I've learned a lot and they're more manageable but I'm still having to be incredibly courageous and I use up all my sick time and most of my vacation time dealing. I work with migraines all the time and I've stopped saying anything about it. I've know now that I get clusters and migraines (no aura's). I know that eating starchy and carbo-y food without an abundance of protein cause the worst headaches are the main trigger. Irregular sleep, certain foods like cinnamon and chocolate and nitrites are bad, bad, bad. My triggers number in the 20-30 range -- too many to list.
My lastbreakthought migraine ever put me in the ER and they called a Priest to try and comfort me. I don't do pain pills anymore as I spent a week in rehab getting unhooked from opiates after back surgery, two knee surgeries and dealing with all the rebound headaches caused by the drugs. It was a vicious cycle.
So now I eat like some Incan now - vegetables and fruit and a lot of (fresh - not cured) meat and some complex carbos like beans and rice. This concerns me from the standpoint of cholesterol and triglycerides. I try to eat more frequently. I don't drink and haven't for 20 years now. Nor do I smoke now. I gave up a 20-30 a day cigar habit 3 months ago - I swear the nicotine helped keep my "migrados" at bay! But that's a ridiculous amount of smoking so I quit cold turkey. Ex-smokers around me were amazed that I went cold turkey. I wasn't. My resolve is that strong and practiced. I think you know what I mean.
I'm "successful" in business (more before the economy dumped) and I stay incredibly busy. Thank goodness because I really don't have the luxury of "going down for a nappy} and I just try to get and stay distracted while the meds go to work or I get some protein in me. I'm a Buddhist and chanting helps sometimes. The cruelest part of the migraine deal for me has got to be the "let down" headache for the first couple days of a getaway or weekend. So yeah - some weekends are funky. Stress keeps migraines at bay somehow? Sad.
I'm spent and will close. Sorry about the "fire hose" here. I'll be back and if anything in here make you think of new strategies, coping mechnisms, approaches or just makes you wanna say something then please - I'm all ears.
Sage
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
Thank 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
Glad to be of help. We look forward to hearing more from you.
Seize away!!