Friday, August 3, 2012

let's talk about MIGRAINES.

Yesterday around noon, I emerged from an 18 hour migraine.  I know the term "migraine" is much too loosely - and incorrectly - used to describe severe headaches, but this was, indeed, a real live migraine.  Tuesday evening brought dizziness and ringing in the ears.  Wednesday morning brought fatigue, followed by aura/weird visuals and inability to tolerate light.  And late Wednesday afternoon began the 18 hours of full-blown migraine goodness: a truly debilitating headache that left me hiding in the darkest room I could find, curled up in a ball, trying to remind myself that eventually, it would end.

I remained in this room all of Wednesday afternoon and night, feverishly rubbing peppermint oil (which really does help) on my forehead and temples, and stressing (which really does make it worse) over the fact that my inability to function would lead to falling majorly behind on work.  Late yesterday (Thursday) morning, after a night of sporadic sleep and a morning spent attempting to avoid the piercing sunlight pouring in from the windows, I was finally able to stand without feeling like I was going to vomit or pass out. Yay!  As the day progressed, the pain changed from constant to intermittent, and I went back and forth between attempting to work and lying back down.  By last night, I had just a mild headache and only occasional vertigo, as well as the typical exhaustion and brain fog that accompany the glorious postdrome phase.  I was even able to type for a few minutes at a time (which led to starting this post).  And today, I only feel the lingering dizziness and fatigue, with minimal head pressure.  Hallelujah.  The hellacious 2-3 day period that takes over my life approximately once every month is coming to an end.   


For me, the pain from the headache is really the least of my problems when a migraine strikes. It's the feeling of being drugged and/or run over by a large vehicle, combined with knowing that I'm about to surrender 36-72 hours of my life to this bastard, that is the challenge.  It's all encompassing. Sounds and smells and lights are intensified to the point of bordering on hallucinations. My energy is completely zapped (but I can't sleep). Sometimes part of my face or body will tingle or feel numb.  And I feel like I have to barf.  It's like living inside a fractal, combined with the worst hangover ever, except when you're lying there in agony, you don't have the luxury of thinking, "I did to this myself - but it was like, so totally worth it because last night was ridiculously fun."  Nope.  Then, when the pain and nausea and weird pseudo-hallucinations ("Is this real life?") finally subside, the postdrome begins. This is the after-migraine period where you get to feel like crap for another day or so while your body recovers from the bizarre marathon of symptoms it just experienced.  Lingering brain fog and physical exhaustion certainly aren't fun, but at least they're signs that this thing is on its way out of town.


So that's where I am now - riding the tail end of the postdrome. Working (and completing sentences) are taking longer than usual.  I'm doing by best not to fall asleep on my laptop.  The chances of carrying out the plans I made earlier this week to take the day off so I could spend the afternoon at Lollapalooza are looking pretty slim.  I still don't quite feel like a functioning member of society.  Oh, and my skin reeks of peppermint oil.  But at least I'm not hiding under a blanket, fighting tears and cursing my life like I was 24 hours ago.  After the last couple of days, I'll gladly take the other stuff.  In comparison, it actually feels pretty freaking awesome.

My little sister used to suffer from horrendous migraines as a child, and I remember peering into her bedroom where she'd lay motionless and tortured, wondering how a headache could possibly hurt that bad.  Thankfully, she eventually grew out of them.  And I grew into them.  They started when I was a teenager, and the older I get, the more frequent they seem to become.  They're semi predictable (usually along with my monthly cycle), but not always.  Sometimes they even come without the headache.  Regardless of when, where, or how severe, they suck.  I'm grateful, however, that they only come about once a month, and I feel intense sympathy for those who deal with them more frequently.  I know people who get them once a week (or even daily if they don't take their medication), and it seriously affects their lives to the point where they can't hold jobs or take care of their kids without help.  I feel for children who get migraines most of all.  My sister told me that migraines as a little girl were probably the scariest things she's ever had to endure. I believe it.


