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Post by kinetickid on Jan 15, 2011 14:42:45 GMT -5
I believe migraines have indeed been strongly correlated to problems with blood pressure in the brain/CNS. I've also heard (from a less scientific source) that you don't get migraines during pregnancy; would be interested to hear personal experiences from migraine sufferers who've had kids. I have a friend who had never had a migraine UNTIL she got pregnant with her daughter (her firstborn was a son and she didn't have any headaches with him). The migraines never subsided, even after the girl was born. She's now in her 50s and suffers with migraines several times a month. My migraines are largely related to hormonal changes, though the one I just recovered from didn't seem to be hormonally-triggered. I had migraines before pregnancy, none during pregnancy, and they were greatly alleviated while I was breastfeeding. Then they returned with a vengeance after I stopped nursing. Now they're worse than ever. In my case, since my migraines are closely tied to hormonal changes, it makes sense why I didn't suffer with them during pregnancy. But I don't know if that's the case for every migraineur.
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lurkyloo
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Post by lurkyloo on Jan 15, 2011 16:23:51 GMT -5
Interesting...actually, that really sucks for your friend! Hormones are a big trigger for me (the others are barometric pressure changes (new), lack of sleep, and most red wines, while some perfumes seem to exacerbate an existing condition). I won't do birth control pills anymore, the last time I had migraines one week a month (the placebo pill-week) and when they tried switching me to the low-estrogen one it was all the time.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2011 16:30:42 GMT -5
I have suffered from migraines since I started my period as a teen. I will be down for a day or 2 with the really bad ones. Mine are all different though. Sometimes I will lose vision, sometimes I will just see halos. I usually have the vomiting that goes with it. I have tried several prescription meds and of the ones I have tried the side effects seem worse than the migraines. My family all knows that when momma has a migraine that they just need to leave me alone and let me sleep.
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Post by kinetickid on Jan 15, 2011 17:52:02 GMT -5
Interesting...actually, that really sucks for your friend! Hormones are a big trigger for me (the others are barometric pressure changes (new), lack of sleep, and most red wines, while some perfumes seem to exacerbate an existing condition). I won't do birth control pills anymore, the last time I had migraines one week a month (the placebo pill-week) and when they tried switching me to the low-estrogen one it was all the time. You know, I had a great experience with the Pill before having a kid, but once she was born, the Pill worsened my migraines. For birth control now, I have an IUD (the non-hormonal, copper one).
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Post by aries7 on Jan 18, 2011 0:39:25 GMT -5
I started getting migraines in my early thirties. I didn't get migraines during pregnancy, but I also had my kids when I was 18 and 20 years old. I take Immitex (Sumatriptan) and this does relieve my migraines. It is a rather expensive medicine, but without it, I would end up missing a fair amount of work. By taking an Immitrex when I first feel the headache coming on, I am able to continue functioning. Usually within about an hour of taking it, I feel better. Mine also seem to be mostly hormonal. I had a hysterectomy (Uterus only) a little over a year ago. Not for migraines though I had hoped it might help them. It didn't. I must say, I am very grateful for the Immitrex.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Jan 18, 2011 9:14:56 GMT -5
I get migraines a few times a year. I would really be concerned if I was getting them on a more regular basis. I have found that if I take Excedrin Tension Headache as soon as I feel one starting and go back to sleep, I can wake up and feel reasonably normal. If I miss the window of opportunity, I am down and out for at least a day and a half. Mine do not hurt, but the room spins, and I vomit every time I try to lift my head. It is a horrible thing to experience.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Jan 18, 2011 9:29:39 GMT -5
I get migraines about 7-8 times a year. I never used to know what was happening, or why I was feeling so bad as mine are a little bit different. One day I was struggling with intense intestinal pain and nausea. After about six hours, I figured I was dying and the doctor asked me to come right in. After a few questions, he quickly said I was having a migraine and told me that quite often, a migraine has nothing to do with a head ache. He gave me a shot of imatrex, and after floating above the table for about ten minutes, I was back to normal.
I now have a prescription and am learning what my triggers are (no red wine, for example). I can tell when one is coming on, I take my magic pill, go to sleep for about 4 hours then get back on with my day. All I can say is that they suck and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Jan 18, 2011 12:12:07 GMT -5
FMLA: If your employer employs at least 50 people within 75 miles, FMLA applies, even if only 5 peopl work in your current office. However, if you work for a company that FMLA does not apply to, you can't use FMLA for migraines. In that case, you need to be talking to your boss/HR person. But the truth is, if you're chronically missing work, even for medical reasons, they do have right to let you go.
drugs: Just a reminder that just because a migraine med works for one person does not mean it will work for another. Because migraines have such different causes, different meds work for different people. If you're med is not working, or is only working "ok", talk to your MD and get some samples. Find something that does work. If your MD is not responsive, get yourself another MD. Go to a neurologist if necessary. There are daily preventative pills, but know they don't work perfectly for all people, though for people who get one or more migraines a week, they are still recommended.
food triggers: You can find a list of food triggers on the internet, but know that they are only the most common triggers. Just becuase one of them does not cause a migraine in you does not me you don't have migraines. Also, just because a food is not listed on the list does not mean it can't trigger a migraine in you. Some of the common triggers I remember: red wine, pork, cheese, chocolate. Chocolate, actual cocoa, is a trigger for DH. He can eat limited amounts of milk chocolate because it has very little actual cocoa, but even a bite of dark chocolate can send him over the edge. Aspartame (sweet & low) is an instant trigger for DH. He refers to it as "poison" and we can't have it in the house at all. The smallest amount has him out for the count.
environmental triggers: Some migraines are related to allergies, barmetric pressure, etc. DH had gotten maybe 5 migraines in his life up until a couple of years ago when he started getting them regularly. We talked to the MD at the time about why that was, and were told they don't really know. We were told it was a lot like allergies- sometimes you outgrew them and sometimes you developed them.
sinus issues: Again, this is just one of the possible triggers. DH does have sinus issues, but his sinus issues were much more severe when he was kid, when they did not trigger regular migraines.
