Migraines

[hawkchick11]

I've always gotten headaches/migraines. I finally went to Urgent Care the middle of March because I had a headache/migraine for a week. They sent me for a CT scan and it turns out I have a cyst between the right and left sides of my brain. Kinda cool to look at, not so cool that I've had a headache basically every day since then.

My neurologist wasn't concerned about one or two migraines a month, but more than that is not good. I take Maxalt when I can feel one coming on but right now with the constant headache, I just deal with it.

Definitely keep track of your headaches/migraines. My neurologist has me keep a journal. I have to write down if I have a headache, and rank it on a scale of 0-3 (0 being no headache, 3 being not being able to function). Then I have to write down symptoms (I get numbness, light sensitivity, dizziness and some visual problems). I also have to write down what I take to get rid of it (although, like I said, constant headache right now.)

Call the best hospital in your area and see if they can refer a neurologist to you. Or ask around, word of mouth is usually the best way to find one.

[Boozy]

Migraine attacks are not usually caused by muscle strain or eye strain. Those are usually tension headaches.

Migraine is considered a neurological condition, with cardiovascular effects. It almost always manifests with symptoms other than a headache. Nausea, visual disturbances, numbness, etc.

Certain allergies can trigger an attack, so obviously you would need to look into that. But don't be surprised if you find nothing. Many migraine sufferers don't have any triggers.

I'd recommend going to your doctor and asking for a prophylactic medication. Most preventatives are blood pressure medications, so you won't be able to take them unless you already have normal to high blood pressure.

If you're really looking for the magic ticket, you need to start exercising, if you are not already. 20 minutes of cardio every day, and I will guarantee you that the frequency of your attacks will decrease dramatically.

[JLG]

I know what you mean about having bad luck with doctors. I had a headache for months every day and I tried so many doctors. Some said it was a migraine and some said it was a tension headache and then some said they had no clue.

One doctor even told me that I was a liar because nobody has a headache that often. He told me to stop drinking soda and eat cheeseburgers instead cause the caloire intake was the same

I went back to doctor over and over again until somebody would help me. I finally got sent to a neurologist that put me on some medication that finally helped and the headaches stopped.

They came back years later and I had moved by then and had to find a new doctor for more of the medication that helped me last time. Well this new doctor was crazy. He booked so many patients at once that it was standing room only at times. He gave me the meds but also sent me for so many other tests that had nothing to do with my headaches. I finally stopped going to all the appointments he said I needed because it seemed like he just wanted to bill my inusurance company for whatever he could. I finally found a good doctor but he moved away last year.

Don't give up till you find a doctor that will help you and tell you what kind of headaches you are going through. Good luck.

[Seshat]

Agreed.

Me, at least I know what my headaches are. (Tension headaches, Eye headaches caused by my right eye, or tempero-mandibular-joint headaches caused by bruxism - grinding my teeth.)

I am blessed enough that I don't get migraines.

(For those curious about the right eye: I have keratoconis. It's a disorder of the cornea. At my level, glasses can't correct it, only reduce it. But mine isn't severe enough to warrant a corneal transplant. I've tried a contact lens, but it became a choice of pain from the hard contact lens, or pain from the headaches.)

[telecom_goddess]

I'd recommend going to your doctor and asking for a prophylactic medication. Most preventatives are blood pressure medications, so you won't be able to take them unless you already have normal to high blood pressure.

Really? I find that interesting.....since I am on a blood pressure med right now and my migraines have almost disappeared since I've been on it.....hmmmmm.

[Boozy]

That makes sense then, doesn't it? It's nice you discovered a happy side effect of treating your blood pressure.

[Luna Baby]

I've suffered with migraines since about age 9 or 10. My mother had also suffered with them from an early age so she was able to recognize what I was going through. For years, though, doctors would only try with minimal results (Midrin-knocked me out to sleep off the h/a, and antidepressants-I suppose as a prophalactic??). I found they were worse when I was in college (was miserable while there) and when I was in a job I hated.

Sometime about 5 years ago, I'd had enough. I went into a walk in clinic, told them I had a migraine and needed help. Thank goodness for that wonderful doctor that actually listened to me. He pulled out an Imitrex (auto injector) and within 30 minutes, I felt like a whole new person! He wrote me a script for this same injection and I've had wonderful results. I've since switched over to the pill form since I can keep up to 9 on hand for a lot less cost.

