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Migraine sufferers

HiFiCanada

HiFiCanada

Caregiver
I had a migraine this weekend again and that just totally wrecks the day , I have to stay upright , sitting in a chair and wait it out. All other things that were on the agenda for that day are off as the migraine has decided it that way. Darn, it'd frustrating, can't do anything .
I tell my wife that migraines is the boss, it decides what I do or don't do for that day. Nothing works for the migraines except Gravol and I really hate taking that because it gets me so tired for the rest of the day.
I was really worried that when one of my kids got married, only a few weeks ago that what if I had a migraine? I could not go to my son's wedding, that's how bad they get.
I noticed that just a few days before I get the migraine, I will get a bit confused and can't type anything down, really stuck for words and I can forget about communicating via e-mail or forums.
There is no remedy and no pills that will get rid of it except Gravol, that helps a bit or at least gets me drowsy enough to pass the time.
The migraine I had last Sunday, started at 2.00AM and did not go away until about 5.00PM and it's that way every time, around 4 to 5 PM in the afternoon , I start feeling a bit better.

Staying in a dark room does not help me at all, or laying down in bed, would be the worst thing I could do.

Anyone else get them? How do you cope with it?
 
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I get them from time to time. From what I can tell I get them when I have been stressed for a while. First my sight gets fuzzy and I see little shards of light. Then I get nauseated and ill. For me I have to sit with my body angled in a recliner. They last for around 4-6 hrs usually and sleep is the only way to get rid of them for me. Sorry to hear you go through them as well.
 
I had a migraine once when I was driving in North Carolina.
I pulled over to the side of the road because I literally COULD NOT continue driving!
Ended up taking a 4 hour 'nap' before I could get back on the highway again to continue my trip.

Steve
 
Sorry to hear that you suffer from migraine headaches.

Luckily I no longer suffer from them for a variety of reasons, but I went through about a 15 year stretch of them. Some of them would last for days.

The extreme sensitivity to light and sound is something else.

What I did, and this is only what worked for me, not implying that it will work for anyone else. I used 2 heating pads, without the cloth covers, one for the back of my neck and one for my forehead, both set to maximum heat, the hotter the better.

Once I discovered this, I was able to lay in bed with the heating pads and that would allow me to get some rest.

Oddly, I could stand them on my neck and head, but not on any other part of my body, they were way to hot.

When one would strike when I was at work, I would try to compartmentalize the pain. That is put the pain in a box and put it on a shelf in my mind.

I kept a detailed log of the occurrence the the migraines and found some trigger foods and some trigger situations.

For me it was staying ahead of the pain and refusing to give in.

Again this is only what worked for me to lessen the pain, not saying it will work for anyone else. Try at your own risk.
 
I get migraines quite frequently. I've been lucky in that excedrin migraine (or a combo of tylenol, another nsaid and caffeine) usually will take care of it. But I've had some that either didn't help or took too long to kick in.

Being an audio guy, a couple years ago I heard about idoser and their binaural beat "digital drugs". The idea deals with brainwave manipulation by sending a tone in to each ear through headphones (hence binaural). The frequency of each tone varies by such a small amount, but when the brain processes them, it winds up offsetting at a very low rate...and the theory is it will cause your brainwaves to change its current state to whatever the binaural beat is.

They had various effects (do any of them simulate the actual drug? Don't know, can't say for myself.) But they did have one for migraine relief. This may sound like a bad idea if you have sound-sensitivity...but it uses white noise background with the drone of the tones. Anyway....skeptical and feeling a miagraine comming on...I found a dark room, got as comfortable as I could be and tried this out. I didn't take anything to screw with the result because the tracks take about 20 minutes to a half hour to listen to.

For me, it worked. My brain is among the population that can respond to binaural beats. When the file was finished playing I had a bit of a "migraine hangover" (headache mostly gone, but you feel a bit groggy which passes..sort of like waking up from a nap), but the headache was gone. The whole thing is a pseudo-science that many have said is bunk. I expect for 99% of the population it wouldn't provide much relief (although they say "training" helps) I have a "generic" version of it in mp3 if anyone would like to give it a try.

