Headaches all day, every day for several years

I don't have all the answers, if you look at my recent post you will see I am pretty much in the same boat. One thing I happened to not see in your post was a headache diary or trying to find triggers. For someone who gets a migraine every single day, finding a trigger is tough, and thus far I have been unsuccessful finding mine, but for some people it helps. You can google migraine diary and many sites explain what they are and how to use them. For a particular friend of mine processed foods or foods containing a certain thing was the cause, I can't recall the name but it is in bananas, nuts, and processed foods. Smoking and caffiene can be triggers, allergies, many things. I don't know if this helps, but it's all I can think of currently.

I know what you mean about people thinking you are making it up. My first nuerologist was aweful in that sence. He insisted that you can't get a migraine every day. He gave me a chart explaining the difference between a migraine and tension headache, and my symptoms all matched migraine (aura, one side of head, throbbing, severity, increase with physical activity, decrease with rest, upset tummy/ vomiting, etc) except for the duration and frequency. Mine last from 4 hours to 2 weeks at a time without treatment, and I get on average 1 full day to a few hour period of a day a week without one. The doctor insisted that was impossible, and told me go home and google headaches and read the symptoms and call him back and let him know what I found. After days and days of research I found one type of headache that pretty closely matched my symptoms, some that weren't even mentioned on the migraine/headache chart he had, so I called him to discuss if this could be what I had. He left me a message back saying "stop trying to be a nuerologist." He is the one that told me to look it up! The next doctors I saw after him found him a joke. They believed me, and tryed many things to help till I lost my insurance, unfortunatly none of it worked. The moral of this story is, don't let a doctor make you question that you are "making it up." Migraine pain is very real, and there are so many different kinds, so many causes, so many cures, it's not like a cold where you drink fluids and you get better in a  few days, it's complex.

My best advice other than the diary is to try to keep relaxed and calm, and get plenty of rest when you feel bad, and on the days you do feel good try to get moderate excercize and eat well. Stress makes them worse, and letting your body get out of shape or unhealthy makes them worse also. If ibuprofin doesn't help don't take it, it will only tear up your stomach and liver.

One thing I do sometimes, I know long term is bad so don't do it often, is slam caffeine. Some people find some relief from caffeine because of what it does to your blood flow. Be very careful with this though because caffeine has a chance to make it worse, and if you drink it often will almost certainly make you have rebound headaches among other health problems. Also caffeine helps to take with medicines because usually a person with a migraine doesn't digest things normally, and so for example taking an ibuprofin wouldn't help because it isn't getting into your system. That is why some imitrex has caffeine, as well as excedrin headache. Once again, be very careful with this, caffeine can make it worse if you have it too often, I can't stress this enough. For someone having a migraine every day an abortive medication needs to be a worse case scenario for when it's really really bad, otherwise you take them so much it causes rebound.

A preventitive medication or preventing triggers would be your best solution, so get that topomax as soon as you can afford to try it for 6 weeks to see if it helps. It may not, but if it does your life will get so much better and getting a great job with benifits will be SO much easier.

Here are a few possible suggestions:

As a comfort measure have you ever tried using steam? Either by taking a hot shower or by breathing in steam from a bowl of boiled water with a towel over your head? I've rarely had this completely relieve a migraine, but I've found that the heat and steam help me relax as I slowly breath in and out and the pain level does subside if I keep it up for 20-30 minutes. I'll sometimes do this 3 or 4 times a day, especially when dry or windy weather has brought on my migraine. I just feels good.

I've also found listening to certain music can block my experience of pain for a while. I'm sure this is a very individual thing, but worth trying out. For me it is often folk music with amusing or whismical lyrics that make me smile. (Who knew?)

Also, you might ask your doctor if he/she can prescribe something just for the nausea. Or you can even ask a pharmacist if there is something he/she can recommend that's over the counter. I'm not sure why more health providers don't offer this, but one of mine did, and I've found that relief from the nausea even when my head still hurt counted for a lot.

Another thing you might want to talk with your doctor about are some of the vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements that have been shown to help reduce migraine severity when taken on a daily basis over several months. Many people have had positive results with one or more of the following: Magnesium (usually in one of its chelated forms), B Vitamins (usually B2, B6 or B12), Omega-3, CoQ10, Butterburr, Feverfew, to name just a few. I use several of these, and though they've not made me migraine free, they have cut the severity of the pain I get significantly.

Other members of this community will have other helpful suggestions for you, too, I'm sure. Be methodical and just keep trying things, one after another, and when you've discovered something that works for you, even in a small way, take note. It might then lead you to another discovery or insight about your pain that will help you even further.

Good luck to you!

