Hi,i've been suffering from migraines for 8 years now. I've recently been put on calcium blockers after trying blood pressure meds. I've tried all and every migraine meds.I stay away from msg,read every packaged food.Theres a list of foods I just know to avoid. When I do get a migraine, Im at the doctors getting a shot of demerol and gravol. That will knock it back for awhile...but normally I need to take other re-enforcements for it to go away completley,and it will sometimes last up to 2 weeks. I also suffer from fibromyalgia,chronic fatigue,chronic pain and have been depressed for years.(and I'm only 30) I try to "make the best of things" but hot damn do I need a vacation.(I'd probably get a migraine)It's good to know I'm not the only one who has "issues" and has been thru the medical ringer so to speak. Keep your heads up people. Something good Has to come out of all of this, right?

Jill Rutka <lilluna28@hotmail.com>
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 18:30:18

Hello. I'm 55 years old & suffering 36 yrs now with classic migraines, when I was a teenager I had headaches that put me to bed (I now know were migraines,but not onesided). The one sided migraines started after taking birth control pills after my 2nd child was born, & continued even after stopping. When my family grew to 4 children, there were times I could not take care of them. There were many trips to the emergency room for demerol shots which eventually became ineffective & made me sicker. The headaches have changed over the years, but the only time I was pain free was while I was pregnant. When imitrex shots came out I gave myself shots until the tablets were available. Imitrex was like a miracle at first, then I built a tolerance I guess. I have never been able to find a preventative in all these years & I'm tired of trying pills! I'm sure allot of the headaches are rebound due to having 3 to 4 mig. a week and at times in the spring and fall every day for as long as 3 wks. Today I saw a new neurologist & will take a new pill tonight and pray it helps to prevent them. It is a new anti-seizure med, I couldn't tolerate Topomax. I can only work part time and my job is somewhat flexable, I could never hold a full time job. It's hard to not be depressed,but I keep trying. Ive missed weddings, graduations..many important occasions over the yrs. My quality of life is greatly reduced for a certainty!

Cathy Borgmann <borg2@grics.net>
Friday, May 18, 2007 at 19:51:16

I have classic migraines and they are awful. First I have the aura and I cannot see anything because of it and if I am at work I have to stop what I am doing, which means stop my job. This is not good but my boss is very understanding and sympathetic. Then the next thing is I have problems speaking, then sounds and lights are deafening to me. People talking make me feel like they are screaming. Then my mouth and hand on the aura side go numb for about 5-10 minutes and then the headache comes. All of this lasts for 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
I am taking propranolol and it isn't doing much. The migtaines have been coming almost every day. I get so depressed I can not handle it.
Does anybody else go through this?
Thank you, Cheryl
Cherbp@aol.com

Cheryl <Cherbp@aol.com>
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 16:35:41

Hi, I have suffered from migraines since I was 9 years old. I will be 40 this year. My husband suffers from undiagnosed migraines, all three of our daughters suffer migrains from a few times a year to at least once a month. Mine have taken many patterns over the years. I started by having one a week when they first started to a few times a year and now are a few times a month. This year alone I have missed 5 days of work. All of my sick days are gone and if I have anymore I have to go through upper management to get approved to take a personal day or vacation day. My doctor has most recently perscribed Topomax as a preventative, but I found it gave me headaches. I take Relpax or Feoricet(sp?) when I get a migraine, but sometimes I still don't get complete relief. I cannot take Imitrex, I am allergic and it puts me into respitory distress. I am very happy to find a someplace where people can understand how devestating a migraine can be.
Thanks, Rocky

Roxann <Rocky3kids2@msn.com>
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 19:29:14

This site is a godsend. I have never had anyone in my life who understood my Migraines. My mother and older sister both suffer, but not as acutely as I do. I'm 24 years old and have two children. I have been having migraines since I was about 15. My migraines most frequently last days, sometimes up to a week. I have severe Aura that affects my driving and reading, diziness, nausea and sensitivity to smell and light as well as acute eye pressure and vertigo.

My husband does not understand, because he has never experienced anything like a migraine in his life. He often tells me to "just deal with it, it's only a headache." More often than not, this leaves me in tears because there is no way to communicate to a non-sufferer exactly what it is like to have this disease. I know he loves me, but I need to talk to someone who understands.

