Thursday, September 18, 2008 jumpinghorses asks

Q: Too many different names

So I have suffered from headaches since high school and officially migraines since about 8 years ago. They have progressively gotten worse. 4 years ago I had one that had me hospitalized for a week. I have seen regular doctors and neurologists and gotten several different names for what I have but they seem to have settled on Chronic Daily Headache w/ Migraine. I'm sorry but that sounds like a cop out for "We don't know what is wrong with you, here take this pill." I have stopped taking the meds because they don't seem to help, just make me a zombie and I have a family to take care of. I have started pushing myself through my headaches to keep going to work and keep taking care of the kids. If the headache goes beyond about 10 days with my home therapy not helping I seek out the ER where all they do is treat me like I'm seeking a high and shoot me up with morphine and send me home. Last time this was awful, puking everywhere and 2 trips to the ER without anything but temporary relief. I want it to end but don't feel like I can trust doctors anymore. The pattern I have found with my headaches is that they start out with nausea and loose bowels for a few days before the head pain starts. Between the start of the stomach issues and the pain I start getting moments of confusion. I forget what I was saying/ doing and my sentances get jumbled and people can't understand what I'm trying to say. I get very sensitive to light and sound during my headaches and they usually last for a week at a time. I only seek out the ER a couple of times a year because of the way they treat me.

My triggers seem to be just about everything. MSG, flourescent lighting, loud noises for long periods of time, heat, getting upset and more that I haven't been able to pin point I'm sure because sometimes they come on without any of those things. I am trying to eat as many whole/ organic foods as possible to reduce my exposure to chemicals.

So I guess my question is: Where do I go for help? I live at least 2 hours from the nearest city. I have halfway decent insurance through work but I have no idea how to go about finding a doctor that takes this sort of thing seriously. My fiance and mother are frustrated as well. Any help or suggestions would be so welcomed.

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Answers (3)

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

9/25/08 5:57pm

Hi jumpinghorses,

You need to see a Migraine specialist, the expert who treats Migraines and headache disorders. These doctors devote their entire practice to these conditions, take extra courses, go to scientific conferences to stay up to date Migraines. Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? will tell you exactly why you want to see an expert. And then you can find an expert on our Patient Recommended Specialist Directory. You may have to travel a bit, but to get your life back it will be well worth it.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Migraineurs with a long history of Migraines and/or frequent Migraine attacks are at a higher risk of silent brain damamge. Yes, Migraines Can Cause Brain Damage. It is really important to see that specialist and get a preventive plan going.

Good luck

Nancy

mtnone

9/18/08 4:03pm

Have you listened to your triggers, or I guess i should say do you stay away from them. I sounded like you (two years of weekly migraines) till I started listening to my triggers, what I am trying to say is...I do not push myself. If I need sleep, I sleep and yes I have a full time job, two kids, a husband, two dogs and mother in law living with me...but I had to start listening to my body....then I continued to try different medications, herbal, stress management and so forth. I was up to 1-2 migraines a week and now have been migraine free for 3 months...not headache free but migraine free...and at least the headaches mostly respond to over the counter medicines. I also found that Verapnimil (sp?) and Elavil work for me to prevent the migraine and I have also gone so far as to do structural intergration, also known as Rolfing (my body feels better but not sure it helped with migraines).

Trying to find a doctor that is on your side is helpful too, then you can get a relationship going to try different medications and/or herbal mixtures.

Some other items I have found to help...

Magnesium at night.

Regular sleep routine (hard one! my kids were newborn and 2 when my weekly migraines started)

Taking Excedrin Migraine as soon as I feel it coming on. Part of my problem was thinking I could push through and not have to take the meds.

Hope this helps from someone who has been there!!

Kendall

9/23/08 12:57am

You have my deepest sympathy. There is plenty of info on this website that may help you, including a list of doctors who specialize in treating migraine. By your description, it sounds like you do have Chronic Daily Headache (one of my doctors told me that having more than 15 headaches a month is the definition of Chronic Daily Headache). Taking things like Excedrin Migraine, which has caffeine, can make things worse for some people. You don't say what your doctor gave you, but I would say you need to explore prevention more than you have. This whole thing takes TIME and attention, I'm sorry to say. I've been dealing with migraines for over forty years. There is no quick fix. You have to learn what YOUR triggers are NOW (and they may be different from other people's triggers; and you may have triggers that you're very sensitive to this year, and next year you aren't sensitive to those triggers any more). You need to try different preventive meds and see which ones work. In my case, I've taken about 50 different medications, and all of them worked a little, for a year or two; then the headaches would get worse and I would need to change to a new med. Or the side-effects would be so bad that I needed to quit taking them right away. This doesn't mean the meds didn't work. It just means they work for a while, and then they quit working. So I'd say find a doctor you can trust, and then give each medication an honest try. Pay attention to your symptoms and your side-effects, and keep going till you find the right cocktail of drugs for you. But be aware that once you find it, it might only last a year or so, and then you have to find a new one. That has been my experience. Good luck to you.

Q: Too many different names

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