Migraine

Good morning All

I'm up and around early I guess. I have a lot to get done today. I have to work on the ugly "L" word, ride Harmoni, and go to the grocery store with my mother (which becomes a major trip let me tell you, because she's a bit slow). But she enjoys buying her own groceries so it's not really a problem. I just have to plan for a 3 hour trip.

I'm waiting to hear from Dr. R's office regarding when we start the 4 gm Mg infusions each week. I so hope they make a bigger difference. The 2 gm infusions helped but I still had 3 mild headaches a week, they were just easier to treat and more premigrainous versus actual migraines. Maybe getting my magnesium up to a normal level will slow down how many actual headaches I have.

Thank goodness for Diamox. It really helps me when the weather is unsettled which it is right now. I love the fact that we keep getting a bit of rain on and off. We've been getting an inch every few days. Believe it or not, so far it's not breaking the drought, we are so far behind in rain, and it's raining in the wrong places to replenish the aquifer, but our hay/grass likes it anyway.

Hope everyone has a less painful or pain free day.

Tracie

Just the person I wanted to see...Tracie...I've got questions for you!

There's a rumor in town that a new migraine doctor has arrived so I pushed up my neuro date for Monday and I'm going to ask him about this new doc. I want to find out if he does IV mag in his office and if he does, I'm there! Dr. K has wanted me to find someone since I started seeing him. So, my question to you is...do you have TriCare Prime? And, how did you get them to cover the infusions? Did Dr. K write a letter or your neuro or what? Hopefully, you'll see this. Thanks!

So, I woke up with a Migraine again last night. These things are getting a bit out of control again, not sure why. But, I increased my Lamictal to 75 mgs so hopefully that will help.

DH and I had a great date night yesterday. We went to dinner and a movie. It was so nice to spend some quality time with him without the kids LOL

Today it's more job hunting and going over paperwork I've let sit on my desk. I'm not going bike riding today since my head is hurting but I did go yesterday...hooray!

I hope everyone has a great Friday!

Hello all,

Having a pleasing day. Migraine this morning that past very quickly. Pain level about a 7, that's good for me. I took some meds to cut that little bug legs off.

I took a break here at work and steped outside and walked a bit. A little chilly here in the Midwest. I was able to put my earphones in ( on a low volume) happy happy joy joy... a co worker and I are eating lunch together later. I am so bliss now. My new treatment, so far so good. At the end of this post I want to share some with everyone. It's how I feel today. I'm in love with me all over again and enjoying my life for now.

renewed
Dutchess

Til it happens to you

Hello everyone,
Its raining again here. We just got through a long stretch of rain that lasted over 2 weeks, so I was disappointed to wake up to rain again today.

Tracie- I have another question for you. Are you getting the magnesium infusions because you are low on magnesium or just because they help your headaches? I am now going to a neuro that gives IV infusions in her office and she did some labwork to check my vitamin levels and all the ones she checked turned out normal including magnesium.

Well, I'd better get back to work. I hope everyone had a good day!

Peggy

Hi gang -

It's cold here! Cold, cold, cold! I'm not sleeping well because I'm so cold all night. Need more blankets and to break out the warm pjs and socks. The sun keeps coming out for a few minutes and then hiding again - not long enough to warm things up.

Yesterday was pretty wasted - though I did feel well enough to go out to Back to School night - luckily I could lean on Danny. My head pain was gone by mid-afternoon, but I still had vertigo. Mild. I was leaning on his arm like an old woman. We really like all Adam's teachers and were able to have a little meeting with his counselor.

Not much else to report. In 2 weeks we go out to Minn to see Rach for parents' weekend. Can't wait!

Alaura glad to hear from you last night that at least your Migraine broke!

Tracie hope you get the rain you need!

Laura glad you and DH got out.

Dutchess thanks for the song - great!

Peggy it keeps raining here too - I want a nice long sunny stretch.

See you all later!

- megs

Laura--First I have Tricare Insurance but NOT Tricare Prime. I learned long ago that Prime causes problems in get things pre-approved and Tricare is easier to get unusual things like botox etc through.

I get my infusions at an infusion center run by Scott and White Hospital in Temple (Yup, I get them in Temple, 1 hour's drive 1 way), but Tricare pays the bill without complaint. I think it's because they're billed as a procedure is why Tricare pays fine. They don't reimburse even a dollar for the actual Magnesium. They treat it as a oral medication and the note always says that I should get it by mailorder, LOL!!!

PeggyAnn--I get the Magnesium infusions in an effort to improve my migraines because my intracellular magnesium is extremely low. Magnesium is extremely hard to measure in the human body, but recently they worked out a way to lyse red blood cells and measure the amount of magnesium in them and that's considered a better indicator of hypomagnesiumemia or someone who doesn't maintain enough magnesium to aid in keeping the pain pathways less sensitive.

Originally, my intracellular magnesium was only around 3 (goal is around 5). 6+ months of Mag Sulfate infusions 2 gm/week got it as high as 4. That's why we're going to double the dose and see how it goes. I'll be getting more labs as we increase the dose a few weeks in. The 2 gm dose had been doing me some good, just not anything really spectacular. I wasn't sure it was worth getting it every week until Dr. K showed me the lab results, but now I'm ready to go at it again with the higher dose.

Tracie

Tracie- Thanks for your response. It sounds like you got some special test done for the magnesium. I don't know what they did for me, but with my results being normal, they probably won't consider magnesium infusions the best option for me. We'll see. I hope the higher dose infusions work wonders for you!

Peggy

Hey Laura, if you find someone in the Tidewater area that does IV magnesium, definitely send the info my way! I even spent one afternoon calling all sorts of places even the supposed pain clinic thing over in Portmouth. Nada.

The couple times I've had it, it has made me feel magnificent for almost a week.I'm trying to figure out how much I can manage to take by mouth without causing massive GI problems.

Yesterday was sort of nasty. After toughing my way thru a morning of pain I took some Axert. I'm not wildly thrilled by the chest tightness thing. It helped the pain some, but made me feel dizzy and really "zonked".

Tracie,

Thanks for the information. DH is starting to look into retirement so we're having to decide which way to go for Tricare...prime or standard...you actually may have just helped with that.

Amy, I'll keep you posted on what I find out. I recall being told that your body can only absorb a certain amount of magnesium despite how much you take orally, you might want to ask your doctor about that to make sure though.