I have suffered from these suckers for eleven years, ever since I was 17 years old. Have made quite a name for myself at jobs because I would refuse to call out with one, even though they lasted 3 days, I could not eat, and I was so worn down from the n/v that I passed out on more than one occasion. Fast forward, I am now in grad school, rounding with a cardiologist whose wife is a neurologist. After seeing me get down with one, he got me in to see her (after telling me I was nuts to wait so long), and she started me on Topamax for prophylaxis and Frova for the acute spells. I could kiss this woman, I feel so much better. My migraines are stress-induced, and with school, I was getting 2-3 a week, so I was basically in pain 24/7. Now I have had 4 in 2 months, not great, but 100% better than it was. I hope after school they will become less frequent.
I have one problem. No one else in my family has these, so they do not understand what I go through. My DH is the worst. I usually wake up with these, and have had to miss work a couple of times this year (only 2, mind you). His take is that I am just lazy, and I am just whining because I don't want to work. I DO want to work. I would not be getting an NP certificate if I was not interested in working. It's no good trying to explain things to him. Then, at times, he's really caring and sweet, and wants to knowwhat he can do for me, he's sorry I hurt, etc.
My parents, God love them, are not as bad, but almost. They insist on having a conversation with me, keep all the lights on, the phone rings nonstop, and when I say that I am going home, they act hurt and say, "Well, you can lay down here." I know they miss me when I am not there, (I only live 8 miles away) but the noise does not stop when I lay down.
Aside from hexing them into a migraine so they will understand, I don't know what to do. Any other sufferers out there? I'd love to get to know you.
Forgot to add a few thoughts: I never took meds simply because I just don't like to take anything that is not OTC for personal reasons. I did find that if I made myself throw up that my pain was decreased. Also, meditating seemed to help if I was able to concentrate enough but as you all know, that is hard when you have a migraine.:redbeathe:redbeathe To all of us in this boat.
Siggi13, I actually found that vomiting does decrease intensity, although only temporary, of migraines. I have a few close friends who are MDs and they insist at prescribing antiemetics for me, they just don't understand why I refuse. I admit, it does look crazy, a person wants to vomit. But when I have a bad migraine I'll do whatever it takes to lessen the pain, even so unpleasant as throwing up.
Had them since I was 12 years old. I take topomax now. Thank God For it. My Dr. will not prescribe any migrane medicine for me except this. I used to have them daily due to stress no I only get them about 1 x a month.
I've had them for years. My old PCP wouldn't prescribe anything because he didn't believe I had them. I seem to always get one the day before my period starts, so I'm sure they are hormone and stress related.
I've learned to work through the pain because there's no way I could stay home 2 days a month and still have a job.
The good thing is, the nurses on my floor know when one has hit (must be the crossed eyes, huh?) and they seem to help me out when I have one.
I've had migraines for years. My doc put me on Neurontin 600mg QID a few years ago. Now I'm down to 600mg @ HS and I'm still headache free. I don't even get stress headaches now.
I've had migraines since going into puberty (at 13 I'm now going on 50), as my Mom and Grandmother did. Every month I get a big one. Some are so bad thier like having a right-sided heart attack. No meds help, Dr gave orders that when they feel like a heart attack, go to the ER and get checked out. ER usually sits me in the waiting room with all the yelling kids and inattentive parents, (makes for a fun day) for a few hours, does an EKG and sends me home, occasionally they'll hit me with morphine and knock me out but that's rare. My family is well aware how horrible they can be and go out of thier way to help keep things quiet and peaceful. I know that once I go thru menopause I'll be free of migraines, I pray it will start soon!
Angelfire, that's great news that you got your migraines under control.
I started having migraines in second grade. I kept passing out at school so my parents took me to a neurologist. Keep in mind this was in the 80's so there weren't too many drugs to take for migraines. I took phenobarbital for years. By late college I had outgrown them. I was getting 3 or 4 a week, then went on phenobarbital and that reduced them to maybe 2 a month. Now I have a couple a year. A big improvement.
