I though I would start a thread for those of us who suffer from migraines.
If you are a migraine sufferer then you will know how debilitating they can be.
I was diagnosed with migraines when I was 4 years old and they have continued through my adulthood. My last hospitalisation was when I was 18 however I still continue to get migraines 6-10 times a year. I have learned how to spot the symptoms, avoid the triggers and manage the pain (therefore avoiding hospital for so long).
For a period a few years ago I had cluster headaches as well which meant I couldn't go to school for over a month - they were chronic. I had a 2 week period of clusters again this year which was awful.
I would love to hear from anyone who suffers from migraines who can share their experiences.
I usually get them with the arrival of AF but can get them mid cycle at times as well which is what has happened this month. I am on imigrain which i must take as soon as I feel one is inbound and it can usually disappear within the hour. My doctor wants me to take a preventative, to stop them from occuring at all. So have to get that script filled as Imigrain is pretty expensive for 4 tablets, and 4 tablets wont do me 1mth if a get a mid cycle migraine.
I have never been hospitalised with migraines but been pretty unwell at times.
i feel your pain girls i have suffered migraines and servere headaches from the age of 11 years hospitalised on average once every 3 months or so till i had my first child they then began to taper out and for the first 2 years of her life i suffered i wasn't hospitalise at all though i still had the occassional migraine when she was 3 i hit rock bottom and averaged one every 2 weeks and was tried on a array of preventive drugs none of which worked i tried accupucture it helped a little i then had my 2nd child and they all but disappeared and probably got one a year for the next 7 years and then just before i fell pg with Ryan i was hospitalised again with a cluster that lasted 10 days of pure hell i have had one since having him i seriously can not remember a day when i don't wake up with a headache in varying degrees and i have come to terms with that fact that is is a game of chance whether it turms into a migraine or not i have become very good at recogonising the signs and try very hard to avoid triggers and medicate accordingly over the years i have had countless tests MRI Ct scans etc and all they have found is fused vertabrae at C4 and C5 which is constricting blood and nerve pulses apparently it can be operated on but the chance of ending up in a wheelchair doesn't appeal to me so i soilder on the best i can but it ****es me off that i have missed out on so much of my children by being in bed lights off curtains drawn and a wet wash clothe on my head so this thread i will watch with anticipation for some great tips .
I haven't spoken to my doctor about a preventative but he does give me painkillers and mersyndol every 3 months. I have a stockpile of Nuerofen Plus which I take at the first sign of a headache. If that doesn't work then I move on to the mersyndol, close the curtains, get a bucket and try and sleep it off.
My work is incredibly understanding - my bosses mother was a sufferer so he allows me as much time off as I need.
I find that if I take some painkillers at the first sign of a headache it usually goes away within an hour or so. But if the headache starts in the middle of the night when I am asleep - it's too late by the time I wake up and absolutely nothing works to kick it. That is when I have to sleep, sleep, sleep! It usually takes me about 3 days to fully recover from my migraines - I spend those days feeling like I've been run over by a truck. My whole body gets exhausted by them.
When I have had clusters nothing works at all. The pain is like taking a baseball bat to the head but amplified by 10 - and that pain is constant for about 30 minutes every 3-4 hours. Although last time it was only once every 24 hours (usually at about 5pm). Absolutely horrific.
I think I might head to my GP though and talk to him about preventative medication.
Last edited by Aimz; August 12th, 2008 at 08:29 AM.
Prior to having the girls, I used to get constant migraines. At one stage, I had one for 5 weeks, most of that time I was in hospital. I used to have a preventer, and it worked fabulously. But since having the girls, I've only had one migraine, which was a week ago. So I no longer need to take the preventer.
I used to get migranes every couple of mths or so, usually when i was stressed or overtired. I started getting them when I was about 7yrs old.
When I was about 19 I started getting the "flashing lights" & distorted vision about half an hour before the headache would start. If I took nurofen plus & had a lie down before the headache started I would usually be ok.
Since being pregnant with DD I haven't had one! I was so worried about being pregnant & not being able to take painkillers, but I haven't had to worry
Migraine Sufferers
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