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Miraculous finding today to help with migraines.....

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 1/4/2006 10:26 PM (GMT -6)
Hi everyone - I wanted to tell you some really positive news. I have been feeling really negative and discouraged lately because I live every day with a headache. I haven't found any help from doctors, or medicine. Today was day 13 of my headache spell, and I actually had to call in sick from work because I couldn't function (which I HATE doing.) So I was pretty desperate, and decided to give medical massage a try today. I went to a massage therapist who incorporates a little bit of chirooractic techniques into his massage. He spent 45 minutes alone getting rid of the knots in my neck and shoulders. He said he could tell I was a very tense person. (This comes from years of worry from having so many headaches.) He specializes in helping people with headache problems. He got knots out of my body where I didn't even know you COULD get knots!!!! When I got out of there, I literally felt like a new person. Massage therapy isn't cheap, but if it works, I am THERE. If I wake up tomorrow morning without a headache, I am going to be even more positive. I think stress has SO much to do with headaches. Especially myself. I moved away from my family and boyfriend of 6 years to start a job in a different state. I live totally on my own, and it makes it really hard having this many headaches. I think the stress causes the headaches most of the time. I wanted to let everyone know how awesome I feel because I got the massage. I would recommend it to anyone who suffers from headaches as bad as I do. I just won't accept living with these for the rest of my life. I know all of you feel the same way. Has anyone else ever tried this? I really appreciate having all of your help :)

EE

Posted 1/5/2006 7:31 AM (GMT -6)
EE-

My sister is a Physical Therapy Asst and she has done theraputic massage on me too - getting rid of those knots. Who knew you could have so many. And it does feel good to get rid of them. But it can make you really sore, so I always take advil afterwards so that I am not so sore the next day.

Hope that it works for you and you are headache free today!!

-Jen
Posted 1/5/2006 11:35 AM (GMT -6)
Hi.  I've never been to a chat room before.  I'm desperate to talk with other migraine sufferers.  Mine started when my daughter was 6 months old (she's now 4 1/2).  They begin with the visual aura and, as you know, move into excruciating pain in my head.  I was initially prescribed Imitrex and Fioricet which did absolutely nothing.  I've been taking ametriptyline since the end of August and was migraine free until yesterday.  This migraine was different and I don't know if it's because I'm on the ametriptyline.  It began while I was sleeping which never happened before.  I didn't have my usual confusion and inability to make sense while talking.  I almost passed out while taking a shower and the pain in my head was worse than before I was put on this med.  Has anyone else had a migraine while on ametriptyline?

Posted 1/5/2006 1:36 PM (GMT -6)
Hi!

I haven´t posted for a long time. I suffer from a chronic daily headache, a mixture of migraine and tension type headache.

And yes, EE, I have tried massages as well. And they brought some relief, especially during the process but it was far from the effect you experienced. But never mind, you found something that helps and that`s what counts. I´m glad for you and hope you´re still feeling better!

Sarah, It´s wonderful that the amytriptyline helped for such a long time. How often did you have  your migraine attacks before you started taking it?

In general you should visit a doctor, if your migraine changes in any kind. Especially if it´s as dramatic as you described it. And that´s what I´d advise you to do.

 But I now from a five-year experience, that the pain changes gradually from day to day and very clearly with each new medicine.Though it´s strange that your pain has INCREASED which is very unlikely under  amitriptyline. When I took it my headache lessened a little. And I know

from others who experienced  a decrease of pain while taking it as well.

 A poular neurologist, Oliver Sacks, observed, that the migraine attacks become worse the less they occur. So this could be the reason for your severe pain and almost passing.

I  often thought, there must be a "physical" reason for my pain and all the various other symptoms. So I was checked for intracranial hypertension and hypotension. But I turned out to be completely "healthy".

So all I can say is, it might be a sign for something different than migraine and it might not. Sorry for not beeing more helpful!

Jana

 

Posted 1/5/2006 4:32 PM (GMT -6)
Thanks for your reply.  I just found out that there's a headache and head pain center in Tallahassee where I live.  I'm going to give that a try. :-)
Posted 1/6/2006 7:20 AM (GMT -6)

sarah what you are describing sounds like hemiplegic migraine (with the confusion and speech probs.) do you also get the vision and weakness/numbness on one side of your body? you want to make sure they rule out mini stroke or TIA first. anytime your headache is that severe and changes pattern that much you need to be evaluated medically again- at the hospital as soon as possible. if it is a stroke there is only a liminted time frame where meds can help halt the progress of it. imitrex or triptans in general usually don't work on hemiplegic migraines because they help narrow blood vessels in your whole head and hemiplegic migraines only effect one side of your head. matter of fact triptans like imitrex, i've learned from my research, can increase your risk of having a stroke(if it is hemiplegic migraine), so be careful with that. however muscle relaxers can help because it helps decrease vasospasms or muscle spasms in the blood vessels of your brain.

