Migraine

I've been reading through some of the messages and I feel like such a wimp because i've only been dealing with this for a year. But the pain tolerance seems to be going down for me. Or maybe it's just all taking a toll on my emotions and my mental strength is going down.

I'm Amy, from Michigan. I dig everything paranormal and host a weekly radio show that spotlights and highlights women in the paranormal (ParaWomenRadio). I also act on a TV Show called Nightmare SINema. I am also shooting a documentary and writing my first film script. I also was asked last week to write a book on my experiences. AND I am a social worker for women in substance abuse treatment.

About 5 years ago I started getting pains in my neck. It would shoot down my arms into my hands and make it tingle. I went to the Chiro and it helped me somewhat. I also have endometriosis and was getting horrid headaches after my mooncycle. I've spent a ton of time trying to find relief from that horrid pain (the PMS, the Cramps, and the headaches). I decided to go on the depo shot 1.5 years ago. I was about 2 months of pain free. Then the pain in my neck came back and the numbness. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't take it but it got bad enough that I went to the Dr. a few months later (the Chiro wasn't helping this time).

Then the headaches started. Oye the migraines. I had the x-rays, the MRI's, nothing showed up...except a disk that was a bit out of place (in the upper neck) and muscle spasms.

Then came the nightmare of various doctors. One even suggested I go see a psychiatrist. I don't sleep, my anxiety has skyrocketed and I have a headache just about every day. On our vacation to cali I ended up in the hospital because I couldn't get up or stop throwing up (which btw my insurance is fighting because they say that didn't warrant a trip to the ER).

Medication horror's galore. All of them seem to either make me fat or crazy. None have offered any relief except Imetrex. They don't want me to take any pain pills and i'm made to feel guilty if I take Imetrex.

I can't understand why they won't look at my neck as well as my headaches. If my neck pain came first why won't they look into my neck issues.

I'm really sad today. I've done a search for support groups and i've landed here.

I hope to learn from everyone and offer in the support here.

Love and Horror
Amy

Hi, Amy, welcome to the forum. We're glad you found us.

Finding a doctor you feel comfortable working with is vital. See this list for some possibilities:

Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists

If you have any specific questions, ask away!

My Chiro actually gave me the The Michigan Head Pain & Neurological Institute web link. Thats cool that they are listed as being recommended here.

Thanks for the welcome!

Hi Amy!

Welcome to the family!

I too like everything ghostly! DH disagrees with me on the whole paranormal thing, but I love it!

Welcome again, if you need any info from us let us know!

Check out the site, kick off your shoes and stay a while!

Welcome to the forum family Amy

Nut is spot on about getting the right doctor for you, you deserve the best care possible for your migraine pain.

I keep a migraine diary so I can track my triggers and my medication intake to avoid medication overuse headache.

I hope you don't mind me asking, just curious why you feel guilty when you have to take Imitrex?

Welcome again and I look forward to seeing you around the forum. If you have any questions, please ask away

Hi Amy, and welcome. Glad that you found us, though sorry that you have need to be here. Don't feel like a wimp or feel like you need to "compare" yourself to us. Migraine disease is a struggle for all of us, and it's a very individual disease. No matter if you get a migraine once or once a day, it's still an awful disease and a tough one to deal with.

Let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of any help. And welcome again!

Welcome Amy!

I'm into paranormal by the university definition but not by practice. I guess I'm a rather open-minded Christian one would say. I cover a lot of these topics in my blog.

You may already know this--next time you feel a migraine coming on, see if you can tell if anyone is draining psi energy from you. Energy manipulators don't use their own energy but will get it from others. It'll cause a migraine in a person sensitive to the draining. You may already know how to trace energy links back to the culprit and such--this might not be news to you.

Now don't everyone immediately attribute all migraines to your friendly neighborhood energy manipulators--it's an obscure ability and there aren't a lot of them out there, although anyone can learn now to do it. Being a Christian has given me a rather high profile in the energy manipulator world, I've come to find out. Learning how to deal with them has reduced my migraine attacks.

Enough of the paranormal! Glad you're with us.

Amy,

Hello and welcome!

Others have given you some good links. I would also stress seeing an actual headache and Migraine specialist. For many of us, that was the turning point where things started getting better.

Please let us know if you need info on anything particular?

welcome again!

Hi Amy, welcome to the forum

Hi Amy, and welcome. I'm a newbie too. Isn't it great to just find people who understand what you are going through?

I can somewhat relate to what you're going through. You said,
"About 5 years ago I started getting pains in my neck. It would shoot down my arms into my hands and make it tingle". The same thing happened to me, although my migraines have been around for longer. What they found was a bulging disc at C-6 (I believe). It was the pinching of nerve(s) that caused the pain to radiate down my arm and into my hand. I was in so much pain for about 4 weeks. I lost lots of sleep, that's for sure. They treated it with a course of steroids and some pain medication. It got better and has only flared up bad once since then. I don't know what's going on in your body, but the neck problem you describe sounds a lot like mine, but mine didn't CAUSE my migraines. It sure did work as a trigger, though. If you do the research (or just read here), you will find that migraine is a neurological disease. While the exact cause of migraines is not known, there is evidence to suggest that a series of events – often called a migraine cascade – begins with certain nerve cells in the brain. Researchers believe, that in people who have migraines, these nerve cells may be prone to overexcitation. Although nerve cells can become excited for no apparent reason, the migraine cascade can also be started by a particular event, called a migraine "trigger." Common migraine triggers include changes in sleep habits, stress and the letdown after stress, flashing lights, strong odors, weather, and other common factors. For some of us, neck pain is a trigger, as are certain foods.

