Olivia’s Journey
(Ollie)
Olivia (or Ollie to many of you) has a condition known as Occipital Neuralgia (ON). This is a neurological condition causing intense shooting, burning, throbbing pain in the upper neck, back of the head, behind the ears and behind the eye due to injured, inflamed nerves. Symptoms include sharp, shock-like pain, sensitivity to light, and extreme scalp tenderness. In Olivia’s case it is likely caused by nerve entrapment. And it often renders her unable to function.
As ON is commonly misdiagnosed as migraines, Olivia has had these symptoms since 2013, but when she contracted Covid in November of 2023, it exacerbated the condition. She was in the hospital for 10 days and was initially diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. When she returned home, Olivia began being treated at the Michigan Head Pain & Neurologic Institute and was diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia. Her doctor began the typical treatment plan of PT and medication, then followed with many nerve blocks, two deep neck nerve blocks and an ablation procedure. The goal of those was to provide relief, but also to pinpoint the nerve involved. Having experienced all that and still finding no relief, her doctor recommended decompression surgery with a plastic surgeon at U of M. The surgeon will look to decompress her nerve that could have a blood vessel wrapped around it or a bone compressing it.
It has been a long, pain-filled year since that referral, with her insurance denying approval for the surgery three times (right at the referral time, she turned 26 and went off her parent’s insurance). She experiences constant pain, but on many days the pain is excruciating. We do not have much hope that the insurance company will come through for her, so we have decided to private pay for her surgery. Olivia has suffered through this extreme pain for over two years trying different treatments and then trying to get insurance approval. Some days she is unable to get out of bed, but everyday the pain is constant, and this surgery can help her be able to function again.
The surgery itself is not a huge amount; $6,028 will cover the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia and the facility fee. There will also be other costs such as blood work, any necessary tests and follow-up appointments, and possibly a hospital stay. If they need to cut the nerve, Olivia could face a multi-month recovery. If you would like to help support Olivia on her way to healing and recovery, it would be appreciated. Most of all, she and her family would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.