Things That Ease The Hurt

By AlaskanMom Thursday, January 01, 2009

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These are just a few things that seem to help me. I don't know if anyone else has done these things or they may be posted elsewhere, but they are techniques I stumbled on while trying to find relief.

I keep any small ice packs I find (sometimes come from small medication mailings) or friends/family have held onto for me, ready in the freezer. The smallest I have are about the size of a post-it note and 1 inch thick. It's nice for the sharp pain points. If its my temple, I wear a loose headband and put it under so it can stay without having to get my fingers cold.
A friend told me to take small tufts of hair at about the middle of the top of my head and lightly tug. It serves to "confuse" the nerves and can provide temporary relief or at least relieve the pain in that area for a time. I do this and alternate with medium pressure with the tips (not the fingernail) of my fingers.
If I have nausea with the pain, I found, inducing a light chill can confuse the nerves causing the nausea and pain. My instinct is to crawl under a warm blanket, but if I feel sick too, the heat seems to bring on vomiting. I stayed uncovered a few times, under the ceiling fan and when I would get a shiver, the nausea would subside as well as the pain. It's brief, but sometimes, near the end, it seems to bring the migraine to a close, sooner.
I have my husband bring me a big glass of icewater, and try to take a few sips now and again. I have heard dehydration can be an issue, especially with vomiting. The cool water really helps with the migraines at the back of my head.
At the start of a migraine, a shot of espresso or a single cup of strong coffee has diverted the pain to give me time to either get home if I am caught out, or get my kids settled and understand I need it to be quiet.

I hope these little tips help anyone. I feel like, I am willing to try anything, just for a little relief, or a way to buy time. I hope these work for someone.

Changes In My Migraines

Comments (13) | Add comment

Christina

1/ 1/09 8:32am

I've suffered from migraines for many years too. The ice packs really do help. Thanks for the tips on possible dehydration. I'll try drinking ice cold water to see if it helps. Happy New Year!

lynnelee

1/ 2/09 11:31am

Yes, the cold does help. We actually got 8 inches of snow where I live which is really rare....instead of wanting to make snow men I I felt like packing my head in it. Anyway, things that help me...I use a large ice pack made for the back with velcro, keep it in a plastic bag in the freezer since if it picks up the freezer odors it makes me more nauseated. I wrap it around my head & lay under a heating pad since I hate being too cold. Also, peppermint on my forehead & neck...even various muscle rubs but not capsaicin!!! OUCH! I am getting back to easy yoga, also & holding the stretches at least 90 seconds, too.

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

1/ 2/09 1:01pm

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

Some people find cold cloths placed on the back of their neck and/or forehead beneficial, others prefer warm cloths. I am glad to hear something helps to reduce your pain.

Dehydration can trigger a Migraine attack, as can poor sleeping habits, certain foods and changes in weather patterns. We have lots of information on Migraine triggers you can find HERE.

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information and a spot to sign up for our free newsletter on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them to the forum or send me a message through my profile.

Welcome again,

Nancy Bonk
MyMigraineConnection.com Expert

Karenlee

1/19/09 11:49pm

I also keep ice packs in the freezer as they help me with the pain.

Also, for some reason, fruit flavored Tootsie Pops seem to confuse the nerve endings of pain -- sometimes ending the migraine completely. Therefore, I am never without a big box of them at home. I have tried other candies, but they did not help. So, it is what works for me, and hopefully, it will help another.

Tana

1/20/09 1:48pm

Ice always feels good when I have a migraine. One other thing that helps me is to swim in cool water. It feels like the pressure in my head gets equalized in the water. Although it doesn't get rid of headaches at least I have a few moments of feeling 'normal'.

mformoxy

1/21/09 12:01pm

Hello, up until recently I was taking Excedrin for migraines, which seemed to do the trick, but over the years, I started noticing that the caffeine was really taking me for a spin. My migraines got to the point where they were more intense, and would last for up to 2 weeks!! And the Excedrin would work the first few days, then not at all. I thought that maybe my addiction to the caffeine was part of the problem, so I tried to restrict myself to taking the pills less often, but then I seemed to get rebound headaches and stomach pains-even if I ate plenty of food with the Excedrin. So I've been trying to tough out the pain without any coffee, or Excedrin at all. And I've noticed that the last couple times I got a migraine, the pain wasn't as intense, and it only lasted 2 days instead of 2 weeks!! Tylenol only does so much until I can get home and take Excedrin PM which has no caffeine, but I think it's worth it. I definitely think that some people are allergic to caffeine, and I'm one of them. It stinks to have to stick out the pain for a couple of days, but it's much healthier than what I was doing!! And if it means a headache that is less intense, I'll take that!!

And I also have my natural energy back instead of the artificial caffeine highs.

Anonymous

1/21/09 6:47pm

This is so helpful. Thank you all for posting. I too find that a cold pack on my forhead helps. Also, I like laying in my walk-in closet with the lights out and door closed. I find it is one of the coolest "rooms" in our house and it's away from all the light and noise. My mom has tiled flooring throughout the downstairs area, when I lived with her I found relief in laying on the cold tile. I haven't found anything that makes the pain go away, these are just things I find that make it a little easier to deal with. I hadn't heard about the peppermint on the forhead but it seems like a great idea...I'll try anything, in fact I'm running to the store tonight to buy some.

