Coping With Frustration

Hi,

  I'm new to this forum, however, I wish I could say that about experiencing migraines.  I am now 44, and have been contending with them since I was 18.  I managed to complete my 21 year military career in 2003.  I was doing very well upon retirement and had gone quite some time until "it" came back.   However, I have not been so fortunate for the past two years, they have become a very familiar and frequent occurrence.  

   My health insurance is Tri-Care - which is so adequately named at times - Try To Get Care as I refer to it.  Needless to say, this has probably contributed somewhat to my frustrations...but I persist. 

   I began my path to treatment in 2004, with my primary care physician, who did not want to treat me for my headaches and insomnia.   I then changed primary care physicians in 2005, and received good treatment.  My doctor prescribed various rescue meds, and in 2008 referred me to see a neurologist due to the migraines.  I was having many side effects attempting to take Topamax, and experienced tachycardia with Imitrex.

   I'm currently seeing a neurologist, just recently having completed a sleep study, MRI and CAT scans.  All tests came back with no abnormalities.   I began the process of trying to find the right medication combination to 1) prevent future migraines and 2) to have a rescue medication.  I've pretty much run course on triptans - and have expressed my intrepidation after the tachycardia incident, accompanied with my family history of heart disease.

   I have missed many days of work in the past three months, as all I want is the coldest, darkest, and quietest place I can find on earth to crawl into.  I've missed 2-3 days per week for the past month or so.  

   I was placed on an entirely new regiment of medications last week (Nov 12) to "stop the cycle" as the RN informed me.  This included predisone, Amerge, increasing gabapentin, phenegran and lortab for rescue.   I have complied with the instructions of what to take and when,  and today when I contacted my neurologist office - well the "wheels came off" between his RN and I. 

   First, I was accused of taking too much medication, after which I went drug by drug, doseage by doseage with the calendar to indicate to her that I had only taken what had been given.  I then got an apology for that "misunderstanding" and she would confer with the Dr. and get back with me. 

   I waited approximately 4 hours, with my headache intensifying, no more rescue meds, and called back.  The second call resulted in an increase in my gabapentin.  I informed the RN, I was experiencing a pretty significant amount of pain, and it was getting very difficult to cope with the searing pain in my head.  She told me she would consult with the Dr and get back with me.