Sounds like complete hell. I have never had routine migraines, but I can relate to ‘‘chronic illness that everyone minimizes and misunderstands.’’ People seem to think chronic IBS is just like, a stomachache or something, instead of routinely feeling that your bowels are being ripped apart inside your body. I am sometimes genuinely fascinated by the amount of pain I experience, given that my disorder is not life threatening. Thank goodness I have found a way to control it through dietary changes. When I look back on those days when it was most severe, I don’t even know how I lived like that.
Dave B., that is one horrifying story you’ve got there. I’m glad it marked the end of your suffering.
I have a colleague who was discussing the job search - a very hard-working, intelligent, analytical sort - and she very matter-of-factly stated that about once a month, she suffers a massive migraine and must drop everything immediately. At work she has to always work days ahead in case one of these events strike. It sounds like absolute balls.
I’m very thankful I’m not one of those people who gets migraines that last days. I’ve known people who were regularly incapacitated for half a week. I’ve never had one last longer than 15 hours or so. Often I feel somewhat ill, weak, and disoriented for up to 48 hours after the pain ends, but that’s not so bad.
My best migraine-pain-relief secret: Tiger Balm Red, applied carefully on my forehead and around my eyes (not on the lids!!) where the worst of my migraine pain usually is. On the neck, too, if I also have pain there. I just pretend it doesn’t explicitly say not to put it on your head/face. ><
Also, ginger candy (or candied ginger) is the only thing which really helps with my nausea/possible vomiting during a migraine.
This has been an interesting thread for me because until now I have had ocular migraines about three times in my life and hormonal “very bad headaches” every month. However…I had to start taking hormone pills in December and quickly started having the ocular ones nearly ever day and about every three days I have a drop dead overwhelming pain in my head, usually on one side or the other. Not to over dramatize, but it is the worst pain I’ve ever had. It incapacitates me and makes me wish I was dead. (I wonder how many suicides were actually in the throes of a migraine and simply couldn’t stand it any longer) I don’t have nausea, but sound, smells, light, moving, breathing, lol anything is, well, just agony. They last about a day. I have Vicodin but it really doesn’t touch it. A lot of Ibuprofen helps a tad. caffeine can help some as well.
I am really sorry for all of you who suffer from these monsters. I hope that mine will magically stop.
This has been an interesting thread for me because until now I have had ocular migraines about three times in my life and hormonal “very bad headaches” every month. However…I had to start taking hormone pills in December and quickly started having the ocular ones nearly ever day and about every three days I have a drop dead overwhelming pain in my head, usually on one side or the other. Not to over dramatize, but it is the worst pain I’ve ever had. It incapacitates me and makes me wish I was dead. (I wonder how many suicides were actually in the throes of a migraine and simply couldn’t stand it any longer) I don’t have nausea, but sound, smells, light, moving, breathing, lol anything is, well, just agony. :smack: They last about a day. I have Vicodin but it really doesn’t touch it. A lot of Ibuprofen helps a tad. Caffeine can help some as well.
I am really sorry for all of you who suffer from these monsters. I hope that mine will magically stop.
As I type this, I’m on the tail end of an hours-long migraine. My daughter brought me breakfast in bed, including a crepe (made by Grandma) filled with grape jelly. Silly me, I didn’t realize that the indication to avoid red wine also extended to all other red grape products. :smack: So right now I’m waiting for my ibuprofen to kick in so I can get ready to go to my sister’s place for Mother’s Day dinner. I hope nobody gets on my case for being a party pooper because I’m under the weather and sitting around instead of socializing with them. It’s not like I plan this, you know! :mad:
I’ve been getting migraines for several years now. Don’t remember my first one, maybe I blocked it out. I found out my mom gets them, and so does one of my sisters. My 13-year-old niece has started to get them too, as of last year. Poor baby. :(Unlike most people, my early indicator of a migraine is sound sensitivity, followed by light sensitivity a few minutes later. I have to stop what I’m doing and go somewhere quiet and dark before it hits. Once I got one at work, and my then-supervisor, a fellow migraine sufferer, was kind enough to cover for me and send me to sit in a darkened room with a couple of Tylenols till the worst of it was over.
Thanks. It sounds dumb, but having someone empathize means something to me. I have to say, one thing that makes it easier for me to function while having a level 8 or so migraine is that I thankfully do not have the hallmark symptoms: sensitivity to light/sound, and vomiting. I mean, I don’t want to sit in the sun and listen to heavy metal, but I don’t feel more sensitive than normal. Which leads people to helpfully tell me “You can’t have migraines, you’re outside, not hiding in the dark/you’re not barfing!” Yeah, well, I also can’t remember how to get home, my left arm is numb, I just walked into the wall and I can’t see out of my left eye, is that good enough for you?
I’ve tried the gamut of preventatives and had no luck. I even payed out of pocket for Botox, as soon as it was approved, and it didn’t work. (Though man, was it bizarre not being able to move my eyebrows, I had an awesomely line-free forehead!) I’m currently not on any, though I just moved to Canada and am hoping that maybe a fresh start with new doctors might turn up something mine didn’t think of. I left my job because I was immigrating to Canada, but if I hadn’t I likely would’ve been laid off eventually because my ability to concentrate and think has been shot to hell from years of chronic pain/neurological symptoms. My job was incredibly supportive, and I was able to work from home as necessary, but I was still struggling.
