I thought I would go ahead and finish the parts of my migraine history to go with the partial one I submited earlier. Mine started, as with many of you, in my teen years,20 years ago with only a few a year to where it escalated into the most severe lasting for the last12 years. I would have them last from 1-3 days to 2 weeks in which I would end up in the hosptial for 2 weeks. As with many of you the treatment I recieved from the doctors was horrible. Most made me wait there from 1-3 hrs before they would give me an injection. Three times the ER doctor would not come to see me until his favorite tv show was over.(on Sun. evenings, my son and husband would catch them watching Star Trek knowing I was in another room throwing my guts up. I rarely found any of them the least bit compasionate. I would always wait til the last possible moment to go because of their treatment and therefore would compound my problem by not getting relief in time. This would usually end up with me only getting relief for a few hours then my migraine would return with all it's fierceness. I soon discovered how much my son and husband helped in being my advocate with the doctors. As I stated in the previous report, some of my migraines were do to the heriditary factor from both my parents' families that was also passed to 2 of my brothers and my twin sister. The ER had even documented that we would have to come to the ER the same night not knowing the other had been there. We soon found that the common thread was the weather changes. My two brothers seemed to improve the closer they turned 50. I was also being treated for severe neck & back pain. I had fallen down a flight of stairs several years prior and was knocked unconcience causing damage to may neck & back then later 3 whiplash injuries, and in 1993, while riding in a rental car shuttle, 2 large suitcases fell on me and more damage was done to my neck. I tell you all this so you can understand migraines can come from many things so it is not always easy to treat them with a cure in mind. When I heard of Dr. Rothbart in Canada, the Lord inpressed us to go to Toronto to see if there was anything he could do. Refer to my prior history to check out what treatments he has & what he suggested. I also found out that I had contracted polio at a young age, from the live virus on a sugar cube. This explained the scoliosis, ligament incompetency and neck&back pain. All this attributed to my migraines, also. After being sent to Minneota and then to Dr. Blume in Sioux City, Iowa I had discograms done in my neck and low back. It was found all the discs in my neck were ruptured and one in my back. These migraines are called cevicogenic headaches, He also performs radiofrequency neurotomy to the sinuvertebral nerves to the upper cervical discs to see if this will get rid of your headache. I know several that didn't need the surgical procedures because either the radio frequency procedure worked or a procedure that is done by percutaneous radiofrequency denaturation into the greater occipital nerve territory. The primary objective treatment was to alleviate pain originating at the head neck junction and pain radiating into the occipital nerves' distribution w/o causing sensory deficit. In a retrospective study (per Dr. Blume's records of several hundred cases undergoing cervical disk and interbody fusion surgery for the relief of persistent neck-shoulder-arm pain with occipital headache showed a very high percent had releif form their headache. Some were treated just with the radiofrequency neurotomy to the facet joints had great sucess also in relieving or reducing the pain. I have a couple of dear friends that are now having little to no migraines. In my case; after having to replace disc C2 - C7, removal of my temporal arteries, and some of the radio frequency procedures, my migraines are less frequent and I have fewer of the more monsterous kind. I am still in recovery from the surgeries and feel once my body has completed healing from the fusions, I have hope to be able to live life again outside my home. The one thing I stress to other migraineurs is; it is imperative first to have an advocate for yourself between you and any doctor who can help explain your situation because in the middle of an attack it is almost impossible for the sufferer to communicate the gravity of their pain. I give praise to God for the role my husband has played; from holding my head through the worst and being here to encourage me not to give up. Our 22yr old son has been given a great role model and has been so smpathetic when I needed it. If you are going through this and have judges around you, have your advocate explain your situation to them and shield you. I hope this has been of help to someone. Oh, I want to also mention, each one of us need a family doctor or one close by that truly understands what you and your family are going through. Our family doctor has gone to bat for me several times, probably having to fight the establisment. You just need to find one and then be truly honest to him and depend on his help til you find treatment for the causes of your migraines. I hope this has helped. If you need any info. on any of the procedures I mentioned, the doctors, or the names of others who have been successfully treated by Dr. Rothbart & Dr. Blume, you can contact me at mcanfield@msn.com. I have several pages of info.that I could mail. Sorry this was so long. I pray this will help in your search for a doctor and treatment. I included Dr. Rothbart and Dr. Blume's phone #s and addresses in my previous letter to Ronda's page. DC
---DC <mcanfield @msn.com>
OK USA -
I have given up coffee & tea entirely, along with chocolate and most sweets and all sodas. While I feel pre-migrainous at times, after 3 weeks I have yet to developed a full-blown migraine HA. I've also stopped eating processed meats such as hotdogs, sausage and coldcuts. Also I have noticed that butter and ice cream cause migraine like symptoms - I've given up those too, along with citrus products and cheese. These are some of my favorites foods but I am starting to build a migraine free foundation and it is empowering. My diet consists of fresh beef, eggs, fresh chicken, fresh veggies, rice & water. It is sort of a boring high protein, moderate fat, medium to low carb diet but it seems to be working. 3 weeks Migraine free and counting!!!!!!
---Bob L.
Greenwich, CT USA -
I just (8 May 1998) wrote about my 12 year old daughter who has had a constant headache for the past three months and asked for anyone with similar experience to offer cause/cure, but left off part of my e-mail address -- it should read ayccraig@iol.ie. Thanks
---Carole Craig <ayccraig@iol.ie>
Dublin, Ireland -
I am an infrequent migraine sufferer, but I have a 12 year old daughter who is now on her third month of constant headaches. We are trying a relaxation programme, a piliot study here in Ireland, but if anyone has a similiar experience of constant headache and ideas for cause/cure in children (non-drug if possible) please contact me. My poor daughter has only been in school for two weeks in the last two months. Thank you.
---Carole Craig <ayccraig>
Dublin, Ireland -
I am a 54 year old male who has suffered from cluster migraine headaches for 10 years and would greatly appriciate the opportunity to correspond with other men who have experience with "cluster migraines."
---Papa <Jiocca M@aol.com>
Provo, UT USA -
STADOL? CALL 1-800-500-0729.
IF YOU USE OR HAVE USED STADOL AND SUFFER FROM HEADACHES,
MIGRANES OR OTHER ILL EFFECTS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.
DAVID B. SHAPIRO, ATTORNEY AT LAW
---DAVID B. SHAPIRO, ATTORNEY <DABENSHA@AOL.COM>
BALTIMORE, MD USA -
