How To Deal With Migranes?

[bttrflyamby1981]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to vent a little, hope you don't mind.

I've had migranes from the time I was 19. At first it was off and on. They came when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. My GYN said that if they didn't get better that he wanted to run some tests.

It didn't come to that though because they went just as fast as they came??

I was fine up untill my daughter was about 14 months old. They weren't too bad but enough so that they were getting in the way of work and family. They came and went, I would have them once or twice a week for a few months, then when I thought I figured them out, they would go away.

I kept diaries and food logs I even got glasses. But nothing made any sense? I couldn't find the answers.

Then they went away again, I was just happy...... didn't care why they went away just glad they did.

When my daughter was 2.5 I started getting them again.........I was pregnant with my second child.

It went down hill from there. I was getting migranes about 4-5 times a week and on top of that I had really bad morning sickness. That may have caused some of the migranes I sopose.

At about 7 months pregnant I started getting dizzy and feeling faint........

My doctor said it was the pregnancy and that I wasn't getting enough fluids. ( I was drinking a gallon of water a day) ??? He didn't believe me of course.

Anyway, I delivered a healthy baby 3 months later and to this day I still have the migranes and the dizziness and faintness.

My youngest is now 2.5 and I feel worse some days. Better on others.

I've had so many tests and no answers. The CT scans were normal........in fact most of the tests I've had were normal. The only test that showed anything at all was the holter moniter.

I'm tierd of feeling tierd and being in pain and feeling sick.......I should be gratefull that I've had a good few weeks but sometimes I feel worse when I have had a good stretch....I don't know if that makes sense, it's hard to put in words.

I guess it's just my turn to feel blah and I know I asked for it because I wanted others to feel better......and if that's the case then I wont complain too much but man...........do I have to feel this bad?

I guess it's easy to forget how bad you can feel when you are having a good day and your only truely gratefull for those good days if you have the bad days too.

Sorry if I confuse anyone........my head hurts so much that I'm not sure what I'm saying myself.

I'm babysitting today and trying to pass the time..........I should have called his parents to come get him early, but I have my own kids anyway so nothing much I could do if he did go early.

I'm going to let everyone play outside now so I need to go supervise.

Thanks for listening to me.

Amber

[taylortotmom]

Hi, so sorry you are having such a hard time. For me personally, migraines are directly related to my estrogen level. Have you considered speaking with your gynecologist or oby about your migraines? It is possible that hormones very well could be your problem. Hang in there, migraines are horrible.

Carmen

[bttrflyamby1981]

Hi,

Thanks for your thought.

Yes I have had my hormones checked and everything else you could think of too. Everything has come back normal. (anyone, please feel free to give me more possible reasons on what could be causing these darn things)

The neuro I was seeing said that he thought that the migraines were caused by too much meds. My body's way to keep me taking the meds was to create the migrane.

The medication he put me on was Propranolol, which made me have more potsy episodes.

So my Cardio took me off that and put me on Toprol XL for the high heart rate and said that it should help with the migranes as well.

It helped a little I guess but I have good weeks without meds too?

Just frustrated....

Thanks for listening, I feel better now that I vented.

Amber

[Guest Mary from OH]

Amber,

I think you need to go to a Headache Specialist. Usually this is a neurologist that specializes in treating all kinds of headaches, including migraines. It does not sound as if your current neurologist is very helpful. Two places to look for a dr in your area on your insurance are:

www.achenet.org

http://headaches.about.com//od/doctorsandclinics/index.htm

You can find a reputable and helpful dr there. There are 3 different types of meds for migraines: preventatives, abortives and rescue meds. It does not sound like you are on any of them. Both Toprol and Procrit can cause migraines. Migraines can also get better/worse when you are pregnant. It is important to work with a knowledgable dr. Please do yourself a favor and find one. The one you are currently working with is NOT earning his money!!

Migraines are a horrible and debilitating disease. They also are frequently comorbid with POTS. Your pregnancies could bring out POTS flare ups which also intensify your migraines, creating a vicious cycle of misery. You need to be seeing a dr/drs who understand the nature of POTS and migraines. I hope that this is helpful to you. There are MANY meds that actually treat BOTH POTS and migraines!! It's actually very helpful!! You kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak!!

[bttrflyamby1981]

Thanks Mary,

I didn't really care for him....he didn't listen.

He put me on other meds too, but not at the same time. I took Imitrex to treat the migrane.

Now I have to wait untill August before I can get insurance.........so I just have to deal with all this untill then.

I'll check into a headache Doctor, and I should find a doctor who knows more about POTS as well.

Thanks for your help,

Amber

[Poohbear]

I have migraines that are directly related to POTS but then I also have migraines that occur the same time each month in my cycle.

I too, went to several Dr's who, to be honest, weren't very knowledgeable (even though THEY thought they were). I found a wonderful gyn who specializes in hormones related migraines. My blood work on hormones shows "normal" however she did the hormone saliva testing because it's much more accurate. I've done a lot of research on it and though some are critical of it when you read the science behind it it really makes sense. It's designed to test your hormones at a certain time in your cycle and it measures the levels in your body that are available for you body to use.

Similar to the concept of having a calcium blood test that may show "normal" but when they do an ionized calcium it shows the amount of calcium available for your body to use (which may not be normal and thus treating it can then improve your condition.)

Have you kept a log to see if any of your migraines occur at the same time in your cycle?

Here is a link if you want to learn more and you should also do an internet search on saliva testing so you can learn more about it and make the right choice for you. http://www.salivatest.com/

I do not tolerate hormones well at all but if I use bio-identical hormones in only the amount I need (it's compounded for me) then they have brought me much relief. It is more expensive this way but I believe it's healthier and have tolerated the bio-identical well when the synthetics I could not tolerate.

Just one avenue of many I'm sure for you to think about

[bttrflyamby1981]

Thanks,

I have kept a log and can find no link for why I'm getting them.

I have times when I wake up with one and even if I take something, it will linger but not go away.

Today I woke up with one and it just lingers.........The nero has real scared me about taking otc for them and that's all I have right now.

At least it hasn't made me sick yet .........just enough pain to be noticed, so I can handle it.

Thanks for your suggestions,

Amber

[shayden]

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear that you are constantly dealing with the pain from Migraines. I did want to write a quick note about the meds that are working VERY well for me. I currently take 1000 mg of Depakote every evening before bed. I also take Ultram 100mg 3 times per day....EVERY DAY! After having my son, I was dealing with Migraines daily. After visiting many Doctor's offices and Emergency Rooms...I decided that being stoned out of my mind on a daily basis (with an infant) was probably NOT the best solution for me. So I started doing research and being a human guinea pig and these 2 drugs mixed...works perfectly for me.

Now...I will say that my migraines are starting to get extremely unbearable while I am having my monthly enemy so my Doctor and I are now working on another solution for this. We have tried adding Norflex to the mix during that time, but I honestly think it made my POTS worse. He says he has 26 more tricks up his sleeve and I am sure I will work through atleast 22 of them.

Good luck and I really hope this information will help you.

Susan

[bttrflyamby1981]

Thanks Susan,

I'll have to keep those medications in mind.

I think I'm so frustrated because the pain makes it hard to think straight.......

Not knowing what's causing them is another.

Then to top it all off, finding a doctor has to wait untill I have insurance again.

GRRRRRRR

Taking one day at a time,

Amber