New to this. I'm a chronic migraine sufferer, I'm 53 been suffering since late forty's. I have tried every drug possible even admitted to hospital 2-years in a row for a minimum of a week stay. I have had DHE administered and this does help but only have relieve for 3-months which is good if you have more then 15+ migraines a month you value any relief. The trouble is my last treatment was June 17th 2014 the medicine has worn off and I'm right back to square one. Getting depressed migraines seems to be getting worse which is crazy cause every time I have one I feel it is the worst I have felt and couldn't imagine it getting any worse. This Tuesday I start my first treatment of botox I hope this gives me some relief. I'm tired of being a hostage in my own home. Its the holidays and don't feel Merry at all. Today is a tough day and have decided to put myself out there cause I feel so alone and I really tired of apologizing to my family all the time for being stuck in my room I call the dungeon.

Christine <christinebabauta@yahoo.com>
Friday, December 5, 2014 at 17:35:17

Hello I'm iman,
I'm female and I've had a migraine for 3 days straight going on 4. I don't usually have them this is probably my second one but this one comes with a lot more. I'm experiencing diarrhea, cramps, and sharp pains along with the migraines on the side of my head. I taken over the counter drugs such as Advil and Tylenol I've taken warm baths and drank lots of water since I don't have an appetite I've experienced nausea but I have not thrown up. Can someone please help.


Iman

Iman <Imanrobinson1@gmail.com>
Monday, December 1, 2014 at 16:39:52

I am 35 and have been struggling with migraines for a few years now. When they first started it came from no where. I have absolutely no family history, I have a great husband and two great kids, who are trying to understand why I can�t be what I am supposed to be on certain days.
I was given Topomax a few years back and had great success, aside from the side effects. I literally turned into a zombie, was tired, had difficulty remembering what I was trying to say mid sentence and found myself leaving post it notes everywhere. I eventually thought I had �cured� myself by finding the trigger, which was lack of sleep. I now laugh at myself for ever thinking that. I did pretty good for a couple years with only a few episodes, I didn�t count the headaches as I could work through those. Then this summer something changed.
I had a never ending migraine. I have been trying to come back on top ever since to no avail. My doctor has put me back on medication, Topomax, which does not make me happy. I did talk him into only 100mg in the morning so the side effects are not bad at all. I am still competing with my head daily for power to perform my daily activities. I never know if I will get to go to work, be a wife, Mom or just be a slug bug in bed. I just called my doctor again this morning begging him to do something else because I cannot take it. Of course he is on vacation.
My life is now consumed with making sure I have a consistent sleep schedule. When I start feeling a tightening in my head and see vision spots I tend to nurse myself in hopes I can avoid a migraine. I have a basket with my medicine supply that seems to grow bigger and bigger, Topomax, my second round of steroids, Imitrex(for when its bad), Advil or even Excedrin when I try to manage it on my own. I don�t want to be on meds for the rest of my life. I also don�t want these migraines so I will stick to the meds now, but they are not working this time around.
So happy I found this site to know I am not alone that others are out there. As I mentioned previously nobody in my family has this so I have nobody to talk to. I have really been trying to figure out if I need to go see a specialist instead of my family doctor, any advice?

Amber <amberpetemomof2@yahoo.com>
Monday, November 17, 2014 at 12:14:40

i wrote a poem an wanted to share it but didn't know how so thought maybe here..


Me and My Migraine

Liza do you take this Mr. Migraine, to be your pain never to be with out for life forsaking all others, events, family, holidays,birth, wedding, graduation, friends, doctor appointment, in your life no matter how important the life event may be, no matter who my need you, even if the sun is shining or the rain is pouring. Monday through Sunday. Not even your crystal and prayer to the all mighty Lord above will stop your pain!!
"Wait" do I have a choice?
"Oh NO you have NO choice!"
Migraine, do you take Mrs. Liza, to be your vessel to carry you in her head, to cause her throbbing behind her eyes as if little Elves are build a village for thousand. Visual disturbances, nausea with puking every chance you get. Causing spots flashing before her eyes, lights waving in color that are only found in the most prefect prisms in the worlds in her vision, pain and pressure in her eyes as her very own Fourth of July showing is happening before her eyes. Keeping her bed down under pillow hidden from the world and light from and the world until she not even sure if one day or maybe four has past. With tingling in her face, unable to lift her head from her pillow for not one, two or sometime two but three or more days. Above all else never forsaken her for a pill, a shot, a doctor, a massage therapist, injection, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or therapist. Do you promise to keep her in pain and loneliness as you being her only friends. Promising to keep her in pain and lonely until her death will you part!.
"OH YES I DO I will never leave her for long I PROMISE.

