Migraine

I just firstly want to say that I'm so thankful to have come across a website like this! That there is some sort of hope out there for somebody like me.

I've been getting migraine since I was in my early teens, it's been a fairly recent thing where they've been bad enough for me to have to venture into hospital to get some pretty intense IV drugs running through me.

At the moment I spend a lot of my week either with a migraine (which last up to 2 days sometimes more) or recovering from one (which can take up to a week) which has lead to a drop in my mood, so now on top of all the migraine meds I've been started on an anti-depressant

I've been put on several different preventers this year (none of which seem to have worked so far) and I have an appointment with my neurologist towards the end of the month although my partner seems to think that it's crunch point and that is too long to have to wait just to be seen but that's the public health system I guess.


When I get a migraine I tend to collapse, lose sensation and control over the right half my body (leg arm neck etc), I lose the ability to speak or swallow and occassionally my body starts to shake or spasm, which is pretty darn scary!!


Since my last stay in hospital, I've had a CT scan and an EEG but apparently everything looks "normal" for somebody my age.

At the moment I'm unable to work, and can barely make it to my lectures because I'm either sick or recovering from it.... it's so frustrating

I'm absolutely terrorfied that it's something a little more sinister,that maybe there's something the neuro team aren't picking up.....

Hi, E-J!

First of all, no, you're not alone! Welcome "home".

Hello and welcome to our forum family! Our goal is to provide everyone with the information and support that we all need to manage our Migraines and/or headaches. To that end, we consider this a “safe harbor,” where nobody tries to sell us anything, and we all use “family-friendly” language so parents are comfortable letting their children read the forum with them.

Please take a few minutes to review our policies and guidelines along with the other information in the START HERE folder. For information about Migraines, a good article to begin with is Learning About Migraines - Where to Start.


What is your formal diagnosis? There are many types of Migraines- you can learn more about the different types over Here

Is your neurologist a Migraine Specialist? It sounds to me like your Migraines aren't under control- it's amazing how much difference can be made by someone who only deals with this type of neurological disease!! Check out this article- Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special?
Learn about Migraine and Headache specialists and when to consult one.

I hope I've given you some helpful info (and not overwhelmed you, lol! ), and that you stick around and use all the features of this site- it's a great place to learn, and also to feel like there are other people who understand... Something that's not often found offline for many of us!!

Welcome again!

Hi E-J and welcome!!

Hemiplegic Migra ine (HM) is a rare form of Migraine disease and the only kind that has true motor weakness as one of its symptoms. It is difficult to diagnose because at times it may appear to be similar vascular conditions, stroke, epilepsy or other neurological diseases. It is important to have full neurological work up and detailed medical history taken by your doctor. Continue reading more in this article on Hemiplegic Migraine - The Basics.

Any Migraine pain lasting longer than 72 hours without a four-hour, pain-free break while awake, puts us at an increased risk for stroke and may be a condition called Status Migrainous. One needs to seek medical attention right away if this is the case. Please read more:Status Migrainous - The Basics

At this time we don't have a Migraine specialist in New Zealand, but I will work on that for you. That's what is needed here - a doctor who devotes his/her entire practice treating patients with one disease - ours - Migraines and headaches.

One other things for now, because I've given you sooo much information I know how easy it is to feel as if you've tried so many medications out there, but there are so many more options that can be used for Migraine and headache prevention that it's literally impossible. You can find a list of potential Migraine and headache preventives in Migraine preventive medications - too many options to give up!

Let me know if you have questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

Hi E-J! Please add my welcome to the pile

We're happy you found us too. You're going to be amazed at just how much accurate information you'll find here along with a great bunch of folks too.

Have you ever kept a Migraine Diary? It's a great tool to track triggers, the effectiveness of medications, and any patterns to your Migraines and headaches. That link will lead you to a free, downloadable diary. I keep mine on the computer for easy editing and I print it out and bring it to all of my doctor appointments, not just the one's for my Migraines. I figure my primary care physican and my OB/GYN should know what's going on with me too.

