hi i am justin i have headakes real bad i am always in the hopital and i have seen every doctor in rochester there is. i have had them for 8 years and iam only 13 and i throw up soooo much beacuse of these i need help

justin teahan <jteahan26@yahoo.com>
Friday, December 17, 2004 at 09:10:51

I have lived with migraines for years now. I always got them on the right side of my head, and had the normal symptoms including vomiting blah blah blah. I found relief in a medicine called Midrin. Eventually, I seemed "outgrow" the migraines. They werent as frequent for quite a few years. Now they have come back and brought their cousin! I am having these incredibly painful headaches that hurt so so bad in my temples. Sometimes one side, sometimes both. I had sinus surgery, the ENT said he was sure it would relieve the headaches but they are worse. Now he is telling me I need to see a neurologist. I have no idea what kind of headache this is or what can or is causing it. All I know is that I cannot get rid of it and I am desperate! They are controlling my life. I am so tired of going from doctor to doctor and have used up almost all of my sick and vacation time at work and I am still miserable! Can anyone help?

Amy Dillon <ajdillon@earthlink.net>
Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 09:41:19

I am 20 now and haven't had a migraine in 3 years. Between the ages of 14 and 17 I would get a severe migraine every couple of months in which I would lose all sense of eveything. I would lose my speech, sight and even mobility for a day. The only thing I could do was vomit and vomit. The reason why I don't think I get them any more is because I stopped eating chocolate.

Eoin <eoin_dunleavy@hotmail.com>
Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 05:09:07

Wow, what a relief to find out that I'm not the only one experiencing the pains of a migraine b/c as we all know: you don't have a clue how badly it hurts until you have one!
I am 35 years old and have been suffering with migraines since my adolescent years, aka puberty! I actually was at my doctors this morning b/c I had a full blown migraine last week where I didn't know how I got home nor did I care if I crashed the car. Driving while vomiting wasn't any fun either! This was my clue to try something different then the Imitrex I've been on. I usually get a migraine the week b/4 my period is due, however, sometimes a few squeak in where I have no clue why I got it or how long it will last. This morning, my dr. prescribed Inderal and I'm anxious to begin it. First, from what I've read online it has a lot of side effects and secondly, will it even work but I'm willing to try anything to stop the pain!!!!! I stopped going to the chiropractor in October, 2004 after a year of visits b/c it got to the point where she made me feel worse and I would be incredibly sick the next day after a visit. Direct heat works well for me (or should I say direct burn): I've invested in the aromatherapy microwave packs (of course, they have to be unscented otherwise I'll throw up!) and my poor husband knows to make it burning hot and just throw it on my throbbing head! I have a 3 yr. old daughter and 19 month old daughter and really feel like I'm doing them a dis-service b/c they don't understand that "mommy has another bad boo-boo and can't play right now." I pray that I have not passed this "punishment" on them. Take care....

Lorie <octmommy@hotmail.com>
Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 14:56:43

I am 20 now and haven't had a migraine in 3 years. Between the ages of 14 and 17 I would get a severe migraine every couple of months in which I would lose all sense of eveything. It would start of with that horrible fuzzy vision. Then for the next 20 minutes or so I would just wait for it. I would lose my speech, sight and even mobility for a day or two. The only thing I could do was vomit and vomit. I know its not like some people getting them a couple of times a week but it was bad. I would spend most of the time The reason why I don't think I get them any more is because I stopped eating chocolate.
Or maybe migraines have something to do with puberty

Eoin <eoin_dunleavy@hotmail.com>
Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 05:19:20

Wow, what a relief to find out that I'm not the only one experiencing the pains of a migraine b/c as we all know: you don't have a clue how badly it hurts until you have one!
I am 35 years old and have been suffering with migraines since my adolescent years, aka puberty! I actually was at my doctors this morning b/c I had a full blown migraine last week where I didn't know how I got home nor did I care if I crashed the car. Driving while vomiting wasn't any fun either! This was my clue to try something different then the Imitrex I've been on. I usually get a migraine the week b/4 my period is due, however, sometimes a few squeak in where I have no clue why I got it or how long it will last. This morning, my dr. prescribed Inderal and I'm anxious to begin it. First, from what I've read online it has a lot of side effects and secondly, will it even work but I'm willing to try anything to stop the pain!!!!! I stopped going to the chiropractor in October, 2004 after a year of visits b/c it got to the point where she made me feel worse and I would be incredibly sick the next day after a visit. Direct heat works well for me (or should I say direct burn): I've invested in the aromatherapy microwave packs (of course, they have to be unscented otherwise I'll throw up!) and my poor husband knows to make it burning hot and just throw it on my throbbing head! I have a 3 yr. old daughter and 19 month old daughter and really feel like I'm doing them a dis-service b/c they don't understand that "mommy has another bad boo-boo and can't play right now." I pray that I have not passed this "punishment" on them. Take care....

