Anyone else suffer from Migraine?
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free skin care · Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:36 am

Hi!
I've always suffered from Migraine but I've recently started to get the type that has an 'aura' preceding it. My mother has had this type for years. My doctor has assured me it is migraine as I have all the 'classic' symptoms and patterns and no other symptoms that would indicate anything more serious but its horrible and frightening. Anyone else get this and can reassure me please?

Thanks

free skin care · Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:02 am

Lucia I read somewhere, I think it was one of Dr Mosaraf Ali's columns that migranes are all conected with the neck and people that suffer from them more often or not came from a difficult birth, which affected the neck muscles. Or they have strained/damaged the neck area in some way.
The best advice he gives is to have regular masage concentrating on the neck, head and spine area.

free skin care · Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:11 am

Rosebud
That's interesting as I have always been prone to neck stiffness which was aggravated by a whiplash injury and also a back injury after a horse riding fall.
Hmm - maybe a visit to my chiropractor is in order!

Thanks. Smile

Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:26 am

My mum had very serious migraines and numbness in her arm that was in the end connected to a super-tense muscle in her neck. She got much better after going to a physio for a while but still has relapses.

I have migraines sometimes but I think mine seem to be connected with two main issues: hormones and dehydration. When I don't drink enough water I am sure to give myself a terrible migraine. I also noticed that when I started taking evening primrose oil I didn't have any problems around that time of the month. I don't know if those two are connected but it sure seemed that way.

free skin care · Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:22 pm

Lucia wrote:

Hi!
I've always suffered from Migraine but I've recently started to get the type that has an 'aura' preceding it. My mother has had this type for years. My doctor has assured me it is migraine as I have all the 'classic' symptoms and patterns and no other symptoms that would indicate anything more serious but its horrible and frightening. Anyone else get this and can reassure me please?

Thanks

Sorry

I feel for you. For years I was plaqued with migraines (with 'aura'). It got to the point that my doctor gave me an RX for Imatrex. I can't begin to tell you the relief I got. Since I have gone though the change I no longer get migraines. Drinking a lot of water did help me. I also started doing Yoga. After a few months of Yoga I found that I did not have to take medication nearly as often.

free skin care · Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:18 am

Almost all of the women in my family get migraines; my cousin and I both started getting them when we were about 10. The only that helps me is my RX medication (Toradol) and a dark, quiet room. They are horrible...

free skin care · Wed Jun 15, 2005 7:48 am

a frind showed me a good acupuncture-point,sometimes it really works on me: between the thump and the forefinger is on the upper side a trough.( You should press the trough abouth a minute)... it could hurt a little bit,but it shouldjavascript:emoticon('

')
Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:29 pm

Winnie wrote:

Sorry

I feel for you. For years I was plaqued with migraines (with 'aura'). It got to the point that my doctor gave me an RX for Imatrex. I can't begin to tell you the relief I got. Since I have gone though the change I no longer get migraines. Drinking a lot of water did help me. I also started doing Yoga. After a few months of Yoga I found that I did not have to take medication nearly as often.

I suffer from migraines too and Imitrex is what I have to take. It's the only thing that helps and is a Godsend. I always keep some on my nightstand and in my purse for fear of an attack.

Winnie, should I start looking forward to menopause? Shock

-Cheri

free skin care · Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:57 pm

I've had migraines since childhood, but they used to occur infrequently. Now that I'm 53, I get them often. It happens in spurts: lately I get at least one every week, but a year ago I'd get 1-3 per month, which seemed unbearable at the time. I'd be so happy to only have one a month now. There's no doubt I have some kind of vascular proclivity (they run in my family) compounded by hormone flux.

Two years ago, I discovered that Excedrin Migraine (which is basically strong aspirin and caffeine) will give me relief. It's important to take something as close to onset as possible before matters get out of hand. I agree with faith that a dark, quiet room helps. Unfortunately it isn't always practical.

Just a few days ago, my eldest brother declined a chocolately dessert. He said a lot of chocolate gives him headaches! I'm going to monitor my (considerable) chocolate intake and see if there's a connection (but I hope not)!!!

free skin care · Wed Jun 15, 2005 10:22 pm

Group hug my fellow migraine sufferers... I just recovered from one that lasted 5 days. Imitrex does nothing for me but my dr gave me some Relpax (rx) samples and it seems to help some. I get regular headaches quite frequently and usually excedrin + a can of coke does the trip. If not then I add on sudadfed sinus headache. I also need to take pepcid/zantax with these medication since they make me nauseous.

