Case Histories - May 1996 (1/2)

Hi! I am new to the internet and thought I would try to find some articless on the plaque - Migraines. I have suffered from headaches since my teens...round about puberty. They were difinately connected to monthly periods. So at age 37 I had a hysterectomy... Hun? This did cut down on the frequency and duration. However, I was put on hormones because of my age and health. Now, eleven years later... they are appearing to become more troublesome again. They ALWAYS start at night. Approximately 4-5 am. I am awakened with the pain and my eyes feel as I have slept with them open. Dry, red and itchy. This progresses until I think I'm going to have my head explode. I usually become nauseated and often after vomiting start to feel better... around noonish. Then I am OK until I awake again. I now have 1-2 attacks per week. Very hard to concentrate at work. I am a manager who needs to have their wits about them at all times. Does this sound familiar. Has anyone had any success in getting relief???

Thanks

---J. glass@planet.eon.net

I am a 33 year old female that has suffered from migraines for 16 years. I started in high school, wondering why my "headache" did not go away with aspirin. I had numerous tests along the way, but was not diagnosed with migraines until I was 21.

Mine are triggered by hormones, so I do not get them when I am pregnant. They will go away with menopause. My Grandmother had them and my mother thankfully skipped getting them. I have been on so many medications, I couldn't list them. I have lost days of my life and flunked out of college due to them.

At this point in my life, I have them under control. I take a herb called Feverfew, which you can buy in any GNC or health food store.It is used to prevent a headache, not make one go away. Feverfew must be taken every day and will take a few months to really help. In some cases after a year, migraines have gone away. Even though the recommended dose is two at every meal, I only take one a night. After 2 months, my migraines have been reduced by at least 50%. I can usually only take Tylenol or Advil and get relief. I want to try taking two every night to see if I get even better results. One of the girls at work here started taking Feverfew and has not had a headache since.

It really helped reading the stories of everyone else. I see I'm not alone and that we all are fighting the pain. I wish you all success in getting rid of the pain. Please E-mail me if you'd like to discuss "migraines" with me. Thanks for your stories.

---Kathy kathc@kodak.com

When I was twelve and started to get auras, which I then called "flashing in front of my eyes", my mother took me to an optomatrist who basically told her I was crazy. It seems like it's taken me a very long time (I'm 24 now) to convince anyone that I'm actually suffering from migraines. My doctor finally diagnosed it about two years ago. Since I wasn't getting them that often she said to take 4 Advil whenever the "flashing" starts.

A few months ago I started to take oral contreceptives. Since then I've gotten migraines at least every other week, many times more than one within a few days. They begin with auras, then there is a bit of a lull, then I become extremely disoriented and feel nauseous. My best cure seems to sleep as long as possible, however, because the frequency has been increasing I have missed a lot of work and can't afford to go home every time one starts.

My doctor now says that she thinks the increase in frequency is due to my sleep pattern, but I really feel it must somehow be related to taking the pill. She prescribed Imitrex, but I haven't tried it yet basically because she says it will make me feel "a warm flush" and then I will feel "as if I'm in a bear hug." That doesn't sound that helpful to me, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone that uses it in pill form.

A few people have told me they have used herbal medicine and that it's helped. I'm willing to try anything at this point. I realize that my migraines are not as severe or frequent as those of others, but I am very anxious about how often they have been occurring and am finding them increasingly debilitating. I drive long distances on Chicago freeways and have gotten auras to the point of not being able to see anything while driving.

It's very helpful just to talk about it and I'd love to hear from anyone that has advice or has had similar experiences. Thanks so much.

---Sarah

E-mail me at: sschmelling@igc.apc.org

I am a 47 yr. old female. I stared getting headaches in high-school. These could usually be aborted by aspirin. I had my first true migraine around the age of 30. It occurred a short while after I quit breast-feeding my last child and started menstruating again.

For the first few years, I only had maybe 4 or 5 migraines a year. The pain was usually one-sided and so excruciating that I sometimes wanted to die. The pain would also be accompanied by severe vomiting and an intense intolerance for noises and light. If they occurred during regular doctor's hours, I would go to my doctor and get a shot of phenergan and a prescription for Fiorinol. This worked great in the beginning since this treatment would put me to sleep and the migraine would be over within 24 hrs. Sometimes, if they occurred in the evening or on weekend, I would have to go to the emergency room where they would usually give me a Demerol injection.

After I started keeping a calendar of my menstrual cycles, I started seeing that the migraines were at first associated with the onset of my period. As the years went by, I started realizing they would also occur at others times -- usually during or after a time of great emotional stress and pressures.

They have become much more frequent during the last four years. I attribute this to being employed in a very fast paced, intensely demanding job during this time. (I do computer technical support for a major software company.)

I have seen neurologists, gynecologists, chiropractors, general MD's and even a holistic, natural medicine doctor. I've tried the typical treatments: Wigraine, midrin, Imitrex, anti-depressant preventative medicine, hormone treatment (a combination of estrogen and natural progesterone), beta-blockers, tranquilizers, diet changes, and some vitamin/herbal therapies.

None of the above treatments have worked consistently. I would then give up on them and go back to the Fiorinal. Consequently, I am now addicted to the Fiorinol (actually Esgic Plus) and take it on a daily basis. I've read a lot about migraine treatment and am aware that this medication can actually cause rebound headaches as well as liver problems when taken on a daily basis. But I'm caught up in the cycle of pain and have also developed a psychological dependence on it because of the fear of impending migraine attacks and the associated total debilitation.