Lorie <octmommy@hotmail.com>
Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 14:56:43

Yep I got em bad. For the last 15 years I have averaged 4 to 5 per week. I am on social security and insurance disability. At first I started using Imitrex injections then tablets (they dont work like the injections do )then on to the Imitrex injection mechanism.Injections are the only fast relief that I have found but you have to take them the very instant that you think a migraine is starting .It took me 4 years to really develop my senses to the point that I know the exact moment when one is starting.(My wife sometimes catches it before I do by watching my changes in personality) Doctors dont really think you have a problem till you threaten suicide. Then they start trying to help.I have had almost every medication that has ever been mentioned on this webpage.I take blood pressure medication ,wellbutrin for depression and lots of Imitrex.(My insurance co hates me but they are bound to retaining me due to an agreement that the company that i worked for had with them.The latest drug that I have found that seems to help long term is clonazepam. My Dr gave it to me for some neck problems that I had and I didnt have a migrane for 2 weeks. I now take it on a regular basis and it seems to extend the time between headaches and they are less severe.
I too had problems with social security getting a disability but due to my loss of memory from depressiom ,the help of some good doctors ,and my will to fight them to the end I won out after 3 trys without a lawyer. ----Earl

earl adair <eadair@ev1.net>
Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 22:53:07

Hi,

I am 54 and going thru menopause.
I live in England
I have FMS which gives me myofacial head pains.
I was diagnosed with migraine about 10 years ago.
They are Hell....
They have totally ruined my life.
Now that the end might be in sight...hormones....
I am having a worse time.
My biggest problem, and I wonder if anyone can crack this...
Is no matter how much better I feel at bedtime....having spent all day trying to beat it...
When I wake up the pain is there, and its bad.
sometimes it abates after I have been up a while, other times it doesnt.
I have tried different amounts of pillows, eating, not eating...
Everything I can think of, but nothing makes any difference.
I am getting really depressed about this, it is so horrible to wake in the morning in such bad pain.
Please does anyone have any idea why this happens and if there is anything to do to stop it.
Between the menipause, the Fibromyalgia and the migraines I have no life.

Thanks a lot guys,

Saf

saf <threshold@nsworld.com>
Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 17:36:50

hey watsup,I am 15 years old, and I have been having migraines for about 3 years now, and it really sucks. The only thing I can do to prvent them is stay away from caffeine and chocolate, and get enough sleep. I hate how I dont even want to go near chocolate, because the outcome could be the ruining of two or three days. so, I stay away from chocolate and caffeine completley. I heard that going to the Chiropracter can help stop migraines, does it really work?

austin <Bigrollerman07@hotmail.com>
Friday, December 10, 2004 at 22:48:02

My wife has 2 triggers that don't appear to get too much of a mention Musk and Orange oils.
These are very commonly used in perfumes and air freshners. Too many stores are now using orange scented air freshners and avoiding people waring musk is really difficult.
My wifes migraines usually last 72 hours and the nausea means that no oral painkillers work.
Even the smell of freshly cut oranges can trigger a migraine.
Thought some of you may like to try avoiding these and post the results to the journal.