It must be the weather or something because there are 4 of us at work currently who are suffering through the same migraine symptoms. Mine went away on Tuesday after 5 days, and the other 3 girls are on their 2 and 3 day. Very bizarre!

Quite a number of people told me menopause will be the cure. I am the only one in the family with migraine. My mom never had a headache in her life, so lucky!

Per rosebud's advice, I need to go find myself a good masseus.

One definitely trigger for me is laying in bed awake...I can't even snooze or stay in bed late on my days off Sad

free skin care · Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:39 am

mtview,
That is the exact same trigger for my mom. As soon as she wakes up, she has to get out of bed or she will pretty much be incapacitated for the rest of the say.

I think being conscious of what triggers your migraines is essential to being able to live with them. There are a number of foods to watch out for, and add back into your diet slowly. Chocolate is definitely one of them, although I can't eat bananas, and my cousin can't eat cheese. Finding the right medication is key too.

free skin care · Thu Jun 16, 2005 2:23 am

Thanks everyone sorry not to have replied sooner (was laid up in bed all day yesterday - worst of headache subsided but felt completely wiped out).
Doctor has given me a prescription for a tablet called Naramig (naratriptan hydrochloride) which I have to take at the first hint of a migraine. I'm hoping it does the trick apparently it affects/blocks a chemical in the brain that is resposible for the contraction of the blood vessels (causing the aura) and then the expansion - causing the dreadful pain. I can take Ibuprofen along side for any residual headache.
I've also been told to eat 5 small meals a day as I am hypoglyceamic (great) to keep well hydrated and not get too little or too much sleep (no lie ins of more than 30 mins past my normal getting up time - chance would be a fine thing!!!). I also have to limit my caffiene intake and avoid classic trigger foods till I know what my particular ones are (apparently citrus fruit is one!). So I'm going to be a fun person to be around eh!!! Laughing

Still will be worth it to avoid anotehr attack like the last humdinger!

free skin care · Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:51 am

I first started getting migraines when I was 15-16, but they only happened maybe once per year. But on SuperBowl weekend in January 1995, I was officially diagnosed with migraines after I had an episode that lasted for 14 days. The headache was so bad that the emergency room doctors were performing spinal taps (aka: lumbar punctures) on me each time I went back because they were afraid that I had spinal menigitis. They pumped me full of super-strength narcotics and opiates, and nothing helped. My mom was convinced that I was going to die because I couldn’t even left my head up off the pillow. I had to crawl on my hands and knees to the bathroom when I needed to pee because I was unable to stand upright. Finally my “primary care physician” decided to refer me to a neurologist, and he finally give me the right combination of drugs to get me over it.

Since that time, a day hasn’t gone by when I have been completely pain-free. Whenever you go to the doctor for treatment for a migraine, they ask you to rate the pain on a scale of 1-10. Most days, my pain level is around 5-6. I used to get a severe episode at least once per week, but thankfully they’ve been cut back to once per month, although it usually lays me up for anywhere from 3-7 days each time. In the past ten years, they’ve tried me on every possible migraine, pain and/or vasio constrictor medications at there – I keep a list of all the meds they’ve given me over the years and it’s three pages long, singled-spaced! I’ve had numerous tests done, including regular spinal taps, CAT scans and MRIs, but they can’t find any organic or physiological cause for my migraines. Every doctor that I’ve seen just sorta scratches his head in bewilderment and tells me that I’m just one of those persons for whom all of the standard migraine treatments aren’t going to work. They tell me if I’m lucky, my migraines will finally subside when I hit menopause.

A few of the migraine triggers for me are stress, lack of sleep, menstruation, sudden changes in barometric/air pressure, strong smells, chocolate, wine, foods containing MSG (such as Chinese cuisine) and cheese.

What pisses me off about migraines is the fact that people who have never suffered through one themselves tend to pooh-pooh the illness. They’ll say, “It’s just a little headache, she’s just faking it, etc.” For those people, I’d wish that they could spend one day in my body and see how well they could cope with the unspeakable pain.