daily aspirin and a muscle relaxer have helped with prevention of my hemiplegic migraines. prior to that i was on dozens of things that either did nothing or made me feel worse. (antiinflamitory, antidepressents, seizure meds, blood pressure meds-all for migraine prevention). i recently started the aura (started losing vision and speech) and knew i was in for a bad one. i took 1,000mg aspirin and a muscle relaxer at onset of aura and it halted it!!! i was shocked tongue ! the actual head pain and weakness never came on.  prior to this fioricet has worked for the less severe ones and stadol (which is an opiate nasal spray) has been the only thing that has worked to knock out the pain, if temporarily, for severe ones. also compazine for severe nausea i get with my migraines. My severe ones can last for weeks till i'm back to myself. another key my doc tells me is to take the med right away.the longer you wait the harder to control it will be and longer it lasts. hope this is of some help to you

best of luck,

jenny

Posted 1/6/2006 3:38 PM (GMT -6)
Hi Jenny. I feel like a new person today, not even a hint of Wednesday's migraine. The good thing with my migraines is that once they're gone, they're gone. It is very rare for me to have pain for several days. I got so mad at my Imitrex when it didn't work for one of my migraines that I threw it away, same with Fioricet. My doctor prescribed a pain medication containing acetaminophen, a barbiturate and caffeine. I don't think it would have helped for the main headache pain while I was having the migraine, but it sure helped for the "after headache" I had the next day.

I still think it's strange that I didn't experience any confusion or blurred vision this time. I can't wait to check out the headache clinic. I don't feel like my primary care physician fully gets it. I'm eager to talk with a doctor who knows what I'm going through.

Thank you for reply, it really helped.

Sarah
Posted 1/13/2006 6:21 AM (GMT -6)
EE - I've been following your posts and I'm so glad you've found something to help you. How is the massage going- is it still helping? I wanted to tell you how brave I think you are- I don't get nearly as many migraines as you and I still struggle to cope with my life. To carry on working and living every day with them...well, I don't know how you manage, I'd be in a strait jacket by now! Especeially because from the outside we look okay and get no sympathy.

 Good luck for the future.

Posted 1/22/2006 8:30 AM (GMT -6)

Bethuk yes my last hemiplegic migraine i took 1,000mg of aspirin and a muscle relaxer at onset of it and it totally stopped it! i don't know if it will work for you or even for me again, but it's worth a try. i don't know if it will work that late in the game on your 4th day of it, but i would try it and see.

good luck to you,

jenny

Posted 1/22/2006 5:25 PM (GMT -6)
beth if you do go off meds you want to be careful and make sure you have some around if you get into migraine trouble. i would not quit the daily aspirin since youve had TIA's and this can help to prevent a more serious stroke from happening. just recently i quit taking all the meds i was on. been on vicodin or lortabs for almost 3years, muscle relaxers for probably 3 years, and fioricet for 3 years. i just had it with everything so now im on day 12 with nothing and it's still hard but no migraines yet. wish me luck!
Posted 1/24/2006 9:34 AM (GMT -6)
I was put on Amitryptiline in August and I have still had many attacks (2-3per week)since but the pain has not been as intense or has not made me feel so down.  It has helped me sleep much better and has reduced my anxiety level enabling me to cope better.  I can often wake up with a migraine sometimes feeling like I have gone 0 to 60 miles an hour with the pain level! Keep going with the amitryptiline and give it some time. Wish you all the best. Annuk

Posted 1/24/2006 3:24 PM (GMT -6)
I've been having migraines since I was five years old, and I'm now 38.  I have regular CT/MRI of the head because of the severity and complications from migraines.  I've been dx with all different varieties, if you will, of the migraine headache.  I want to screem everytime I hear/read the word Imitrex!!!  Those triptans never, ever worked for me alone or in combination with other meds.  I thought I had tried it all until I read the post about the simple combination of 1000 mg aspirin and a muscle relaxer (mine are Soma 10 mg) at the very onset.  I have so much hope that this perhaps will work for me.  But do you experience intense nausea as well at the very onset of your migraines like I do??  I have learned to take a phenergen 25 mg immediately or suffer the consequences.  Luckily, I only have the usual tension headache today - never a day without my head reminding me its there - ha!  I'll let y'all know how the aspirin/soma/phenergen combo works.

Posted 1/31/2006 5:55 PM (GMT -6)

southern bell yes i get the severe nausea also with my migraines. i take 10mg compazine for that, and it works wonders! please do let me know if the aspirin/muscle relaxer/anti-nausea combo works for you. i really hope it does help someone else. i have been fortunate lately with my migraines. seeing how i'm out of fioricet i am giving excedrin migraine a try and hmm guess it helps a little with the mild ones. i'm happy to report no severe or hemiplegic ones lately!

good luck to you,

jenny 

Posted 2/3/2006 4:46 PM (GMT -6)
have any of you heard of becoming depressed with migraine medication? I seem to still be struggling with tension in my head but now I feel very dazed and reality seems dreamlike. I can't focus on people's faces and I feel like I hear sounds categorized by changes in amplitudes and pitch. But right now my head doesn't hurt much I just feel like crying.
Posted 2/4/2006 9:39 PM (GMT -6)
rachum yes i know what youre talking about. migraine meds can cause these effects - along with depression, but so can the migraine itself. it's hard to tell what is what. mood changes and feeling out of it are common as part of the aura i get with migraine.

Posted 2/7/2006 4:17 PM (GMT -6)
I have nausea sometimes with my migraines and my neuro prescribed me Reglan. It works pretty well.
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