Migrane Sufferers?

[NightAngel]

Who else gets Migranes?

Oy! I woke up this morning, grabbed my head and nearly cried. Then I went in the bathroom- took some Ibuprophen (even though it doesn't help)- then tried to throw up the Ibuprophen, took a semi- hot shower and now have a towel wrapped tightly around my head.

The towel thing I learned from my Grandmother. She suffered from Migranes so bad ad so often when she was younger that my all my Grandfather had to do was call the family doctor then put her in the car. The doctor would be waiting in the parking lot with a shot of Morphine when my Grandfather pulled up. The doctor would open the back door, lean in, give my Grandma a shot and send them home.

This was back in the Good Old Days before doctors were terrified of malpractice suits and could do housecalls and special services. Back then he was also able to prescribe my Grandmother these nifty pills for her Migranes... I believe they're illegal now and are refered to as Yellow Jackets.

[Heksubah]

Apparently that's what my now month+ headache has been dubbed... a migraine. So I am officially a migraine sufferer and I hear your pain. I'm taking topamax twice daily as a preventative and I take maxalt to stop them when I get them (though this one doesn't stop, the maxalt is the only thing that makes it stop and when that wears off it just comes back and on top of that I only can get 9 of those pills a month, eek!). It's a royal nightmare, but aside from that there is nothing I can do that seems to relieve them. Sleeping, darkness, avoiding sound and light, nothing helps at all.

[ditchdj]

My wife now gets them. There's nothing she can really do for them but wait for it to stop. Her brother has problems with them as well but he's taking some prescription painkillers for them and it helps.

[NightAngel]

Well, whatever you do don't drink alcohol- I've made that mistake in the past. It really doesn't help and then you're just in more pain and drunk. Which, by my estimation, is worse than in pain and sober.

Try the towel thing. Just wrap a towel around your head as though you just got out of the shower but make it tight. Some people use bandanas but a towel works better for me. My hair is so long I have to wet it down to make the whole thing work.

Also, try feeling/ pinching the skin between your thumb and index finger. See if you can feel a hard knot in there. If there is massage that knot out- it will hurt. Once it's gone though you may notice some relief in your migrane. I do not know why this works.

The other thing my Grandma swore by was holding her wrists under warm running water. This does nothing for me personally but everyone is different.

This is how Migranes happen:

For whatever reason the blood vessles in your brain constrict and may be that way for some time- days even. That isn't when it hurts though.
The pain comes when the vessles release and the blood rushes forth- pounding through where it couldn't get to so easily before.

[Banrion]

For me, I get a warning when one is coming, if I infuse LOTS of caffeine I can usually sleep it off. If I don't it's 12-24 hours of complete and utter misery.

[Lyse]

I get migraines about three times a week. Most of the time they can be controlled by over the counter meds. Heck, sometimes if I catch it early enough, some coffee and naproxyn will completely take care of it.

For the other ones (You know the ones. Moving your eyes or head make you feel ill, and the throbbing. Oh dear gods, the throbbing:cry: ), I take Imitrex injections (http://www.migrainehelp.com/4.about_imitrex/4.2.taking_imitrex/4.2.4.imitrex_injection.html). Yeah, injections suck raw eggs, but I usually get relief from the first shot. And for the times that I've taken both shots allowed and still have pain, my doctor prescribed Toredol (http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/ketor.htm).

The first couple of times I used Toredol, I had to get a shot at the doctor's office until they were certain that I wasn't going to have a reaction and they required that someone be there to take me home. (Although, by the end they were willing to bend that one as long as they knew my cousin was on her way. Is it good or bad when your doctor and MA know your family?:rolleyes: ) Not sure if all have the same requirement, or if mine were just a tad over cautious.

[Broomjockey]

I got migraines when I was little, but apparently now, according to some docs, I've diversified into things such as "tension headaches" (which lasted more than a week, caused breathing problems, and wasn't helped by meds) and apparently a cluster headache once or twice. Strangely, the doc couldn't answer my questions to my satisfaction about what the heck they were. When I got them when I was younger, it was dark room, no noise, leave me alone. Nothing anyone tried would help.

[kerrisan]

I don't get migraines, but I get tension headaches, which are essentially migraines without the nausea. I've found that they're brought on by stress, neck tension, and eye stress. To fix it I can take Exedrin, or I just take a hot bath with low light and sound and close my eyes. And drink LOTS of water/Gatorade. Try some of that.

