Hello Everyone;
I have been living with migraines since childhood. After my third child I went on hormone therapy for extreme PMS. The therapy caused daily migraines and I have not stopped having chronic migraines since. ( 20 + years ) I am down to 2 to 3 a week. Most of the time mild to moderate ones. I have diabetes, asthma, depression and tachycardia. These conditions have stopped me from being able to use most preventatives. I have been coming off of an SSRI anti-depressant and have noticed my migraines decreasing in severity and number. My problem is that I have become so sensitive to triggers that it is nearly impossible to not have a major migraine at least once a week. I take magnesium supplements and I have found it helps. The weather and hormones play a big role in the major migraines that can last up to 3 days or more depending how long the barometer stays low.
I exercise daily with a 20 minute walk with my dog in the morning and two shorter walks during the day. I am adding stretching and weight training slowly.
I am 44 and am currently only using abortives and painkillers - Tylenol and ibuprofen - to control the headaches. I am cautious with the medications due to rebound headaches. I find it difficult to avoid them all together though when I have encounter the triggers that I cannot control such as weather, hormones, perfumes and other odors.
Thanks for listening to me and I look forward to getting to know and support the people that are here.
Sincerely,
Benice
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
I'm wondering what kind of doctor you are seeing? A Migraine specialist is an expert in Migraine disease and headache disorders devoting his/her entire practice to these conditions. If you see a neurologist, he may be a fine doctor, but probably isn't an expert, because he treats so many different conditions. Here is one way to think of it - You would call a plumber (the expert) to fix the leaky pipe in your house, not a carpenter. Some carpenters may be able to paint for you, put up trim, and do other odd jobs around the house. But the plumber only does plumbing. Neurologists treat many things - Migraine specialists treat Migraine and headache disorders. We have a list of patient recommended specialists you can see by clicking HERE. It may be the best thing you ever did for yourself.
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. We hope to see you there. 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 BonkMyMigraineConnection.com Expert
Hello,
I am a 23 yr old female suffering from Chronic headaches and so far my neurologist and my general physicians have not been able to pinpoint a cause or find any treatment that will work for me. They are presenting like a migraine but one of the physicians I have seen is not sure that my headaches are a true migraine, I have been for CT scan and nothing showed up. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and the closest migraine/headache specialist I have been able to find is in Billings, MT. I am just wondering if I need a refferal from a physician to see a specialist or if I would be able to just book an appointment with his clinic directly.
Moderator's Note: For your security and privacy, please do not post personal contact information such as email addresses and phone numbers.
thanks
Breanna Ehrhardt
Hello, and welcome to HealthCentral's Migraine Community!
I'm so glad you've found us, but sorry you have to be here. Migraine is a genetic neurological disorder thought to be caused by overactive neurons in our brain and genetics. Typically most x-rays, mri's and ct's come back normal, which is a very good thing!
As far as a seeing a Migraine specialist goes, it really depends on your insurance and if the Migraine specialist takes insurance, many don't. There is a Migraine specialist in Edmunton, Alberta Canada on the list you might want to take a look at: Migraine Specialists in Canada.
Trigger identification and management is a vital component of managing Migraine disease. One of the best tools for identifying triggers is a good Migraine diary. You can download a free diary workbook from our article Your Migraine and Headache Diary. Some of us have food triggers; some of us don't. It's advisable to determine if you do, an elimination diet is the best way to do that. For more information and a workbook on this, see Managing Migraine - Migraine Trigger Foods.
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 on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com. Under the Find, Manage, and Connect tabs at the top of each page, you'll find a wealth of information - educational articles, tips, quizzes, workbooks, support and advocacy information, and more.
Do you have questions about Migraine? There are three ways to get answers - through our Ask the Clinician column, in our community Question and Answer Section, or through our forum. Just go to our Migraine Answers page HERE.
Our email newsletter will help you stay up-to-date on Migraine and headache news and new information published on HealthCentral's MigraineCommunity. To receive our newsletter, click the "Sign up now!" link in the navigation bar across the top of our site pages or simply click HERE.
Welcome again,
Nancy Bonk
HealthCentral's Migraine Community Manager
PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!