This whole migraine thing is something I've only brought up one time here on Bubby and Bean, and it was just a brief and fleeting mention.  I try not to let them control my life, I figured they don't have anything to do with the blog, and they're simply not a fun topic to talk about.  But this one was so bad that I felt compelled to post about it.  There is a difference between complaining and sharing, and I know some of you likely deal with these evil monsters too.  So fellow migraine club members, let's hear your experiences. Aside from avoiding trigger foods and stress, getting enough sleep, and drinking plenty of water, do you have any prevention tricks?  Once you know one is coming, other than taking pain killers during the prodrome phase beforehand and confining yourself to the quietest/darkest space you can find, how do you treat them?  Have you taken medication?  What natural remedies have been successful for you?  And how do you deal with missing work/school/life during the days that they take over?  Tell me, tell me!


P.S.
  On a completely unrelated note, the winner of the July Giveaway is Kristin Skaggs! Congrats! Please contact me so we can discuss getting you your prizes. (And I apologize for the lack of the usual fancy giveaway winner announcement post this time.  I'm just grateful to be semi upright today, and am definitely not on top of my game!)

images from top:  my design // found here // my design // found here


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41 comments:

  1. I feel you !!! I have migraines (real ones !!!) once in a while, and there's no comfort possible in those times. The worst part for me is the nausea ! Yuk !!!

    Previously I had them frequently and realised that the contraceptive pill was the main cause ! I stopped (and with my doc found a new one) and instead of getthing migraines on a regular weekly basis, I'm getting them about once every 3-6 months, depending at my stress level at the time !

    Once I feel one coming I'll take the tylenol with caffeine in them, sometimes, I'll go right out. But once it's really started, the only thing I can manage is try to sleep in the dark (and pain killers of course).

    Enter my eShakti GIVEAWAY

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  2. I get horrible headaches but thank goddess not migraines. My boyfriends gets them sometimes though and I feel so bad for him, he has to leave work and he usually throws up and then is pretty suck for a couple days!! He got the shot once but it didnt help much. :-( He mainly does what you do and just rides it out. I hope you feel better, my heart aches for you!!

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  3. oh my goodness! i am glad to hear you are feeling better. that sounds like you've been through hell and back! i haven't experienced anything to that caliber regarding headaches, and i pray i don't have to. i hope this is something that will eventually pass altogether and no longer create such havoc in your life. praying for a full and fast recovery for now and the future for you dear!

    and congrats to kristin!

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  4. my mum has migraine once a moth and she's just almost dead during those days.
    http://coeursdefoxes.blogspot.com/

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  5. lady, i feel your pain! i had a migraine last night. the entire right side of my face and skull was in pain and i tried all my remedies but nothing worked. usually a cup of strong black tea (2 tea bags), a hot shower, and a nap helps. but nothing stopped this monster. i called a headache center today because even though i'm on a preventative, i still get these breakthrough migraines. and i'm so over this. i dont want to be dependent on meds but i can't stand the thought of having another one. i get like 3-4 chronic headaches a week anyways.

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    1. What preventative do you take? I hope you feel better! :(

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  6. I feel you. I woke up with one yesterday and went to work. I realized it was serious and I needed to go home when I got dizzy and felt like my computer desk and computer were about to fall on top of me. Of course they never moved. Ugh. Woke up with another one this morning. My entire face, and neck hurt so bad.

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  7. I get migraines with my monthly cycle too, a few years back I took a herbal supplement called Agnus Castus which really helped, but you can't take it if you're on the Pill. Could be worth looking into for you though? xo

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    1. I haven't heard of that. Will definitely look into it. Thank you!

