I heard on the Diane Rehm's radio show a segment on Living with Migraines (please listen to the podcast). I really liked it because of all the good new news on the subject. I'm also a migraineur diagnosed with migraine with aura (or migraine with complex). It seems that the medical field is still learning about migraines and that they took some significant leaps in the past twelve years. I would like to share my experience with doctors and migraines.
Though I had migraines from childhood, I only went to the Veterans Administration Hospital for it in 2001. Then, my doctor did not admittedly know much about migraines and she promised to get some more information and confer with other doctors. She ended up giving me codeine and caffeine. Hold on, there are many several type of migraines and it seems that some migraines get worse with caffeine and some get better. This combination seemed to work for me. I did substitute the codeine with ibuprofen and this also worked, and it would allow me to drive.
I moved from California to St Louis, Missouri and sought additional help in 2009 from VA doctors there because I was experiencing some numbness in my body, mainly on my right side. I ended up seeing neurologists there and they took me off off the ibuprofen which I was taking every 4 hours. This apparently could lead to some bad things with my internal organs. They gave me Diltiazem to take every day and Sumatriptan as a rescue medicine. They also identified the little 'fireflies' I see in my eyes from time to time are part of my aura. I consider these doctors to be very professional and seriously interested in my case. I was lucky. The did not say anything about my body numbness and pain, but I believe them also to be part of my aura because of what I read and hear about migraine with aura.
If I think about it, I can see other aspects of my aura. Growing up I would sometimes get up and my sight and my hearing would stop for a couple of seconds. I wouldn't see anything but darkness and heard nothing in that period of time. I would also get dizzy and see my 'fireflies'. During a migraine headache, I couldn't stand light or loud noises. I would also feel weak and would have to rest often. My headaches usually lasted 4 days. The Sumatriptan took away the pain, but not my auras, and not my weakness. Being a migraineur is something I have to live with.
I can see that from 2001 to today, migraine information has indeed increased and there seems to be more help for migraineurs. If you suffer from migraines, I suggest you find a doctor that is actively helping you and that you are managing it better. It may still be hard to find the right doctor, but it seems more and more doctors and getting educated on this disease. Good luck.
Showing posts with label migraineur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label migraineur. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Living with Migraine
I am a migraineur. That is I live with migraines. How is living with migraines different than with any other headaches or different from anyone else? I will spell out what it means to live with migraines.
First of all what is a migraine? A migraine is a headache, but no ordinary headache. It is also a medical condition and a diagnosis. They affect their hosts periodically and may be triggered by certain things or situations. There are many types of migraines and they vary from person to person. If you think you are suffering from migraines, go see your doctor. The sooner a person is diagnose with a migraine the sooner an appropriate treatment can be formulated.
Medically speaking, migraines seem to act like a disease. Many migraines have injury associated with them. My doctor explained to me that the brain swells and hits the walls of the skull. This causes some type of migraines. By hitting the wall of the skull, my head becomes very sensitive and it feels pressure. This causes a few things to happen to me. The first big symptom is excruciating pain. Other symptoms include, bodily weakness, slow thinking, not standing too much light, not standing loud sound, seeing an aura in my eyes, getting tired quickly. My migraines come and go periodically, I often have a big one once a month. One of the major triggers for them is stress in my case. Other people can have different triggers.
Migraines are a disability in that they can cause disabling symptoms. Without treatment I cannot function for four days when a migraine hits. For other people, their migraines last different amount of time than mine. Sometimes I take a sick day in order to rest the migraine out.
Migraines have a lifestyle associate with them. I cannot stand anyone touching my head, whether I'm having a migraine or not. I cannot go to loud concerts, it's too much to bear. I have to take pills every day. The older I get the worse the migraines become. I have to choose carefully what classes I take in college. I cannot take too stressful of a class. I have to guard myself from getting into arguments, because the stress from an argument triggers migraines. Sometimes I have to wear sun glasses even indoors. Many times I prefer to get away from people to calm down. There seems to be no cure, just treatment to alleviate the symptoms.
I spoke of migraines as a disease/injury, as a disability, and as a lifestyle. I also defined what a migraine is. I am not a doctor, I'm a migraineur. I wrote this so others can understand a little and be a little more supportive when they find someone who says they have a migraine. Please don't be incredulous. Migraines and migraineurs exist.
First of all what is a migraine? A migraine is a headache, but no ordinary headache. It is also a medical condition and a diagnosis. They affect their hosts periodically and may be triggered by certain things or situations. There are many types of migraines and they vary from person to person. If you think you are suffering from migraines, go see your doctor. The sooner a person is diagnose with a migraine the sooner an appropriate treatment can be formulated.
Medically speaking, migraines seem to act like a disease. Many migraines have injury associated with them. My doctor explained to me that the brain swells and hits the walls of the skull. This causes some type of migraines. By hitting the wall of the skull, my head becomes very sensitive and it feels pressure. This causes a few things to happen to me. The first big symptom is excruciating pain. Other symptoms include, bodily weakness, slow thinking, not standing too much light, not standing loud sound, seeing an aura in my eyes, getting tired quickly. My migraines come and go periodically, I often have a big one once a month. One of the major triggers for them is stress in my case. Other people can have different triggers.
Migraines are a disability in that they can cause disabling symptoms. Without treatment I cannot function for four days when a migraine hits. For other people, their migraines last different amount of time than mine. Sometimes I take a sick day in order to rest the migraine out.
Migraines have a lifestyle associate with them. I cannot stand anyone touching my head, whether I'm having a migraine or not. I cannot go to loud concerts, it's too much to bear. I have to take pills every day. The older I get the worse the migraines become. I have to choose carefully what classes I take in college. I cannot take too stressful of a class. I have to guard myself from getting into arguments, because the stress from an argument triggers migraines. Sometimes I have to wear sun glasses even indoors. Many times I prefer to get away from people to calm down. There seems to be no cure, just treatment to alleviate the symptoms.
I spoke of migraines as a disease/injury, as a disability, and as a lifestyle. I also defined what a migraine is. I am not a doctor, I'm a migraineur. I wrote this so others can understand a little and be a little more supportive when they find someone who says they have a migraine. Please don't be incredulous. Migraines and migraineurs exist.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)