‘Getting the right treatment has meant I can start to get my migraines under control’ Migraine patient Rob tells his story

In 2011, Painter and decorator Robert Shakespeare started experiencing intense daily headaches. Later diagnosed as migraine phenotype, Robert had experienced these headaches on and off over the years, but they were becoming persistent and increasingly painful.

The 51-year-old from Manchester said: “I was getting intense pressure above my eyes and my vision was starting to blur. They really tire me out and my face becomes so painful too. The most unpleasant thing is the auras though, it’s like I’m forced to look through a kaleidoscope.”

After years of investigations and trying different medications, Robert came to the headache service at The Walton Centre, after seeing Dr Nicholas Silver for a consultation.

Robert continued: “I’ve not had a great experience with the NHS in the past, with the GP and other hospitals. But when I came to The Walton Centre that all changed. I feel like the team actually listen to me. Sometimes you can seek help for migraine and there’s a lack of confidence in how to treat you. But knowing there is a fantastic headache service in the North West makes a huge difference.”

The Walton Centre hosts the largest headache service in the UK, with four dedicated consultants who specifically specialise in management of headache disorders alongside a supporting team of nurse specialists. The Walton Centre provides holistic and excellent care to patients who have experienced refractory or severe headache disorders. The nurse specialist team leads the way in the UK with intervention clinics, utilising cranial botulinum toxin and nerve block injections. The service also has innovated in providing non-oral drug treatments such as non-invasive nerve stimulators, nerve block injections, cranial botulinum toxin injections and new classes of drugs such as CGRP monoclonal antibody therapies.

Each patient is unique and deserves patient-centred care so that they can learn how to manage their condition long-term and reduce the impact on their work, family and social life.

Robert said: “Now at The Walton Centre, we’re trying different ways to minimise my migraines, from Botox injections to new medication. It’s starting to work because I’ve gone from constant migraines lasting days and weeks, to only two to five days a month. My care and treatment is ongoing, it has had a positive effect in reducing my severe migraines and we are continuing to treat the level of auras I have. I can’t thank the team enough, it’s so reassuring to have them there. I just wish I had seen them sooner!”

If you want to know more about The Walton Centre’s headache services, go to our website: https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/departments-and-services/headache-service/415522#opI1

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611