I get the whole aura thing, along with the nausea and vomiting. It’s gotten to the point where I always carry a giant plastic cup in the car with me, affectionately known as ‘the barf cup,’ just in case the nausea attacks before I can get home to take my pain medication.

I just recently learned something interesting from one of my migraine doctors: he said that people who suffer from constant, chronic pain, the pain receptors in the body actually become even more suspectible to pain. For example, if someone stubs his/her toe, that person might hop around on one foot, cursing and saying “Ouch, ouch, ouch,” but if a person who suffers from chronic pain stubs his/her toe, the pain is simply excruiating and unbearable....

Anyway, I wouldn’t wish my type of migraine attacks on my worst enemy and my heart goes out to everyone else who suffers from them.

free skin care · Thu Jun 16, 2005 5:11 am

Carekate - Fortunately mine aren't as bad as yours but I totally agree with you about other peoples attitudes. It takes me a week to recover fully from an attack and feel anything near 'normal'. Its really scary isn't it - the first one I had I was scared it was something more serious like a TIA - only the reassurance of my doctor that I followed all the classic migraine diagnostic guidance made me feel a bit reasured (not helped by scaring myself silly reading up about migraine with aura patients having a higher risk of stroke!).
I'm back in work today and my boss just grunted when I said I had to be off as I had a migraine - I'm sure he thinks its a skive or that I'm exaggerating. I wish you could describe the pain and get people to understand how debilitating it can be. as my husband says - he knows I'm really ill when I don't ride the horse (usually nothing much stops that) but when I have a migraine I have no choice, just moving my head on the pillow results in tremendous pain - the mere thought of getting on my adored horse is out of the question till I'm fully recovered - if I ride before I am 100% I only get a rebound attack so poor neddy has had to have this week off stuffing her face in the field (not that she minds but I do, thankfully I have a good friend who will take care of her while I'm laid up). Sad

free skin care · Thu Jun 16, 2005 10:22 pm

faith,

Wow! I thought I was the only weird one Smile

I am glad someone else has the same trigger.

carekate,

Poor you Sad

Your migraines sound unbearable. Hugs to you.

I still don't know what situations or food triggers mine. I do drink enough water at work and am drinking at most 1 cup of coffee every few days. Also sometimes I would be very busy at work and no headache. Once I drove home from work, I would get a migraine?! What gives! GRRR!

Hope everyone had a headache-free day.

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:36 am

I started getting migraines in my early forties. The first one lasted 5 days-I went to the emergency ward crying. The doctor looked at my pupils and told me I didn't have a brain tumor -which was very nice since I hadn't even thought of that!!! They pumped me up with IV pain killers. It numbed it, but never went away. The, a few day later, it came back again. After 2 fruitless emergency ward visits, a clean MRI, I went to my general doctor. He gave me Zomig. 3 pills in a pack -$50.
I din't care. I took 1, another after 2 hours and a third after another 2 hours. I was crying with relief when the pain went away. No one understands the agony of migraines-unless you have them. I am never without the Zomig. Now I can take 1, lie down and the pain is gone within 20 min.-30 min. I do find I have to lie down & try to snooze. If I run around as usual doing things it dosen' work as well.

Marina

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:44 am

I've been quite suprised by the number of forum members who also suffer from the dreaded migraine - Actually it's quite staggering how many people actually suffer from migraine, you'd think "they" would have come up with a proper 'cure' or something wouldn't you?!
It's so debilitating and scary - its been great to have support from you all that understand what it's like - I was beginning to wonder if it was just me as I'd had some people look at me funny when I said a migraine had made me ill for a week!

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:36 am

Lucia,
Ask your Doctor about Botox injections for your migraines. A lot of Doctor's here in the US prescribe Botox injections because in many cases (depending on the cause), the injections are used to treat migraines. And in the US if it is for medical reasons, your insurance will pay for it. So you could kill 2 birds with one stone - get rid of the migraines & the wrinkles! Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:27 pm

I sure do sympathize with all you ladies (you poor things - I don't know how one would survive those symptoms for five days straight!! Shock

).

I am very familiar with migraines as my Mom has suffered with them for years and takes Imitrex. I have had them a couple of times myself, but knock on wood, they don't make regular appearances in my life.