I'm not sure where you are located, but, you might ask a physician if they have the "samples" of the Imitrex (or any of the other 'triptan' meds) that you could try to see if that works for your particular migraine. In the meantime, you do need to try to pinpoint your triggers, whether it be food related, or environmental. As I've aged, I begun to not only recognize triggers but also warnings that I've got one coming on. Many times, I can ward it off with just ibuprofen if I catch it early enough.

I feel for you as I've suffered with these for close to 30 years now. Anyone who has ever had even just 1 true migraine truly understands what you are feeling. I can remember lying in the E.R. once wishing I'd just go on and die rather than feel that bad.

As for blood pressure meds, I've had PSVT for several years as well. My BP is normally 90/60, without bp meds, and am still an candidate for blood pressure meds that control it, but am cautioned to keep an eye on my BP because of the tendency to lower it even further. With that, a normal BP does not automatically dis-qualify you from taking a med normally used to treat an elevated BP that might also help with migraines.

P.S. natural childbirth with a 10 lb baby was a piece of cake compared to a true migraine.

[Boozy]

With that, a normal BP does not automatically dis-qualify you from taking a med normally used to treat an elevated BP that might also help with migraines.

That's good news.

Unfrotunately, I have abnormally low blood pressure, which normally doesn't cause me any problems. But my doctor is fairly certain that BP meds will cause me to start blacking out. I'll take his word for it. I've got my migraines under control with diet and exercise, and the occasional triptan for acute attacks.

P.S. natural childbirth with a 10 lb baby was a piece of cake compared to a true migraine.

Having never gone through child birth, I wouldn't know, but my mother has delivered four babies naturally, without drugs, and says that she'd rather go through that again than suffer through an unmedicated migraine attack.

[Eisa]

I've had migraines since...I don't even know. I also have headaches. I have since I was about 12. They are literally all day, every day. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a headache. They vary in severity, at least [thank GAWD]...but I can always tell when I'm getting a migraine because I get nauseated, can't stand light or sound, and it usually becomes more throbbing/intense pain. One time, I had a migraine for 4 days. Went to the urgent care and they gave me a shot of phenergan and a shot of...some painkiller that started with "t" --one in each hip. I still had to go home and sleep it off. It helped a little bit and broke me out of the migraine, at least, but it still didn't really help the pain.

I did go to see a neurologist when I was 15/16 about the constant headaches. But all he did was kept throwing me on drugs. And when the MRI came back ok, he practically told me he thought I was faking. That no one could have a headache all the time. Newsflash...I DO. Not like I want them.

And with my migraines, stress and hormones really affect them a lot. Not sure what else, though.

[42_42_42]

Lidocaine patch for the stressed out muscle works a treat for me. And you might try asking your OB/GYN for the pill and stop your period totally. Unless you are reproducing, there is no need to bleed monthly FWIW. Norethindrone was my drug of choice. Stopping the damned period was a lifesaver, it dropped my migraines down to stress related ones only. Of course the hysterectomy worked well and now no pills, and one migraine every 2 or 3 months at most.

I'm on the pill as hormone replacement since my ovaries had to be removed and according to my doc, not having the monthly bleed will result in build up of tissue which could lead to endometriosis or another tumor (tumors in both ovaries is why they were removed). I'm only 33 or else I'd just not take the pill and deal w/ menopause, but I'd rather not have it for 20 odd years. Looking back, I wish we'd done a complete hysterectomy when I had my 2nd ovary removal, but at the time we were hoping to do IVF w/ my sister's donated eggs...and then we found out after my surgery that my husband's also infertile. So now I have a perfectly uselss uterus. Ugh. At least the cramps and migraines aren't as bad now as back when my body was trying to make it's own hormones.

[AccountingDrone]

I'm on the pill as hormone replacement since my ovaries had to be removed and according to my doc, not having the monthly bleed will result in build up of tissue which could lead to endometriosis or another tumor (tumors in both ovaries is why they were removed). I'm only 33 or else I'd just not take the pill and deal w/ menopause, but I'd rather not have it for 20 odd years. Looking back, I wish we'd done a complete hysterectomy when I had my 2nd ovary removal, but at the time we were hoping to do IVF w/ my sister's donated eggs...and then we found out after my surgery that my husband's also infertile. So now I have a perfectly uselss uterus. Ugh. At least the cramps and migraines aren't as bad now as back when my body was trying to make it's own hormones.