While migraines feel like a problem in and of themselves, they are, in fact, a symptom. The problem is is that they are a symptom of multiple other issues. Sometimes by keeping a log you can figure out its food allergy and eliminate trigger foods. Sometimes a CAT scan will reveal you have a mild form of epilepsy, and they can be treated that way. And sometimes, the MDs just don't know.
I am in the very lucky category of migraine sufferers: ie I get them very infrequently. As a child, they were almost always brought on by overstimulation and exhaustion. As an adult, they are the first symptom/warning that I am about to get a viral (shingles) outbreak. For me, I'm at once every year to two years, not often enough to have meds. DH is in the lucky category: He gets them fairly regularly, but they come with a distinct feeling in his head before the pain starts, and he had a med that works really well for him. Taken properly, he doesn't lose more than a couple hours from his day. We know people who are less lucky: those on multiple daily meds (migraine pills, high blood pressure pills, etc) and are still questing for the right mix to cope with the pain. I work with a woman who wears sunglasses at all times, and has to keep her cube shaded. She takes a daily pill and has an additional 3 step protocol for migraines, including standing orders from her neurologist on file at the ERs closest to her home and her work.
But I agree with the earlier assessment: People who actually suffer from migraines, have been to the doctor about them, etc, almost always end up in conversations about which drug works for them. That they have heard of trigger X, and maybe that could be a factor for the person they are talking to, etc. Its an instant community where everyone wants to help their fellow sufferers avoid and treat the pain as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Jan 18, 2011 13:29:07 GMT -5
I am also blessed with an occasional kidney stone, I would take a kidney stone over a migraine. They hurt like hell, but a little morphine goes a long way..
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hurley1980
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Post by hurley1980 on Jan 18, 2011 16:34:53 GMT -5
OP - I've had migraines for nearly 24 years now (first one when I was 6 years old)! I get the works: nausea and vomiting, pain in my head, loss of vision, loss of feeling in my hands, and eventually I black out completely. I've tried nearly every medication under the sun for them and found that Imitrex injectibles worked great for me, although I hit a nerve once and my leg swelled up for a few hours....that scared me enough to change my prescription. I use Zomig nasal spray right now, and it takes about an hour or two to completely get rid of the migraine. I would suggest looking into either one of those. I thought I was going to be cursed with migraines for the rest of my life, and it's nice to know that there are meds out there that can get rid of the pain. They tend to be rather pricey though without insurance. My Zomig is still $10 a pop even with my PPO! Good luck to you!
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sil
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Post by sil on Jan 20, 2011 18:50:19 GMT -5
I rarely have migraines, and almost half the time they are painless, I think. On the few occasions when they have hit me while at work, I ask DH to pick me up from the office because usually my vision is so impacted that I cannot drive. I'm a bit suspicious of people who drive themselves home when they claim to have a migraine.
When I get home I take a nighttime pain reliever and just sleep it off. Not sure if I dont feel migraine pain, or if I'm just not aware of it because Im asleep. Although one time either the headache or the aspirin cause me to vomit, which left me awake, in pain and still nauscious.....awful stuff.
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jan 21, 2011 16:42:45 GMT -5
...:::"In my old department, we had a couple people who had ongoing FMLAs in place that often seemed to have problems around the weekends. It go to the point that one of the supervisors referred to their FMLAs as the Friday/Monday Leave Act.":::...
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Jan 21, 2011 19:50:03 GMT -5
toughtimes: The cases I was talking of were not migraine related. And in both cases (this was verified via the time clock) were people who never called in sick mid-week, but always called in to extend 3 day weekends to 4, and regularly called out on Monday or Friday. Also, if they did not get approved for vacation days they wanted (union staff, all vacation requests had to come in writing, so again, there was a record) they would simply call in on the days they wanted off. Unfortunately, because FMLA protection, there was nothing the supervisors could do about the blatant abuse until FMLA hours ran out.
And I will note, I was the first person to bring up that migraine sufferers should file for FMLA protection. I believe strongly in the law and part of my job is making sure it is administered correctly in my department. Because I believe in the purpose of FMLA, it just annoys me more when people abuse it.
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rileyoday
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Post by rileyoday on Jan 21, 2011 20:26:34 GMT -5
Shenandoah, thank you for the good info you posted. I developed Migraines in my late 30s. in less than 2 years I was having 5 a week. I never found a preventive to work and Imitrex was my abortive with many side effects.
I did get some relief with 5-hpt { herbal} and I have gotten daily relief with a script of clonodine three times a day.
I never had any understanding from co-workers or family. In my last days I found relief. I hope relief for all of you soon.
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on Jan 21, 2011 21:40:03 GMT -5
Wasn't there a Dilbert cartoon where Wally got PHB all wound up by pointing out that 40% of sick days were taken on Monday or Friday?
(I believe you, shanendoah, and people who abuse such policies are scum. But the strip was still really funny!)
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