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  8. I am so so sorry you deal with migraines. I almost laughed when I saw your pictures becuase they are PERFECT in describing how a migraine feels. I've been dealing with them since I was 5. so, 20 years.I have tried a little bit of everything (except prescription shots and drugs).
    1.If you get yours around your cycle, you may have a progesterone/estrogen imbalance. I started using herbalance progesterone cream and it's helped calm them down around my cycle.
    2. This has helped too:http://eatlivemake.blogspot.com/2012/04/natural-migraine-relief.html
    it tastes nasty, but it really takes the edge off to where you can function and not have to be out of the light.
    3. I have also found that I was VERY sensitive to eggs and dairy. After I cut those out of my diet my migraines became noticibly less frequent. May be worth trying?
    4. And lastly (because I've been dealing with a migraine the past week) the doctor I work for did a ZYTO food allergy screening on me. I found I was allergic to 214 foods. She has been able to balance me out with some homeopathic remedies and my migraine is MUCH better. I'm wondering if you may have a Naturopathic Medical Doctor in your area? If you want me to I can ask the doctor I work for if she knows of anyone around there who does the same testing she does. It's just a thought!

    I'm sorry this comment is sooo long, but I feel for you, and I really hope some of these things can offer you relief. I know it's hard to come by.

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  9. I really don't like migraines, or headaches, or any kind of pain! Sometimes I get stress-related headaches, and the're not fun. I can't even imagine a migraine (my mom used to get those frequently). I'm happy to say that I haven't had the really bad headaches in awhile. I hope you find some relief!

    ~Kim
    from Blogging Buddies
    http://2justByou.blogspot.com

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  10. I get chronic migraines, so I definitely know your symptoms! The problem with migraines, is that people who’ve never had one, don’t understand the tremendous amounts of pain that come along with them. (I missed about a day a week of work over this past winter/spring…clearly not something any boss is going to want to deal with!!) Pretty much the only things I can do to make them go away is lie down in my dark bedroom, and put a hot compress over wherever it hurts the most. Usually I can then fall asleep and after 12 hours or so (not all of them asleep unfortunately) they’re usually gone enough to carry on with life!

    And I’m one of those people who haven’t been able to really pin a food trigger or really any kind of trigger, and they don’t always coincide with my cycle…my neurologist explained to me that in my case it’s largely linked to barometric pressure changes. (So I expect that with fall and another season change they’ll be back much worse than usual…ugh).

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  11. It doesn't seem to matter how long I've suffered from migraines or how many times I recognize symptoms I always seem to deal with them with "denial" half the time... I like to tell myself "it's just a headache" or "it'll go away on it's own" and I go to bed without taking anything only to wake up sick as a dog and hating life the next morning with a full blown migraine.

    UGH..I feel for you.

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  12. I always get migraines when I'm really busy or stressing out... which ofcourse makes it even worse because I keep on stressing out even more when I'm laying there, doing nothing... thank goodness it's been a while I had such a big one like you describe yours, how horrible! :-/

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  13. Oh man, I'm glad you're feeling like a normal person again. I get stress headaches but not too many migraines. I feel so terrible for people who get them all the time. I see those commercials for the meds and it's like, "If you have 15 or more headache days a month..." I could not even imagine.

    Hope you get to enjoy at least some of Lolla!

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  14. melissa, that sounds torturous, to have to deal with that, let alone once a month. i wish i had some advice or helpful hints. i get completely messed up from a bad headache, but that sounds like nothing compared to what you experience. i am so sorry. glad that time has passed. i wish they wouldn't come back.

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  15. Unfortunately, I had them as a yound child. My mom told me I would lay there and shake. And I get them as an adult, but luckily, not as often. I feel for you. I wish I had more comforting words to say. My doctor prescribed Relpax for when I feel them coming on. Have you tried this? MAYBE they can help you...or at least make the duration shorter? Positive and healing vibes coming your way....

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  16. I was misdiagnosed as having migraines for a long time. I tried multiple pills and nothing worked. Finally with some new information I found online and a new neurologist i was diagnosed with CLUSTER HEADACHES. These headaches come in "seasons" and will happen 1-2 times A DAY during that period. they react to different medicine than migraines, and once i started the right preventative pills i was alleviated from the weeks of daily, excruciating pain of cluster headaches. i wanted to post this because there may be many more people out there like me who went YEARS thinking I had migraines but getting no relief. Do some research- it could make a whole world of difference!