Second opinion. Get one. NOW. That guy is a jackass. How many millions of women post menopause have absolutely NO issue with that problem?

Go. Run real fast to another doctor.

[Boozy]

Second opinion. Get one. NOW. That guy is a jackass. How many millions of women post menopause have absolutely NO issue with that problem?

Most women don't become menopausal until their mid-40's. 15 years earlier than that leads to 15 more years of chances to cause problems.

Developing osteoporosis is a major concern for someone that age. HRT takes care of that.

A good friend is on hormone replacement, too, 42_42_42. It's standard medical practice for women who begin menopause at a very early age. There are risks and annoyances, but overall it's generally a good thing.

[Seshat]

If you don't have ovaries, you shouldn't be producing the hormones that trigger the uterus to create endometrium. So I have no clue how the doctor thinks you'd get endometriosis.

That said, HRT is an optional thing. Have it, don't have it. Osteoporosis is one of the post-menopausal symptoms, check out the other potential post-menopause problems women can develop.

Osteoporosis can be beaten with weight-bearing exercise: simply use other techniques to tell the bones to strengthen, and hey, they will.

Get yourself informed, make up your own mind. But the endometriosis thing makes zero sense to me. Does that doctor know anything about the female reproductive cycle?

[42_42_42]

I'm probably misremembering the endemetriosis thing. I do know that she said it wouldn't be a good idea for me to take the pill all the time and not have periods and I'd rather be on HRT than deal with menopausal symptoms for the next 15 or 20 years. I totally trust my (female) doctor's judgement on my current course of treatment being the best for me at least right now. She and I have a very close relationship. She's seen me through a lot and is the one that operated on me for both of my oopherectomies. She knows my body and its VERY unique medical history. What's true for most women isn't the case for me because of the different issues I've had. Considering I get migraines at other times besides during the "off week" of my pill cycle and that they are usually related to my back pain issues, I'm farily certain that they aren't hormone related. I'm going to be going to a chiropractor soon because I just can't stand the back issues any more.

[Kara]

I guess I got lucky with how my migraines were handled. I was about 10 when I got my first migraine. I thought I was dying. I went through a few weird sensations beforehand. Then the migraine itself hit. Then I got violently sick. That would happen every so often, once every few months. Finally, when I was in high school, I saw one of the doctors where my mom works as a nurse. He talked to me a bit, and before long he was like a little kid. He said I had "classic" migraines, and he'd never actually seen anyone with that diagnosis before.

I get premonitions that a migraine is coming. First, my vision gets messed up. It's like a splotchy area in part of my field of vision. I know that I can still see in that area, but my brain doesn't believe me. After about 15-20 minutes of that, it goes away but I become light sensitive. Immediately after that, the tips of a couple of my fingers on one hand will go numb. The numbness will spread, it crawls up whichever arm is affected to about my shoulder, then it goes away in my arm as one side of my face around my mouth goes numb. Then it goes to the back of my throat. Somewhere around this time I will feel pressure on one side of my head, that's where the migraine will be. After the numbness finally goes away, the migraine hits full-force. The entire premonition episode takes up to 30 minutes, so if I'm home I have time to pop a couple of Excedrin Migraine and lay down. If I'm not at home, then I have time to take whatever precautions possible and brace myself for it. A couple of times they hit at T-Mobile and I was able to go to my sup and say, "I need to go home. Now."

That's what the doctor was excited about. It's my body telling me to get ready because the migraine is coming hard. Maybe it's because my mom is a nurse, but I could start to get the premonitions, go into the office and tell them I was about to get a migraine, and get a nice Imitrex shot. That stuff is amazing (as it should be for $100 a shot). The only trigger I've ever identified is that sometimes, if sunlight bounces off something just right and hits me in the eye, it will cause a migraine. But they can just happen whenever. As I've gotten older, they seem to have gone down in frequency, and I haven't had a full-on premonition in awhile. I get what I call "mini-migraines," which are still painful but I don't get any warning. Excedrin Migraine handles those pretty well, coupled with a nap.