" I now pronounce you"
Migraine and Vessel forever!!!!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Liza <lizaknepper@gmail.com>
Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 23:12:56

I broke my neck in rural Myanmar (Burma) in 2001. It took me 12 days to get to a hospital in Singapore. Due to such a long delay, the neurologists there were not able to give me the standard treatment (halo) for my injury. Fast forward to 2014...I've lived with a constant headache for 13 years, frequent migraines, incredible neck and back pain, spinal misalignment, and a very foggy brain. I have been to many health care professionals in Asia, the USA and Germany and I have tried many therapies - allopathic and natural.

Recently I began doing Neurofeedback - an expensive and non-invasive type of brain training. Neurofeedback is not a cure, but trains the brain to operate differently. Initially I had fantastic results - I was actually pain-free for 1 month! But then something shifted and the headaches / migraines returned 3 weeks ago. I will continue with Neurofeedback and hope for another miracle.

The other thing I have had success with is occipital nerve blocks. I had 4 injections at the base of my skull; had to do it twice as the first round was short lived. It is a painful and expensive treatment, but it did work (for many months).

I use Sumatriptan nasal sprays and injectables, I've gotten much better results from those than any other meds I've tried.

I'm becoming more and more sensitive to external stimuli (noise, lights, commotion, smells, chemicals, etc). I've been tested for food allergies and been on a restrictive, gluten-free, grain-free, GAPS/paleo diet for 1 year. Stress is a big trigger for me as well.

My life is held hostage by my dysfunctional brain. Even as I type this my head is hurting very bad and I worry that this headache will morph into a migraine. I am practically house-bound, have not worked in 6 years, and seldom engage in any activity. This pain is soul-crushing. I feel so very sad for all of us who suffer with this terrible pain.

Sayarma <mewilcox@ymail.com>
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 14:53:50

Hello,

I have been suffering from migraines for years. Actually, most of my family suffers from migraines as well. I've tried everything under the sun to get them under control and the problem I noticed I've had is that my body gets used to the medication and it stops being effective. A family friend of ours actually introduced me to a chiropractor and he has been amazing. He is able to adjust me ever so slightly and get me immediate relief. Here is some more information from my doctor's site if anyone else wants to try it out. http://www.northeastspineandsports.com/services/chiropractic.php

Hope this helps!!!

Margie Stoddard <roxyjones7@yahoo.com>
Monday, March 10, 2014 at 14:26:18

Hi there! I am a 15 year old female and I have suffered from migraines since I was 8 or 9. When my headaches first started, they were already coming at a rate of maybe 10 times a month and I would be in school 9/10 of those times. Lets just say I got to know the clinic pretty well as a 9 year old! Anyways since then, my migraines have kept a pattern of increasing and decreasing in rate per year or so. Last year, for example, I was at 5 a week, and now I'm usually at 1. Last year I started to get very strange headaches worse than my migraines in the middle of the night. Some stretches of time they will come every night and some every few nights. I've had a few CAT scans and MRI's and neurologists say everything looks normal. To cut to the chase, one of the biggest reliefs I found is IV Toroidal like they give you in the ER, which is now made in a nasal spray called SPRIX. This stuff is my best friend. I have found that icepacks and heat packs only make my migraines worse and that to battle the Aura and pain, it is best to take the SPRIX and dig my palms into my eyes, usually harder on the left side, being the side of my headaches. I just have to watch not to give myself a black eye, ha! I'm curious to know if anybody else has tried the SPRIX and either has found relief or found none.

