Migraine Misery

[moosmom]

It's funny (not really) you should mention migraines. I got one just last night from eating Chinese food with MSG in it. It was a doozie!!! I went home and took 2 Tylenol PM's.

Feeling much better now. At least I now know that MSG is a no-no.

[kuhio98]

It's funny (not really) you should mention migraines. I got one just last night from eating Chinese food with MSG in it.

Donna ~ MSG has the same effect on me too. It's very hard to avoid these days. Most restaurants don't advertise that they use MSG in their food. One time we went out for Chinese food and I just ate white rice and I still got a migraine.

[christa]

Oh Christa - your migraines sound so much like mine!! Maybe you could ask the doctor about taking the birth control continually - with a placebo week only about 4 times a year. You can read about it on the internet too. It is becoming pretty common and they even have a new bcp called "Seasonale" that is the same concept. It helped me VERY much!!

When I do have the migraines - I climb into bed in a dark room and put frozen peas on my head and neck. (leave them in the bag ) Some people prefer a heating pad but cold helps me more.

Did your migraines pretty much begin at puberty? Take care, Christa!!

I haven't had migraines for long. I've always gotten headaches with my period, right before and at the end . . . but never to this extreme. Really just in the past 6 months, they've elevated to migraine level.

About the Seasonale . . . I have done this before, not exactly Seasonale, but gone for months without a period using regular BC, but not because of the migraines. My OB/GYN told me that it's probably not good for *me* to do this because I have endometeriosis . . . it's important for me to have a monthly cycle. I'm sure I don't have to explain that to you.

I never thought about using frozen peas!!! LOL . . . Cold does work for me better too. I usually just get a cold cloth and lay it over my eyes. That makes it darker and helps rest my eyes. My eyes stay so sore & weak for the whole time during the migraines . . . even if I don't have a blasting headache, it's like it's lingering in the back of my head and just wears me out!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Another "migraine-patient" here! I have them since I was nearly 18. It is impossible to explain how a migraine feels unless you had one too... . Lots of people say "just take a Tylenol" and it will be over....
NOOOOOOO, Tylenol never helps!! When I get a migraine, I can heardly talk, cannot stand light or sound, and I feel 1 000 hammers in my head! Sometimes it goes on for 2, even 3 days
The onlt medicine that helps, when the attack is a "normal" one (=not to heavy") is IMITREX. I have the nose-spray and the injections in my purse all the time!

[carole]

Christa I get lots of headaches, but luckily most are not migraines, but I have had them and I know just how bad you feel, it is pure misery, I have great empathy for you ,I hope you can find a new medication that works better, my sister gets them and usually ends up at the medical center getting a morphine injection, of course the bad side effect there is vomiting, but maybe you should consider that option if it is available, HUGS to you and I am sorry you have to endure these so often.

[sandragonfly]

wow, didn't know hormones could really cause migraines! no wonder these doctors have been asking me those questions. 'seasonal' migraines must be so awful!! I'm so sorry, I only get them 2x or so monthly. for at least four hours...most of time I throw up.

okay, I was wrong, it wasn't started with zym.. I take valproate. (my 5th try) - I'm allergic to so many!

maya & inka, are you taking stadol nasal spray? I've tried that, the strongest medicine for migraine but it didn't work for me!

christa, sorry I don't know how to help you, hope you'll find a way! (((hugs)))

[Canis Amicus]

I have one since yesterday. There is a weather condition here in Switzerland called "Foehn" wich many people conplain that causes or worsens migraines. I am one of them.

Normally I take Aspirin, but since yesterday I tried Panadol, and is not working.

Rosana
and Rex

[RedHedd]

I used to get them all the time and they got excrutiating before I finally meno-paused. Fiorinal (sp?) worked for me. Now I get them occasionally and have found that good old Excedrin Migraine formula works extremely well for me. I hope yours ease up as I know how debilitating they can be.

[Miss Z]

i've had a few migranes, but usually just have bad headaches, usually from staying up too late or spending too much time watching TV/on the computer

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

[color=purple]maya & inka, are you taking stadol nasal spray? I've tried that, the strongest medicine for migraine but it didn't work for me!