Anonymous <x@noemailsplease.com>
Friday, December 10, 2004 at 13:07:53

Hi, My name is brooke wilson, im 16yrs old and have been suffering from aura migraines for the past 10yrs. My parents never took me to see a doctor for my migraines so i have been suffering these horrible pains with no meds to help pass the pain. Sometimes when i get a migraine i wish to die. The pain is so horrible and the time i spend throwing up in the bathroom doesn't help either. Migraines have ruined some of the suppose to be best days of my life. I wish there was something i could do about it but without my parents there is really nothing i can do. So for those of you who think you have it bad, think about having it you whole left side numb and not being able to see for 30min and the throbing pain of a massive headache without nothing to ease the pain. So thanks for listening. If anyone has any idea on how to ease the pain you can write me sometime. Thanks Brooke

Brooke WIlson <wildcherry_bubblegum@hotmail.com>
Sunday, December 5, 2004 at 23:48:23

I have been having migraine headaches for over 20 years. Headaches would last 2-3 days with nausea/vommiting, light sensitivity, etc. I have been to headache clinics and specialists, chiropracters and acupuncturists, and have been prescribed a multitude of medications over the years, all without much success. Imitrix worked for awhile but then it got to where if it didn't work it seemed to make the migraine worse. In addition, it made my blood pressure soar. I have finally found something that does help and I just wanted to share this information with others who suffer with migraines in the hopes that it might help someone else. I see a Healing Touch / Reiki practioner a couple of times a month as a preventive. I still have an occasional migraine but if I am unable to go in for a treatment, I receive a "distance" treatment which works just as well - usually within the hour. There have only been a couple of times that the migraine did not fully go away, but the nausea and intense pain ceased fairly soon, which made it more bearable. There is a ton of information on the web about Healing Touch and Reiki - which tells a little bit about what it is. I was lucky enough to find a couple reliable practioners in my area. I really didn't know anything about this holistic approach when I first started - I was just desperate for something to help, and it has, for me. Hope this might be of some help to someone else.
Blessings.

Kim Rothenberg <s.rothenberg@insightbb.com>
Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 20:08:37

Hi. My name is Susan and I am 26 years old and I have suffered from migraine headaches for 8.5 years. They started when I went to college for no reason we can find, and have grown to become daily. I have been on every medication. I have tried every remedy. I have taken advice from everyone; give up caffeine, chocolate, change or go off birth control (depo, the pill), change diet, exercise and the list goes on and on. I see a neurologist who has me on preventive medications, but my story is like most of yours I assume. I frequent the ER for shots, ice packs, missed work, pain meds, doctor visits, begging for relief. "How can we walk on the moon but not make my head stop hurting?!" I ask my doctor? I deal with many people who think I use them as an excuse for life. But I am glad to know that I am not alone. You can not blame them for not understanding. How could they? Family Leave at work has saved me my job. My mother, has somehow, found understanding, and is my emotional support. I do not know if I will ever find relief. Some people don't. Life for me is not especially good. I live slowly. Painfully. Sleeping alot to avoid pain I know will plague me the next day. I worry if I could ever be a good mother, could I care for a child, when I can barely care for myself? I attempted suicide and nearly succeded 3 years ago, unable to deal with this pain. I struggle every day. I journal to try to stay sane. I do not remember a day in the last few years that I have not told my mother or written down that "My head hurts." It helps to share my story, yet the pain is still there. Thursday I am going in for my 1st Botox injections. I have some hope (which is amazing at this stage in the game). But I am so young...

Susan <susanandtimon123@aol.com>
Monday, November 29, 2004 at 18:30:43

THIS IS A STORY OF HOPE!!! I've suffered from migraines ever since I was 11 years old, and I'm 36 now. I distinctly remember my very first one because the pain and nausea was unbearable and nothing like I'd experienced before. I could feel my throbbing brain in my head, and I wanted to drill a hole in my forehead to release all the pressure.

Since then, it got increasingly worse for the next 25 years (I feel old). I never understood people who got "headaches" and take 2 aspirin. What's that about?!?!? I don't get headaches - I get $#%@% migraines. I'd have migraines nearly every other day. It got so bad last year - I had to stay in bed for consecutive days now - usually two days. After a four day episode, I went to a doctor to make sure I didn't have a brain tumor, and fortunately (or unfortunately) he said that cancer doesn't cause as much pain as a migraine. I walked out of that appointment with yet another prescription, but its effectiveness was only temporary.

Finally, there's something that changed everything for me. There's a book called Heal Your Headache by Dr. David Buchholz. That book has totally changed my life!!! I sincerely recommend that you give what he says a try. Like you, I had no hope and felt paralyzed - going to work, going to parties, etc. and fearing at any minute I would feel that familiar pressure building behind my eyes...

