---Mary fahleym@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu
Thanks
Rae Smith JAMIE0131@aol.com
I would love to talk to anyone concerning these questions. My e-mail address is lahti@peticolas.sparks.nv.us
Thanks,
Susan
Ronda--I just stumbled across this site, and am so thankful. To be able to share with others who understand the suffering of migraine is a blessing.
My name is Linda Nystrom, and I am a 48-year-old married female and full-time student in the Nursing program at Montana State University, with a l-o-n-g history of migraine. In my mid-teens, I began to experience headaches which were more annoying than anything else. When I married at the age of 20 (1968) I was placed on birth control pills, which soon made my "annoying" headaches turn to killer headaches (that was back when the BCPs carried doses high enough for a horse!). I was diagnosed with classic migraine appx 3 yrs later and started on Cafergot.
Contrary to the experiences of most of the other migraine sufferers I've read about here, my diagnosis has never been questioned and I have always had excellent care. It's just that no matter what I took, prophylactic Beta Blockers and Calcium Channel Blockers, Cafergot, ergotomine alone, and all the pain medications I've been prescribed, I continued to have headaches to a greater or lesser degree. It would probably be shocking to even me if I were to have a tabulation of the number of Tylenol #3 pills I have taken over these 25 yrs!
My migraines have always been left-sided, affecting my left eye, as well as the muscles at the base of my skull, preceeded by an aura which I describe as being like the "rush" a person gets with a strong cup of coffee on an empty stomach--I would wonder, "why am I feeling so good?" and then realize what was coming. I came to dread and then panic at the idea of another headache (36-54 hrs).
In recent years, I don't have the same identifiable aura, but recognize the onset of a headache when I start feeling a tightness at the base of my skull on the left side, and and note a queasy feeling in my stomach. The overall nature of the headache symptoms changed over the years, with sensory symptoms happening randomly and more or less continually--tingling spots on my scalp, arms, face; visual abnormalities; crawly feelings on my skin, or the sensation that something was on the back of my neck, etc. None of these lead to a headache, and this phenomenon has a name, but it slips my mind at the moment. One other note, my headaches nearly always follow the "let-down" from a stressful situation, such as excessive tension/stress at work, or a disagreement with my husband, etc. Occasionally, I will awaken with a headache for no apparent reason.
The wonderful new drug sumatriptin (Imitrex) is promising to be a lifesaver for me. I have been using it now for about 6 weeks, with 100% success. I keep both the injections and tablets at all times, and usually use the tablets first, before resorting to the injection. I have absolutely no side effects from the injection or the tablets, and the headache goes away as if by magic. I occasionally have to take one or more follow-up tablets, if the pain returns. But, the great thing about Imitrex is that I can wait several hours, or however long I choose, before using the medicine, because its effects are the same no matter when I take the med. This gives me a kind of "insurance" that I can count on getting relief. I don't have to "check out of life" for two days anymore. No more heaving my guts up for hours on end. No more taking Tylenol #3 every two hours and the pain still being intolerable. No more sitting on the floor, hitting myself over the head with a book, and crying because I couldn't stand any more pain. Hallelujah!! I only wish all you other migraine sufferers who have tried sumatriptin could have as positive an experience!
I should also note that for the last two years I have been under treatment for major clinical depression. I am treated with a new antidepressant, Effexor, which acts on serotonin in the brain--Effexor helps to keep serotonin in the brain longer, thus greatly diminishing the depression. I mention this because a lack of serotonin is linked to migraine, according to some experts, and sumatriptin also works (selectively) on serotonin receptors in the brain, to relieve an acute migraine attack.
Anyone who would like to investigate the medical aspect of migraine further should try the Virtual Nursing Center, nystrom@montana.avicom.net
I have been on the net for several years, but this is the first time I actually thought about looking for info on migraines (other than information about the medicine I have taken).
I have found a consistent but not foolproof cure for my headaches, but I
will anounce this at the end...(I want people to read MY story too! No
one else seems to be sympathetic!
Migraines run in my family; my mother, her sister, their mother and
father, and my father. My mother died of lymph cancer at age 34 when I
was 12, her father died of some type of brain cancer in his 40's, my
aunt still gets them mostly around the same time of the month (she is
about my only support but many of you know how that goes), and recently
found out my father had them from age 28 to 32, and has not had a
"migraine" since although plaqued with daily tolerable headaches that he
doesn't want many to know about.