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    1. Mine are definitely migraines and not clusters. From what I understand and have been told by doctors, clusters are always one sided, last longer, and aren't related to menstrual cycle. My migraines are sometimes unilateral but mostly on both sides, and almost always during my period. I also get the visuals/auras without headache sometimes. Clusters almost sound worse to me - I'm glad you've been able to take care of yours!

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  17. I used to think I had migraines, and NOTHING would help. Then I started working at a dental practice that treated TMJ. I found out that is what I really had, and that is why none of the migraine treatments worked. They have very similar debilitating symptoms like; tinnitus (ringing of the ears), intense pain in temples, forehead, eyes, neck, and back, nausea, clicking/popping of the jaw, photo phobia (light sensitivity), dizziness, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. It was really a great experience. I worked there for almost 5 years treating (mostly women) who had these same problems and never knew what was wrong with them!
    As far as migraine meds, the triptan drugs work best when taken during the "onset". But, how does that help you if it just hits you like a ton of bricks w/out warning, right?
    Glad you feel better mama! Love and Light,
    Ruth

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    1. I have TMJ as well. Been sleeping with a mouth guard every night for years!

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    2. Best thing you can do for yourself!

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  18. Whew, ok I am caught up on reading your blog again! I've been addicted to watching the Olympics...
    I'm so sorry you have such terrible migraines, and that you have them regularly. I'm fortunate enough to hardly ever even get regular headaches, and I know how lucky I am! I hope you can find the right remedy to help things go easier for you during those times.

    I also loved the story about Charm! Such a sweetie pie! I'm glad things are going well for them right now : ]

    And your Indian Summer dress--I was actually thinking it seemed a little short before you even mentioned it, but I didn't think anything about age appropriateness. I mean, if you were wearing shorts that short it would be totally socially acceptable, so why not a dress? It looks great and that's all that matters. You pull it off nicely!

    Now finally, the Bittersweet August post. I don't know how the weather is in Chicago or when it changes, but here it stays hot through October and warm through November usually. I remember your post about San Francisco and how much you love it there. Maybe you out to just move out here and enjoy the warm weather year-round ; ]

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  19. I've had a lot of these symptoms too, but I really don't want to go on medication because I know some of them have side effects. I also understand that people have to though when it interferes with jobs and taking care of kids, etc. I'm thankful that I have some flexibility in that department, and obviously, I don't have kids. I see flashes of light and have numbness/tingling mixed with sharp pain and vertigo, fatigue, and sensitivity to light too. I've been having lots of other weird issues too, which I sometimes think are all related. My gp has been little help...I should probably see a specialist at some point, but for now I'm just dealing with it. I'm glad you're feeling better. Take it easy this weekend. xoxo

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    1. I'd be interested in knowing about your other weird issues Mary. Email me and let's chat. :)

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  20. I was diagnosed at 19 and my otherwise easy physiology went downhill fast.
    For preventatives I've been on: Blood pressure lowering medications (didn't help), Depakote (2 years, made me sleepy, didn't help), and Topamax which was just awful.
    Pain/treatment meds: Imitrex (doesn't work for me, even the injectable), Maxalt (sent me to the ER from an interaction), and Zomig which so far is the only one that dents the headaches.
    I also have narcotic and antinausea meds now because if I start actually throwing up I won't stop and my day will end at the ER getting IVs and a giant hospital bill.
    I have Percocet, Vistiril, and my antinausea med is Promethegan. They had me on Compazine but it gave me weird side effects.
    For herbals I use my Stress Relief Serum which has a lot of peppermint and other oils, ice packs (love these - lifesavers!), and I also use Gaia Herbs Migraprofen but I can't mix that with the Narcotic.
    For supplements I take Evening Primrose Oil, sometimes Flax oil, and B12. I make an herbal hormone balancing tea which I drink during my cycle.
    The most absolutely helpful herb/natural supplement I have taken thus far is Chlorella -this stuff is like a miracle!!!!!! It tastes terrible as a powder mixed into juice but the effect is incredible. If I'm starting to get one it will often totally take it away if I have it in the morning when I get up. 2 Tablespoons mixed into OJ is reasonably palatable and totally worth the slightly unpleasant taste. Plus it's super healthy for you.
    The only other thing that I have found that is making a HUGE impact for me is that my doc put me on an estrogen supplement patch. I would get a week after my period where I'd have crushing headaches that were constant, different than a regular migraine, and totally unresponsive to any meds. The best I could do was just dope myself up to take the edge off and wait. This estrogen patch is the best thing that has happened to me since my diagnosis!!!! The last 2 months I wore it during the week after my cycle and I maybe only had 1 day with a mild headache, and I feel great! It's fantastic.
    I still need to work on the ones I get *during* my cycle like you're talking about, and I also still get them triggered by all kinds of other things - too much light, too much heat, not eating at the right times, oversleeping, not sleeping enough, stress. And sometimes seemingly nothing at all, they just come.
    Honestly migraines IMHO for those that get them so severely and have a documented history should be eligible for disability benefits. I am lucky now that I run my own company and there's no one to yell at me if I take the day off but that doesn't mean it doesn't cost me. And I have a daughter that I have to be there for too and pick up from school, do homework, etc. The days when I have to just keep grinding away at the normal routine can be pretty brutal. But sometimes I can't go lay down unless it's getting hospital bad.
    So yeah, they really, really mess your life up. But I must say I enjoy feeling just "normal" more than regular folks ever will. Every day without pain is a blessing.

