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By ERFLTRN Sunday, January 27, 2008

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Hello everyone. My name is Kathy and I am almost 37 years old. In Dec 2002 I sustained a closed head injury while on active duty with the US Army. I was soon after diagnosed with post concussion migraines after having the same headache for 30 days following initial injury. Less than six months later I was deployed to Iraq. Within 7 days of returning home in Oct 2003 I suffered a migraine related stroke. I am an RN and work in a busy ER and also fly part time with Life Flight so when I have a migraine it really affects my life. Until recently I was getting very good results with botox therapy for migraines but have apparently developed antibodies to botox and it is no longer working. I feel as if I am back to square one with this condition and feel very frustrated. I have a wonderful husband and five beautiful children that I can not enjoy. I am hoping to find some new ideas from others suffering this horrible condition.

Thank you for listening

Kathy

ER again

Comments (9) | Add comment

Guido

1/27/08 9:02pm

Hi Kathy,

As far as medicines go for me, I am in the same boat. However, I have found that Yoga, Tai Chi, visualization, neck exercises, breathing exercises and meditation help manage the pain. I've been suffering Migraine disease most of my life and it's not that I have given up on meds but decided that one way or the other I had to learn to live with the intense varying everchanging tolerance for pain. Not to mention the symptoms. Hope this helps....

ERFLTRN

1/28/08 1:21pm

Thank you for the information. I have considered yoga before but you know how you put things off because something else seems more important. I am calling today though and seeing what is available in my area. I am so sorry that you have had these most of your life. I never had a migraine prior to the injury. I only ever had the typical not enough sleep or stress related headache but never anything like this. I am glad you have not given up. Nor have I but there are times when it is frustrating.

Take care,

Kathy

Cindy

1/27/08 11:15pm

Kathy I am glad you have found us. As the last person who post stated certainly anything done that can help relieve stress is a plus. You certainly have a busy live and household!! To help find additional medications and support moving into the forums of this site would be helpful to you. They are maintained by a separate party and have a separate registration. Under the Manage drop down you'll see Migraine Forums. When there, click on the "Login/Join" to get started.

There are wonderful resources available through the site and great people who will help you find them. Each of us react to Migraine disease and it's treatment differently so it's important to look at all options and not to leave stones unturned.

Cindy

ERFLTRN

1/28/08 1:23pm

Hi Cindy,

Thank you for the link. I am slowing but surely going through some of the info here. I have my uncle to thank for this website. He started researching for me after I found out botox was no longer working. Between him and my husband they have probably more knowledge right now than some doctors I have had to deal with over this issue.

Thanks again,

Kathy

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

1/28/08 10:16am

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

Post-concussion sydrome can be a real issue. I've had/have that from a closed head injury too. Of course not from serving my country like you, but from a fall. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

My first thought is to get to a Migraine specialist, the expert in headache disorders and Migraine disease. With the added complication of stroke in your history, it is very important to reduce your Migraine frequency. See HERE for our list. I don't know if your VA insurance would affect you seeing a specialist, but if you can try to.

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.

One of the best ways to stay current with Migraine and headache disorders is to sign up for our free newsletter. Click on the green Free Newsletter button on the home page.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information on the main page of our site, 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

PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!

ERFLTRN

1/28/08 1:27pm

Nancy,

Thank you...and thank you for the information. I loved the Army and would go back in in a red hot second but that is one thing I have had to learn to accept and that is I am not fit for military duty. I have seen a few doctors who claim to be migraine specialists but sometimes my husband who has researched this has more info than they do. I will keep looking though.

Thank you,
Kathy

GWP

1/28/08 10:22am

I'm sorry the Botox stopped working for you. I've been doing it for about 3 years. It's helping, but it's not a cure-all for me.

I agree with Nancy about a specialist. I started seeing one last month, and I'm seeing some improvement. The way migraines are affecting your quality of life, and considering that you've had a migrainous stroke, you deserve someone who devotes his/her practice exclusively to migraines. My specialist is a hard 8-hour drive, but I fly. It's worth the airfare and hotel cost.

There are many meds that can be used as migraine preventives, and most of them wouldn't affect your ability to function as a wife, mother and nurse.

Come over to the forum. Lots of folks with similar problems. It's a great community!

Gretchen in Mississippi

ERFLTRN

1/28/08 1:28pm

Hi Gretchen,

Thank you for the info. I have made a 7 hour drive more than once to see a specialist. What part of Mississppi do you live in? I am in the panhandle of Florida and was checking surrounding states as well as my own.

Take care,

Kathy

GWP

1/28/08 2:40pm

I'm in the Jackson area. Grew up in Jackson and have lived back in the area since we got out of law school in 1982. Been in our first house nearly 25 years. I'd hate to pack the attic!

I've got only one son, 21 and off at college. I'm getting very used to the empty house. He's home every two or three weeks -- he's only 90 miles away -- so the nest doesn't feel quite so empty.

I've seen one other specialist, and he moved from the medical center here to Chicago. I followed him there. Southwest flies nonstop to Midway, and if I caught things right, I could get a $99 fare. I LOVE Chicago, so going up there was no sacrifice. He was a bit odd. He wouldn't return phone calls; he only e-mailed. I was in bad shape, and he blew me off in a couple of e-mails. So I went back to my local guy. Dr. Chicago has since closed his practice and gone back into research.

What I've seen of the Florida panhandle is very pretty. The Mississippi Bar has their convention at Sandestin at least 2 of every 3 years. When the President is from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it's often there. We've been a few times. I'm not a beach perso; natural redhead and too fair skinned. The Bar Convention is in July, and it's HOT.

Hang in there!

Gretchen in Mississippi

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