I am 30 yr old male, and have had a few migraines in my early childhood
but until about 3 years ago, they where not very often. One day on a
business flight from Houston back to Louisville, I got a SEVERE!!!!
SHARP!!! pain in my left eye at the corner by the nose. It was soooo
painful i thought it was bleeding! I was sweating and crying, and no one
was able to help. This lasted for about 5 min. then stopped. It happened
once more on landing, and then twice on the connecting flight. Described
as "a sinus headache" by all my doctors, I am convinced this caused some
sort of damage that lead to chronic, daily migraines.
I too have just about given up on the medical doctors, not only for
their reluctance to provide relief (addiction or junkie fears), but also
in that I feel they believe it is just psychological although they have
not said this directly (ok..it does sound paranoid, but you know what I
mean...it's all in my head!
After trying everything on the market and switching doctors if I was
unhappy with the service (don't be afraid to can that MD, it can only
make it better!), I ended up in the Urgent Care center and later that
morning, the ER room. I had visited the UC center about once every 2
months average for the prevous 10 months. I didn't know I could do this
during the initial year of these headaches so I would just roll around
on the bathroom floor and puke until I was too tired to stay awake.
Also, redirection of pain was popular; banging head on the wall or tub,
giving myself frogs in the leg, etc. helped for a few seconds and that
was better than nothing.
Midrin was worthless, Fiorinol w/codiene worked great but I built a
tolerance and had rebound headaches, tried Paxil and Prozac and Lithium;
all made them MUCH more intense even with painkillers, Amytrip/Elavil
did nothing but makes a great sleeping pill even with a bad head
(recommended highly just for that reason but as needed not
daily...unless you want to be a zombie), Imatrex injections worked for a
while but was $50 a shot and I became immune rather quickly similar to
ergot, Depakote gave me bad sore throat and made them worse, and
Indomethacin was not easy real effective and made me car sick, Inderal
was quadrupled and my heart rate STILL did not drop any so it proved to
be ineffective.
Finally, on doctor # 6, (incidently, I quit my job and moved out of
state to a new job as another hope for a cure...HA!) he gave me
Indomethacin and Fioricette (Butalbital without the codeine) probably
not intending me to take both at the same time. Well, first thing I
thought was, "I have been on Fioricette since this all started and the
Indo did not work real well, so HERE WE GO AGAIN! Well, to my amazement,
taking 2 50mg Indomethacin and two Fioricette will kill even the most
stubborn attack 95% of the time! It takes about an hour before it is
gone, and I can't do much moving around, but by this time I can sleep
well if needed. I don't know why it works, or why they dont work
seperately, but why argue! I recommend this to all of you...try it. It
takes a month or so to get rid of the side effects of Indo, (mostly car
sickness feeling) but it is worth it.
Obviously, taking fioricette can cause problems, mostly flu like if
taking too much too often (and the whole tylenol liver damage issue),
but after almost two years, I seem to be OK. I have just got the
lydocaine nose drops and did not have great success but I would like
some feedback from others. I had to have the pharm. call 5 different
clinics and finally the famous doc in CA that uses it, to find out how
to make it, and it turns out it is just the 4% Lidocaine Hydrocloride
topical solution used as a prep for Novicaine injections from the
dentist. It is just put into a nose dropper bottle. I hope they are
right on this...I don't even know how to use it! Any help?
Well, I could ramble on...no headache now....life is good...until the
pain.
Mail me at DLYNCH@IGLOU.COM I would like to talk to anybody who will
listen back!
---MAXWELL 3@AOL.COM. PLEASE E-MAIL ME WITH SUGGESTIONS.
Jake Mitchell wmitchell@insolwwb.net writes:
I'm looking
for a person named Monde, who wrote to me in response to my posting on
narcotic addiction resulting from chronic pain management. His letter
was intriguing and very important. He deserves some answers. The problem
is that he did not provide me with a viable e-mail address to which I
could send a reply. I want to encourage Monde to try again, paying close
attention to how he fills out his return address on the letter.