After I kept my diary for awhile, I was able to figure out that a certain bathroom cleaner I'd been using sometimes triggered my Migraines. I used to be able to use bleach and other cleaning products without any problems but over the last few years that changed. My other triggers are lack of sleep, changes in the barometric pressure and not eating. I know I have more, but I'm still working on identifying them. Here's some more information on triggers you can take a look at:

• Common Migraine Triggers

Again, welcome to the forum, it's great to have you. Remember, if you have any questions, just ask and we'll do our best to help.

The others have given you all kinds of info, so I just want to add my simple, humble hello, with a side of hugs. Welcome to the forum family!

Thanks guys(and girls) for your warm welcomes!
It's so comforting to have some sort of support from people who know exactly what it's like....

Thanks again

Aroha Nui (much love)

oh and for the record was having a nosey through my latest discharge notes from the hospital and under diagnosis it said something about an "atypical migraine with complex features" no idea what that's supposed to mean...

And got a letter from the District Health Board and my next neurologist appointment at the hospital is comming up on the 23rd of october... which is nerve racking... (I hate everything about hospitals) I don't think neurologist is a "migraine specialist" I don't think we even have a specialist in the country... my partner did a bit of research, contacted a few folks high up in the medical professional food chain and he discovered that the closest specialist to where we are is over in Australia arg! propably really expensive too *sigh*

Hopefully we'll get some more answers soon... and figure out what on earth is going on in this head of mine.... or maybe just maybe they might just go away on their own...

Anyway that's my little speil for today...

Aroha Nui (much love)

Hi again E-J,

Well, I'm not sure how much this will help you but this is what we go by in the states:

Types of Migraine: from the International Headache Society's International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition

1.1 Migraine without aura
1.2 Migraine with aura
1.2.1 Typical aura with migraine headache
1.2.2 Typical aura with non-migraine headache
1.2.3 Typical aura without headache
1.2.4 Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM)
1.2.5 Sporadic hemiplegic migraine
1.2.6 Basilar-type migraine
1.3 Childhood periodic syndromes that are commonly precursors of migraine
1.3.1 Cyclical vomiting
1.3.2 Abdominal migraine
1.3.3 Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood
1.4 Retinal migraine
1.5 Complications of migraine
1.5.1 Chronic migraine
1.5.2 Status migrainosus
1.5.3 Persistent aura without infarction
1.5.4 Migrainous infarction
1.5.5 Migraine-triggered seizure
1.6 Probable migraine
1.6.1 Probable migraine without aura
1.6.2 Probable migraine with aura
1.6.5 Probable chronic migraine

Also, you can browse through this page and find out which description fits you best:

• Types of Migraines and Headache

Good luck at the neurologist's office! Please be sure and let us know how it goes, okay? And you can read this article to help prepare for the appointment:

• Migraineur's Guide To a Successful Doctor's Appointment

All my best

Ouch! that's a pretty long list lol...

Thanks a bunch for the info will definately keep it in mind and do a bit more research...

And will definately keep you folks up to date with the haps with the neurologist...

Thanks again... you people are totally awesome!!

Aroha Nui (much love)

Hello EJ,

I'm Dutchess welcome to the forum. Hope you get lots of support from here. I see you've meet the Moderators. I've been posting here since early this year. When I was told I had Migraines I had started to lose hope. But I actually got a stange E-mail by mistake during a search about The Health Central....which lead me to search here.

Hope you learn lot of things here and Welcome again.

Be well
Dutchess

Don'tcha just LOVE happy accidents like stumbling on a whole new family, just when you need it!

quote:

Originally posted by Dutchess:
Hello EJ,

I'm Dutchess welcome to the forum. Hope you get lots of support from here. I see you've meet the Moderators. I've been posting here since early this year. When I was told I had Migraines I had started to lose hope. But I actually got a stange E-mail by mistake during a search about The Health Central....which lead me to search here.

Hope you learn lot of things here and Welcome again.

Be well
Dutchess