Alyssa <alyssa48230@yahoo.com>
Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 17:42:26

Hi All, I have 44 years of chronic migraine. I've seen headache clinics and neurologists and gone through all the preventatives. About 6 years ago I started doing supplements, changing diet, sleep patterns etc. and I've gotten my migraines down to a 2 day migraine every 10 days. In the last 3 years I went 16 days without a migraine twice. This was caused by a very low calorie diet that I couldn't maintain. And, I used acupuncture twice a week for 3 months which eliminated my migraines, auras, light flashes etc for 4 months and then the migraines came back. If I could afford acupuncture twice a week and lived near an acupuncturist I think I would have my problem solved. However, acupuncture was more expensive than my Zomig so I'm still searching for better control.

Here's my question. Does anyone have a migraine cycle that is every x number of days. I can plot mine on the calendar and no matter what, I get a migraine every 10 days. I'm 64 so not connected to my periods. My life over the last 3 years has been in 3 different states. I'm retired and active and migraines are my only health issue. Does anyone else have such a predictable cycle? Where would you search for information on the body's cycles and rhythms - especially a 10 day cycle rather than the 24 hour cycle.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Cassiej <Cassiejday@gmail.com>
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 15:02:28

I am 28 year old i really don't know when the headaches started, i didn't even know it was migraine until i had the migraine class in the university, I've been taking duloxetine for a long time without feeling better so i went to a neurologist and started topiramate (topamax) and WAO from migraine everyday I've had 2 attacks this month but it makes me sleepy, a small price to pay. I still don't know all my triggers besides: menstruation, alterations in sleep patterns, stress and alcohol. And yep I do have auras. The funny thing is I'm a doctor and all my colleagues still look my funny when I tell them I suffer from migraine and no I don't live in the U.S. Thanks for listening.

A. Loban <alejandraloban@gmail.com>
Monday, June 24, 2013 at 17:45:44

I am 70 years old and started to have migraines in high school. I have 2 or 3 full-blown (nausea, vomiting, cannot function) migraines a month and they are taking a greater toll on my body. I used to be over them after 24 hours. Now they last 2 days and the 3rd day I am wiped out, trying to get strength back. It does seem like the pain slides down my face; it starts at my forehead, and moves behind my nose, then into my cheeks below the eyes. I figured once that I have given up 3 years of my life migraines.

Both my parents had them, but both seemed to get over them by the time they were my age. I have no allergies or any other physical ailments. Aside from the migraines, I am healthier than most of my friends.

The migraines do vary quite a bit. Sometimes I spend the day in the bathroom with a good deal of urinating. This is interesting in light of the fact that for hours I cannot keep a sip of water down and usually end up with dry heaves. I have found that potato chips (or other very greasy foods) will stop the heaves and so does watermelon. I prefer watermelon, but that is more difficult to keep on hand.

What gives some relief is a very hot shower on the back of my neck and face--but it only works as long as I'm doing it. Also heat (hot rice bag, hot water bottle, heating pad) on my forehead or sinuses. I also like to have a radio or TV on softly. I think it takes my mind off the misery a little bit.

I have never thought foods were a trigger for me because "trigger" implies "you eat it you get a headache" and nothing ever triggered a headache within a day. I do believe that sleep deprivation and over doing it are triggers for me. I used to be a work-a-holic.

I am going to try giving up natural cheese again, drinking lots of water, and keeping regular sleep hours with at least 8 hours a night. If I can at least space them out, it will be a blessing. I am in sympathy with the lady who said, when in the throes of a migraine, dying does not seem a bad alternative.

