“Apex Headache Clinic cleared my migraines leaving me to enjoy my teenage years!”

For sixteen-year-old school student, Sophie Williams from Holywood, life was a struggle. Vision loss with numbness in her arms and legs, coupled with a never-ending headache, was devastating. The headache also developed into a migraine every few weeks. She visited Apex Headache Clinic, Belfast, hoping to find a cure. Here, Sophie shares how the clinic’s unique regime of specialist manual headache physiotherapy treatment, called The Nelson Headache Approach™, cleared her headaches, meaning that she could finally get her life back on track.

Sophie, when did your headaches begin?

I realised something was wrong at the age of 13. I began suffering vision loss and numbness in my arms and legs. This lasted for a year, during which time I saw various consultants, had x-rays, CT scans and blood tests, all of which came back normal. Next, I was sent to an eye specialist, who noticed an abnormality in my eye. I was referred to a consultant in the same clinic and I was told that my symptoms were a form of migraine, even though up until this point, I never had any pain. Ironically, following this diagnosis, I began experiencing severe migraines and a persistent headache that lasted all day everyday. After visiting my GP, I was put on various forms of medication, all of which did nothing to ease the pain. Life was awful.

How did the pain affect your life?

First of all, I was experiencing loss of vision and numbness up to ten times a day. I was constantly sent to the School Nurse or missing entire days of school because of it. There were mornings when I would waken up and be completely paralysed, which was unbelievably scary. This, coupled with a never-ending headache, which developed into a full blown migraine every two to three weeks meant that I missed out on a lot of things as a teenager. Over the next couple of years, we continued with more tests and hospital visits, all of which were inconclusive. It was torture and it felt terrible to think that this could continue for the rest of my life.

What led you to Apex Headache Clinic?

My mum read an article about someone who had had headache treatment at Apex and suggested we give it a try. With nothing to lose, we booked an appointment straight away. During my first appointment with Nicola, she was able to identify straight away my neck was triggering my headaches and migraines. After just a few sessions, I began to feel relief. The numbness and vision loss improved and my headaches became less severe. I am thrilled to say that for over 18 months now, I’ve had no episodes. Like everyone, I still have the odd headache, but my migraines and other symptoms have completely cleared. Now, I attend the clinic once every 5 weeks for maintenance and I’m delighted that the treatment has worked.

How has Apex Headache Clinic changed your life?

My life has completely turned around. The improvement in quality is like night and day. I can now move around normally, I have no vision loss and my migraines are completely gone, which is amazing considering there were days when I couldn’t even get out of bed. I’m studying for my GCSEs at the moment, which is so much easier now that I’m not missing school. The treatment has been miraculous.

What advice would you offer someone suffering from migraines?

Both myself and my mum have already recommended Apex Headache Clinic to so many people. If you are in pain, medication isn’t always the answer. Physio was a 100 per cent success rate for me and I’m confident it will work for others too.

To book an appointment at Apex Headache Clinic, call 028 9048 4153. No GP referral is necessary.