Going on that, here's another interesting find. The group The Gourds, who are mostly know for their bluegrass cover of "Gin & Juice" also did a bluegrass cover of "Ziggy Stardust". The intro has a lot of guitar/banjo/mandolin and its all layered lovely and panned in an interesting way. Despite the sounds and harmonics are out of the range of what binaural usually operates....I have found if I feel a headache coming on, this track, with headphones, does something to my brain that sometimes prevents it.

But still..migraines suck.

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I'm a migrainer, too. I was hoping when my hormonal changes decreased they would go away, but they didn't. (I am female). I was hoping when I gave up sugar they would go away, but they didn't.

I get migraines when I don't eat on time, when I eat too much sugar or when I am stressed. (Like now - planning Thanksgiving for 18 of my husband's relatives!)

I take 2 Excedrin's, which are over the counter meds with aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine.

If that doesn't work, I take a prescription medication for migraines - Imitrex. They knock the headache out within 1 hour, but make me feel out of it. I don't like to take them.

I find that an ice pack at the base of my neck and my forehead helps me. I am very sensitive to light and noise when I am migraining. It is a huge pain to live with these.
 
My wife gets migraines regularly and has for years -- can last an entire day. Imitrex is the only med that eliminates the pain. But it makes her very drowsy and puts her to sleep.

She now can feel a migraine beginning a few hours before it occurs (usually early morning - 4:00 a.m.) and immediately takes 600mg of Advil, drinks a strong cup of coffee, and applies a heating pad to her neck and cold washcloth to her forehead to stop the progression. It usually works. Light and noise are unbearable when she has one.

I sympathize with anyone who has them.
 
I just get the auras. It took me a long time to figure out what that was until I saw an animation of a typical migraine aura and recognized it right off.

Starts out as a bright flashing spot and expands in my field of vision until it passes out of view. Then I just feel really funky for a while, about like motion sickness.

I get these a couple times a year, usually early in the day. I like quiet and darkness when it happens, usually a nap is all I need to recover, but I can function OK after the aura passes.
 
Yea I get them too . Frequently . I was a professional drummer the first part of my adult life and the worst part was getting one right before a gig . Beating on drums , with a loud monitor facing you under the brightest lights you could imagine ! I would be counting every breath , every beat till that song ended . Then I would count off the next song and do the same . It's not like you could call off the gig or have someone take over for you , you have to do the gig , the show must go on . The worst !! Now in my 50's I work in a crating shop with lound hammering and lots of saw dust . But at least now when I get one I can go home . I set up a room just for my head aches . Dark and sound proof . I get sensitive to smells as well . I too try the Excedrin Migrain , sometimes it works other times no . Mostly I just tuff them out . The head aches kept me from getting married and haveing a family , so I live alone . I would'nt wish these on anybody . And Im with you for those who suffer .
 
Jeffery said:
I just get the auras. It took me a long time to figure out what that was until I saw an animation of a typical migraine aura and recognized it right off.

Starts out as a bright flashing spot and expands in my field of vision until it passes out of view. Then I just feel really funky for a while, about like motion sickness.

I get these a couple times a year, usually early in the day. I like quiet and darkness when it happens, usually a nap is all I need to recover, but I can function OK after the aura passes.
Click to expand...

The interesting thing I read is most, if not all migraines start in the ocular region of the brain. The visual distortions are an indicator...however, sometimes they just stay ocular.

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I've only had 2 auras. Scared the life out of me. I thought I was having a stroke. Called my eye Dr. and he told me what it was.
 
My doctor keeps me on Neurontin its a anti seizure med. it did its job they went from 3 a week lasting days to may be 2 a month with the meds.
But the side effects suck.So i only go on them now when they start coming faster.
 
Me too. When I get one I know I have been overdoing it, but often various kinds of food or drink trigger it. And another is supposed to protect against it - namely natural Greek yoghurt.

Mine start with those auras - irritating distorted smears of vision which pass - although recently in one attack I got the full stained glass effect aura (wow) Then the disorientation, nausea, pounding headache, and eyes that seem to ache.