The symptoms are really frightening - especially if they don't ease off within a day or so. I once had a very bad one that began suddenly with an aura. I suffered for more than a day, and struggled with extreme pain and nausea. Even when the pain subsided, my scalp felt bruised and tender - almost like I had been kicked in the side of the head.

It makes me wonder what the hell is going on in your body and how many brain cells are being destroyed! Its so easy for people who've never had a migraine to trivialize them. Hugs to all you sufferers - may a cure be found soon.

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:53 am

Pbsadhaka - hmm

I would think about it if I got desperate but I can't get my head around the thought of injecting a modified toxin into my head/face!!! Confused

!
(Oh yes - OI! I don't have any wrinkles! Tsk cheeky!! Wink

Cheezwiz - that type of migraine is scary - I'm hoping I will only get them when I'm overly tired or whatever not as a matter of course or a regular occurance like my poor mum gets. My GP said that an attack can be the bodies way of sayin 'Oi! Slow down will you', I must admit to have been running around like a headless chicken after everyone else for a while and being totally tired and worn out - even my holiday form work was taken up with me doing things for everyone else - I don't mind but sometimes you have to say no and take time out for yourself I guess (I'm one of those people whose brain in going 'hello!! - say NO!!!' while my mouth is saying 'no that'll be fine honestly'!! Laughing

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:13 am

pbsadhaka wrote:

...Ask your Doctor about Botox injections for your migraines. A lot of Doctor's here in the US prescribe Botox injections because in many cases (depending on the cause), the injections are used to treat migraines. And in the US if it is for medical reasons, your insurance will pay for it. So you could kill 2 birds with one stone - get rid of the migraines & the wrinkles! Very Happy

In the southern U.S., at least in my area, the idea of using Botox to treat migraines is still considered pretty radical and/or an experimental treatment. I know that I asked my migraine doctor about it about 18 months ago, and he had never even heard of the concept. When I went back for my next visit, he told me that he had researched the use of Botox and was willing to refer me to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to have Botox injected into my forehead, right between my eyes where that vertical frown/slashmark is, but my insurance carrier wouldn’t approve it. They said it was experimental so if I wanted to do it, I’d have to pay out of pocket. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the money (still don’t!) to pay for it myself because I’m already spending hundreds of dollars a month on doctors’ visits and prescription medication copays just to try to keep my migraines in check. When I get a *really* bad attack (once per month), my blood pressure skyrockets so high that I actually get nose bleeds – I call it “popping a rod” (I’m a racing fan, remember!). It’s my body’s way of releasing the pressure of the blood vessels in my brain before I literally stroke-out.

The irony is that my current migraine (i.e.: taking a handful of different meds daily for “maintenance and prevention” of the headaches) regimen costs my insurance company more per month just in terms of the amount they have to shell out my all my drugs then the amount it would cost for them to pay for me to have the Botox treatment.

As you might imagine, it’s all just very frustrating. Being in constant, chronic pain is enough to drag me down, but the fact that there is a treatment out there that could lessen the frequency/severity/duration of my attacks but which my insurance company won’t cover is just maddening. The thing is, if I stay on my migraine prescription “cocktail” for much longer it will again end up costing the insurance company more in the longrun simply because of the longterm side effects caused by some of the drugs that they’ve given me. For example, about 2 ½ years ago, the doctors suddenly had to switch me from the pain medication (Fioricet w/ Codiene) I had been using for a couple years to a small daily dosage of Methadone (use, the stuff they give heroin addicts to wean them off smack) because the Fioricet contained acetaminophen (i.e.: the active ingredient in Tylenol) and it was all of the sudden causing a lot damage to my liver, even though I was getting regular blood labwork done to monitor my liver function and all the other stuff. Excuse me, but doesn’t a liver transplant cost significantly more than a couple of Botox injections??????? Fortunately, the doctors caught the liver damage early enough so that we were able to prevent irrepairable harm, but still.....

