Sunday, March 02, 2008
I have had migraines since I was 3 yrs old, I am now 35. The drs said that it wasn't possible, because I was too young. But after several years, it was diagnosed. Had anywhere from 2 or 3 to 10 a year most of my life. But the past few years have been horrible. I have lost 4 jobs, my family doctor gave up on me, and I had to file for disability. On average, I have anywhere from 2 to 5 days per week that I am out of commission. Have tried every migraine medication known to man. I often have to go to the hospital ER for shots. I'm trying to find another family doctor now, but no one wants to take a patient with "chronic pain." Very discouraged. But reading everyone else's stories helps me to see that I'm not alone. Thank you for sharing. I hope to learn more here.
Hi, Tabby. Not only are you not alone, but there IS hope. The first step is to find a doctor that you can work well with. You mentioned looking for a primary doctor, and that is certainly very important. Your primary doctor may not be equipped to deal with migraines as frequent as yours, however. Click HERE for a list of patient-recommended headache and migraine specialists. This type of doctor spends all of his/her time treating migraines and headaches, and will be in the best position to know of all the treatment options. Please don't rule out a doctor because of distance. You may have to travel a long way to get to a specialist, but it's worth it.
I know it feels as though you have taken every possible medication, but there are actually more to try. There are over 100 medications used for migraine prevention, and many people need a combination of them to reduce their migraine frequency. It can be a slow, frustrating process to find the right preventive regimen, but it's worth it in the end. Click HERE for a list of preventive medications.
I hope you will join us on the discussion forum for additional information and support. To get there, hold your mouse under Manage or Connect at the top of the page, and a menu will come down. Click on Migraine forums. Registration for the forums is separate from registration for this page, but you can use the same info to register. We would love to have you. Take care.