Migraine headaches

When I was 11 or 12, I got them so bad that I would end up in tears on the bathroom floor with my head on a wet washcloth or towel. That's where I'd eventually fall asleep. They were horrible. They went away for awhile but they've crept back into my life (I'm 36 now). I hate the aura that comes with them, the sense of impending doom as it starts slowly and builds until you're almost unable to do anything else. I now get them behind my eyeballs, sometimes left, sometimes right, and sleep seems to be the only real cure.

I started getting them after playing tennis in the heat, too. I thought they might have been from dehydration, but I'd drink a lot of water before, during and after and that didn't help. However, when I switched to Gatorade, that seemed to make a difference.

Funny thing about the caffeine, though, is that it's one of the main drugs in Excedrin migraine. Actually, the only difference between Excedrin migraine and extra-strength Excedrin is the color of the label and the doctor's warning. The migraine version is red and says, if headaches persist, see a doctor.

One more thing, the New York Times has an interesting blog about migraines: http://migraine.blogs.nytimes.com/ I've read the one by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, who suffers from them. It's a good read. What I find most interesting is that he suffered anxiety attacks when he felt the migraine starting. I can understand that.

Best of luck to all of you migraine sufferers. They're no fun, and people who don't get them have no idea what they're missing.

 

I get the aura first....a little sparkly spot that grows for about fifteen minutes until I'm reasonably blinded by it....like looking through shattered glass. If I can grab a Maxalt during that time, it eradicates the headache, altho it can also knock me out for an hour or two.

Also tried butalbital (a caffeine/aspirin ) but it really didn't work for me.

I know certain things are going to increase the chances of a migraine...incoming bad weather (rain), red wine and other fermented foods, nitrates. A bright flash of light terrifies me, almost always triggers a migraine.

The scary part for me is suddenly seeing that little spot, and knowing I'm going to be seriously messed up for the next few hours.

 

This will make me sound like a quack, but please trust me on this:

I used to suffer from what I would call "classic" migraines. I'd be walking around, fine and normal, and they would start with a kind of greenish light flashing in one of my eyes. I'd have that for about 15 or 20 minutes, and then it would subside before whammo, I'd be in my room, in the dark, throwing up in a bucket. Fucking sucked. The warning shot was almost the worst part. I remember being out for a nice dinner and looking at the menu, and losing the words in the light and being like, Goddammit. As 21 said, the dread was awful.

The weird thing was, I didn't have them as a child. They just came out of nowhere. I wouldn't have them often -- six times a year maybe -- but when I did, my day was shot, and possibly the next day, too.

So, I went to my doctor, who was an excellent doctor, very holistic in her approach. She knew I had gut problems, and she ordered a blood test. She found that I was low in B12, which is absorbed in the part of the intestine where I've had hiccups. I don't know the exact science behind it, but long story short, B12 somehow helps carry oxygen through the brain. Doc put me on a course of B12 injections, and not only did I have more energy -- B12 builds red blood cells -- but my migraines disappeared, just like that. Haven't had one in years.

That's the good news. The bad news is, whenever I had a migraine, apparently that was my brain cramping for lack of oxygen, like a muscle pushed too far. So, that might explain why I'm sometimes slow about things.

Anyway, all that to say: Ask for a blood test, see if your B12 is off, and if it is, maybe try that as a fix before filling yourself up with medication.

Besides, a blood test is never a bad idea. My hemo count was, back then, 90. Today I'm at 156. I need less sleep, I have more energy... Hell, I feel like I could run a marathon when I used to get puffed climbing a flight of stairs. Blood isn't there just to make cuts look cool. It's gas in your tank.

 

Wife has had some luck with Imitrex. They have a snortable version she uses.
There's a guy on the news desk who has injectable Imitrex. Kinda funny to see this guy have to shoot up to get through a shift.

 

My Dad had the 12-hours-in-a-darkened room kind. It was one of the prevailing dynamics in our house. NOBODY could make a sound, not even walking. Then he'd be spacy and groggy for about three hours afterwards. He could always feel them coming -- the "aura" -- and sometimes he'd go to bed in advance. Chocolate, as I recall, seemed to help.
And not to be completely gloomy but severe migraines occasionally are a precursor phenomenon of Alzheimer's.

 

To avoid a migraine, stay away from this thread:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/55304/

 

Jones,

Low B12 causing anemia, is called pernicious anemia and may be due to a couple of physiologic problems: either your body doesn't have a compound called Intrinsic Factor, you lack the receptor sites in your terminal ileum (the part of the small intestine near the colon) or you were malnourished and didn't get enough in your diet, a rarity in North America with vitamin enriched food.

B12 and folic acid are the building blocks for red blood cell membranes, so not enough of either of these will lead to anemia. Iron deficiency leads to less hemoglobin production, the oxygen carrying part of the red blood cell.

Anyway, the brain "cramps" from migraines are thought to be due to spasm of some of the arteries in the brain, so you're almost right when it comes to etiology, but it isn't necessarily because of low blood cell counts.

The treatments menitoned like imitrex and maxalt work to decrease the vascular spasm in the brain to alleviate the headache.

 

I see little flashes of light right before I get them. It's almost like a patch of flying insects in a field or the woods. I see several flashing lights right in the same area and within an hour, I'm out.

I had about 30 migraines in 35 days when the doctor did a CT scan and then put me on the topimirate (topamax) and said it should take care of 'em. Thank God for that. I'm like Jones. If I have a migraine, I have to be in a pitch black room, I can't eat, and I'm still puking. It's miserable.

 

spup-
I get those same exact auras just before my migraines.

I recently got on verapamil, that I must take every morning.

From my standpoint, it seems much more well worth it to get on something that I take every morning in the interest of trying to be proactive, than a reactionary medicine, which I was previously on.

 

That's exactly how I am, notepad. I'd rather take something every day and deal with the occasional side effect of some numbness... or lack of appetite to make the migraines go away.

And some of the side effects are positive for me, so I won't complain about those.

 

Man, dools, you;re just MONEY on those four-footers during today's round, aren't you?

 

spup-
The worst feeling in the world is when you start to see that bright light just before the migraine kicks in and you still have your wits about you.

Because it is like, "F! my day is f'ing ruined."