I, too, after such a long time of being pelted with "brain pain", felt like I was just completely drained of my emotional, physical, and even my spiritual energy. So you are not alone, there. Imitrex is really the only thing that works well for my migraines, too, but I've recently found out (according to my neurologist, pharmacist, and insurance company), that they are going to be getting stricter on triptan medications because of the effects they have on the arteries. According to my doctor, if coronary arteries are regularly constricted, hemorrhaging in the endothelial tissues will occur and over time may promote clogging of the arteries, increasing the chance of a heart attack. They've always known this about Imitrex, but over time, as with any other drug, they find out more about it. This may be why someone is making you feel guilty (and it might be more about how they are concerned about your well-being and not so much that they are trying to make you feel bad). ) Personally, I think it should be "our" choice to take Imitrex, especially if it means the difference between living life to the fullest, or not caring about life at all, which is how I got sometimes. I will admit one thing, though. Ever since my recent dealings with having a hard time getting my Imitrex, I've become more willing to try just about anything. They say that Imitrex causes rebound migraine. That would make sense since I slowly (over time) had to use it more and more and more. I started using Imitrex in the 90's, maybe only a few times a month. Last month, I was taking it almost every day. I KNOW FOR A FACT that I was having medication overuse headaches, because after a few weeks of making many changes in my life (exercise, diet, management of stress, etc.), I only used Imitrex 1 day last week (down from 3 the week before). AMAZING! Now, God willing, this trend will continue.

I have taken pain killers before but they are no good for me. I just got addicted to them and they weren't REALLY doing the trick anyway. I think that most doctors try to keep their patients from taking prescription pain meds for migraines. Once I came to the conclusion that I was experiencing rebound headaches, I quit using ALL prescription pain meds. That, along with other changes, has minimized my migraines in a BIG way.

As for medications that make us feel crazy or make us fat... well, I can certainly relate to this too. I've tried so many different preventative medications, all of which have side effects that I didn't want to deal with. Finally, one day, my neuro said, "Sandi, at some point you going to have to decide what you're more willing to live with - side effects from a preventative that works, or your migraines. She's right, but it's taken me a long time to believe that and be more open to trying different medications.

I hope that you feel as empowered about migraine disease as I do, once you get to know more. Now that I've found this site and have been looking MORE for solutions, instead of having a constant pity party for myself, things have gotten so much better. Thank God.

Blessings,

~Sandi~

Hi Amy,

Seems like others gave you some great information already. So I will just add my "welcome" for now and I hope to see you on future posts

Dar

Eileen, my husbands verdict is still out on the paranormal thing as well haha

Laura, I've been made to feel awfully guilty about taking anything other then the preventative for my migraines by the doctors. I'm told everything is a rebound headache if I have a migraine and have taken anything other then the preventative. So I've tried my hardest not to take anything. But when these headaches get ahead of me I end up in the hospital. I'm anxious and torn most days. Worried that the next migraine is around the corner etc...

MJ thanks, I've been told by my doctors that my migraines are no where near as bad as others, so I guess thats why I said that.

Medieval, you know we just interviewed a psychic vampire (one that uses other peoples energy) on our radio show. She does it in a consentual way (from people who have too much energy) and she gave us and our listenrs ways to prevent energy stealing.

Sandi- I truly feel I have cervogenic headaches. I have both c2 issues and c5 (thats where the pain and tingling comes from c5). If i'm wrong i'm wrong, but I want to at least explore this instead of pelting myself with drugs with nasty side effects. My brother has the same issues and has found a doctor that is treating his neck to prevent his headaches. I'm going on Monday to see him. I'm taking an Imetrex about 2x a week. Its the only thing that works when a headache gets ahead of me. Or the hospital. lol

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome!

Amy,

I hate that you have been made to feel guilty. Medication overuse is something to look out for though. Please read that article when you can. (I gave you the link again, just in case you need it)

Also, I agree with Teri, a migraine specialist is worth looking into.

Hope you are doing well!

Hi Amy,

I'm checking in here late, but I just wanted to welcome you to our forum family, too!

I'm sorry you're feeling so torn about your medications. It's hard enough to manage migraine disease--you certainly don't need to feel guilty about taking your medications!

You definitely need a doctor who knows his stuff! Please think about seeing a migraine specialist. A good doctor can make a VERY significant difference in your care!

Oh, and I think it sounds reasonable to explore the neck issues with a specialist! Maybe you need to see a neurosurgeon for something like that??

jenny

Amy,

I'm not at all familiar with cervogenic headaches. I hope that your brother's doctor will have the answers you seek.

Blessings,

Sandi