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  21. So sorry to hear it.

    I too suffered from childhood and then adulthood migraines. I hated taking my medication because I knew that I would lose all that time. My doctor finally convinced me that I HAD to. I haven't had one since getting pregnant with my Triplets. I don't suggest that you try it (smile) but it messed up my brain "real good". Hoping it stays that way.

    Feel free to share. It is your blog after all. Hope you're out of the haze soon.

    Besos, Sarah
    Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo

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  22. I was getting migraines every two months like clockwork (not around period though).. vomiting, severe nausea,light sensitivity, etc etc. I remember reading u have fibromyalgia... as a chronic pain sufferer myself, finally came to find out my narcotics were the culprit, namely Norco. Not sure if youre taking narcotics but stopping them certainly helped me! Hope u can find a way to get rid of yours!! They're the worst.

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    1. I am not on narcotics (or any pain killers), but that is a good tip for those who are and suffer from migraines!

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  23. Reading this article and all the responses makes me feel like a member of the Migraine Club! I always thought I was suffering alone...although my boyfriend (now husband) had also suffered from migraines (his a little different than mine) but as stated above, it is comforting to be with someone who UNDERSTANDS THE HELL that is a migraine. I started getting them at 25 years old after moving from NYC to LA. I have been to all kinds of neurologists, drs, clinics, etc. and unfortunately I suffer from stress headaches, cluster headaches, regular migraine headaches, AND TMJ! I recently went to the DDS for a crown and was starting to get a migraine - he gave me the shots in my mouth to numb my teeth area and my headache started to lessen. I asked him for additional shots of novocaine, because it was helping my headache and he laughed (and delivered) saying I was the 1st patient in his practice to ask for more shots in my mouth. LOL But it truly helped.
    I have tried everything as well, most of the drugs mentioned above, including the estrogen patch, but now I am on an estrogen MIST, am and pm, along with neurontin, lexapro, immetrix, vicoden es, soma, zofran for nausea, etc. AND I STILL GET HEADACHES, but luckily not as severe as a few months ago. Most of mine are now because of lack of sleep and/or degenerative discs in my neck...a huge trigger.
    BTW, the BRAND vicoden is now being discontinued and only generic will be available --- the generic does not work for me at all, what the hell else works for you guys??? Even the generic immetrix sucks, I have to take 2 100mg tabs at a time to get any relief.
    Also, I can also tell you that change in climate effects me too. I just got back from NYC where it was hot and humid most of the trip and I had a headache EVERY DAY I was there.
    Thanks for listening to my rant, *smile Any/all advice and comments would be welcome. Or pm me at [email protected]

