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Here's to Your Health:  first and hopefully only migraine  |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 06:41:49 AM
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Hey gals!
I ended up in minor emergency yesterday with what turned out to be a migraine..... full blown--sensitive eyes, aura feeling, crying from the raw pain in my head, etc... For those of you that have had one or several, I'm sure you understand the intense debilitating pain I was in.
So, got a couple of shots and some pills. I'm taking them for the time being but I would love some advice, insight and natural herbs/remedies that I can add to my diet.
Thanks to all y'all
Blessings!
Catherine
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
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nut4fabric
True Blue Farmgirl
885 Posts
Kathy
Morgan Hill
CA
USA
885 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 10:26:46 AM
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I've been dealing with them for over 30 years and the last year they are daily. Have tried EVERY prevenative treatment known to doctors and nothing works so I take Migraine meds and pain pills everyday. I do have some food triggers, aged cheese, coffee, soy products, milk, and some perfumes set them off so I try to avoid those at all cost. Try to have a regular sleep habit as that makes a difference and stay well hydrated at all times. Sorry that you have had one they stink!!
Kathy |
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Sharon Denise
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
Sharon
Temple
TX
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2011 : 1:50:43 PM
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I have suffered from migraines and cluster headaches since puberty. Absolutely the first thing you should do is cut all caffeine. It is a migraine trigger for almost everyone who suffers from them. And it truly is suffering!! Beware of Excedrine Migraine and Midol, which have caffeine in them. They'll blast your pain momentarily, but the caffeine builds up in your system, causing more frequent migraines. (Kind of like how some lip balms actually dry your lips over time, so you'll buy more of their product.) Caffeine has a half life in your system, so it takes 1-3 days (depending on the person) to clear your system from the last time you had any. That's why some people suffer withdrawal symptoms. I would also avoid diet soda that contains phenylalanine. Bad stuff. It can cause severe headaches as well. Research these two things online. I do have food triggers as well, so you may need to do an elimination diet if yours get worse or more frequent. I have felt much better after cutting meat and reducing my gluten intake, for instance. Good luck, and I hope you find some relief!
"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning."
~Louis L'Amour |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2011 : 2:20:05 PM
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I feel your pain. I have mixed headaches year round set off by even the change in the weather. There are several things I use, besides the prescription meds.... feverfew, white willow bark and you can buy some headache relief creams from the health food store- there are several kinds.
Watch your food intakes. No caffeine. Good chiropractor. Good sleep. Stress. All those things.
Do what you love, love what you do. |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2011 : 6:44:41 PM
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The ONLY thing that helps my 5+days/week migraines are botox injections. 24 of them, in my face, temples, head and scalp.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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nut4fabric
True Blue Farmgirl
885 Posts
Kathy
Morgan Hill
CA
USA
885 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2011 : 08:39:53 AM
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Megan I tried the Botox injections and they didn't help but I was sure hoping they would. Was sure funny not being able to raise my eyebrows.
Kathy |
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njaw09
True Blue Farmgirl
397 Posts
Annie
NJ
USA
397 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2011 : 10:21:14 AM
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I started having migraine since grammar school (I think mine started when I was in 3rd grade back than my teacher thought I was pregnant...hahaha) and I still get it once in awhile. Sometimes it is sooooo bad I will start vomiting, I am very very sensitive to lights and sound when I have my migraine...even some scents can trigger to make it worst. I usually try not to eat anything too much...not even water.
I learn some new tricks on how to stop it on track. I get extremely hot when I have migraine.
If I am at work, I wash my face and arm with very cold water (do not pat it completely dry), on my desk I cover my head and closed my eyes and it usually works. But I must make sure my other limbs are cold and not my head. If my heads gets cold...my migraine gets worst.
At home: I make sure my bedroom is very very dark, I open some window or have ac on (depending on the weather). If it is summer I have ice cubes ready. I hold the ice cubes. I usually have to lie down. Cover my head with sheets or towel (completely must be cover except the nose) even when my body temperature is boiling and except my feet. Yes, I let my feet & hands gets cold. For some reason it helps me get rid of my migraine. If it doesn't get better within 30 minutes or I past out I take 1 or 2 Tylenol so I can sleep for 20-40 minutes or to a hour or two....depending.
