BARBARA B - What kind of skin condition do you have? I am just curious. My husband has Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. Email me.
Hello everyone else. I had a slight migraine (one coming on) last night. I went to bed early. I feel better today but, I felt terrible last night. Tammy
Tammy <tammywheeler@netscape.net>
Buchanan, Ga USA - Date: 11/28/98 (Sat)
Time: 10:29:04 AM
Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me. I'll try to answer personally next time. I haven't been on for a few days. I took my last Elavil last Saturday and started the Calan on Monday. I had the worst headache (plain old NASTY HEADACHE), dizziness, and nausea. I felt like I had morning sickness all over again. My head was so bad Wednesday that I was yelling at everyone to be quiet. To me, this defeats the whole purpose. I want the migraines to stop so I can be a better mother, not a grouchy stomping #$%*!. I stopped taking it and feel better. When dealing with my doc in the past I have gotten the distinct impression that if I was working I would get a little more help from this woman. Her attitude seems to be that since I am a stay-at-home mom I have nothing better to do than be tired and dopey all day. When I was on Prozac last year I mentioned the sweats I was getting every day around the same time. She told me to just wait and take my shower after they had passed. Like I have nothing better to do all day. Has anyone else run into this attitude? With the Elavil I was having difficulty getting up in the morning. I would like to be a functioning person when I don't have a migraine. I am thinking of cancelling my follow-up and trying the feverfew on my own. Has anyone had any luck with this? In the meantime, I think I will look for another doctor. Thanks-Melissa
Melissa <beany_27@yahoo.com>
USA - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 08:59:49 PM
Hi Fellow Suffers
Just writing to let you all know that I an going to a Pain Clinic in Toronto
and the results are amazing. I have suffered with migraines for 4 years.
They started in the last trimester of my pregnancy with my daughter
who is now 3 years old. I have tried every possible way to control my migraines
and nothing worked until now, I am having nerve blocks and they seem to be helping
I probably would have died by now if it wasen't for wonderful people that read these journals
I am so grateful that they have such big hearts to help.
Take Care To All & God Bless
Wanda
Wanda <cuban@cgocable.net>
Kingston, On Canada - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 07:57:37 PM
This is the second time I've logged on and the last entry was several days before, about where I had last monitored the log.The last date now is Nov. 23rd.The last time this happened it updated after several minutes. Is anyone else having this problem? Hope everyone had a migraine free Thanksgiving. I'm sorry to say I didn't. It lingered all day in the background, then when we were driving home toward the sun it really escalated. Bummer.
Wanda <wcray61>
Austin, Tx USA - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 06:21:51 PM
I just came across this site today and I had to break down and cry. I had no idea that there was a place like this where there were people like me. It was such a comfort to read through your notes to eachother and I want to be a part! I have had migraines since I was about eleven and last year my migraines changed. I went to a doctor (couldn't afford to go to my regular neurologist due to new insurance) and told her that I was having migraines with different symptoms. The 'new' headache seems to start at the base of my neck (like exreme-and I mean extreme ball of tension) and move up through one side of my face, around the tmj and into my eye. My eye feels like it is going to pop out due to the pressure-the pain remains there and on one side of my face. Basically, the doctor said much of nothing and put me on Elavil which of course did nothing at the low dose she gave me and when I informed her of this she did not increase the dosage (I had told her that I had been on Elavil a few years prior and that it had worked but at a high dosage) she switched me to Inderal. The Inderal seems help a little but when the pain comes nothing seems to help. Any words of wisdom or similar experiences out there??? I feel helpless!! rgregg@acadia-pharm.com
Rachael Gregg <rgregg@acadia-pharm.com>
San Diego, CA USA - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 05:50:07 PM
Well, It has been a little over two weeks since I had the nerve block done. I went to the Dr. on Monday and he advised me that it did not work. He now wants to go thru the front of my neck in two weeks. I am kinda leary of this but have a lot of faith in my pain control dr. Has anyone had any success with this. For now I am still on the stadol ns. Hope everyone had a good and pain free holiday. Carolyn
Carolyn <caroly9230@aol.com>
Hilliard, Oh USA - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 05:26:31 PM
This is especially for Lisa in Richmond, VA and Anna Chase in Knoxville, TN-- but also for anyone else in a similar situation--be very careful about taking Vicodin regularly (every four hours)...this is because it has so much tylenol in it. Taking it every 4 hours around the clock is a lot of tylenol, which could cause serious kidney or liver damage. I was taking Vicoprofen (which is like vicodin, but with 200mg of ibuprofen per tablet rather than 750mg of tylenol). My primary care physician changed me to the vicoprofen about a year ago because of the tylenol concern. I was taking the vicoprofen on an "as needed" basis because it was the only medication that gave me any relief for my migraines. I have had migraines for a long time, and they had always been helped with esgic, but about five years ago the esgic stopped working and my nightmare began. The migraines became gradually worse and worse and I ended up having them all the time. I ended up on short term disability for over a year. During that time, my doctors tried everything-- every medication, every preventive medication, prednisone, hospitalizaiton with DHE, etc.-- nothing worked. The only thing that eventually helped was pain meds to take the edge off of the pain-- but even that was only temporary relief. I went back to work in March of 1996 and have been struggling to remain employed ever since. It has been difficult. Finally, I went to a pain treatment center (just recently), and was told some sad, but helpful information. I was diagnosed with "chronic intractible migraines", which is what a small percentage of migraineurs have. We are the ones who truly nothing works for. I was told that this is a chronic problem and that taking intermittent vicoprofen was not helpful for this problem. I was introduced to the world of chronic pain sufferers. I have since learned much about this. Many chronic pain sufferers have migraines. The treatment I have been started on is daily pain medication. However, rather than every four hour vicodin, etc., it is a continuous release medication that is only taken twice per day. The hope is to continuously suppress the pain and keep it from breaking through so that I can get back to functioning normally again. I am still in the beginning stages of treatment-- adjusting the dosages, etc, but I will let you know how it works as I progress with the treatment. In the meantime, you can learn more about chronic pain and whether this is an option for you by starting with the American Society for Action on Pain. Their website is at www.actiononpain.org There is a lot of helpful information and links, and also referrals to good pain physicians in your state. Please feel free to email me privately if you want to talk more about this. I am new to this as well and am trying to get hooked up with someone who has been through this treatment for migraines so that I can learn more about it. In the meantime, however, I would be glad to share what I have learned and to offer support and encouragement. It has been sad for me to accept that there is not going to be a magic answer for me right now. At the same time, though, it was good to hear someone laying it on the line and giving me what sounds like a realistic option considering the circumstances. So, although I am grieving the hope to find a way to become migraine free (at least for now), I am also feeling encouraged that this treatment might be a way for me to continue to function, to work, to play, etc.
I hope this info is helpful for at least one person. Take care everyone.
Laura <LauraB425@aol.com>
Chicago, IL USA - Date: 11/27/98 (Fri)
Time: 04:01:22 PM
