Migraine

Hi I recently was recently invited to join this forum because I post a question about my wife.

My wife had a Migraine on sep 15 2009,she was given a cocktail of toradol compazine and benadryl in the urgent care she had a reaction of anxiety and "the got to goes" she has been having severe head pain and photosensitivity since. We have been to ER after ER. ctscan, blood work, urine sample and ophthalmologists test all come out fine. She has intense pain with bright lights and fast movement and her eyes have been dilated more than normal, which is why we were sent to ophthalmologist. She was given Valium, morphine in the ERs not all in the same one. Only thing that gave her any relief was morphine. This is still ongoing. What could cause this?

Thank you
Maurice

Hi Maurice,

Welcome to the forum! Good to see you here.

As to your question, we cannot diagnose or even begin to try to tell you what is going on with your wife. It certainly sounds like a migraine, though.

What have the ER docs been saying? Has your wife had migraines in the past and has she been diagnosed with migraines?

The cocktail she was given initially is pretty standard migraine treatment in ERs.

Did she have the photosensitivity prior to the ER visit or did it begin after she was treated?

It's not uncommon to find, especially on this forum, patients who have a complicated history of chronic migraines. Some of us cycle through months and months of constant headpain.

if this is new for her you've done right in taking her to the ER to make sure there is no stroke or aneurysm causing these problems.

At this point I would suggest you see out a headache specialist or someone who can treat her symptoms more proactively instead of acutely. You can find a list of doctors here: Headache Specialists

Some neurologists may be able to help as well, but they are considered "general" neurology doctors who are not specialized in any one area of brain disorders.

I hope this helps...it sounds like your wife is having a very difficult time and my heart goes out to both of you. Please keep us posted!

Hello Maurice and welcome to you and your wife 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.

Leelo is right, we can't diagnose your wife over the internet but we sure can give you the tools you need to get you started in the right direction to help her. I'm going to work under the assumption that she has Migraines since she was treat for them in the ER.

I think the first thing you and your wife may want to address is finding either a neurologist or, like Leelo recommended, a Migraine Specialist. They can help your wife figure out what type of Migraines she is getting:

• Types of Migraines and Headache

• The Type of Migraine Does Matter

I also used to get a Migraine cocktail anytime I went to the ER for a Migraine. I hated the drugged up feeling but ultimately, it allowed me to sleep through most of the pain. Nowadays, my Migraine Specialist has another treatment plan that works much better for me. I receive Magnesium and steriods and normally that will abort the Migraine or at least bring it down to a much more tolerable level. The other day it didn't work and my specialist recommended DHE and that worked like a charm. Here's some information you can take a look at for IV therapy:

• IV Lidocaine – Effective Treatment for Refractory Migraines in the Clinic

• IV Treatment of Refractory Migraines

If your wife is getting more than three Migraines per month, her neuro may recommend starting her on some type of preventive medication. There are over 100 medications out there being used for Migraine prevention:

• Migraine preventive medications: too many options to give up!

• Preventive, Abortive, and Rescue Medications - What's the Difference?

The important thing to know is that you and your wife are not alone. You've found a great website with friendly, caring folks and we're here to help you the best we can. Please give your wife a hug from me.

Take care,

I thought I would answer some of your questions and thank you for the info.

What have the ER docs been saying?
Some have only treated her for anxiety others have said it was from her eyes one said it was still a reaction from the compazine but all tests are normal.

Has your wife had migraines in the past and has she been diagnosed with migraines?

She has had Migraines since before I new her and her mother has them as well I and when we lived in California she was given a supply of maxolt from the DR. because she had them often.She has not had since 2005 untill now.

Did she have the photosensitivity prior to the ER visit or did it begin after she was treated?
Her photosensitivity began after the first urgent care visit. Her eyes are not as dialted but she still has intense photosensitivity.She also gets a brused feeling behide her eyes.It seams as if everything starts with her eyes now.
We went to the Dr. just in case because she had a bad accident in 2003 and we wanted to rule out any head trauma.
Thank you very much
Maurice

Glad to hear back from you, Maurice

Did the doctor decide to prescribe any triptans for your wife to take when the Migraine starts? You mentioned that she's used Maxalt before, did it work well for her? There are several other triptans out there that she can try if the Maxalt didn't work. You can always ask the doctor for samples first to see if they work so you don't have to pay for a co-pay or for the prescription to trial it.

Please come back and let us know how your wife is doing, okay? And, if you have any other questions, just ask, we're here to help.

Hi Maurice!

Glad you found us!! However, I'm so sorry to hear that my husband has more "company" in the "Migraine Husband Department." I love the way you put that phrase, btw! It just sounds so caring about your wife, and that you are both working to get information and find out best help her get on a path to feeling better- like a team. That show of support from a spouse is priceless, IMHO!

It seems like everyone's given you gobs and gobs of links, so I just wanted to stop in and say "hi! and Welcome!" This site has lots of information (as you may have noticed already!) and lots of wonderful people!

Best,

Hi, Maurice. Like Jamie, I just wanted to pop in and say hello. I think it's great that you care enough to seek out help for your wife on the forums. She's lucky to have you.

Hello everyone.
Just thought I would update everyone.We have been in calfornia since Thursday Oct.1.
We were finally able to get maxalt after about the 5th or sixth visit our regular doctor (soon to be changed)did nothing about the migraine symptoms infact he ignored it completly and did not even discuss it all he did was check her knee.The maxalt did not really work but her symptom have lessen now light still bothers her but not as bad.We have been avoiding direct light though.Thank you for all the support and kind words.I will keep you updated.
Maurice

Hi, Maurice! Thanks for the update. Hopefully, you'll find a new doctor soon who will address the migraines. I think you're very wise to look elsewhere.

New news Erin has been doing a lot better so we thought things were winding down.
When were in the waiting room the lights got to hernot as bad because we went out side. Now its any time she is exposed to bright lights. She gets a constricting pain in her head and her eyes dilate but they take for ever to return and her eyes feel bruised I guess things are better because the pain is not as severe but more than normal headache.
Thank you
Maurice