Migraine

Hi, i don't know where to start. I've been having migraines since my open heart surgery and the only thing that seems to work so far is morphine. I'm allergic to triptans(imitrext, zomig family) and Dhe and with my heart i'm limited on what i can take for my migraines. Everytime my sister finds out i had a migraine she brings up her favorite question, Have the doctors talked to you about what to watch for for addiction to morphine. i undersand that she is concerned i'm addicted to the stuff and i admit i might be but what can i do when it either take that or suffer through a migraine for 3 or more days. I think she understands that we are trying new things but i don't think she understands the fact that it takes time to find the right combo. I love my sister very much but i'm getting tired of her bringing up the addiction. Sometimes it doesn't seem like she supports me at all and i don't know what to do. I've shown her all the sites i can about migraines heck even my neuroligist and gp has talked to my family about it and the fact that if I am addicted we will work on getting me off of it when we find the right combo but i don't think she understands that. what do i do? I want to confid in her but i can't handle much more of her telling me that i'm addicted to morphine. She's myu older sister and i want her support not critisism. Am i being selfish or am i in denile about it? I don't know anymore.

There is a HUGE difference in being addicted and being dependent on ANY medication. Explain to your sister that you need the morphine, at this point, like a diabetic needs insulin. And then ask her if she would say that the diabetic is addicted.... I would lay odds that she will say not.

But, she will probably say that it is like comparing apples and oranges too. It isn't really, though. Both are medications to help medical conditions.

Go sit on that porch swing with that analogy with your sister that you love.

Prayers, Gilda

Would you feel comfortable taking your sister with you to the doctor? That is completely up to you, of course, but it might help.

Here's an article for you. It includes the letters that I think you used before. They helped a lot at your job, if I remember correctly? You might decide to share them with your sister as well.

Migraine and Headache Education for Those Who "Don't Get It"

Good luck with this. It's got to be so hard to have the people closest to you not understand your situation.

Nutcracker gave you a wonderful article! I hope it helps your sister understand your disease and the misery it can sometimes bring to us. Like you said, she is your older sister and she is probably in "protective mode" right now.

Maybe after showing her that article you can sit down and just talk. Heart to heart, sister to sister. Let her know how much it hurts you that she continues to make morphine the issue instead of your migraines.

Please keep us posted!

Nutcraker did give you a great article and Laura is right, you sister is probably is protective mode right now. It is sometimes dificult for people in our lives to understand that this is something that can't "fix" or we can't "fix", we can only learn to manage. My older sister too had difficulties understanding that I had to take an anti-siezure med as a preventative. After countless conversations and articles about the dangers if I do not manage my migraines, I realized I can only educate her on my disease and love her for who she is, it was up to her to understand. What she wanted to believe was out of my control. Eventually, she did understand. So, give her the knowledge and believe in her that she will finally "get it" and you can sit on the porch swing together

Dar

My sister and I have also had some issues with understanding each other's health problems. I think fear is always at the bottom of it. My suggestion is to politely, lovingly say, I would really prefer not to talk about that, okay? If you keep saying it enough, she'll get the message. She may never understand, because of her own psychological issues, so the best solution may be detachment with love.