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    1. Imitrex doesn't hardly do anything for me either - in fact it often just makes me feel worse. It's been great for my mom but I don't even bother with it. Zomig so far is the only thing that helps but even that isn't enough alone, and it gives me pain as well.
      I take Percocet but the few times I've had Vicodin I found that the effect was relatively similar so I've stuck with the Percocet for now.
      Girl, you have it at least as bad as me.
      So I tried some accupressure today on my upper temples today with good effect. Sparked by that I did some searching and there is a major muscle involved in jaw clenching located there. I found this site: http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/book/5th_sth.htm
      The dentist there has basically devised a specific type of mouthpiece for clenchers - not just regular TMJ headgear as he found that extreme clenchers actually just clenched even harder on that! I am totally calling their office tomorrow, and recommend that folks read through this. I know I carry a lot of my stress in tight muscles and I often catch myself with my jaw "set" while working on the computer. I guess I never thought that I was tensing it that much, but it's while you're sleeping that really aggravates it. Anyway, here's hoping! I also want to try acupuncture but have had a limited budget to do so. The rest of my meds and supplements are so expensive that it's hard to afford much else.
      I totally feel your pain, sorry you are having to endure it...

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  24. I'm happy it's on it's way out! Migraines sound so freaking scary. And if migraines look like those images you shared, I don't even know. I'm so sorry you have those once a month! Or even at all! I thought once a month was a lot and then you mentioned people can have them weekly. :(

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  25. migrains suck and are scary..i had to have an MRI for one but everything came back okay...
    new to your blog and now follow thru GFC. if you have time to look at my blog and follow, too, it would make my day! found your blog thru amy morby's blog. :-)

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  26. yikes. I don't get the aura or the dizziness. I have been getting them since I was 8 or 9. I remember the first time I had one my mom called 911 because she had no idea what was going on. for me, they are much faster. if I don't medicate immediately, I'm in the fetal-position-in-a-dark-room phase in less than an hour, and usually sick in the bathroom within 2 or 3 hours. I usually have to medicate for a couple days after that as the headache re-surfaces. for me, it's just a piercing pain in my right eye, sometimes also the top of the right side of my head and occasionally down the right side of my jaw or neck. when I'm teaching full-time, I can get them daily. what I hate most is that my boyfriend thinks they're just normal headaches and I'm just being a baby. NOT THE CASE!

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  27. so glad you're feeling better sis, but can't imagine the pain you go through...does anything trigger them? or do they just happen on their own? I watched a special the other day about some experimental medicine they are finding that helps with migraines more than the others on the market...do you like the homeopathic route or do you cave in for meds when needed? I hope you can find somethign to ease the pain again slightly when it happens :(

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  28. i hope you get better soon girl! my mom had them and they were horrible! i'll pray for ya! :)


    love, rach.
    www.so--hi.blogspot.com

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  29. It sounds awful, what happened to you. From pain comes great artistry. This is a very moving post. Thanks for sharing.

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  30. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
    I've been there. I had migraines, too. I had my last migraine in the first months of my pregnancy and after that I haven't had them anymore. I hope and pray it will stay this way, because migraines are awful!!
    For me only one thing helped: to take pills before the migraine actually started - when you're starting to feel something is going on ... I really don't like meds, if I can avoid them. But, If I recognized the signs that a migraine is coming on, I took the pills (one for a headache and one for gastrointestinal disorders) immediately.

    I hope and wish you never get one of those migraines again!!

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  31. I started taking a progesterone only pill after I was getting two migraines a month (one on each side of my period). I could set my watch by them! The pill I use now (cerazette) doesn't have a break for menstruation so that seems to stop the huge hormone change that I think used to trigger my migraines. I still get them unfortunately but not as often. My preventative method is simply painkillers and sleep. Once the nausea kicks in I stop trying to get on with life and just lay down and wait. The second picture is so absolutely accurate for how I feel during a migraine. I get noise sensitivity more than light, and that picture is just how noise feels during a migraine! I recently had a bloodshot eye the day after a migraine which was a new weird symptom ha. I'm glad you're feeling better now, hope it's a while before you have to go through it again. x

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  32. These comments are SO HELPFUL! Thanks for sharing your experience and to everyone that has given suggestions.

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