Oh, and before anyone asks, I’ve done the whole biofeedback thing, the accupuncture, the herbal remedies. All of it, and nothing really helped. The use of the herb “Feverfew” and “Goldenseal” did help for a while, but after about six months, it was no longer effective for me. I’ve even tried lots of really strange and bizarre home remedies and old wive’s tales like sniffing a paperbag filled with green apples, using a lidocaine nasal spray that was supposed to numb the pain (same principle as using novocaine when you get a cavity filled)!! I’ve had so many injections of Stadol/Phenegrine or Tordal/Phenegrine in my ass over the past decade that I have permanent knots/bruises under the skin so that I don’t even feel it when they stuck the needle in my hip any more. Confused

Anyway, for all I know, the Botox treatment wouldn’t work for me any better than all of the other stuff that’s been tried these last ten years, but it sure as hell would be nice if I had the opportunity to try it out. I swear these days, I don’t even know why I bother paying a ridiculous chunk of my paycheck every month to cover my health insurance premiums when most of my treatments and/or prescriptions aren’t covered anyway!!

Okay, enough feeling sorry for myself. I guess I should just give thanks that it’s only chronic debilitating migraines and not cancer.

Sincerely,
FedUp and Frustrated

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:26 am

Carekate - I really feel for you my attacks are (touch wood) not a regular occurance so I can manage but in your shoes I too would definitely give the Botox a try as you have to weigh up the pro's and cons and its sounds like you are actually disabled by the problem Sad

.
Just a thought here in the UK if you have a chronic or severe problem/illness you can register and/or be selected to take part in trials of experimental treatments - I wonder if there is anyone in your area that is running trials of botox for migraine? Might be worth contacting a Migraine support group or similar - that's where you can register via here anyhow.
Hope you find something that works well and does't have too many nasty side effects soon.

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:37 am

I didn't realize that the Botox therapy was still experimental. I remember reading about it last year, and apparently (from what that article said) it does give good results. Are there specialists out there that deal with migraines? Maybe they know something that your regular doctor doesn't? I don't know...just trying to thinkl of ideas. Neutral

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:07 am

pbsadhaka wrote:

I didn't realize that the Botox therapy was still experimental. I remember reading about it last year, and apparently (from what that article said) it does give good results. Are there specialists out there that deal with migraines? Maybe they know something that your regular doctor doesn't? I don't know...just trying to thinkl of ideas. Neutral

I regularly see both a neurologist who specializes in headaches, and a pain management (i.e.: anesthesilogist) doctor. Now they both know about and endorse the use of Botox as an alternative treatment for patients who haven’t responded to traditional treatment, but neither one of them is licensed to actually administer the Botox injections themselves, which means that they have to refer me to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to do get it done, and this is the point where my insurance company jumps in and says no. It’s just a vicious cycle! I had the same problem with getting denied approval for the accupuncture, so finally my brother – after actually witnessing one of my most severe episodes ever – decided to pay for it himself for me (he’s an up-and-coming artist in San Francisco, starting to make beaucoup bucks for his art) when he saw with his own eyes what I suffer through. My brother would probably pay for the Botox if I asked him but he’s got two daughters entering Stanford this fall so there’s no way I would ever do it; he’s got his own stuff to worry about.

In case you are wondering why I can’t afford to get the Botox done myself, it’s because I miss a lot of work due to the headaches so I’ve exhausted all of my accrued sick and vacation leave time many years ago and have since had to be granted an entitlement under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) each year which means that my employer can’t fire me for missing so much work because of the migraines, but on the other hand, I don’t get paid for those days when I can’t work, either. And I’ve long since exhausted any savings that I had just trying to pay my medical and hospital bills...which in turn, causes me to constantly worry how I’m going to pay the bills the next time I have a spell that lasts for a week or more, which in turn can actually *cause* me to have an attack – remember, stress is one of my triggers – so round-and-round it goes....It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? Confused

I’ve actually thought about looking for one of those “discount doctors” who charge bargain prices for Botox, but I’ve heard too many horror stories of women nearly dying from their vanity when it turns out the doctor injected them with unregulated (i.e.: potentially lethal and/or contaminated) Botox. With the way my luck goes, that is exactly what would happen to me if I tried to go down that road and I can’t afford to die right now – my casket isn’t paid for yet!! Razz

free skin care · Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:22 am

P.S. I hope I haven’t offended anyone with my gallows humor, but sometimes I think that if I don’t try to laugh about it, I’ll probably start to cry. And once I start, I probably won’t be able to stop! Besides, a hard crying jag always gives me a headache afterward....

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