Karen S. <karenann385@yahoo.com>
Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 14:04:12

Hi am am 35 years old and I have figured out that I suffer from migraine......usually I get blind spots and zig zags in my vision before one happens or in place of the actual migraine. I started with the migraines about 12 years ago. I think? Sometimes I wonder if the extreme fatigue I felt as a child might have had something to do with migraine..but I was not diagnosed with them because the classic symptom of headache was not present. Last night I was awakened at 12:30 am with a very severe migraine...I think was triggered by stress becuase my daughter was sick, I was so fatigues the whole day and a half before that I could not focus or concentrate, the night before my migraine I closed my eyes and had a sort of Alice in Wonderland experience in which I felt floaty and every person or object I would picture was sort or out of proportion or kind of ballooned up like ? I dont know how else to explain it. Went to bed very early because of the fatigue that night and the next day went to bed at 9:30 that is when I was woke up to an exploding headache in which I really felt like the top of my head wanted to come off, actually scared me , afraid something would burst in there. Could not even lay on amy regular pillow, I had to get the very soft little cheap pillow I bought from IKEA that was the only one I could lay my head on ...this lasted 2 hours... If it went any longer I think I would have to go to ER. I am so sorry for all the ones here who suffer this daily. I dont believe I could stand it.

Stephanie G <sonrisehope@yahoo.com>
Friday, March 29, 2013 at 09:44:33

34 year old male
I can never remember a time I did not wake up with headaches. Around 17 years of age I was diagnosed with migraines. I had a terrible time during college, but I blamed myself for them, thinking I must be particularly sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol. However, I quit drinking and by the time I was thirty I was having daily migraines. Daily is probably inaccurate. They never went away. i made numerous ER visits, endured skeptical medical personnel's suspicion that I was a junkie, visited several neuros which accomplished nothing, had a very difficult time trying to explain to my wife what I was going through etc. When I was 33 I had surgery to implant a neuro-stimulator. This has diminished the frequency, though not as much as I had hoped. I am currently on day three of one now. One thing it did do was make me very aware of the secondary symptoms, the exhaustion, the depression, sense of impending doom, etc. I am a Christian. I generally try to be a positive force in this world. I sure wish I knew what I did to deserve this so I could try and make it right. One thing I have read over and over and I understand is how mentally debilitating these are. They just wear you down. It seems at times that my whole existence is a mass of quivering pain.

Micah <Micah.mobley79@gmail.com>
Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 15:06:07

Hello,
I have suffered from migraines for 15 yrs now. I was prescribed propranolol by my physician. It is taken daily. I started on 40mg and eventually up to 60mg. It has decreased my migraines tremendously. Propranolol will lower your blood pressure. Stress is my major trigger since I work (2) 16 hours days. Imitrex works for me .
Good luck

Kim <Hotaspid@hotmail.com>
Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 02:14:18

I am suspicious that a problem I am encountering may be a variant of migraine. I would be interested if anyone has experienced the particular difficulties I have encountered.

First, I periodically have a "hallucination" that moves through my visual field that looks like a luminous colored zigzag line. It lasts about five to ten minutes and goes away. It is not associated with any headache.

Second, a few times a year I have an episode during which I have double vision. I see two images of whatever is in my visual field. These episodes last less than ten minutes and are not associated with headache.

Third, and most important, about once a month I have a terrifying episode during which I am very dizzy, my gait is disturbed and I have troubling walking, and I have extreme levels of anxiety. During the episodes, my thighs feel odd, almost like they were swollen, and after the episode I suddenly have the need to urinate 5 or 6 times. These episodes last between 30 minutes and an hour and resolve without any intervention.

I have had numerous tests that have ruled out obvious explanations, like arrhythmia's etc. Please let me know if this pattern looks familiar.

Julian Beaber <xerxers@aol.com>
Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 14:02:37

Hi again,after a introduction in the previous post, we know that migraine sometimes has no apparent trigger. However I have found that - sleep deprivation is the worst cause for me. The second worst cause is acidity and poor digestion. Third cause is excessive happiness and or stress!!!

I think proper initiation into yoga will help....ALso wonder if a little curled up hard vein on the side of my head has something to do with all these fit - for nothing migraines.....

Does anybody reading this have any family history of neurological disorder (say epilepsy) or something like that????? I sometimes suppose that migraine is the response of the brain to counter the probabilities of more serious ailments like alzhiemers or epilepsy..... Hope some scientists read this and conduct a research into this.....

Mohan Das <patra2me@yahoo.com>
Friday, December 14, 2012 at 12:53:15