Migraines

[Pooh]

Bummer

Being a migraine suffer and boarding on cluster type of migraines like jayne does I feel for you. Mine started with this WC mess but also when my BP went sky high. So it wasn't a good combo - before it was always a good indication that my BP was going up from stress (if it hit 139/80 I would get a migraine).

I currently take Topamax but also have medication for break through migraines - pretty bad when one medication isn't working isn't it........ lol

Helpful hints -

Always wear sunglasses outside and in areas where there are florescent lights. You can get a pair of lightly colored sun glasses for inside that will work for stores.

We tend to keep just a few lights on in the house and turn on others as needed only - curtains are normally closed - I know makes for a dark house but for company we can turn on lights and most understand my condition with severe migraines.

Learn what triggers your migraines and avoid them - stress of wc is a hard thing to avoid right now - but you can also have other triggers - some of them are chocolate (I didn't say that - medical evidence does - but I love chocolate myself)

If you get one - start learning the signs of what happens before they become full blown - normally if you can treat them before they are full blown the better - blurry vision, aura, nausea, pain around one of your temples, stress headache that can turn into a migraine.

As far as being drained from one of them - yes you will be drained from a full blown migraine that why they would like you to treat it prior to it becoming full blown if possible. I can be tired for a few days after one of these major episodes and we won't talk about the current episode that's been going on for the past 3 months of almost daily migraines again ........ Like I said I am episodic with my migraines and I can go months with a migraine or 2 a week then start having them daily even with preventative medication.

If you don't have migraine medication on hand - one of my best things to take is Excedrin with something that has caffeine in it - as caffeine acts like a kicker in it - and it is also part of most migraine medication. Also a Bufferin aspirin works well taken with milk. (I never take aspirin on an empty stomach.)

Now of course you may have to adjust the above to your needs as those are my needs and that is what works for me- dark rooms works well until the migraine passes and normally sleeping it off is the best thing for me.

Other than that - I hope and pray you don't have any more major episodes with migraines. But all I can offer is some advice. They do have some over the counter products that work good out there. I would suggest staying away from some of the "migraine" type medications as my neuro has told me they can cause what they call bounce back headaches from what they have seen in patients. Goody's is a headache medication not a migraine medication I do believe - it just doesn't work for me.

[Bummer Knees]

I am posting early today as I am due to leave for the discogram shortly.
Thank you for you responses.

Jayne
What is goodys and where do I find it?

lil-conner23
What is imitrex and where do I find it?

As Pooh mentioned reconizing the symptoms is important and my migraines are new enough that last time I though it is just a headache cause my muscles are tinght.

I do believe stress is related to my migraines, both were within one weeks time. And I now have two teenage girs in the house within the past week and the medical related issues and the stress of wc all takes it's toll.

I haven't spoke to the doctor about this yet, although I will if they continue.

Thank you,
Bummer Knees

[jayne]

Goodys is a headache powder you can find at anywhere that sells asaprin just ask for it...in the powders there is goodys ,BC and I believe one other.....I just like goodys best......Imitrex is a RX med which your doc may have a sample for you to try to see if it works.......start keeping a log of your headaches...what were you doing in the hour or so before it...any strange lights,colors or smells? know what starts it and sometimes you can stop it........mine is a burning rubber smell at that sign I take a goodys and follow with a full glass of water.....and do the shower treatment if for some reason they break thru anyway its gonna be a rough ride that may have me going to ER for a shot to put me out.......Most times I would really rather be in a dark cold room with a warm blanket than brave the outdoors to get to ER.....my trigger is stress,strong perfume (mostly musk type)and cigarett smoke......I am not down on smokers but I need them to not light up near me.....and not all cig smoke does it.....different brands put different things in there cig and they smell different.....camels cig smoke does not bother me at all isnt that strange....

[red1030]

Migraines sound just horrible. My prayers are with your all. I have never experienced a migraine. i do have a dull head ache all the time, but that is nothing compared to what you are all talking about. This is a very interesting thread. Thanks for sharing...love Red

[UndercovrAngel]

I started suffering from migraines back in 2005 when they found herniated discs in my cervical spine. At that time, the only thing that they found that would help was morphine. Eventually that wouldn't even help so I started experimenting. I found that soaking in a hot tub filled with lavender (which helps the whole body relax) and then crawling into a warm bed in a dark room would help.

Now, my nuero has me taking 75 miligrams of topomax as well as an ultram er on a daily basis to keep them at bay, as well as to help the pain that I am suffering from the plantars fasciitis, heel spur, tarsal tunnel, and l-5/S-1 radiculopathy. They interfere with the brains ability to intercept the pain. Thy work great for my migraines but have done nothing for the other pain.

Angel ^j^

[lil_conner23]

I was reading that someone said, "take excedrin." DONT DO IT. Trust me, as I was saying ..my dad gets migraines all the time. A few months ago he was getting very light headed at work doing simple stuff. He's a carpenter ..so little things wouldnt effect him as much. He went to the hospital because he thought he was just coming down with a bug. Well, the doctors said he lost over half his blood count and they had to find where the blood was coming from. Here, he had a bleeding ulcer and never knew it. My dad is a migraine sufferer and depended on excedrin so much we used to say he ate it like candy. My dad doesnt take excedrin no more, IT CAUSES BLEEDING ULCERS! DO NOT TAKE IT. Trust me, I almost lost my dad ..now instead of taking excedrin for a headache ..he has to take a stomach pill called Prevacid every day of his life.

[lil_conner23]

Sorry ..I didn't see your question. Imitrex is a migraine pill that stops your headache before it starts. When my dad feels a headache coming on, he takes imitrex. It stops his migraine before it can start. All I really know is ..my dad was working late out of town one night and was suffering from a bad migraine. He went to the hospital near by and they gave him a shot of it. He said that it stopped it within five minutes. He now has it in a pill. Check out their site. http://www.imitrex.com

[Pooh]

lil-conner - sorry your dad got bleeding ulcers - but as I stated I never take any aspirin products on an empty stomach to me this includes Excedrin and Tylenol as well just because of the gastric acid in the stomach and what the medications can do. And really unless a medication requires me to take it on an empty stomach then I prefer to have a little something first even if it is milk or crackers.

[Bummer Knees]

lil-conner 23

Good information about excedrin.

Hope your Dad is doing well.