[Crazyredhead]

I get two different types of migranes, the ones that hurt and the ones that don't hurt with visual disturbances. I take Verapamil every night before bed and imitrex when my head starts hurting. The Imitrex is 50mg and it usually works in about 30-45 minutes and then I'm fine. I usually get these whenever my period (sorry guys) begins, although I sometimes get a couple throughout the month.

I also get painless migranes called retinal migranes. These start with an aura that is so bad, I am usually blind in one eye. These don't hurt but they come on with no warning whatsoever. They start with an aura that is very small but it is usually flashing and squiggly lines. It grows to either tunnel vision or completely blocks the vision out in one (either) eye. I get very confused and lose balance, the side that it happens on sometimes causes that side of my face to go numb and tingly. It actually resembles stroke symptoms, I freaked out the first time it happened.

I go to the neurologist and had an MRI (was fine) and was reassured that it wasn't a stoke. She was concerned because of the numbness and tingling that accompanys it. Since starting the Verapamil I haven't had one. I have been driving when they hit and had to pull over and the cop that came by to see what was wrong tried to take me to the hospital, I declined and told him that it will pass and what it was.

My doctor also reassured me that I won't lose my drivers license because of this nor will I be considered disabled. With the Imitrex and Verapamil she considers me a controlled case.

Sorry for the hijack.

[NightAngel]

I also get painless migranes called retinal migranes. ... They start with an aura that is very small but it is usually flashing and squiggly lines.

First, I don't think you thread jacked at all. We are talking about headaches. :)

Second, I get something similar to what you describe sometimes. Although it's usually a warning sign for me that a full blown Migrane is on it's way. Several hours or sometimes even the day before I'll see either squiggling lights that resemble Ameoba under a microscope or I'll see something I can only describe as "boiling air". that's when I know it's time to just go home because I'm doomed.

[Lyse]

First, I don't think you thread jacked at all. We are talking about headaches. :)

Second, I get something similar to what you describe sometimes. Although it's usually a warning sign for me that a full blown Migrane is on it's way. Several hours or sometimes even the day before I'll see either squiggling lights that resemble Ameoba under a microscope or I'll see something I can only describe as "boiling air". that's when I know it's time to just go home because I'm doomed.

Huh.

I think that I'll need to mention this to my doctor when I get a chance. I'd told my optromitist about the "floaters" and "flashes" that I've had a problem with for the last couple of years and he had said that it was not a big issue. Just floating blood cells and optical misfires. So, I never bothered to let my PCP know about it. Of course, I've never noticed a link to the migraines, but still it might be something to let him know about. Usually whenever I hear about visuals from a migraine, I hear about auras - you're the first the mentioned the ameoba, which is just what the floaters look like.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Who gets migraines? I do, I do!

In fact, I have one right now. Right behind my right eye. yay.

For the other ones (You know the ones. Moving your eyes or head make you feel ill, and the throbbing. Oh dear gods, the throbbing ),

I used to get this, several hours before the pain hit, though I haven't gotten the symptoms in quite a while. I used to get really sensitive to light and sound, especially high pitched ones. We'd be sitting at dinner and a metal spoon hitting the side of a pot would make me wince like someone tried to hit me in the face. And sometimes I'd be so nauseous I felt like if I could just make myself throw up I'd feel better. Never could bring myself to do it, though.

My first migraine was when I was 11; the power was out in my house so we went out for dinner, and I was in so much pain I had my head down on the table in the restaurant and was crying. They ended up ordering their food, and then my mom took me home and put me to bed, then went back to eat her dinner and get my dad and brother.

Now I usually get pain right around my eye, usually on the right side of my head; usually a few times a month. I can generally get away with caffeine and tylenol or advil; usually I'll take the pills with a coke, which also helps to settle my stomach if it's bothering me. Sometimes I get a stuffy nose too, so I'll add sudafed. I've found that excedrin has too much caffeine for me. The first time I took it was about 3 in the afternoon, at 3 in the morning I was laying in bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling, so I'll only take it in the morning, if at all.

The spot between the thumb and forefinger is supposed to be an accupressure point. Not sure how it works either; sometimes pinching the bridge of my nose or rubbing my temples helps too. A cold wet washcloth can help also.