I currently am at the end of a four-day migraine, the first multi-day attack I've had since the birth of my son in July of '06. I had forgotten how much my migraines affect my life. To make matters worse, I recently lost my insurance coverage and can no longer afford to go to my neurologist on a regular basis and therefore have lost access to my medication. I've had to weather this attack by myself, with no pain management and very little emotional support.

I just wanted to let everyone know how much having somewhere to vent means to people like me. Thank you so much.

Owosso, Michigan

Kyla Y. <llamainthetrees@yahoo.com>
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 16:23:41

To finally find others that understand almost makes me want to cry. I'm 31 and have been suffering with worsening migraeing for about... 14 years. It's hard to say because I had no idea what they were in the beginning. No one in my family has them. I'm the lucky one. It wasn't until after my first child that they became really regular; to the point of daily and I finally saw a specialist. Then I got pregnant with my second and had to stop my meds but the migraines didn't stop for me. They wern't daily but the ones that did come were woppers. Now I'm on 75mgs of effexor 100mgs of topomax and stat 100 dose of imitrex and reglan prn. This helps but still only dulls they biggies.
Right now I'm looking for some guidance. How do we go on? This is really starting to bum me out. Everyday is a new pain. When it gets bad, and I'm miserible my poor kids get the "meanie" mom whos a big crab about everything. Some days I feel like hiding out and crying. Does it ever get better?

Lyndsay <nglel@hotmail.com>
Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 13:56:02

I'm 17 and have been getting migraines since I was 12. I don't get them very often, but when I do get them, I feel like I'm dying. Lately however they've been occuring more frequently and with more severity, but not frequent enough to be put on preventative drugs. I just had a really bad one today, I took a "migriane cocktail" (consisting of five different pills to combat the different symptoms)and it knocked me out for seven hours, but I'm better now, except for the nausea, which usually remains for about 18 hours at the least.

So far, I haven't been able to link my attacks to any food or weather, though they usually occur AFTER stressful times or after having a lot of chocolate.

If they become any more disruptive than they already are, though, I'm dragging myself to the doctor.

Awesome site, thanks.

Mariechen Puchert <radical4freedom@hotmail.com>
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 10:43:11

It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in the suffering of this disease. I'm often embarrassed to tell anyone about my suffering because it is a sign of weakness. People look at me and I look fine, but I'm often suffering and have learned over the years how to hide the symptoms. I'm 49 and I've always had headaches. They turned into migraines at age 18. Over the years they have become more frequent and easier to trigger.

Here are some of the things I've learned about my disease. Unless I take a Maxalt (10 mg), the headache won't go away. After the pounding stops, I feel like I have the flu for at least 24 hours. The aching of my neck and shoulders is awful and I even have sore spots on my head. If I don't break the pain cycle, it will trigger another migraine. And so, it is a vicious cycle.

I'm taking a beta blocker, anti-depressant, and muscle relaxer on a daily basis. Topamax didn't work and I've gained weight because when I exercise, it triggers a migraine.

I'm learning that diet is a key source of the problem. There are SO many foods that contain MSG and it will trigger a huge migraine. Reading labels is very important. I gave up drinking alcohol a long time ago. It is almost an instant trigger. Real chocolate is also a problem. However, some foods have artificial chocolate (Oreos) and I'll be fine. Eating is just like Russian Roulette for me. What will be the next trigger??

I'm thinking about trying acupuncture next. Some of the other entries have suggested that it might work. It's worth a try.

Has anyone else experienced doctors that can't sympathize with our symptoms? Nobody deserves to live life in almost constant pain.

Jill Stem <jillstem@crownmfg.com>
Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 19:14:38

Great site. We have a beautiful daughter that has fought migraines for about 8 years. She is almost 20. Early on some of the worst lasted as long as 5 days continuously. My wife and I take turns staying up with her puttting ice packs on her head. We have learned alternating Tylenol and Advil when they start to come and that keep them from getting so intense. Sometimes asprin helps too. She has been on Depokote 500 to 750mg per day as a preventative. This too has seemed to help. Side effects of Depokote are fatigue and weight gain. Typically light and sound make them worse. When she starts getting them they seem to come and go for several weeks. Some really bad.

Once she gets them she uses either Relpac or Zomeg to relieve. Make sure to ask for Zomeg ZMT which gets in the blood stream sooner. So far we like Relpac the best. Zomeg just puts her to sleep.

Interesting fact that I have not read yet on here; when she has a real bad one when she vomits the headache gets better and sometimes goes away. No explaination for this.

Sometimes putting her hands in warm water during the headache helps.