I have to make sure I have enough sleep. If I have less than 5 hrs of sleep more than 2 days I usually get a migraine.
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Edited by - njaw09 on Oct 23 2011 10:23:37 AM |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2011 : 09:55:33 AM
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Start to realy read those food lables and avoid MSG like the plague
If you aren't a vegitarian, you might want to drop processed meat products. The sodium nitrates and nitrites are known migranie triggers..... (waht I wouldn't give for a hot dog some days) as are onions, darker chocolates (it's the higher cocoa content)red wines and hard cheeses, sensitivities to barometric pressure changes, and florescent lights. And then there's perfumes too, that's a bad one in department stores. I avoid Yankee Candle at all costs.
Sometimes a migraine can be brought on by cumulative effects. So you could be slightly stressed, have eaten a hotdog the day before and then be shopping somewhere where there's nothing but florescent lights all over the place and the next thing you know, you wake up with a splitting migraine. Something to that effect.
I get them mostly from over working my body and overstressing a group of muscles in the base of my neck. Have been seeing a headache dr. for 8 years and was just taking a prescription only as needed. It got kind of out of hand when some headaches started to cycle and we not going completely away. So as much as I hated to do it, Im now on a daily preventative, and have been migraine free for a month and 2 weeks! Some headaches have tried to slip free, but those have gone away on their own-or with just one pill. Have only needed just the one thuse far and no others.
For years I tried all the natural methods and herbals, massage, chirporactor, even accupuncture (way too expensive even tho I love it). So it all can't hurt, and if you are patient about finding the right remedy- by al means, go ahead.
To help educate you too: most prescriptions block the nerves in your head, the class of most of these drugs are your triptans, the most common you may know of is probably Imitrex, I take Maxalt which is Rizotriptan : you take at the very onset of the migraine. Trying to be the tough guy only makes the pain intensify too. Learned this the all too hard way.
I tried Impramine which is an antidepressant that works off label as an antimigraine. It made me too constipated so I stopped it fast! Most recently, I was put on the generic for Topomax- or toperimate. It's an anticonvulsive that you also take every day. And thus far---HEADACHE FREE!
So if one is available to you, my best advice would be to find a dr. who specializes in nothing but headahces.
Sorry so long winded |
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mickib
True Blue Farmgirl
267 Posts
Michele
Coeur d'Alene
Idaho
267 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2011 : 10:16:15 AM
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| Another thing that can cause migraines is your hormonal cycle. I have suffered from menstrual migraines for years until I finally took the time to figure out that I always had them a few days before TOM (and occasionally other times as well). Now at least I know when to expect them. I also discovered that in my case I get a stuffy head shortly before a migraine is coming on. So if I pop a Sudafed (and drink part of a regular Coke - I know what others said about caffeine, but it works for me), it solves my problem much better than all the prescription migraine meds I tried. |
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J.F. Brown
True Blue Farmgirl
130 Posts
Jamie
Beaverton
OR
USA
130 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2011 : 6:39:58 PM
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Catherine- so sorry you are in a really crummy 'club'. These things really stink!
Anna, you said it all so well, especially the 'cumulative effect' aspect. I can have a little chocolate- usually- but not a little every day. There were a few pretty good post-menopause years of few bad rounds, but they are back with a vengeance, and just as with you, triggered by tension in muscles.
As I have controlled high blood pressure, I have been told most preventatives are not possible, but I just started searching for a headache specialist this week!Great advice. |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2011 : 7:28:16 PM
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I get menstrual migraines too. Caffine helps with these with me too. I take Excedrine Migraine with a cup of coffee. I also used a really nice pillow that was filled with herbs to help me relax. But in my move the pillow came apart. It had mint and stuff in it.