Meh, didn’t mean to turn this into the poor me thread! I really encourage anyone who is suffering to find a neurologist, and find a good one. While there’s no guaranteed cure or preventative, there’s so many things you can try that could help. No one should have to live like this.
Cadence, I can’t take the pill because of the hideous three-day migraines I get during the “off” days and I can’t just stay on them either because my body hates that. Whatever pills you are taking may well be causing this, and you need to let whoever prescribed them know about it!
Agreed, talk to your doctor. I had terrible migraines every day that I was off my birth control pills, and random ones during the rest of the month. My neurologist and gynecologist worked together on treating me, and finally the gynecologist suggested the Mirena IUD might do the trick. Strangely enough (knocking wood here), it’s worked so far for about a half year, which is the longest I’ve gone without migraines for maybe a decade; previously it was a miracle if I didn’t have one for two weeks.
Rasa, most of mine aren’t that light or sound sensitive either. It’s more like a terrible pounding, throbbing in my right temple to the extent that it’s overwhelming my attempts to think, and sometimes I can’t remember words, and oh hey, time to lose vision for about a half hour. Plus moving my head too fast makes the pain worse.
I also had an authentic ocular migraine, rather than just the “light show” (scintillating scotoma), at one point. It was like a gray fog dropped over the lower half of the vision of my right eye. Now that scared me, as it sounded closer to a retinal detachment. Vision started returning, though, and I talked to one of the ophthalmologists I worked with, who agreed it had been an ocular migraine.
Funny that since I’ve read this thread, I had a migraine that lasted 2 days this weekend and I haven’t had one in about five years. Thankfully, it wasn’t disabiling and I was able to function a bit, but the weekend was miserable. It scared me that my migraines I used to have regularly, several years ago were coming back.
Mine were always triggered by the onset of my menstrual period and this past one was the same.
I also was scheduled to get a Mirena IUD inserted mostly for birth control reasons, but now that I know it also reduces or get rid of migraines, you betcher ass I got myself to the doctors today and got my IUD. Thanks to my doctor and Ferret Herder.
Oh hey, it’s not a guarantee or anything. My gynecologist thought it was a good option, considering how my other symptoms were going and how there was definitely a hormonal component at least part of the time. My Mirena also shut off my period completely - barring one day of spotting maybe every other month - so I think it’s awesome for that reason alone! But the migraine suppression was wonderful. It didn’t start right away, but within a week or so of implantation, they were gone. And I’m still crossing my fingers hoping they continue to stay away.
I know the potential is still there. Occasionally I get the scintillating scotoma, but no other symptoms - no headache, no verbal loss. I do still get the occasional sinus or stress headache, too. But it’s worked wonders for me.
And of course there’s the whole “whoops, IUD got jammed somewhere it shouldn’t!” risk. :eek: But I thought it was worth a try.
Right, my gynecologist thought it was a good option for me due to other problems I was having also. She just kinda clumped everything together and didn’t really specify migraines. At the time it wasn’t a concern for me since I hadn’t had one in several year and thought I had somehow gotten over them.
I had been meaning to get the Mirena, but I wasn’t making it a priority and used other birth control. Plus, as you know, there’s a certain window of time where they have to insert it and I always seemed to be too busy to get it taken care of.
Suddenly, after reading this thread, ta-da! I get a migraine. It scared me and reminded me of just how bad they are. Reading your post reminded me that, yes this should be something I should get taken care of or I may regret it later and it may help. So we’ll see.
for me caffeine is the single biggest trigger hands down, since cutting 99% (hell more than that even) of it out of my diet they have essentially vanished, from about 3 per year to more like 3 in 20 years. I still recognize the symptoms though, I need some food, some caffeine and someplace dark and quiet. if can get all of those and grab a nap for an hour or so the pain never really starts up. I still feel like hell but I am mostly functional. if not I am down for the day.
The hormone related migraines vanished after my hysterectomy [major celebration over that] leaving me the occasional stress related ones … which can be handled with frova or midrin. I seem to be very lucky that mine were never triggered by the usual dietary suspects of caffeine, red wine or old cheeses.
I was so glad to have read this thread because last night I had the worst one ever. For the first time I got increasingly nauseous until the uncontrollable vomiting started. I am at my sister’s house, but I had with me a bottle of Vistaril for itching and it stopped the vomiting and let me sleep for a few blessed minutes. The only thing that made it a little bearable was remembering how many of you understand the suffering and have survived these things. It is down to about a level three tonight and I hope and pray that it will go away for good while I sleep.
I skipped my pill today. It isn’t for birth control, just one of those “woman’s problems” and I can deal with that; I can’t deal with another migraine. I can’t.
Well, “the pill” or hormones for other reasons, it’s pretty much the same stuff. I hope you’re feeling better, migraines are ghastly. As are various women’s problems. Maybe they can find another angle of attack for those for you.
My gynecologist thought it was a good option, considering how my other symptoms were going and how there was definitely a hormonal component at least part of the time. My Mirena also shut off my period completely - barring one day of spotting maybe every other month - so I think it’s awesome for that reason alone! But the migraine suppression was wonderful. It didn’t start right away, but within a week or so of implantation, they were gone. And I’m still crossing my fingers hoping they continue to stay away.
Maybe they can find another angle of attack for those for you.