It has been a while since I have written in this journal. I do ,however
visit this site often for insight, advice and sympathy. I can relate to
almost everyone's plight in some way. Be it the ER room experience,
the meds taken or the reactions we get from co-workers about our
chronic pain. Today is a really bad day. Since last afternoon I have
been in some sort of pain. From mild to severe. At this time I am
waiting to call back my Dr.'s office as I called about an hour ago and
they said take another Zomig and call us back in an hour. My won-
derful boyfriend has been so patient, he was up for hours with me
last night and will do anything to help me relieve the pain. What
really stops the pain is when he will brush my hair pretty vigorsly with
a hard bristle brush. We have many different kinds of ice packs in
the freezer that we also use and they seem to help the pain as well.
These little tricks seem to ease the pain but dosn't take it away
entirely. My experience is that sometimes the Imitrex and Zomig
will work and sometimes it dosn't. Since these meds will work at
times the Dr's think that they will work all the time and prescribe,
prescribe, prescribe. In reality I am more afraid of taking so much
of these triptan's than I am taking a little narcotic. Why are they so
afraid of addiction with a chronic pain sufferer? Don't they realize
that these opiates simply take the pain away and don't get us high
or euphoric? Well, as with everyone here, I just needed to vent my
frustrations. Thanks for listening...I will call my Doc back now.
Wishing you all a pain free productive day, Doris
Doris <dorleedege@aol.com>
Denver, USA - Date: 10/27/98 (Tue)
Time: 12:20:38 PM
Hi everyone. Jana here again. I have a question to everyone that is or has taken Elavil for prevention of migraine headaches. I am currently on 35mg at bedtime and that seems to be the perfect dosage for me that I can tolerate without too many unwanted side effects. However, I am noticing about 45 minutes or so after I take it that I am wide awake and unable to sleep. It takes me about 3-4 hours to fall to sleep. No joke!! Whenever I took 50mg tho I couldn't get out of bed the next morning. I do believe it is working on preventing my migraines pretty well, but the insomnia is awful! I do have Fibro and I know that is a side effect of Fibro, but Elavil is supposed to induce a sound sleep,...well, so I thought. I would love to hear back from anyone else that has taken Elavil. Thanks in advance for your replies. I hope everyone is feeling good today and not having a migraine. However, I am having a migraine right now. I took DHE-45 IM and Phenergen IM, so I am in hope that this will kick it in the butt and I won't have to suffer all day long. I have way too many things today to do to have a migraine ruin yet another day for me. Thank you for all the support and emails my buds are giving me thru this journal. You know who you are! :)
Take care and be well!!
~Jana~
Jana <JTROUTEN@aol.com>
Atlanta, GA USA - Date: 10/27/98 (Tue)
Time: 12:13:29 PM
Hello to anyone who suffers from migraines. I do know how all of you feel, I have watched my husband and daughter for many years. I just wish there was something out there, instead of trying this and that. My husband has gone again today to the ER to get another shot, he even works there. He has gone through the Fiorinol/codeine, Imitrex, nasal spray, and anything else new that has come out. He has had acute dystonic reactions from some of the meds that they inject into him, the first time I drove like a crazy woman trying to get him to the ER as his neck stiffened up and his jaw locked, the skin on his back was mottling. I was so scared. His migraines have been around for years, all of his family suffers from them as well. His sister is 'out of it' for 3 days at a time, suffering from migraines. It is so sad to see the suffering. My daughter was at school one day and had to leave cause she had a headache, she was 9. The teacher called me at work and told me that she gets them alot, and wasn't sure if it was to get out of doing class work. I didn't know at the time that she was suffering from migraines, until it continued, at least 4 times a month or so. She would come home from school and say that big people don't understand what it is like when kids have a headache. I listened to her say that many times, not connecting that she could be having migraines. One day the teacher called me again and said that my daughter had to go home because she had a bad headache. The teacher, again said that she thought it was all put on. I picked her up at school, she looked like she had a 'big' head, her cheeks were red, and she rested until we got home. She took some tylenol, couldn't eat or she would be sick, and slept the whole afternoon and part of the evening. I got concerned after that day. I took her to see my new Dr. and I struck gold. I told him all the problems at school, home and the family history of migraines and headaches, he said, "She is having migraines", his brother went through the same thing with the school as well. So off to the Neurologist we went, I gave all of the symptoms she was having, at school and home. The Neuro then asked me to have a seat cause she wanted to examine and talk to her. I was shocked, my daughter told the Neuro about the colours she saw when she started getting a headache, she even told her the colours and then talked about seeing the same object 2 times, side by side. My daughter had never told me about this ever. The colours were confirmed by the Neuro that these are migraines she is having. She is now taking Norgesic, and is 14. The school was given a letter from the Neuro stating that at the onset of a