Like others, mine last 4-6 hours, the only way for me to get through it, is sleep or eyes closed, horizontal in a quiet dark room. Anyone had the other symptom - being unable to talk properly? - slurred or slow speech ? - I get that too.

The Greek yoghurt does help though - even as late in an attack as when I have the auras - but maybe thats just me...

No medication of any kind has ever helped me with mine. After the attack is over, if I move my head more quickly than usual, I can still feel where the headache was :sigh:

There was some research that said it was the presence or lack of a certain chemical in our gut which determined whether you would suffer it or not. The Greek yoghurt is either a prolific source of the chemical or stimulates its production.
 
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Used to get Bad Bad headaches (mostly due to stress)...............

Chiropractor helped me BIG time, any type of medication seemed to make it worse......

Exercise also helps.
 
Hyperion said:
Me too. When I get one I know I have been overdoing it, but often various kinds of food or drink trigger it. And another is supposed to protect against it - namely natural Greek yoghurt.

Mine start with those auras - irritating distorted smears of vision which pass - although recently in one attack I got the full stained glass effect aura (wow) Then the disorientation, nausea, pounding headache, and eyes that seem to ache.

There was some research that said it was the presence or lack of a certain chemical in our gut which determined whether you would suffer it or not. The Greek yoghurt is either a prolific source of the chemical or stimulates its production.
Click to expand...

Greek Yogurt, I'll give that a try .
I wait until I start feeling like eating something, that is usually a very good sign that the migraine is going away, and it always does, but that's after a 14 hours of extreme pain. Sounds like really great news as this may really help me reduce the migraines, I always believed that it came from the gut.
I don't see auras but did see a dark bug or spot on the floor , when I looked, it was not there and that happened a few times .
 
I get a visit from 'Mr. Migraine' every so often. For a while (from high school through college) these came on about every month or so. After college, I was getting them every couple weeks or so, and some outbreaks could knock me out for two to three days with nausea, sensitivity to light/sound/heat. A few bouts almost made me pass out with pain. literally, it feels like someone is stepping on my head. Once they go away, then I get the 'Migraine Afterglow' of extreme fatigue for a day or so, and an increased susceptibility to a rebound headache.

If caught early enough, Imitrex works for me. The OTC stuff 'can' work on a minor outbreak, but usually they are like sugar pills for me. For me, once I entered therapy and got a few of my stressors under control, the migraines largely went away. They are down to once every other month or so, and if I feel them coming on, I try to relax right away before they become a full blown migraine.

I don't wish them on anyone.
 
I've been suffering since I was like 8 yrs. old (i'm 27 now). As a kid I would often throw up from them. My pain threshold has gotten better over the years fortunately. In my mid teens a doctor gave me around 400 mg motrin (ibuprofen) and that has been the magic cure for me. If they are pretty bad, I'll just pop 800mg ibuprofen and 30 mins later i'll be at like 50% pain.
It should be noted that I had tried every type of medication at that point....try Ibuprofen if you haven't in heavyish (yet safe for your weight) doses.

What helped 2 or 3 years ago was being diagnosed with sleep apnea. I used to wake up w/a headache 2 or 3x's a week. Not anymore, thanks to the cpap.

What makes them worse/triggers them= sleep deprivation, too much caffeine, NOT EATING 'on schedule'

If I had to describe my migraines, I'd say it's a never ending chronic headache that's always there, some days dormant or so small that I don't feel it, other days coming with a vengeance....

A few months ago I had one that lasted about 2 weeks, that one scared me somewhat (never had longer than maybe a week w/a headache before).
 
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When I used to get them I'd sit in front of my Altec A7's and crank them up really loud and they seemed to go away within a few songs. If I get one now, it's usually an indication that I caught a cold? :scratch2:
 
Guys-MAKE SURE these migraines AREN'T masking something else...In MY case, it was VERY high blood pressure, which led to a small stroke in 204. Yer ol' Bod MIGHT be tryin' to tell you somethin', & you ain't a-listenin' to it...
 
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