.

This pretty much describes what I've been going through. I believe that my occipital nerves were damaged while my neck was in an extended position for a long time while I was having a root canal on December 29th. 

I'll get the nerve block on August 21st.  I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'm still going to go to the pain management rehab program so I can learn how to better deal with my fibromyalgia pain.

I think there may be a light at the end of the tunnel :)