Trying to help my Mother
Hello,
I am seeking advice on how best to help my mother with her chronic migraines. She has had Migraines all her life but about 13 years ago they started to get severe and more common. They are completely out of control now and really have been for 10 years. She rarely goes a single day without a headache and is essentially house ridden. She has not worked for 10 years and was fortunate in that she has received disability payments for her migraines. Otherwise I am her main support. She lives with her sister who provides the daily care she needs but my Aunt is exhausted. I live 5 hours away and want to take a more prevelant role in her health care which my proud mother is now allowing me to do. My mother has been on innumerable types of medicine from numerous doctors over the years. Her headaches have only gotten worse. She has never seen a Migraine Specialist. It is a rare day that she does not have a headache that puts her in bed for hours. She has no quality of life. In addition my mother has been diagnosed with diverticulosis and depression. The treatments of these conditions have complicated the treatment of her migraines. Often times the three separate physicians are at odds in the treatments for the three separate conditions. My mother has never been seen by a migraine headache specialist and has always resisted my efforts to get her to a headache clinic. She is finally relenting and allowing me to research clinics that might be able to help. Which has led to this email. My mother lives in New Mexico but if the "fit" is right I would be willing to bring her to any clinic for possible inpatient admission if that is what the doctors thought was appropriate. I am looking for a place that can treat her migraines as well as her other conditions in unison. I understand that there is no cure for migraines but any improvement in the quality of my mothers life would be a godsend. I would gladly bring my mother to a clinic for an initial treatment of whatever duration and bring her back 4 or 6 times a year for the rest of her life if it meant that all the doctors treating her were on the same page and worked together. Does this place exist? Any guidance you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you. Kyle Schiedeman
You can use this website to locate doctors in or around your area. Go to the search box and type in Headache Specialst ------ your location.
I have been seeing a headache specialist for 2 years and I haven't seen any improvement in my migraines. There are doctors within the practice that disagree on certain points. But you have to TRY something. Just because it isn't working for me is no reason to believe that it can't work for your mother - because everyone is different and everyone has different migraines/health issues.
Your mother isn't living her life and she needs to get out and at least try to make it better. Trying doesn't mean that you will have success, it means that you are on the road towards eventual success. I actually take a preventative medicine used to treat both depression and migraines. There are too many options not to try the specialist.
May I also recommend researching some holistic alternatives to treating migraines. I have been seeing a holistic specialist for the past month and have actually had some improvement since that time.
Good Luck Kyle
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Kyle,
I hate to tell you this, but I really don't think you're going to find the kind of clinic or treatment center you're looking for. As far as clinics go for Migraine, I recommend that you choose the doctor, not the clinic. It's the doctor's training, skill, and compassion that are key to your mother's care.
I strongly suggest choosing a good Migraine specialist and getting her to him or her. You can find some recommendations in our directory of patient recommended specialists HERE.
As far as her doctors being at odds, they need to consult and work together. That's part of their job. If they won't do it, fire them and find doctors who will. Does she have a primary care doctor to help coordinate her care. If not, she should have.
Good lulck,
Teri
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