Migraine

It seems like I can almost guarantee I'll get a migraine when I have big plans. I have been able to use Excedrin to help my migraines, and it has gotten to the point that I'll take it an hour or two beforehand, just to be safe. Anybody else have similar occurrences? Any suggestions other than pre-medicating?

Hi, Ruth. I don't really have any suggestions for you, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum. We're glad you found us.

I'm sure some of our members who share this problem will be along soon to share their ideas.

Take care.

I don't have good any suggestions. But I do remember that my mother ALWAYS got a migraine either shortly before, the day of, or right after a big event. I think it was just the stress, anticipation, whatever of the whole thing. The planning, nerves, etc.

Well, maybe one suggestion would be anything that could help with decreasing the stress level. For anything, there are things like biofeedback, self hypnosis, hypnosis, yoga, meditation, etc. Medications for short term use if you are very stressed out before an event or appointment (but most make you sleepy) ativan, etc.

Other things, like a presentation at work - just being prepared and going over it with someone else. Or vacation, making a list on the computer to print out (LOL, I do this so I just don't forget anything (-it's general right now but since DH forgot half his stuff I'll have to make it specific - 7 pr undies, 7 pr socks, hair brush, toothbrush...) If it's a big holiday celebration - let someone else cater it (more expensive, but is your migraine worth the stress of your cooking?) or have the kids' parties somewhere else. You get the idea?

If you've got taxes due and it's April 12th. Take them to a tax person in March next year. It's silly that we do that, but guess what. Neither of us wants to muddle thru the info on small business (that makes NO money most years) or all the crazy mutual fund stuff, so we let her worry about it. I just have to remember to pick it up.

So those are not ideas to prevent your migraine per se, but they might prevent your stress build up. When I started with the accupunture lady, she asked a lot of questions and it occurred to me that *I* create my own stress. I kind of knew that but putting it out on paper made it reality. I try to please everyone. Well no so much anymore. Over the past few months, I've tried to just do a good job, not be everything to everybody. It's hard, but guess what? You can change. (When people asked where our neighborhood dues letters were, I just told them I hadn't done them yet. They are usually sent out, by me, in Dec, for the past 13 years. This year, the 14th year, they got sent out in early March. Well gosh darnit, I am sick of being treasurer but no one else will even be on the board so beggers can't be choosers.)

I STILL haven't sent out my Christmas cards despite the fact I've handwritten notes for 80% of them and written a generic letter that's gone from Happy new year to Happy Valentine Day to Happy St Patty Day. I just need to pick out some pictures from the 18 months worth still in their packages. I missed 2006 b/c my HA were out of control. Guess it'll say April fools Day if I can do it this week. If not, I'll find a website with holidays and list a crazy one. I quit stressing about after V-day rolled by...... Maybe it'll be a happy every 3'rd Christmas?

Good luck! Hope you find the PEACE you need to prevent those annoying migraines. LOL! Just say no to stress!

Diane

Welcome Ruth

This used to happen to me, until I began to use some de-stress techniques. I also used to pre-medicate with Excedrin, but that ended up causing me medication overuse headache, combined with the fact that Excedrin was what I most often used when I GOT a headache. Please be careful of that. Getting into that cycle was the worst thing and SO hard to get out of once I was in it.

I am getting ready to look into bio-feedback and I want to do yoga, if I can find a routine that doesn't hurt my neck.

I wish you the best of luck...

Blessings,
Sandi

I can't give you a lot of suggestions, because I pre-medicate, too, usually with Imitrex. I used to use Frova, which has a longer half-life, but I'm seeing a new specialist, and she's prescribing only Imitrex. The last time I did was the visitation and funeral for the 20 y/o daughter of a close cousin. I didn't have to for the big family Easter celebration at my mom's.

We're going to a Golden Anniversary party for one of DH's uncles next month, out of town. We stay in a motel when we go to the part of the state where they live and spend a couple of days visiting family. The stress of all that "unfamiliarity" can trigger my head. So, depending on how it's feeling, I'll take my Anaprox and Imitrex, even if it's only a 3.

After about 50 years, I'm finally learning to stop when something is "good enough." Nobody's going to notice if the top shelves haven't been dusted. They won't go in the kids' bedroom if you close the door. Like Diane said, letting somebody else do the food is a great help. Lots of people bring KFC to family reunions instead of fixing Grandma's recipe, and nobody says a thing. A Red Velvet cake from Kroger isn't nearly as good as the one I make from DH's Grandmama's recipe, but nobody cares. The company is much more important.

Ask your doctor for suggestions. S/he may have some good ideas.

Gretchen in Mississippi

Hi Ruth -

This is very familiar to me too. I have had a lot of good luck with deep breathing and relaxation techniques. If I do them daily, my general stress level goes down and my migraines get less frequent, even in stressful times. If I do deep breathing when I feel myself tensing up, I can sometimes relax my head enough to prevent a tension headache, which for me often turns into a migraine. I have even used breathing to delay the onset of a migraine on several occasions when I was traveling on business and couldn't stop and medicate. I posted some basic techniques on my blog at Free My Brain - here if you want to give them a try.

The thing about the Exedrin is it may help with a tension type headache which could otherwise morph into a migraine, but as I understand it Exedrin and other analgesics don't actually stop the migraine process.

Welcome to the forum!

- megs

quote:

The thing about the Exedrin is it may help with a tension type headache which could otherwise morph into a migraine, but as I understand it Exedrin and other analgesics don't actually stop the migraine process.

Well, that actually makes a lot of sense. I get two kinds of migraines: The first starts out as a "regular" headache and as time goes by it morphs into a migraine. If I take Excedrin early on it seems to do the trick. The other kind is a straight-up migraine. It usually starts out with visual aura (spots of light or "sparkles" in my vision), followed an hour or two later by nausea and then headache. The second kind of migraine is pretty much unavoidable at this point.


It's funny, I never really made the connection until now. And lately I have started to have more and more of the second migraine.