15 years is a very long time to be in so much pain. Your career goals are disrupted and social life is not as interesting as it used to be. Mr Nkazimulo Sokhulu suffered from severe migraines for a very long time. He did visit quite a number of specialists but still the headaches did not go away. He resorted to over the counter medication that temporarily helped with the pain. He became so restless because of the pain until one day after attending to his follow-up appointments, he was referred by his general practitioner Dr Q. Motala to The Headache Clinic.

Mr Sokhulu, came through to the clinic on 10^th June 2016 and underwent the full examination process to determine the underlying cause of the headache for four hours. Sokhulu was so keen to know what had been causing this intense pain. He was diagnosed with muscle tension headaches and was given the posture modifying appliance, PMA, to put in his mouth to help with the tension. Muscle tension is one of the most common causes of headache and migraine pain. The PMA however is a non-drug treatment that works as a spacer, to bring the tongue down to its ideal rest position. When the jaw and neck muscles are relaxed, the head is level.

Within two days of using the device, Sokhulu’s headaches disappeared. However, he was involved in an accident and the device broke. During that period, he experienced terrible headaches until he had a new device made for him. He had follow-up appointments after taking the treatment and not a day did he complain of his headaches. Mr Sokhulu would like to thank Dr Shevel and the team as a whole and strongly urges anyone suffering from headaches to visit the clinic.

Ever woken up every other day of your life with a headache? You tell yourself ‘oh well maybe after a glass of water it will go away’. The headache gets worse by the day to the extent that you are forced to take over the counter medication continuously like Panado. The pain seizes for the day only to wake up the following morning with yet another attack and you tell yourself this time let us try the grandpa. Medication overuse headaches is what became the norm of Mrs Brenda Gwede’s life ever since she was 13 years old.

Mrs Gwede visited The Headache Clinic on June 14^th, 2016 after experiencing severe headaches for a very long time. Prior to making the appointment at the clinic she had been to different medical specialists that tried to help her with the headaches but nothing changed. She resorted to self-medication but nothing changed. She concluded that there was no hope getting better until one day when she met a friend who advised her to visit the clinic.

At the clinic, Gwede had the full examination process for five hours and was diagnosed with muscle tension headaches. She was given non drug treatment, the Posture Modifying Appliance (PMA) to help her with the headaches. Gwede says she initially doubted first coming to the clinic and let alone the mouth device.

With the device in her mouth for just 2 days after her consultation, her headaches had completely disappeared. She later did her follow-up appointments with the clinic to check her progress but in all consults done, not a single a day did she ever complain of headache. She has resumed her daily activities pain free and would like to thank The Headache Clinic for a job well done, she is pain free.

I sincerely thank the Headache clinic for the treatment as I am now able to function normally.

Everyday life can be so frustrating especially when one is under unbearable pain constantly. You try a wet cloth right around your head and the pain will just not go away. You resort to over the counter medication with the hope that the headache will just disappear and never to come back but the more you take in medication the more the pain escalates – strange isn’t it? Such a lifestyle became the norm of Miss Michelle Elise Hayler’s life.

Michelle suffered severe headaches that started from the left side of her head and the pain would go down her neck. The headaches then changed sides and were more concentrated on her right side of her head. She did try to take over the counter medication to help her with the pain but she experienced what is known as a ‘rebound pain’. Usually a regular use of any and all painkiller medication to help relieve the pain of headache at the time or in advance of the attack can result in what is known as a rebound pain. With this disturbing headache ever since childhood, Michelle decided to visit The Headache Clinic on 29^th June 2016.

At the clinic, Michelle, went through a three hour process of full examination to determine the underlying cause of the headache. At the end of the process she was diagnosed with muscle tension headache’s and was given non drug treatment at the clinic, the Posture Modifying Appliance (PMA). Michelle did follow-up appointments to understand how she was responding to the Posture Modifying Appliance treatment and she was pain free, headaches had completely disappeared. To date Michelle is pain free.

Michelle is so grateful to Dr Shevel and the team at The Headache Clinic for the good work and for getting her life back.

Ever thought of suicide because you are experiencing excruciating pain caused from headaches? All the specialists you have gone to, have told you that there it’s just normal pain and it will go away upon taking medication but instead of getting better the pain worsens every other day. Such was the pain Mrs Sandra Bradford experienced with her headaches.

Mrs Bradford experienced severe headaches for close to nine years. She went to different headache specialists in London with the hope that her headaches would disappear but nothing seemed to change. She took over the counter medication which actually made the headaches worse. Her pain which can be best described as one that had a tightening type of feeling, started from the left side of her head and as the day progressed it would be more focused on the forehead and either left or right sides. This pain was so depressing to the extent that she started taking antidepressants along with Ibuprofen and Topamax with Rum. She took an overdose of the medication and threw herself into the river where she was fortunately rescued by a police team with the aid of ‘thermal imaging cameras’.

Sandra came to The Headache Clinic in South Africa on 19^th February 2016 following her sister Jane Small’s search on the internet for top headache specialists. She underwent a full examination and was diagnosed with muscle and arterial headaches. She was given the non-drug treatment PMA for her muscle tension and also went for surgery to cauterize the arteries that were causing the severe headaches. To date Sandra is pain free and living her normal life. Her sister, Jane, on behalf of the family and friends would like to thank Dr Shevel and the team for giving their beloved her life back.

I have my sister back, and I can’t thank you enough.”

Sisters Brenda and Sasha-Lee Barnard suffered with debilitating migraines that left them with no quality of life and fearing their next attack. The nature of headaches differs per individual however, genetics may also play a role. After consulting with the Headache Clinic’s specialist team both Brenda and Sasha-Lee were diagnosed with muscle tension headache. They each made use of the PMA, a posture modifying appliance that treats the muscle tension component of headaches and permanently reduces pain by adjusting the resting position of the muscles of your head and neck. They also each underwent a minor surgical procedure to treat spasms in specific muscles.
They were successfully treated such that the frequency of their headaches reduced significantly resulting in a better quality of life and a better outlook on the future. Their mood brightened as they no longer had to worry about the fear of a migraine attack or unpleasant side effects of pain medication. Brenda attests that prior to visiting the Headache Clinic her work performance was below standard leading to many nights of working overtime to catch up. Brenda can now function at optimal level and meet deadlines with little to no effort as she has now regained her mental agility and can cope with everyday tasks.
The sisters applaud the Headache Clinic’s courteous staff who made them feel well taken care of especially when they missed home.

Myself (Brenda Barnard) and Sasha-Lee Barnard, take this opportunity to thank you and your staff, for all the help and assistance you have provided for us. The treatment received by you has made our lives livable, this is important as living every day in pain, was agony and dreadful (to wake up every morning, knowing full well what your day consists of, and that was pain!).”