Migraine

Hi!
I am a 34 year old migraine sufferer and have been doing this for 17 years! I have tried so many different things and am at my wits end.
I want to have kids but I am afraid of coming off my meds and not having my imitrex or other meds!
I am looking to find a migraine clinic in the area to start with. I love my neuro but I think it is time to step away form the nest and get another opinion from someone who ooks at people like us ALL DAY!
This is my first post so hope it is ok.
Would love some help!
Thanks
JoAnn
Also, I have recently been told about monthly magnesium infusions, does anyone have any personal experience?

Hi JoAnn!

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn more about migraine disease and meet lots of wonderful folks, too.

I know it's not right next door, but I know that lots of us have had success at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. Worth considering, maybe? Lots of us drive great distances or even fly to get there. Maybe they'd be helpful to you, too.

I'm not a person who receives weekly magnesium infusions, but I do receive them when my migraines run out of control. They often abort my migraine completely. We do have members who receive magnesium infusions on a preventative basis--I sure do hope some of them stop by to say "Hi" and tell you about their experiences.

As far as having kids goes, I've been a chronic migraine with aura sufferer for as long as I can remember, but I managed to have two beautiful sons. Pregnancy was not easy for me, but it was certainly worth it. You never really know what your experience will be like...I have a good friend whose migraines completely stopped with pregnancy!

Well, it's nice to "meet" you! I look forward to talking with you again soon!

jenny

Hi JoAnn -

If you look in the patient recommended Migraine specialists list on this site, you'll see several docs in NYC, which is not too bad to get to from Bergen - some of the leading specialists in the country are there. Also at Jefferson in Philly as Jenny mentioned. I've been seeing someone in New Brunswick at UMDNJ who has been not bad, though I'm not fully satisfied, but from where you are NYC is probably just as easy. The dr in New Brunswick is not on the list on the site here - if you want to hear more about my experience with him, contact me through my blog site below.

I'll add on to what Jenny said about having kids... only you can decide of course, but many women find pregnancy makes their Migraines improve, at least temporarily. I know it's not true for everyone, and it can go the other way. My Migraines were completely gone while I was pregnant and breast-feeding. And having these two compassionate young people who love me in the world, can't trade that for anything - well, I'm sorry they've had to deal with a mother who's been ill a lot, but they've turned out well anyway! (14 and 18 now.)

Look for TracieB on the forum here - you can search her posts - I think she gets Magnesium monthly or even weekly and it has helped her a lot.

Welcome to the forum.

- Megan

Welcome to our Forum!!!!

There are a lot of options in NYC, Jefferson in Philadelphia, and I know there is also a clinic in Connecticut. I'm not sure what your transportation/insurance situation is....

I also see the same New Brunswick doc as Nutmegan. He's not a bad guy, just doesn't seem too comfortable thinking outside the box. I've made progress with him, but not enough as far as I'm concerned. I have an appt with him on 9/2 which will decide my next steps....

Also, Eileen (one of our moderators) sees a doc in Wayne NJ she has had a lot of success with (my next stop after New Brunswick)

You are going to find great information and great friends here on out little forum. And a lot of jersey girls too!

Kelly

Hello and welcome to our forum family, Joanne! 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

Sorry to have missed your post in the shuffle and thus not given you a proper host welcome. Your first post is just fine.

I'm glad some of the others have popped by with some info about NJ docs for you. I hope you're able to find a good one. I think it's great that you know when it's time to get an opinion from a true specialist, and that you're determined to find one. I wish you the best of luck in finding a great doctor match.

I could be wrong or just oblivious, but I don't think I've ever heard of doing monthly magnesium infusions in the hopes of preventing migraine. Most of us taking magnesium as a preventative take it orally. Usually, the IV infusion of magnesium sulfate is used to help abort and break migraine cycles. That's my understanding, for what it's worth. It definitely wouldn't hurt to ask your doctors about it, though, and see what they think.

Good Morning,

I just wanted to add my welcome.

There is one forum member I am aware of that gets periodic magnisum infusions, tracieB. I can't remember if they were weekly or every other week. I do know she mentioned she was stopping them to see if it was the infusions or other changes that was making an impact on her migraines.

Please let us know if you need any further help or support. This has been a wonderful site for me. When I joined my migraines were out of control. The information, education and support helped to get me going in the right direction.

Take care and hope to see you around.