Considering trying message therapy and/or accupuncture.

God bless you poor people with such a debilitating conditions. I thought we had it bad but at least we get some relief.

Dennis Lancaster <dlancaster1@aol.com>
Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 20:34:28

I am 36, white female. Migraines started at 14. I experience 6-12 a year. I have one child, and my migraines stopped while I was pregnant. I have tried Imitrex and a few daily anti-seizure medications but I did not like them. Best therapy for me is HOT shower on neck and face, steady dosages of 600-800 mg ibuprofen, massage, hydration and rest. Worst ones take about 3 days and sometimes reoccur after a day of being pain free.

jeanie douglas <schellstar@yahoo.com>
Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 03:48:51

Hi,
i know that a lot of you guys out there suffer the migrane headach and my sympathy to you- as a suffer myself for more tht 15 yrs mine just continue to get worse -
lots of the traditional medication do not work with me - indocid is the only med that gives me some type of relief
The headache never goes away (except with some relife from indocid) It has been a constant pain for most of my life which according to my doc is critical -
My most recent diagnosis is hemicrania continua - Any one with info that can help please don't hesitate to email me @ Desire_ab@hotmail.com
This week end was one of my worse and I felt like I cannot continue to live like this. - life is becoming burdensome with this headache --- Please help

Ann

ann <desire_ab@hotmail.com>
Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 19:06:56

Hi all,

I've read several of the entires, and the patterns seem both similar and familiar. I'm a late-30's, third-generation migraine sufferer, and my son (9) is beginning to exhibit some symptoms from time to time. Older generations in my family called these "sinus headaches", and treated them as such -- often over-medicating. I have had them since I was quite young (appx 5 yrs) and have been able to determine some basic triggers over the years. In an attempt to find a "cure" for these headaches, I've tried many many things. However, the one thing that provided the best relief was acupuncture. Yes, that nasty looking needle process you've undoubtedly seen somewhere on TV or a book. It's not pain free like many tell you, but over the course of a couple months I went from upwards of 2 headaches a week, to 1 every couple months. Sometimes more. I get queasy just watching medical drama shows on TV, so if I can handle the needles, just about anyone can. Find a good acupuncture practitioner also versed in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). There we several supplements that help along the way as well. When I first went in, I was a bit leery of all the TCM charts and such. However, when it started working I could care less. So, if you're still suffering, acupuncture is worth a shot -- and most insurance policies will cover it, even partially. There are also no crazy (and scary) side effects like with traditional drugs.

Cheers,
Dave

Dave Horan <dave.horan@gmail.com>
Friday, April 6, 2007 at 14:11:59

HAS ANYBODY FOUND AN ANSWER THAT WORKS? DIET, EXERCISE, ECT?

MY DAUGHTER IS STARTING TO GET MIGRAINES...

TOM PHILBIN <JANANDTOMPHILBIN@GMAIL.COM>
Thursday, April 5, 2007 at 15:59:39

I thought I'd pop in here to see if there are any folks who would benefit from our discussion board. There are a lot of migraineurs there with lots of experience. We're not doctors but we have lots of experience with this disease.

Come on over and introduce yourself there. We also have a miscellaneous section where we talk about non-migraine related topics.

Just click on the link right below this paragraph. You will then go to the forum where you won't have to feel all alone anymore.

Leslie <http://www.migrainepage.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi>
Sunday, April 1, 2007 at 13:44:05

I have suffered from migraines for the past 17 years (since I was 18) with varying degrees of severity. I eventually developed a seziure disorder in 2000 due to a heart defect. ("convulsive syncope"). The seizures have greatly complicated the migraine issue. My pain ebbs and flows through time. There have been times when I only have one migraine a month and other times (such as now) when I am suffering 3-4 days per week. The vomiting is particularly troubling because it causes my Dilantin med levels to be erratic and I have breakthough seizures as a result. Due to the heart issue, I cannot take triptans and am left with Midrin, shots of Torridol at the ER or the occassional Vicodin.

Some years ago I used a narcotic nasal spray called Stadol. Is this still available? I have not had a doc offer it to me in some time.

Currently I am on Dilantin 100mg 3X day, Elavil 50mg at night, Mobic (forgot the mg) 1X per day, Ativan 1mg at night, Phenergan 25mg prn nausea.

Any suggestions? Thanks, and a pain free day to all.
Kim

Kim C. <osucowboy@gmail.com>
Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 15:51:18