No, my sprays are called "IMITREX NASAL SPRAY"
My migraines are also hormonal! As I am 49, my hormones are "at war" , which causes heavy attacks!

[christa]

Well, I'm just waiting for mine to break through. Usually it does after the 4th day and today is day four. I went to the gym earlier and lifted weights. It did help. It usually does. You'd think it would make them worse. I don't understand that at all.

Do you all find that having these migraines runs your entire body down? I don't know if it's the medicine I'm on or what, but I feel like my entire body is run down. It may just be because mine last so long. My OB/GYN told me it's common for women to get them during their periods, like I do, but she also said that it's quite uncommon that they last for the entire 6 or 7 days.

I've already got my new BC pill pack so if it does break through, I am going to start it early. It stops the migraines in about 30 minutes to an hour. I'm anxious to see if my doctor is upset with me for doing that 2 months straight. When you're in that much pain, you'll do anything!

[SemaviLady]

Do you all find that having these migraines runs your entire body down?

Definitely.

As a child (preteen), when I would get them, they would last as long as 5 days or so. I would be disoriented and sleep was just about all I could do. I would be unable to keep anything down. The headaches seemed to be triggered by stress and some types of food (although the same food didn't always trigger me, unless I were stressed).

As an adult, in college and through my working career, I used to get them like clockwork (monthly) and also sometimes got them toward the end of nearly every week due to a fatiguing schedule (back then). I really could not function once the negative scotomas faded and the pain settled in. I had to get in a dark place and put my head down. Fiorinal is what I would take to help ease the cycle -- with Fiorinal, pain would last for a day or so, rather than several days.

When I would finally start to feel better, I'd have a odd feeling of spacial disorientation for another day or so. No problem with technical work, just a strange spacial disorientation, difficult to describe. (driving 1.5 hours to work at 5:30AM during a thunderstorm would be surreal with this after-aura!)

Oddly, once I got into WAP (Weston A Price) and Low Carb, I essentially quit eating anything but whole foods (only fresh produce and animal foods -- nothing in a box, can or jar), less sugar. Headaches disappeared for over a year. Completely! Drawback is all the frequent shopping and the time to prepare fresh foods every day.

When I began introducing 'normal' processed and packaged store foods again, migraines began to happen during my cycles again.

I find now, as long as I keep the level of processed or junk foods low (I'm much better at this now), the headaches just don't hit me so hard any more. ...but sigh, it's Holiday time again and we all know what that means!

Oy, I wrote a book!

[carole]

Oh yes those little hormones are responsible for a lot of things, coming up to the menopause i have been bothered with lots of headaches, that I put down to those mean hormones, never had so many as I do now, but luckily they are not migraines, Panadol does not work for a migraine, if it does then you probably just have a bad headache, you need stronger medication to do the trick.

[christa]

Oddly, once I got into WAP (Weston A Price) and Low Carb, I essentially quit eating anything but whole foods (only fresh produce and animal foods -- nothing in a box, can or jar), less sugar. Headaches disappeared for over a year. Completely! Drawback is all the frequent shopping and the time to prepare fresh foods every day.

When I began introducing 'normal' processed and packaged store foods again, migraines began to happen during my cycles again.

I find now, as long as I keep the level of processed or junk foods low (I'm much better at this now), the headaches just don't hit me so hard any more. ...but sigh, it's Holiday time again and we all know what that means!

I can see how quiting junk & processed foods would help. I wish it were that easy for me. I already eat super healthy, so I know that's not the link.

[christa]

Well, my migraine broke through last night. Big time! Worse than ever. I've never thrown up before from a migraine . . . last night I *almost* did . . . I finally went to sleep with cold rags on my eyes. I was miserable. Slept for 13 hours straight . . . got up, still had it.

I ended up taking 3 Excedrin Migraine (you're only supposed to take 2 in 24 hours) . . . sure it made me feel drunk and nauscious, but it helped. Made it bearable.

Right now, it's just low grade. I'm hoping I'm near the end.

Shew, I hate this!