I now live in fear of losing my job if I have to take too many sick days for my migraines and/or for lowered job performance due to the medication. I am at the point where I now feel my major priority is to overcome my addiction to the medication and find other workable alternatives to living with migraines. I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and have not been able to find a practitioner with expertise in dealing with people in my situation.

I'd appreciate any insights or information that anyone has to offer.

Thanks,

---Peggy Tilda@aol.com

Here's my story and it sounds a lot like everyone else's. I can remember having migraines just after my first period at age 11, lying on my mother's bed and wondering why aspirin didn't help like in the commercials. My parents dutifully took me to doctors who said it was everything from eye strain to psychological, but it wasn't until I was in my twenties that a woman doctor finally took me seriously.

I take verapamil every day and Darvocet N-100 when the going gets rough. I now only get between 1 and 4 migraines a month. I'm also one of those unlucky persons who gets sinus headaches too, and with all the allergy prescriptions, and the fact that I'm afraid to leave the house without my pain killer in my purse (never can tell when I'll start to see those telltale blurry lights), I feel like a walking pharmacy! I've had a Ct-scan and an EEG, and believe it or not I was disappointed when all the tests came back normal! I would have preferred to hear that I had something terrible, as long as it was operable! Then when the neurologist told me I could expect to have migraines until menopause, I sat in his office and cried. At 25, it was the rest of my life. (I'm 33 now).

I got married last year to a wonderful man, and believe it or not, when I told my mother I was getting married, she asked me if Kip knew that I had "those headaches." Did she think I could hide it from him?

---Rita Pointer@seanet.com

My grandmother called them "the blind staggars", my mother always said that she had a "sick headache", I call them a pain in the..........! Now my 13 year old nephew has them, I hope his parents and teachers will understand.

Mine started about that same age, and now I am 49 and still searching for the "cure". Like most of you, I have had all the tests and have tried ALL the medicine,Bio-feedback,pain clinics etc. I am convinced that mine are mostly hormonal; I have been charting for years, so at least I know when they are on there way. My new Dr. is greatÉHe believes what I tell him (how rare is that) and is trying his best to work with me. I am just waiting paitently for menapause,because my mom and others have told me that they subside after that. Untill then I guess, like you, I will continue to be off of work alot, in pain alot, and continue the search for the magic pill that will make it GO AWAY FOREVER.

My thanks to Ronda for this page, I read it often. For those of you who are new at searching for the cure for migraine, my advice, keep searching, try everything, you may find what works for you.

---Nancy njk1@ix.netcom.com

My name is Debra Scott. I am a 39 year old, mother of two, high school teacher and sufferer of occasional migraines. Today I experienced the worst one ever. I usually know when my headaches are coming on because I can see it in the bottom corner of my eyes - blinding light and/or wiggly lines! If I can get some Tylenol or other medication and then streeeeetch my neck from side to side, front to back and then around I can usually minimize the pain. I tried that today - but to no avail! Dizziness, nausea, cold sweat and PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN took over. Another teacher drove me home - I slept for four hours and am now beginning to feel somewhat better 9 hours after the attack.

I recently was "diagnosed" as being a borderline diabetic. I immediately changed some of my eating habits and am trying to stay away from sugar and fat. Yesterday my husband brought home a bag of those candied orange slices. Of course I ate some and today - headache. I also ate a fruit dip with sour cream in it. I am wondering is anyone can tell me if the sudden change in my diet from bad to better and then the slip yesterday could have caused #1 = my headache today?; and #2 - the severity of the episode today??

I am glad to be able to be an internet user - especially in situations like this! Thanks in advance for your advice and help.

---Debra Scott debsco@duplin.net

I am a 25 year old female who has had migraine headaches for as long as I can remember. I can recall being about 7 yrs old, lying in bed with the lights off hoping that I would die soon so that the pain would go away.

My mom and aunts also have migraines. They seem to occur less frequently as they have gotten older...so maybe there is some hope for me.

My migraines seem mostly to be triggered by stress and lack of sleep. My doctor has prescribed Tylenol 3 for me and most recently Imitrex. However, I have not filled the prescription for the Imitrex because all kinds of bad things are now coming out about it. I take a lot of advil and extra strength tylenol when I "feel" one coming on.

Mostly, the symptoms I get are blurry vision, dizziness, nausea, and that weird feeling of confusion (having trouble remembering how to do things that are common). I had one about a month ago that kept me in bed for about a day and a half - except for those trips to the bathroom to get sick (about every 1-2 hours)!!!!!

I have an 18 month old son and work full time outside of the house, so it is really hard for me to lay down and try to fall asleep so that maybe they will go away. My husband also does not understand the pain associated with these headaches and doesn't know why I can't just continue on with life and do my normal routine. He does try to be comforting, but I can tell how frustrated he gets when all I do is hold my head and cry.

Now my liver enzymes are way up and my doctor wants me to limit "over the counter" drugs. It seems that the medicine used to help "control" my migraines is coming back to haunt me by damaging my liver.

Is there anyone out there that knows of anything I can try that isn't really a "drug" that may be used to help me.

You can email me at work: Sandyc@dtplnt.wpo.state.ks.us

Thanks for listening!!

---Sandy