The major step I took from the book is to cut out caffeine. While caffeine temporarily helps, it causes dependency and withdrawal like any other drug. I didn't realize what an addict I had become, and it was very painful eliminating it. I white-knuckled my way through the first two weeks, and my coworker said that I would rock back and forth in my chair like a drug addict going through withdrawal. I had to cut out my Starbucks lattes, Coca-Colas, chocolate, Red Bull energy drinks, Excedrin, etc. Maybe you relate to these intake choices and how they have become a necessary part of your day or coping mechanisms.

Honestly, I didn't see any payoff for about 3-4 months, but I did notice if I felt like falling off the wagon and getting my caffeine fix, I'd have a mild rebound headache. But once you clear the detox phase, it makes you more aware of what your other triggers are. And that's where this all comes together. It's the combination of your personal triggers that cause such horrible, unbelievable headaches - say if I was about to have my period, then I didn't have my morning coffee, skipped lunch, and then some loud guy wearing a ton of cologne walks by -- all of those triggers combined would set me up for the migraine of the century.

It varies from person to person, and you really have to get in touch with your own personal triggers and especially learn about food ingredients. My major ones are red wine, chemical smells, loud noises, hormonal shifts and barometric & temperature changes.

Really - I can't tell you how much that book helped me, and eliminating caffeine has improved my migraines. I feel so lucky and grateful. Yes - I still get them (I consider it a chronic condition) but they are so much more bearable now. I haven't had to stay home or miss out on anything because of a migraine. I have them maybe every ten days, and I can take 2 Advil and clear it up. I haven't had any nausea. It takes extra effort to not intake caffeine because it's hidden everywhere, but for me it's not worth the pain of falling off the wagon. And believe me - it sucks not having the caffeinated energy that I used to. If you've tried everything else and are taking every medication on the market, I really, really insist that you try this because I too felt there was no hope for my situation. Give yourself 2 months on it - it will probably at least make your migraines more manageable.

Annelise Fennel <annelise7@aol.com>
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 at 03:23:15

I am a 24 year old female that just started getting "real migraines."As a response to Stephanie Goodes entry I felt like her a lot. I was told that I was getting migraine like headaches and I thought oh gosh if this is not a migraine I don't know what is. I have been getting many drugs for headaches since I was about 16, the neurologists started giving me medicines that also were prescribed to individuals who have had seizures, so I had to explain to the doctors and the school that I do not believe I have ever had a seizure. As a matter of fact because of these medicines I had to be monitored for a period of time by the DMV in order to get my license. I thought the migraine like headaches were the worst feeling in the world until a couple of weeks ago when I got the real thing. My head felt like it was swollen and my brain felt bigger then my skull, my stomach also felt like it was going to jump out of my body. This first migraine occured the first day of my period so you girls all know how bad it is to deal with a period, but to have your first migraine on top of it was even worse. I thought that maybe it was related to my period so I tried for the first time to take midol but believe me that did not work. I was afraid to take my other medicines because I had never taken midol and I didn't want to mix it with everything else. I finally called my friend because my boyfriend was at the gym and I needed to talk to someone, the pain was unbearable, I had never felt that bad and I felt like a walking zombie whose head and stomach had a tornado inside of them. I talked to the doctor, once I finally got through his answering service and he returned the call after getting my message. He advised me to go to the emergency room as soon as possible.
My boyfriend took me to the hospital when he got home and we sat in the emergency room for quit awhile after the excruciating drive up there because for some reason my boyfriends booming voice is one of my triggers because men have that loud voice thing going on which becomes worse when they have other men over because they have to compete over who can be louder.
After spending about an hour and a half in the room they took me to the doctor finally came in, at the time my head pain increased to the point where I felt like someone had smashed my skull into the wall and the familiar spreading of the pain to whatever part of the head I lay on occured only it felt like my whole head had been smashed against the wall. I finally had to attempt to sit up and sway back and forth to keep it from spreading more.
The doctor finally came in and gave me a tranqualizer to releive the pain for that day. The next week however it came back for the entire week.

Amanda <lil_bratty_angel_411@yahoo.com>
Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 22:37:45