migraine these are the steps that had to be taken, my daughter was so relieved that she could take her medication and rest right after. Her headaches range from 4-5/ month, it is really important for her to eat right, get lots of sleep, and the sun really bothers her if it is too hot, perfumes are a killer, and some foods trigger her as well. I hate to see her and my husband suffer with them. I suffer with them as well. There is one thing that I really want to find out though. Whenever we go visiting family for the weekend, they have 4 dogs in the house, my husband always, I mean everytime we have gone, he has to go for a shot at the local hospital for his migraines. He doesn't want to go visit anymore because he thinks its the dogs, we have 2 cats and I wonder if they are triggering something. Does anyone know about this? I have read all of your stories and I really do sympathize with you all. I hope there will be something real soon, cost efficient as well for all of you. I will check into this Canadian Dr. who is working on this patch as mentioned in one of the stories. My husband suffers so much, many times he has to go for second shots and I feel they are just guessing at what to give him next. Thanks for the taking the time to read this story, email me if you have any comments or if you want to just say hi. I am really interested in the triggers of these migraines. Wishing you all a migraine-free day!! Jeanine
Jeanine <jeanine_01@yahoo.com>
Ottawa, ON Canada - Date: 10/27/98 (Tue)
Time: 06:57:01 AM
For another great site for migrainuers with neck pain, pain behind the eye, occipital nerve pains, even headache brought on by arthritic changes in the neck check out Dr. Peter Rothbart's site at www.cervicogenic.com He is the Pres. of the Cervicogenic Headache Society, & for those of you still asking for Dr. Blume's site it's www.pionet.net/~hblume who is the V.P. of the CHS.
DC from OK <mcanfield@msn.com>
USA - Date: 10/26/98 (Mon)
Time: 10:38:09 PM
Hello again!!! I posted my history a short while back. I am still
looking for anybody who "bangs their head" during a migraine. I have
received responses from a few who also do this for relief as I do, which
has been a tremendous relief to me when I was afraid that I was the
only one doing this. I would also like to take this opportunity to say
thankyou to a very special man. The majority of us as migraine
sufferers know that non-sufferers just cannot imagine how excrutiating
and debilitating these headaches are. As a result, we are often not taken
seriously or we are considered overly sensitive or even crazy. This
man, having never suffered a migraine himself, has put so much time and
energy into creating a new Yahoo club for migraine sufferers because
he has experienced my migraines with me and he cares enough about
me to help me in anyway he can. If only every non-sufferer and doctor
out there had his compassion and understanding of this condition, we
would be taken seriously, be treated better by employers and insurance
companies, and I am certain that we would have a cure by now. So, to
you Tim, thankyou for putting your own pain aside to help me through
mine and for being just the way you are-- I love you with all my heart.
Susan <butterfly8_1998@yahoo.com>
Lima, Oh USA - Date: 10/26/98 (Mon)
Time: 09:59:02 AM
I have been suffering with migraine headaches for over 20 years. I remember being little, screaming and crying for hours on end finally so tired that I fell asleep, only to wake up because I was hurting again. Nothing has really changd at all since then. I get a migraine about once or twice a week, and then the rest of the days I fight off regular headaches. I am so angry!!! I feel like I have no life...right now I'm taking the imitrex injections. I'm not working at all. the migraines have been really bad lately. I'm scared about trying to find another job, people around here don't understand migraine pain...and what if I can't work for 8 hours every day without getting a migraine? All these what if's. I am so tired of trying to just get by...this is not living! I'm glad I found this journal,and even though I don't know any of you, I don't feel alone. THANKYOU, MUCH LOVE AND HOPE....masters24@webtv.net
Stefanie Masters <masters24@webtv.net>
wasilla, ak USA - Date: 10/26/98 (Mon)
Time: 03:34:01 AM
I am so upset.Yesterday my husband dropped me off at the ER.My daughter was cheering and I didn't want her to miss the game.And you know it takes at least 2 hours in the ER.So they come in and hook up an IV they put demeral & phenergan in it and they have me take a perkoset(sp?).So it was almost instant relief so then they give me a shot in the behind.I thought it was dem/phen for more lasting relief turns out it was toradol.Now I have never had this before.But they asked if I have any allergies I told them aspirin and ibuprofen.Well the almost instant relief was taken over by my whole body starting this burning itch same as the allergic reaction I had years ago.Then they come in and give meds to counteract this med.They ask if I have ever had an allergy to demeral before I told them no.Well anyway this morning I looked up toradol and it says anybody allergic to aspirin or ibuprofen should not take.Were they just stupid or what?Don't get me wrong they were very nice and sympathetic but they could have killed me.The last time I had to be taken away in an ambulance because my breathing may have stopped.I think the term they called it was anaphlactic shock.My question is should my insurance co.An I have to pay for the toradol and the meds after.Sorry I just had to vent.Hoping everybody has a h/a free day.Lisa
Lisa <saraya@erols.com>
Richmond, Va USA - Date: 10/25/98 (Sun)
Time: 09:11:15 PM