Mine started in my first semester of nursing school. I tried a bunch of prescription meds, but they all made me feel even more nauseated.
Once I got my BP under control, and wear a bite guard at night (teeth clenching like mad) I rarely have them any more. But oh, oh, oh when they do hit....look out and get me my bag of frozen peas (for my head) and a mountain of tylenol. Sometimes I add a gravol when they're really bad just so I go to sleep until it passes.
I feel your pain. However, my husband is really great and even though I tell him noise doesn't bother me, he still shuts everything down. What a doll!
topamax has saved my life. I take it before I go to sleep. I'm also on celexa. My neurologist has me take an aleve with an axert when I feel a migraine coming on, it works, however axert does leave me very tired, I usually need a nap after taking it.
I've gone from 3-5 migraines a week to 2 migraines a month on topamax. The numbness and tingling in my fingers subsided after a few months. I do have "tip of the tongue syndrome" a bit, and some changes in taste and appetite...but I'd rather have that than migraines.
My migraines were horrible, intractable nv, sparkling bright lights, ringing in the ears, sharp stabbing pains in my eyes and ears, dizziness, difficulty thinking. I still have occasional migraines, but the ones I have now aren't as severe as they were without the topamax.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Had a horrible one yesterday, woke up with it. My hubby was outside, had the stereo blasting, and could not hear me when I yelled at him to turn it off. I called his cell, and instead of answering it, he comes blasting through the back door.
"Turn that **** thing off."
"What's wrong with you?"
"My head hurts"
"Well, that didn't give you a migraine":angryfire
After he turned the stereo off, the yard crew for the neighbors picked that minute to start up, with 4 lawn mowers and 2 leaf blowers, for 3 hours. After they finished, (finally), the county picked yesterday (for the 1st time in 6 months!!!!!) to test the tornado sirens, which sit less than a quarter mile from our house.
Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.
Hi Angelfire...
I'm not a sufferer but the family member of one and I empathize with your plight. I admit that I have been difficult with my wife when she has a migraine at times. I think my (and possibly your husbands) biggest, most frustrating point is that "I can't do anything to alleviate her pain!!!" That's it. It's disheartening to hear that the people you love are in pain...and we know we've tried everything (darkness, quiet, massage, meds) to get rid of it and it's all to no avail.
And making matters worse, some doctors are stupid enough to think that "simple" treatments are effective for everyone suffering from any sort of pain. If that were true, there'd be no need for demerol, morphine or other strong opiods..would there?
My wife's suffered from them since the birth of our first child (12 plus years) and is on treatment but occasionally has to visit the ER for breakthrough. Heck, if all it took was for you all to spin around three times, eat some Cheerios and sit in a north facing corner for an hour to rid yourself of a migraine...you'd do it in a heartbeat. No one who isn't affected by migraines can seem to grasp that theory.
Glad to hear you've finally found something that works for you!!!
Oh, and congratulations on your NP...all that hard work is paying off!!!!
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Thank you. I kinda agree with you, he kept coming in there and laying ON me ( he thinks loving on me will help, but he outweighs me by about 30 pounds, so then I have a migraine and no air), and the he would say, "Tell me what I can do. Do you want anything for lunch? (God, NO!) Do you want to come watch TV with me? Do you want me to lay in here and watch TV with you?"
I love him, but, until you have had one, you just don't get it. I would not wish them on anypne, but at times, I wish he could have one for an hour, just so he knows what I go through.
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SilverRain
18 Posts
Siggi13, I actually found that vomiting does decrease intensity, although only temporary, of migraines. I have a few close friends who are MDs and they insist at prescribing antiemetics for me, they just don't understand why I refuse. I admit, it does look crazy, a person wants to vomit. But when I have a bad migraine I'll do whatever it takes to lessen the pain, even so unpleasant as throwing up.