But the only real way I deal with these is recognize what it is and start taking what works. I sometimes get an aura. I try to lay down in a dark room. Sleep sometimes helps. But mostly it is there until my period starts. I've had to learn to push it aside.
I hope this isn't a start of migraines for you. I have heard many people can nip it by taking things out of their diet. Hopefully this helps.
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
www.morganicinstitute.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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Prairie Gypsy
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Tammy
Wolford
North Dakota
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2011 : 8:29:35 PM
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Sorry to hear you've experienced one of these. They can be very disabling. I've suffered from migraines since high school of varying severity. I ended up having to see a neurologist when I had an 8 week cluster of daily migraines. She tried a couple different medications and they didn't work. Imitrex seems to work the best for me at this time. If I even suspect a migraine is coming on I've had luck stopping them with Excedrin Migraine. Caffine helps my headaches so the Excedrin Migraine and a Mt. Dew are my first defense. I've figured out several triggers; weather, hormones, stress, etc... Someone mentioned dark chocolate - I'm the opposite, I react to milk chocolate and I'm fine with dark chocolate. Everybodys triggers are different. Dehyration is a huge trigger for all types of headaches. If your nauseous take a sip or a couple sips every 15 minutes.
Ice and cool compresses. I have those ice blankets/sheets for lunch boxes that I have cut into rows and use to put across my forehead. Empty water bottles partially filled with water and frozen work great on the back of the neck. I will lay down with a water bottle under my neck and one of the blanket/sheets across my forehead in a dark room. There is also a product you can buy that is like a sheet with a cooling gel on it that you can apply to your forehead, temples, or neck. I've on occasion used these at work on the back of my neck and left my hair down so nobody would notice. As weird as it sounds sometimes getting in a hot bathtub that I've put a couple drops of lavendar essential oil (pure scent) and putting the ice on my head and behind my neck helps. I'll light some unscented candles or maybe some lavendar ones and turn out the lights while I lay in the tub. My head gets hot but my body is cold. Dark quiet rooms are important while having migraines.
Scents can either aggrevate or help and each migraine has to be dealt with differently. Always sniff anything with scent before using it to see what your reaction is during that particular migraine. Lavendar can be very soothing. Peppermint is good for migraines but it frequently bothers me so I don't use it but have friends that swear by it though. Be careful about using anything because your tolerance for a scent may change over the course of a particular migraine. I've used oil burners with lavendar in them in my room and then later couldn't tolerate the scent and had to move to another room. Using cotton balls with the scents so the scent can be removed is a good option.
Going to a chiropractor and getting adjusted can frequently help which is my next step if a migraine goes over two days. Actually I find if I go routinely and get adjusted it helps prevent them. A massage afterwards helps tremendously for me. There are specific pressure points the massage therapist can use to help with the migraine. Make sure to find a holistic type massagist as they know how to use scents and massage to help. I'm lucky since my massage therapist works in my chiropractor's office and both are very holistic. If nothing is helping by day three I have to go to the doctor and get the shots. My blood pressure gets really high if I try to go longer due to the pain.
I have friends who swear by various herbs but none of them have worked for me. Unfortunately what works and what doesn't work is different for each person so keep experimenting to see what works for you. Hopefully you won't experience another one any time soon.
Farmgirl Sister # 2363
http://twilightburrough.blogspot.com/
Warren, MI
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2011 : 2:44:09 PM
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A fellow migraneur and good friend of mine also said to drink a lot of water at the onset.
and i too have just about all the lavender products out there on the market. a really soft head/neck pillow and eye pillow will at least help you relax if nothing else! Badger Balm also makes a pretty smelling headache soother balm you can rub on your temples and under your nose. All those microwavable lavender pillows are a godsend-for sure!
sometimes the eucalyptus scent is a bit too strong. Peppermint is ok. I still prefer lavender
I have also been sleeping with a buckwheat stuffed pillow, so any neck cricks and tension can aided by a pillow molded to my own head and neck's needs.
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Here's to Your Health: first and hopefully only migraine |
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first and hopefully only migraine
