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Posted 5/17/2007 6:04 PM (GMT -8)
hello, i have been having migraines for about 5years, seem to have started after my complete hysterectomy. I have been on topamax, zoloft, depacoat, elliville, and lexapro for preventative meds. The topamax seemed to help with the number of migraines I had but my neurologist took me off because of kidney stones. PRN imitrex, migranal, zomig, maxalt, relpax, toradol injections, fioricet, and fiorinal. Relpax and maxalt never have worked for me, zomig and imitrex are the only ones that seemed to work, but recently seem to be loosing their effectiveness.

As I said before I have had a major hysterectomy, nasal surgery, bladder suspension, gallbladder, and kidney stones.

My migraines usually hurt on the right side of my head, nausea and vomiting, light and sound sensitivity. Has hurt on left side, and even whole head. Dizziness, blacking out, tingling on one side of body my body, blurred vision, sharp stabbing pain behind right eye sometimes accompany migraines and not all together.


This makes week number 3 with a statue migraine. I have taken the meds I was given by my neurologist, but with no relief. I have been to the ER multiple times, sometimes they will help but most of the time they treat me like I am just there to get meds. They tell me I need to see my family doctor or my neurologist, but it is middle of the night (what am I supposed to do?).

I think my migraines are related to the barometric pressure, but not sure. I have not pinpointed my triggers, but am working on that. I have also started a migraine journal to keep up with the severity and number of migraines a month. I seem to have them more than I don't recently. I did go about two (2) months after Christmas without a major migraine ( having to go to ER), I did feel a couple trying to come on but my prn meds took care of those.

I dont know what to do. If anyone has any suggestions for me, perhaps something I can talk to my neurologist about that I may be able to try would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Posted 5/17/2007 10:02 PM (GMT -8)
Hi mytrx450r.  Your story seems very similar to mine.  I never had a migraine until this summer and since then, they have been fierce.  I actually had a hysterectomy in January because my neurologist told me there was a 50/50 chance it would help the migraines (some would say having a hysterectomy to get rid of a "headache" is pretty desperate - I was).  Well, it didn't - actually, they seem to have gotten worse.  The doctor truly believes now that they are related to the barometric pressure.  You can read my other posts about barometric pressure migraines but basically, he has me on a regimen of meds to help.  I take Verapamil and Trileptal daily as preventitives (I cannot take Topomax because I have kidney stones) and then if I feel a headache coming on, I take 1/2 Prednisone(4mg), 1 8mg Zofran, 1 Relpax, Lidocaine Nasal Spray and a 2mg Dilaudid.  If I still have headache, then I repeat the Relpax in 2 hours and the others (except for the Prednisone) as prescribed (every 4-6 hours).  However, the problem was that I would go to bed fine (no headache at all) and wake up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night with my headache already out of control.  Then, I couldn't stop vomiting long enough to take the meds.  Now, he has me watch the weather and if severe weather is predicted or we are predicted to have a big change in pressure (a high pressure or low pressure system coming), I start the meds that night whether I have pain or not.  He says that the worse thing you can do is wait, thinking your headache won't be bad and then start off already behind. 

I know this sounds like a lot of medicine - in all honestly, I guess it is; however, it has now kept me out of the ED for going on 8 weeks - that is a record since my migraines started last summer.  I justify taking these meds by saying it is better to have those meds by mouth than to have to have higher dosages IV in the ED.  Some might disagree but all I know is that I feel like I have my life back.  Someone could say that taking that Dilaudid is inappropriate but that person hasn't had to live my life.  I have 3 kids that need me to be able to function and until I started this regime, I couldn't function 3-4 days a week - I would be curled up in the fetal position, in the dark, with a bucket. So, I have chosen this.  Now, usually, I don't even have to lie down.  For the most part, if I start this when the headache is small or not there at all but I know it will be, then I never even get it and never miss a beat.  Usually, my family doesn't even realize that I have had a headache - that is such a nice change for them - they were used to me forever saying that "I have a headache".

Hope this helps.  Sorry that my posts always seem to be so stinkin' long.

Good luck.

Posted 5/19/2007 7:21 PM (GMT -8)

Hello mytry450r,

Welcome to Healing Well. I also find that my headaches are affected by weather. If the pressure goes up, or clouds come in close I experience a pressure and then get a migraine.

My doctor recommended a drug combination for those migraines that just won't go. I take 2 T3s, 1 or 2 Toradol (or Aleve will also work), 1 or 2 Gravol, and an Ativan. This combination seems to break the chain. The Ativan and Gravol help me relax and stops the nausea, allowing my stomach to digest the other medications.

I feel for you. I live in BC, Canada on the coast where it rains a lot. I suffer incredibly when it rains for weeks.

Best of luck.

Posted 5/19/2007 8:14 PM (GMT -8)
Nicky, can you tell me how the barometric pressure contributes to your migraines?  My neurologist feels very strongly that my migraines are completely related to the weather.  He told me to watch the weather and then to pre-medicate myself if we have severe weather predicted.  So far, any time that we have had storms predicted (which this Spring has been many), I have pre-medicated and done great (in 8 weeks, I haven't been to the ED one time - before, I was going 3-4 times a month).  However, there have been several occassions that the weather wasn't predicted to be severe, I didn't pre-medicate and I have gotten a bad migraine.  Two of those times, I realized, too late, that we had a high pressure system move through.  Now, that makes me assume that it is related to high pressure but then someone told me that they think it has to do with the pressure changing.  Any suggestions on what to watch for?

Thanks for your help and glad to know you are feeling well enough to come back.  I am new here but already feel so comforted to know that I am not alone.  I had started to feel like a weirdo - people who don't suffer from migraines look at you like you are crazy when you are in bed or in the ED for 3 days.  I know people think that I just have a "headache" and am overreacting - if they only knew how I wished that I just had a nice, normal headache.

Good night and hope that  you are having a headache (migraine) - free day!

Posted 5/20/2007 4:53 PM (GMT -8)
hello, thanks for all the input. i have had a migraine on and off for 4 weeks. this is the longest i've ever had one, it has not been continually though. i have not been able to pin point a real trigger except weather. our weather here in south mississippi is different from week to week. we have a lot of humidity.that triggers them and also cloudy rainy weather. i have had the hardest time with dr's. i cant find a preventive that has helped and none of my dr'will prescripe me any type kind of narcotics. i give myself toradol injections, i use to use ativan to relax me but they make me very intolerable. the triptans i think i'm immune to i've taken them so much. it's just a crap shoot, you never know from day to day. i can't plan anything, it's so depressing. i've only been having them for 5 years and i know there has to be a med out there to help prevent but my dr's seem so unconcerned. i hate it, i don't know what to do any more.
Posted 5/20/2007 8:48 PM (GMT -8)
baseballmom, what does the Lidocane NS do, and does it help??? I'm interested in this one.
Posted 5/21/2007 3:45 AM (GMT -8)
Angmichelle, I really don't know how the Lidocaine NS is supposed to work except as a numbing medicine.  I truly believe that if my headaches were in the front part of my head, it would be effective; however, my pain is usually behind one eye (usually the left), in the center of my head so it hasn't been that effective.  My neurologist thought that he would give it a try - I appreciated him trying it!  It hasn't worked great, yet, but, I will continue to try it until I am convinced there is not possibility of it working. 

 

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