[Sphinx]

These start with an aura that is so bad, I am usually blind in one eye. These don't hurt but they come on with no warning whatsoever. They start with an aura that is very small but it is usually flashing and squiggly lines. It grows to either tunnel vision or completely blocks the vision out in one (either) eye. I get very confused and lose balance, the side that it happens on sometimes causes that side of my face to go numb and tingly.....

These happen to me a lot and if I am up for too long after it starts my head starts pounding and the only thing to make it ALL go away is to go to sleep. And they scared me to death the first time it happened.

[Severen13]

I haven't had a migraine in nearly two years. I'm not complaining.

[MadMike]

I get them every couple of weeks. My first one was when I was about 28, and I had no idea what it was. They range in severity from slight pain and lack of energy, to feeling like my head is in a vice and I'm going to hurl. I get over-the-counter stuff, and sometimes it helps, especially if I also load up on caffeine. Other times, the only thing that will help is to lie down in a dark, quiet room and sleep it off.

I don't get sick very often, but I've had to call off work quite a few times because I woke up with a migraine. Luckily, my supervisor gets them too, so she understands when I have to call off.

[purplecat41877]

Sometimes, I get headaches that are sharp and sudden which could occur anywhere in the head like the side or back of the head. Also, I've gotten headaches in the nose area and sometimes the ear but more often the nose.:(

[protege]

Migraines suck. I haven't had a bad one in months...but I have had to deal with sinus headaches. They too suck.

I know when a migraine is about to hit--everything starts getting swimmy, and I need to lie down. The pretty colored lines start dancing around, and my speech sometimes gets messed up. As if that wasn't enough, the pain is right above my eyeballs :cry:

The last one I got made driving home, um, interesting. It was like someone had taken a white marker, and scribbled across my eyes :eek: I pulled over, and once that went away...I promptly threw up. In a police station parking lot no less :eek: Once home, I literally collapsed, and slept for hours.

I can usually control the minor ones with caffeine and rest. Sleeping in a dark room helps, as does taking a hot shower.

[NightAngel]

Purplecat:
Do you have allergies at all? A "headache" in the nose and/or ears makes me think of a problem with your sinus system. The nose, ears and throat are connected- your nasal sinuses can drain in the throat and even plug up your eustachian tubes which connects the ears to the throat. I wouldn't been incredibly worried about it but it might be something to mention to your doctor the next time you see him or her.
---

The first migrane I ever had was when I was either 10 or 11. It hit me very suddenly and I thought I was going to DIE. I was holding my head and screaming- the next thing I knew I was waking up. I had literally passed out from the pain.

The next one didn't happen until I was 16. I was at my boyfriend's parents house and WHAM! they put me, crying, in his bed. His Mom, bless her kind soul, had no idea what to do with a Migrane and she kept offering me food and tea. I think we all know what the smell of food is like mid- Migrane. I finally belly crawled to the bathroom (making a pit stop to cry under the pool table) and threw-up. My boyfriend, bless his soul, sat outside the bathroom door asking, "Do you need me to hold your hair?" Thanks guy- but I do all bathroom activities alone. He actually wanted to help me when I was belly crawling to the bathroom but I told him not to touch me. Once I was done with that the Migrane was over.

After that for many years my Migranes would be about 6-10 hours long, they'd "peak" and I'd vomit- then it'd be over. It was the only times in my life I actually looked forward to vomiting- because I KNEW it was the end of the horrible pain.

[Crazyredhead]

I think that I'll need to mention this to my doctor when I get a chance. I'd told my optromitist about the "floaters" and "flashes" that I've had a problem with for the last couple of years and he had said that it was not a big issue. Just floating blood cells and optical misfires.

Actually there is a difference between floaters and flashers and migranes. The floaters and flashers are just cells floating around in the fluid of your eyeball. I get them all the time. The aura of a migrane, at least mine, doesn't move around, and it grows. I have found that the only thing that helps my migrane is imitrex, nothing else works, not even caffine. Exederin for migranes used to work, but I think that my body got used to it.

The first migrane hit me when I was pregnant with my first child, around 19. The first retinal migrane I got hit me when I was around 22, and it scared the living holy shit out of me. I thought that I was having a stoke, seriously. The next one hit a couple of years later and I scared the life out of the entire medical clinic that I worked at. I literally had people jumping up and down and all kinds of funny things, they didn't beleive me when I told them that I had no vision out of my left eye. They later rushed me to the hospital where the eye doctor diagnosed me with occular (retinal) migranes.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I used to get them regularly, but since I changed my diet to low carb, I dont' anymore. I get them very, very rarely. Usually triggered by bright light or my being sloppy keeping my sugar levels up (I have hypoglycemia problems.)

