Although we do not belong to any plan insurance structures, the business office is sensitive to costs and will help with filing of your claim to recover the maximum from your carrier. In this way, precious time to definitive treatment is not wasted while you are suffering in trying to precertify emergency treatment during a flareup. Above all, you will not be trapped in a hospital for treatment of headaches, migraines and pain. A 3-4 day stay with Anodyne Headache and PainCare is common, but sometimes can be extended a bit. Or, people will come back for another course of treatment.

On Day 1, we will do a thorough intake of your symptoms and prior treatments. The average number of practitioners previously seen is about 5.7, with an average of 7 medication attempts. Visitors from out-of-town can choose from at least 3 hotels/motels very nearby with van services to the office. A good percentage of our new patients learn about us from  the Internet. See, for example, MyMigraineConnection.com where I have written an “Ask the Clinician” column with the webhost, Dr. Teri Robert. As with new patients from the Dallas area, If you have a significant ongoing migraine or pain issue, we can begin IV treatment during the initial visit. Sometimes, IV lines can be kept in for several days to avoid re-insertion. We have a strong focus for helping sleep patterns early in our treatment strategy.

On Day 2, out of town patients return to continue treatment; sometimes, two treatments (AM and PM) can be done in the same day. We will be cleaning up old and ineffective medications and working on the quality of sleep. Discussions of newer treatment strategies can take a while. If there might be a self-administered medication offered, the nursing staff can begin giving a dose in the muscle and teaching patients how to give themselves the medication at home, avoiding the need to run to a local ER.

Day 4 would treat again and lock in a tentative game that would be re-enforced by a telephone follow-up in 1-2 weeks by our staff. We encourage call-ins to discuss dosing, any side effects or other problems, and also with any good news. Keeping headache and sleep diaries will be taught as a regular way to keep up with the ebb and flow of your symptoms. If our initial projected success for your symptoms is slow in coming, we can extend the visit for you. We usually suggest getting an open-ended airplane ticket from the longer distances. This is far less of a problem with Southwest airlines in Texas and surrounding states. We will plan regular telephone follow-up visits and can see you anytime the pain or headache pattern changes significantly. Of course, we will also try to coordinate with your regular physician or find you a headache or pain specialist in your home area. Sometimes, the IV treatment at Anodyne Headache and PainCare can be duplicated at your local ER or physician’s office.