Mojral

1/24/09 6:17am

My local Whole Foods store carries a little product (called Migra-stick I think), which is peppermint oil in a small chapstick-like container. There is a rounded tip on it which I rub on my temple or the sore spots at the back of my neck, which will at least lessen the pain, if not totally relieve it. It is great. Can carry in my purse or pocket, no mess and minimal smell (which bother me when I have a migraine), and no worries about overdose or toxicity or rebound headache.

Belladonna

1/28/09 2:30pm

Alaskan Mom, I have also tried the hair tug; but my migraine was so intense, that I was literally pulling my hair very hard. I also have the hot flashes as well as the cold spells. I never realized the connection with the hot flashes and nausea. Next time I will try the cold water and cool down. I also have had such severe migraines that I will push the top of my head against the wall, and it seems to relieve the pressure some. Thanks for the tips.

Susan S.

MaggieMay

1/29/09 9:02pm

I have found essential oils (not scented oils, but the pure flower essences) to be a wonderful help with my migraines. You can get essential oils at health food stores or online. Peppermint, rosemary, clary sage, ginger lily, lemon, frankenscence, and myrrh are all good to help with the symptoms. Ginger lily and peppermint are good for nausea, frankenscence, myrrh, rosemary and clary sage are good for anxiety and to soothe, lemon is good for mental clarity. Diffusers are available, as well as rings that go on light bulbs, or just put onto a tissue or cotton ball and breathe in. I really hope this information helps.

MaryAnnH

1/30/09 9:06am

Ladies, I cannot tell you how helpful your discussion has been to me. I, too, use cold packs and hot packs and essential oils. I've even thought about getting a reed diffuser, but haven't sprung for that yet as I'm not working. Were it not for my dear husband, I'd be in a mell of a hess.

I loved the list someone gave of the different essentials oils. I don't remember whether essential lavendar was on the list, but I use it almost exclusively. I have a diffuser that uses tealights to warm and disperse the scent. I can light the tealight before bedtime, fall asleep to the relaxing scent and in about 4 hrs the tealight will burn itself out. I call it "worry free aromatherapy," lol. I mix my lavendar oil with Walmart cheapie stuff. I think it is called liquid potpourri, and the scent is lavendar fields. About 10 drops of the real thing and then I fill the diffuser the rest of the way with the cheapie stuff.

I use hot packs and cold packs at the same time. Two hot packs, one under my should blades and one under the meaty part of the shoulders and onto the neck...the cold pack across the forehead. They are reusable, I've had them for years, and they heat in the microwave.

All of this natural stuff doesn't do much to dull the pain or anxiety, but it is just enough to help me sleep, which is also a natural migraine abortive. Sometimes I feel as though I sleep my life away, but I get so many attacks that it isn't possible to medicate each one without fear of MOH/rebound headaches.

The best rescue combination I've found to date? Treximet and Valium (5mg). Treximet is a combination of Imitrex and Naprosen. I also take Vicodin with Flexeril for the tension headaches. My tension headaches are almost as bad on the pain scale as the migraines, and sometimes they are worse.

I've learned so much from this website, and from all of you sharing and caring. I cannot thank you enough for all the encouragement you have been, even when you didn't know you were doing it.

Love to you all,

Mary Ann Hartzler

Anonymous

1/31/09 5:24pm

I was reading and I didnt see anyone mention this and I do not recommend that anyone do this with out asking your Doctor first, but this is what I do. I take about 5 regular aspirin then get in the bath tub and fill it as full as I can with water as hot as I can possible stand it hold my breath and put my head completely under the water for as long as I can and I do that 5-10 times. Then I get out of the tub dry off as fast as I can I leave a towel my head to hold in the heat then get under the covers and wrap them around my head only leaving covers off my nose and go to sleep for at least 30 minutes to an hour long if I can but that normally releives my pain almost completely. When I get out of the tub I cant even fill the pain at all, but it does come back if I do not lay down and go straight to sleep. I have had to do this more than once when I have had really bad ones. Another thing that helps is I concentate on my breathing and try to only think of my breathing helps me to relax and not stress on the migriane or other things. I hope this helps some one. I told my doctor I do this and I don't think he is crazy about all the aspirin that I take when I get a migraine, but that's all he said. I do have a prescription for Zomig and I am getting ready to try something else for when I cant get to my bath tub to help releive the pain. I also take a low grade blood pressure pill twice a day which has help lessen the amount that I get them. Another thing that has lessened the amount that I get them is going to the gym 3 times a week and working out. And I always make sure I am hydrated that is a definate factor in mine. Like I read lightly pull my hair feels good and one other thing I havent read that seems to lessen the pain is flossing my teeth roughly it lessons headache and actually feels good on my gums. One thing I have been noticing is that if I eat something that leaves a film on my tongue seems to trigger my migraines. I know that sounds weird but I can actuallly scrap stuff off my tongue and I can tell it's there from the bad taste I have in my mouth. It's usually when I have ate something with garlic in it or a hard candy so I try to stay away from them.

Hayley

6/24/09 8:00pm

i'm helping my little sister with her migraines and your tips REALLY helped, thanks soooooo much!!!!!!!:)

Things That Ease The Hurt

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