Just curious, how many have them?

Hi Grover,

I'm not a survivor, but I suffer from terrible migraine. They're usually triggered by food or something in the environment, but my doc and I haven't been able to pinpoint what triggers mine. I've had MRI's and it appears that I have something called White Matter Migraine Disease, which is way better than the MS they first suspected. I take Imetrex pills when they start during the day which will usually minimize a real "want to blow your head off" pain and I have shots to take when they strike in the night and I wake up to full on pain.

I feel your pain big time here.

ROCK ON........Trish

Hi Grover,

Sad to say, I get them and way too often. They normally strike every 3-4 weeks and last for 3 days on average. As Trish said, it feels like pain relief would come easy in the form of a gun to the side of the head.



I’m [fortunate] I don’t get vision issues or nausea (except when the pain is excruciatingly more worse than really, really bad). My doctors have worked through all standard, potential causes and triggers but sadly to no real effect. I had a catscan in case it was a brain tumour. Nothing there. Brain tumour that is – there was a brain found in there amazingly! 

I’ve been on the 4 different types of preventative medication there are. The first 2 did nothing, the 3rd one caused me to go into major depression and the 4th and last one worked very well but that then caused me to have artery spasms and cramps. I’m off that now and back to my regular 3 weekly migraines.

My neurologist has said for many people they are hereditary. My mom also gets them so I think he’s right on that one. He also said in those hereditary cases the frequency and intensity tend to diminish with age. My mom attests to that, but she’s over 60 now. Guess I’ll have to wait at least another 20 years before a let up. Good thing I don’t own a gun

Sorry to not be able to add any positive news, but then again, perhaps you haven’t investigated preventative medication?

Take care.

Grover,

I am thirty and have been suffering from them since the age of 10. So 20 years. Have been to The Mayo Clinic, Diamond Head Pain Clinic, U of Michigan, Michigan Hain Pain and Nuerologiocal Institute....no fix. No has a clue why.


They are disabling...I was off from work for 3 months once.

I hae tried every preventative medication....none work. I am running out of pain meds that work to numb the pain. I now just take Seroquel to knock myself out so I can sleep it off.

Mine start out with visual problems...stars...left side goes numb...then I get severve head pain with light and sound sensitivity.

I am not a survivor either, but get them. I was diagnosed at age 8. Mine are only broken after throwing up multiple times...I almost go into shock, in and out of consiousness, clammy, pulse and bp go through the floor, auditory issues, etc.

I don't take anything as I only get them every few months and while they are intense, only last a few hours. to me the side effects arent' worth the meds.

The best thing for me is lying on a cold tile floor.

My wife gets similar symptoms to Lorie's with her migraines, so I feel for all of you who get them. I've had to take my wife to the ER several times with them. She takes Topamax which seems to have helped, since she hasn't had a migraine since being on it for about a year or so.

HP,

If you only get them every few months, a preventative probably wouldn't work well for you, but something like Imitrex might. I haven't felt any side effects from it and while it may not make the migraine completely go away, it will minimize the throwing up, pulse and bp issues; at least it does for me. There are alot of migraine meds out there now and it's hit or miss as to what will work for you. I had Maxalt for a while too, which also worked. I don't get the visual auras and rarely vomit, unless it's a real doozy, that's why the shots are good 'cause if you do get sick, the pill won't come up. Even once is too much to suffer from a migraine as they make you completely unable to function.

My mother suffered from cluster migraine at a time when the only relief she could get was in the hospital on morphine. Thankfully I don't suffer with that! I've never witnessed an individual go through so much pain on a prolonged basis. For as bad as mine are when they strike, I thank G_d I don't have to deal with that.

ROCK ON..........Trish

I take Excedrin Migraine for my migraines, works great. After 20 minuites my migrain is gone!

Nich,

You're a lucky man. For me, taking excedrin is like popping M&Ms, but no sugar high

Trish

LOL...I used to literally take 4 dozen Ibuprofen a day when I was trying to take the edge off mine. The doc threw a fit...he said your gonna kill your liver, I told him that he needs to figure these out! So he gave me Stadol Nasal Spray (Narcotic pain killer) and 6 months later my system is used to it and it no longer works.

The hospital is where I would end up...Dilauded and Visteral....sleep!

They just put me on Topamax to try to curb them.

Hate waking up with them...don't even open my eyes and tears run down my face.