Chris Hunkel has had a headache nearly every day for the last 30 years. Some days it was a full out migraine. Other days, it was just an ever-present ache. But it almost never went away.
The pain was at a "constant 3 to 5 range all the time," Chris says. "You just adapt."
He took aspirin for years—15 to 18 pills a day for more than two decades. "I absolutely had to take three aspirin before I went to bed. It was just kind of the way I lived."
He sought medical attention over the years, trying injections and working with a headache clinic. But nothing helped.
He figured he would just keep living with it. But then…
His hand started to go numb. He had tingling in his right pinky and ring fingers and no feeling left in the base of his hand.
Soon after, a blood test revealed that 25 years of high dose aspirin consumption was starting to take a toll on his kidneys and liver. That, and the problem with his hand, meant Chris was more determined than ever to finally find a solution.
One last try for help
Chris, a 55-year-old retired police officer, was referred to neurological surgeon Dr. Richard Harrison at Aurora BayCare Medical Center, the first DNV Spine Surgery Center of excellence. After review, Dr. Harrison suggested the headaches and the numbness in his hand might stem from the same source: Chris's spine.
A series of tests revealed Chris had bone overgrowth (bone spurs) on his C2 and C3 spinal discs as well as a herniated disc at C7-T1. While bone spurs are often caused by aging, Chris's long-term headache problem suggests his condition was probably the result of an injury that happened many years ago.
The solution that finally worked
In March of 2019, Chris had a surgical procedure called a "cervical laminectomy" to relieve pressure on his spinal cord. Dr. Harrison also performed a right ulnar nerve decompression (surgery in the elbow area to reduce nerve pressure).
Three months later Chris has roughly 90-95% feeling back in his hand and the headaches are nearly gone.
"Now I get headaches when normal people get headaches, like when you don't get enough sleep or you've had too much caffeine," he says.
"Looking back, I was pretty miserable. I knew something was structurally wrong. It didn't seem normal to pop aspirin all the time," he says. "But after a while you just kind of give up."
Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay is the first and only hospital in Wisconsin to be named a DNV Spine Surgery Center of Excellence. We are nationally recognized for spine care, marking us out as the regional destination for innovative, leading-edge treatments.
As a leader in spine services, Aurora BayCare ensures that patients with persistent headaches, back pain, neck pain, other spine problems receive the highest quality and safest spine care possible.
Don't wait to get relief! The Aurora BayCare neuroscience team can help. Learn more about our headache and spine care and contact us to schedule a consultation.