now this too? ... migraine

[LBTC]

My migraines haven't yet had that level of vision disturbance, but had migraines off and on for years (was in denial - and I was really stressed then); and the last two had nausea included for the first time ever.

I was able to try a migraine medication as my doctor gave me a sample to try - the good thing about taking that is that if the drug works you know for sure it actually it is a migraine, and not a headache caused by something else.

Triggers I know of for me: red wine and sucralose (splenda), luckily no sign of chocolate being a trigger!

Things that have helped, other than drugs, an aromatherapy blend that includes geranium and bergamot; it's very important to rest and not move; and there are a few interesting yoga things that would help, all involving a bean bag on the head and the feet (weird, I know, but it helped). You probably know this one - but avoid heat on your neck and shoulders. A migraine has something to do with too much blood going to the brain, so heat would just cause the blood vessels to dilate further and allow even more blood in there....if you can handle a cool cloth on the back of your neck it may help...

I'm sorry that you have this to deal with too! Don't we each have enough? Since I moved here in February I've had 2 migraines, which is much more frequent than usual for me; but even stranger is that since the symptoms of Crohn's started I haven't had one. Go figure.

Good luck and take care of you. Definitely if you can figure out the trigger you're way ahead! (sounds like Crohn's, too, doesn't it?)

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[kelownagirl]

Splenda - really? I tried that for the first time week. Will have to give it another try this weekend and hope it doens't give me a headache.

[suzieqtwa]

I get migraines..... as far as migraines go I don't think they are that bad ,but they last 12 hours ,and I just have this dull throbbing on the left side of my head..its on the same side all the time. Sometimes I see lights ,and halos ,and get very nauseous. I've been prescribed imatrex ,vicodon ,nothing works...sometimes I just take an ambien ,and sleep.
I think red wine may set them off ,or stress. If I'm drinking red wine I always take an aspirin first. Seems to work.
Splenda doesn't give me a migraine, as I use it everyday. It could be anything. I know chocolate dosent give me one.

[Bikingmomof3]

I have severe migraines, several times a week. My migraines begin with an aura- visual disturbance (I lose my vision), then numbness, then intense pain.
BTW, any one of those is also a sympton of a stroke or TIA. I have had a stroke and a few TIAs.

Nothing external triggers mine, it is all brain chemistry and the neurologist are doing their best.

If you do not feel better in the morning, call your doctor. If indeed it was a migraine there are some things that can help some people.

I hope you are feeling better.

[LBTC]

Suzie you are truly lucky to have not bad migraines that only last 12 hours. A migraine for me lasts anywhere from 1 to 5 days. Mine are not always accompanied by nausea, and usually with light sensitivity, but the headache pain is so intense that I end up looking like a different person!! I'm so glad I don't get them often!

I'd never thought about stroke or (what is that other thing) like BMo3 said, but now that someone with experience has mentioned it, it's another thing for me to be worried about. heh.

Duck, I think that she's right, though. Especially if this is a new thing to you - see a doctor to ensure it isn't something like a stroke, and to see if there is a treatment that you can tolerate.

I hope you wake up feeling like $1B!!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Duck on Wheels]

Thanks all! OMG, chocolate as a trigger? I hope it wasn't the brownies!!! What would life be without chocolate?! Glad I didn't try the heat pack on my neck last night. I thought maybe neck tension was the trigger, but that would have been exactly the wrong thing to do.

I'm sure I'll have more questions. The headache was not gone this morning. Still there as a dull all-round pressure + some throbbing on the right side just above where forehead meets temple. Not so intense that I took anything for it, though, and since the aura has cleared and I was running late I drove to work (can't take the day off today because I've got an oral exam scheduled and today is his last chance for the course to count as completed in the Fall term). But I will call the doctor. As it happens, he gets migraines too. I called him when the first aura struck and he kept me on the phone for a few minutes asking how it was developing, just so he could be sure that's what it was. Then he called back a while later to hear if a headache had followed. It hadn't then, but did this time. He said I should call back if my migraines escalated or became frequent, so I will. (BTW, don't let anybody fool you that the service is bad under national health!)

Hmmm. throb moved to left side now. Interesting. Oh well. Back to work. Co-examiner here any minute to talk about the pre-oral grade. Sadly it won't be a good one. The paper may just squeek out a pass.

[LBTC]

{{{{{{{{{{{{Duck}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Right, yeah, I forgot to mention that my migraines were often followed by something I referred to as headache memory. By headache standards these were still pretty harsh, but compared to the migraine that had eased the day before, they were a walk in the park! I've read that it is best to not take anything for these as that will produce a rebound headache....pain goes away with the meds, bounces back worse when the meds are all used up....

Man, I almost forgot. There is a herb that I took for quite awhile that even the medical community has acknowledged is helpful for migraine headaches. For me a small amount each day was a good preventative, so that, while taking it the migraines I got were less frequent, less severe, and didn't last as long.

The herb is feverfew.

What I read indicated that long term use didn't cause any problems. I mentioned it to my doc when I first saw him, and he checked on his computer. That information even said that a high dose would treat an acute migraine effectively.

Good luck, ms. duck! I hope you're feeling super by tonight!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~