I began having continuous (24/7) migraine headaches over a year ago when I took a second shift factory job in order to have cash flow. I lost a great deal of sleep and never adjusted to the 10 hour nights on my feet, the hours, the noise and just the stress of trying to cope with such a job (I am a teacher/our of work/displaced due to a divorce from an abusive man). I quit the job after 2 months b/c my body was collapsing and I was becoming sicker and sicker (also issues with abdominal pain/IBS). I've been the gammet of health care providers. Have tried everything from elimination diets to acupuncture, chiropractic, naturaopath, two neurologists, a rhumetologist. Have had MRI CAT scans, blood work, etc. The headache specialist I started to see about 6 mo. ago said I have migraine, but Depacote hasn't worked nor Imatrex, Maxalt, Axert, Relpax or blood pressure medication. I am very discouraged and wonder what the point is. I have had NO relief in over a year now from pain levels usually at a 7 or 8 constantly. What can I do? I've tried everything anyone has ever suggested and I am still in constant pain.
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
I'm sorry to hear you are suffering so, let's see what I can do to help you. Life sounds like it has been very difficult over the last year or so and I know how exhausting it is to be in pain when things are tough.
At this point, it is imperative to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Sometimes neurologists, who are fine doctors, may say they are "headache experts" but that really may isn't the case. Here's the thing - neurologists treat so many different conditions, like MS, stroke and epilepsy it is hard for them to be experts in one area. A Migraine specialist treats one disorder - ours - Migraine disease and headaches. Does that make any sense? Take a look at this 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. It will be well worth your time and effort. You may only need to see the specialist once, then you could work with your local neurologist on your treatment plan. Lots of members in our forum do that.
Don't lose hope
. There are over 100 medications used to treat Migraine disease. It may feel like nothing works, but that really can't be true. And it can take three months or more to see a reduction in our Migraine frequency and severity when we start a new medication. You may want to take a look at this article: Migraine preventive medications - too many options to give up!
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
Hi, Nancy,
Thank you for responding. I will look into the specialist list you talked about. I really appreciate all your advice. I really do try to maintain the hope that the quality of my life can get better. There are days when it seems less possible then others, which I'm sure you understand. Thank you for encouraging me--it really does help!
Andie