Two children and 4 ex-husbands later, my migraines come more frequently. Some people say that I drink too much coffee, however, that can't be the case because I had them for years before I started drinking coffee. My mom and I have talked quite frequently about this. Her dad and mother both had migraines, she has them and I inherited them. We also share something else and that is manic-depression, both of us are bipolar. I'm being treated for it with Lithium and Effexor. Mom is being treated with Nortryptilin. Imitrex works for her but not for me. I've been through alot of different types of medications to try to prevent or decrease the devestation caused by the migraines and have found the only way, as there is no way to prevent them, to help them go away is to take 1 Vicodin for the pain and 1 Restoril so that I can sleep it off. Usually by the time I can keep them down, my stomach is empty and I go right to sleep. I too have had a hysterectomy, at the age of 34 (2 years ago), so my migraines are not hormonal.
I look forward to the day when I can wake up (not having to run to the bathroom) at 2 in the morning, puking until my ribs are sore for days afterward, and wishing that my head would finally explode to release the pressure.
Thank you so much for the journal for migraine sufferers. It is my favorite web site, even when I don't have a migraine! I have this bit of information to pass on.
This is a non-medicative suggestion for women who suffer from hormonal-related migraines. I am 43 yrs old, have suffered migraines since age 35, have family history of migraines, and tend to get them twice a month, once around ovulation and then again around start of period. I am what is called a "Texas vegetarian", which means a vegetarian who eats barbeque... to set the context, I am not a big meat eater at all, occasionally have fish or chicken. Recently, I was on my way to a dinner appointment with a colleague I had already postponed several times and couldn't get out of. On the way there, I began to feel the usual pre-migraine symptons...extreme fatigue, disorientation,tingling on side of face, beginning of pain, onset of nausea. I began to dread the dinner, especially because the colleague is a militant pipe smoker, and knew he would insist on sitting in the smoking section. I began running through my mind what I could possibly get down under the circumstances, and all of a sudden I began fixating on a big juicy steak. At the restaurant, I ordered one, and when it arrived, ate it in about 5 seconds. I devoured it. I could have eaten another. My migraine went away, even as I inhaled his pipe fumes. I felt great through the next day.
Two weeks to the day later, my next migraine came on, and too late, already well into the pain I went out for lunch and ordered a hamburger, because I felt silly ordering a steak in the middle of the day. No relief.
Two weeks after that, in the middle of the afternoon, I felt the fatigue, disorientation, nausea,and tingling coming on. I left my job, drove directly to a steak house, ordered a filet to go (without any side stuff, and got weird looks), drove home, devoured it (please note that even in the midst of migraine nausea, it tasted great), wished I'd ordered another, and immediately began to feel great. Again, the effect lasted through the night, and I felt really good the next day. Now I am worried that I'm becoming addicted to expensive steaks, and I find myself when driving around noting the location of steak houses, in case of emergency. For the first time in my adult life, I now browse the steak section of my local grocery store. This is all bringing to mind strange visions of scenes from "Rosemary's Baby".
All kidding aside, I'm not sure why this works. Any ideas of readers, especially nutritionists, would be appreciated. It could have something to do with protein, iron, or maybe hormone replacement therapy via cows? I once had a severe bout of stomach flu, and, when I began to recover, craved steak. At that time I really was a vegetarian, and in fact that was the end of my devotion to it, as I figured my body was trying to tell me something. But what? I will continue to test this out. I'm also going to try "taking" steak preventatively just prior to my migraine target dates...
Best wishes, and relief from pain to everybody out there.
P.S., I DO NOT work for the American Beef Council, nor do I have any ties to the beef industry!!!
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--------------------- I do not know if this will really help you. I am 59 years old and started headaches at about your same age. However, I had no hysterectomy. I tended to blame mine on taking birth control pills (which I had been on for some time after having two children). My daughter began the same headaches while she was in college (no hysterectomy, no birth control pills). In retrospect, I think that when they start, we tend to blame whatever we can think of that was different in our lives at that time. I am not saying these things can't cause the headaches, but I am doubtful they do.
Interestingly enough, I have a cousin whose headaches followed the usual pattern, getting worse and worse. She went to a headache clinic in Houston and they simply took her off Aspartame and her headaches went away. With this in mind, I told my daughter who is now off Aspartame. Her headaches are better, but far from cured. Coincidentally, she started going to an allergist at the same time in hopes that would help. He found she was allergic to a number of things. She is now on allergy "shots" which are not shots anymore, but a drop placed under the tongue! He has also placed her on a very strict diet. Virtually the only thing she can have right now is meat and vegetables. She can most especially not have anything with sugar, artificial sweetener, yeast, dairy products, etc. So bottom line, I do not know what has been responsible for the improvement in her headaches. She also had a hysterectomy at about the same age as you (and me) and I could tell no difference really in frequency, etc. She is now 36 years old; they had been becoming progressively worse.
My headaches disappeared just as suddenly as they had begun. This was a number of years after my own hysterectomy. At the time, I gave credit to my experiments with biofeedback, but I have since learned that menopause sometimes causes cessation of the migraines. So, once again, I do not know.
Hang in there. Chronic disease does not necessarily mean you will have it chronically! It can go away!
One more caution. Be careful with the medications. The cure can sometimes be worse than the disease. I am not saying to ignore the medication. Often, if you can stop the headache before it really begins, you wind up taking a lot less medicine than if you try to "tough it out". If you can possibly look at it like, "Okay, I have this problem. I can decide it is an insurmountable problem and feel guilty and panic-y or I can decide this is the way it is and not think of it as such a big deal. (No apologies, no explanations----just, I have to go to my room and lie down in the dark, because that is how I have to cope with it). Pretty soon, everyone else sees it that way too. I know from experience how hard this is on the person suffering the pain, though, because sometimes you just lie there thinking you can't stand it.
I am at my wits end. I don't know what to do or where to go. If I could remove the headache, I would have a wonderful life. I am considering the Diamond Headache Clinic, but am not very hopeful.
HELP!!!!!
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Thank you so very much for listening is great to know I'm not all by my self. PLEASE ANYONE WITH ANY INFORMATION or has ever heard of this contact me. E-Mail Dell1257@aol.com (or just to talk) Thanks again!!!!!!