If your sugar drops low enough, you tend to get a bit of an adrenaline rush. Then it goes back up and boom, you have a nasty cocktail of endorphins, adrenaline, insulin, and sugar rocketing around in your blood causing all sorts of misfirings. It can cause a migraine. In fact, if you are a migraine sufferer, you might consider this. Cut down on your simple sugar intake. It might help.

Once I get them, nothing helps. I have no real remedy except ride it out. I find that taking Excedrin Migraine capsules and a cup of coffee just as I start getting that pre-migraine feeling will often stave it off.

Why does the migraine start to subside after you throw up? I always wondered that myself.

[digilight]

My wife gets the real bad migranes with the "Blured vision" as she puts it. Hers will last several days at times. Normally though the blured vision comes on first so she has a warning and can bulk up on the caffine and some ibuprofin. None of the perscription meds for migranes have helped her over the years (and she's tried everything from pills to shots) she has had luck with a beta blocker (can't remember the name) somewhat.

I've gotten real bad migranes for many many years (starting out when I was under 10 actually). The docs found out that mine had a big basis in the diet. They put me on a special migrane diet, no caffine, no chocolate, no avacodos, no nitrates, that kind of stuff and it actually helped. I've found over the years that a hot shower with the water going over the head, neck, and shoulders can help also. I don't get them nearly as much as I used to, but when I do it kicks my ass.

[Cia]

I woke up with a migraine 2 weeks ago - pain, barfing and leave me alone. My DD said I was no fun that day. What was completely unfair though was that I also got the flu that same week. Life sucked since my DH was in Minnesota at meetings and my DD wanted me to cook her dinner. Thankfully she liked the idea of making her own omletts so I didn't have to.

[Der Cute]

guys:

I get migraines too...and I cant do much more than cry/whimper when they're full blown.

When I feel a headache starting I take 400mg Ibuprofen, that might help stave it off. But when Migraine Fairy likes to visit me, it's not much more than knock self out and sleep it off.

One thing I've tried that does help is : Tiger Balm. it's kinda like Ben-Gay, but smells worse. Put it on the center of your forehead and rub it in, lay down in dark and quiet, and hope.

i'm now allergic to Imitrex, that was a great migraine stopper but my throat now closes when I take it. What others besides Relpax (doenst work) and Topamax (I wont go near that) are treatments?

Cutenoob

[BookstoreEscapee]

My dad gets migraines too. When I was in college he was in the hospital for several days because he woke up with chest pains in the middle of the night (he was fine; we think it was an anxiety attack due to the fact that his mother was released from the hospital after knee surgery the day before and the rehab facility "lost" her. She ended up being sent to a facility closer to home that had a last minute opening and they never bothered to call my parents). In the time he was there he didn't have any chocolate, and then he had a piece when he got home and almost immediately had a headache. So he stopped eating chocolate, but would occasionally "test" himself. Every time...BAM...migraine. After several years of no chocolate, one day he could eat it again and was fine. So he eats a little bit most days (dark chocolate = health food, according to my mom :p) and he's fine.:confused:

[NightAngel]

Ahh, triggers, yes. For some people it's certain foods or smells.

For me citrus triggers headaches- not really Migranes but still a pretty decent headache nonetheless. The problem is I :HEART: citrus! I occasionally just have to have some no matter what the consequences shall be. *sigh*

Oh, and I saw someone mentioned lights? If flashing lights gives you a headache that is actually minor seizures.

[MadMike]

Oh, and I saw someone mentioned lights? If flashing lights gives you a headache that is actually minor seizures.

I don't think I ever had something like that trigger it, but once when I already had one, the TV was on and someone took the remote and started rapidly flipping thru channels. That made it a lot worse. I was actually screaming at her to stop doing that.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Flashing lights will give me one. Flashing lights just plain HURT, even if they don't trigger a migraine. And a bright, direct light in my eyes, like a bright sun reflection or something similar, is like a punch in the face. Worse migraines I've ever had were from bright lights.

And on that note, what is UP with the current fashion to have bright flashing lights in every flipping movie or tv show? Why do that! Flashing lights CAN cause a seizure in some people, and migraines in others. Plus, it's frigging annoying! I do not understand why they DO that????

