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Untitled Comment
Nancy Harris Bonk
Saturday, October 03, 2009 at 10:13 PMTransformers
Sage
Saturday, October 03, 2009 at 10:51 PMThank you for you post and warm welcome, Nancy. I've learned somethings already - and it seems a certainty that at some point a few years back (probably after back surgery) that my migraines morphed or as you describe, transformed. I'm looking for ways to dial down the meds. If only I could take some time off to work this - the meds are a quick fix so I can keep working. Or maybe I need to reorient myself. In any case, I'm grateful for the help! Carpe Diem
re: Transformers
Nancy Harris Bonk
Sunday, October 04, 2009 at 02:21 PMGlad to be of help. We look forward to hearing more from you.
Seize away!!
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Untitled Comment
Chris
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 09:13 AMHi Sage, I'm Chris. I was so excited to read that when you have migraines, your thinking gets jumbled and you get all disorganised. Why? cos that EXACTLY how i feel but nobody seems to understand. They think it's all about pain and sensitivity to light/sounds, nausea, etc. It truly frustrates me esp since I'm usually so (annoyingly) organised so when I get migraines....god it just gets all scrambled. Even as I'm talking, the words that come out doesn't convey what my mind is thinking and I'll be trying soo hard to focus in getting it right. Simple tasks for the day seem difficult to do or solve. And I'm a vet. Can you imagine how incredibly frustrating that is? Not being able to do the procedures scheduled for that day or even trying to explain to owners what is wrong with their pet but having it come out not quite right. It really gets me down.
I envy the fact that you have access to so many meds to help but in my country, the abortives are limited. Virtually none. I just take naproxen for the pain and live thru the aura. So sometimes I'd be 'spaced-out' for days and I'd never know if the next day will be a good day. I hate how I cannot plan things because I don't know if it'll be a 'good' day.
Just wanted to say share some of my thots out there.....:)
Migraines + Brain = Confusion
Sage
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 09:59 PMHello Chris,
So as they say, you're not alone and you're not crazy. I'm sure others get scrambled too. I write for a living and when I'm rocking a migraine my work really suffers.
Where's home for you? I sympathize with your plight and especially that you can't get the meds that could help. I don't imagine that this will make you feel any better but when I take the abortives (like Zomig inhalers along with Naproxene), they usually make the pain go away but I still feel like I'm wearing ankle weights on my brain. And because I take too many I get the transformative migraines or rebound headaches. Point being, if you get your hands on them and you will eventually, you want to use them sparingly. Trust me. Breaking the cycle is rough. I'm trying now and I just get tot he point where I say NO MORE PAIN.
And ... as a vet you will appreciate the fact that the only creature I want near me when I have a migraine is one of my dogs -- preferably the oldest one that lies very very still and stays close for hours as "necessary". Sadly, I want no human contact when I'm in that kind of pain. Dogs get it. I think it's "Hey, the alpha male is dying and needs our support!" Sometimes I'll have all three dogs "guarding" me when I'm down and it's very cool.
Chris if we could get that some sort of compassion and understanding from humans I think life would be much better. For my part, I'm tired of people thinking I'm a slacker and wuss! Education is key and I rather think that that's imminent. I know I'm working to educate the people that think this is some kind of hypochondria or personality defect!
That you work through the pain to perform the procedures you must makes you a very courageous and very strong person. Don't forget that.
Thanks for reaching out, Chris. Here's hoping you find some comfort and solutions and that you get a big old handful of whatever "quality of life" looks like. It's really going to piss me off if they find some real solutions for migrainers when I'm old!
Take care,
Randy
re: Migraines + Brain = Confusion
Chris
Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 09:33 AMHi. Thanks for your encouraging reply! I get so tickled at the terms you use to describe how you feel when the migraines get at you because that's exactly how I feel but couldn't put into words. Yup, when I take Naproxen it dulls the pain to a bearable level but like you said it's like having ankle weights in my brain. It's such an effort to do the simplest of things. I'm also tired of people (my clients mostly) thinking that I'm a 'slacker and a wuss'. Especially when I have to reschedule procedures or turn away elective surgeries when I have bad migraines. They don't seem to understand that I'm simply not going to put their pets at risk when I'm not 100% there. They just think that I'm being lazy. As for feeling like a wuss, that's all me. I wish I didn't have to buckle under the pressure of the migraine. I wish I could work through the pain and force my jumbled brain to work by sheer will power. But I can't. Believe me I've tried. And it makes me feel defeated.
I live in Malaysia. It's a South-East Asian country, just above Singapore. Migraine sufferers do not have a support group. There are no migraine specialists here despite such great advances in medicine. That is why I read with envy, the many types of treatment available in the U.S. for you guys.
Thanks again for writing. It was really comforting to know I wasn't alone. :)
-Chris
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Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
It's so great to see a man SharePosting with us. We are getting a few more men on the site, so hopefully that will continue so you can share your experiences.
Taking Migraine abortive meds such as the triptans or ergotamines or any kind of pain medication more than two or three days a week can make matters worse by causing medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this.
Medication overuse been shown to be a factor in 80% of cases of transformed Migraine. Stopping the medication overuse is key to stopping the transformed Migraine. You can read more about this in Stopping Medication Overuse Can Halt Transformed Migraine.
ANY use of opioids or barbiturates and frequent use of triptans and NSIADs are associated with increased risk of transformed Migraine. See Transformed Migraine - Risk Increased by Some Medications for more information on this.
Trigger identification and management is an important part of Migraine management and preventing Migraines. Some triggers can include certain smells, foods and changes in weather patterns. You seem to know many of your triggers. When working to identify triggers one of the best tools is a good Migraine diary. You can read more about this and download a free diary workbook in our article Your Migraine and Headache Diary. More important information on Migraine triggers can be found HERE.
If your doctor isn't able to help you, it may well be time to consult a Migraine and headache specialist. It's important to note that neurologists aren't necessarily Migraine and headache specialists. 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.
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,
Nancy BonkMyMigraineConnection.com Expert