Hi shopgal!  It sounds like you may have a bit of medication overuse headache.  When you take a lot of pain meds (whether it be over the counter or prescription) it can cause epidsodic headaches turn into chronic ones.  You said that you often take tylenol and excedrin migraine.  These drugs have the potential to do this.  I don't doubt though that you have migraines for other reasons too.

I understand about how drugs are so expensive.  I have never been in a position where I haven't had insurance so I have been fortunate.  But there are programs out there that can help you pay for drugs.  First of all, have you contacted your county assistance office (welfare in some states)?  Since you are only working part time you may be eligble for state medical assistance benefits.  You may not want to do this, but at least you would have insurance and would be able to get the drugs you need until you could find a job that has benefits.  Also all of the drug companies have patient assistance programs.  When you don't have insurance and can't afford to pay for your needed medications they will provide you with the meds that they make for free or with a minimal copay.  You just need to fill out an application form and your doctor needs to fill out part of it and send in a prescription with it.  If you know what drugs you need just google that drug name with "patient assistance programs" after it.  It will give you the websites of the drug companies that make it and it will give you the info that you need.

I know how frustrating it can be to be in pain and to not have any answers.  It really sucks that finding treatment for our disease is trial and error and not an exact science!  Hang in there!  -  Kayleen

I'm so sorry to hear about how much and how long you've been suffering. I know how horrible it is. Mine started about a year ago (continuous, and I also have the neck pain although I've not been in an accident per se). I've also had everything "organic" ruled out by all kinds of tests. Fortunately no has told me I'm faking it. The change in my life before and after is too abrupt and obvious for denial, but I also have not been helped by any of the many kinds of treatment I've tried (like you) nor the many medications I've tried, and it is terribly discouraging. It really is true that it's one of the invisible diseases and I feel very alone and isolated with this dibilitatiing pain now in my life. I think it stinks that all Americans are not entitled to whatever they need to be healthy. We boast about being #1, but we're behind Canada, Great Britian, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, etc., and even China when it comes to the human right to health care. Try to hang in there. Know you're not alone in your frustrations, for what it's worth.

Hi.  I'm sorry to hear about what you've been going through.  I think you've gotten some good advice here and hope it will help you.  I too have chronic daily headaches which are 24 hrs a day 7 days a week and have been happening for 7 years now.  I've been trying to get some relief through medication or find something that will help and have not yet had any success and it is really hard, and I have insurance.  I know it must be really hard when you don't have insurance and I really sympathize with you.  When you are able, I do suggest you find a headache specialist - I don't think they will tell you that you are making this up.  I am hopeful that through testing, we will eventually come up with a diagnosis and I will eventually be able to get control of my headaches.  I'll keep  watching to see what you are able to work out, please keep us updated.

Good luck.

PinkPatty

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

A few thoughts here. First, sorry it has taken me so long to get to you - I am so glad you've found our site and know that you are definately not alone in your pain. Being in chronic daily pain is exhausting and frustrating - it stinks ! Let me see what information and support I can give you to help you out, ok?

I know money is tight, suddenly being a single parent after 24 years, I get it. But that doesn't make it any easier, does it?  The most important thing I think I can tell you is to find a Migraine specialist - yes- another doctor. But really, see, a Migraine specialist devotes his entire practice treating patients like you and me, who have headaches and Migraine all day, every day. Neurologists who are fine doctors, treat so many different conditions, like strok, epilpesy and MS, it is difficult for them to be experts in any one area. Take a look at the article Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? If you need help finding a Migraine specialist, check our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists. We have a awesome specialist in Franklin, WI which isn't too far from Watertown, WI. She is on the list.

Now, unfortunately, if you're taking any kind of pain med, or Migraine abortive medications like triptans more than two days a week, a big part of your problem may well be medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this. If you're in an MOH situation, nothing you take is going work, neither prescription nor "natural" medications nor over-the-counter - ever. If that's the case, you need to work with your doctor to stop the medications causing the problem. 

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,

This won't get rid of migraine but does help.  Buy a bottle of peppermint essential oil at health food store ( approx. 6 or 7 dollars)    Put a few drops neat on wrists and temples and or behind ears being careful not to get it too close to your eyes.  This will briing some relief.  You can also put into a pot of simmering water at home.  Take some deep breaths of steamy peppermint water.  Try iceing your head as well.  This will bring some relief.  I've tried many meds and preventatives for migraines and still get them quite often.  I am 48 and didn't start getting them till my early thirties.  I know its disheartining when nothing really works.  I think you must be talking to the wrong health care professionals because my MRI on neck and head was ok too but the neurologists I've seen seem to believe me.  Most recently I am trying vitamin B and magnesium every day.  So far no difference but Im hoping . . . .

Moderator's Note: Please see safety note in Teri's reply.