[jayel]

I get migraines. If I am aware of one coming on and catch it early enough, I can usually ward it off with the migraine strength Head On. Once it's fulll blown, Excedrin Migraine coupled with Head On will take care of it. If it's really bad, all of the above, plus a dark quiet room to lay down in untill I feel like moving again.

I don't care what anyone says, Head On works.

[myswtghst]

Ooh, ooh, me too! :(

I just got my first real migraine about two years ago, right after I graduated college. My mom has been getting them for years, so I had some warning/knowledge, and scammed some Imitrex from her (with approval from the Doc) to try out. My big issue is I tend to just wake up with them--the pain wakes me up, and when I can't stand to open my eyes, I know that's what it is--the light just kills me. My other big problem is that while Imitrex seems to dull the pain enough for me to be functional, it tends to make me nauseous. I usually just call in as soon as I'm coherent enough to use the phone, then crawl back under the covers and sleep for as long as I can.

We've pretty much narrowed my triggers down to hormonal, being that I usually get 1-2 a month, and they usually happen around that time of the month. I was doing really well for a while with predicting and preventing them (I'm on the Pill for endometriosis-like symptoms so I know when it's coming down to the day, so I've been taking Imitrex the night before), but I had minor surgery right before the last one, and had been taking Darvocet at night to sleep, which was making me all loopy, and unable to take the Imitrex. I've also noticed, as I'm iron-deficient anemic, that eating red meat/other iron rich foods around that time of month seems to help.

I actually was approved for FMLA last year, and am deciding if it's worth it to apply again this year. FMLA is the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows, in my case, at least, you to use your normal, planned PTO as sick time if you have a pre-existing and treated medical condition, instead of using up all my "sick time." Had to fill out some paperwork and have the doctor sign and fill out some more, but it was worth it for job security. I just always feel bad about ditching work, but I can't even get dressed, let alone drive or be helpful at work. I think the computer alone would kill me.

I also might need to investigate this whole retinal migraines thing. I haven't had anything matching those symptoms recently, but I did get them a few times in college--I would literally just lose vision in one eye, or get tunnel vision for no apparent reason. My dad always shrugged it off as a low blood sugar thing (he's diabetic) but I never saw a correlation in the incidents.

[morgana]

I get 'em, too. Fortunately not recently, though.

I'm one of the ones who get warning-auras. That "boiling air" phenomenon NightAngel mentioned, except it always looks to me like the sort of heat-mirage you get on the roadway in hot weather. If I take 1000mg of ibuprofen as soon as I notice it, I never get the actual migraine. (Thank you, Mother Goddess.)

I've never noticed a food trigger (and I eat of lot of chocolate), but hormones were a big trigger for me. Part of why I'm not having them much anymore, I guess. Stress could also trigger them; I took a LOT of ibuprofen in the waning months of the marriage to Clueless.

Never was lucky enough for hurling to end the pain. I wish; I'd have stuck my finger down my throat asap. Quite the contrary; I've never wanted to die so much as when I had a migraine and had to vomit. Talk about feeling like you're having a stroke . . .

But mostly, as I said, I've been able to stave them off. When I can't, well . . . Just put me in a corner, throw a heavy blanket over me (head and all), and leave me be. And for gods' sake, if you hear me moaning, don't pat me on the head! (A dear friend got bitten for that . . . :rolleyes: She forgave me eventually.)

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Quite the contrary; I've never wanted to die so much as when I had a migraine and had to vomit.

That's why they call them "suicide headaches." ;) The vomiting never entirely gets rid of the pain, it just makes it more bearable. At least for me, anyway. Like it lessens the pressure or something. I always wondered why that is.

[NightAngel]

Yeah, my Grandma always said that when she had them that if someone had given her a glass of poison and said, "Drink this- it'll make you feel better..." she would have.

I once begged my ex-husband to hit me hard enough to knock me unconscious during one. He wouldn't do it of course.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I've battled with those since I was 12 . . . sometimes I'll be sound asleep and wake up in the middle of the night with one, which is excruciating and all I can do is sit on the bed w/lights out and cry. My head will literally be sore to the touch and it'll hurt worse in the back, near my neck (I can feel the throb right behind the right ear near the bottom of my head.)

If it's during the day, I'll notice my eyesight getting weak - it'll seem as if I'm looking at stuff underwater or the little floating spots will appear. If I've got the migraine headache stuff (Excederin) I'll take a couple and usually it'll knock it out.

I still don't know what triggers them off . . . :(