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January
23

migraines, tell me everything you know

so, yes, for about 3 straight weeks, i seem to be having all the symptoms of the dreaded migraine.

i know nothing about it, except for what my mum told me over the weekend and what little information i found in a book. (the doctor wasn’t too helpful either). i know i’m on the internet, the source of all/most information, but i want to know –

what’s your experiences with migraines and tension headaches, and how do you cope?

i’m not a fan of taking medication for things, but it seems like it’s the only thing that is helping my constant nausea, dry retching, dizziness and dull then sharp headaches. has anyone seen a nautropath about their migraines? i wonder if that would be another path to go down .. it’s been quite annoying to live through, i basically can’t function as i normally would and that pee’s me off (i want to get outside and enjoy summer!!!).

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mik • January 23rd, 2006 at 7:39 pm

i know this hasnt much to do with migraines, but i was tryin to look at the info on the 26things page and was wondering how often that is updated???

for the migraine thing, id go to a neurologist if its not getting any worse, they ran tests on one of my siblings and came to find out she had epilepsy without the seisures which caused her migraines… they got to be so bad at times she had to go to the emergency room to get an injection to stop them…

i get them, that last about two to three days, related to my cycle… i know others that have issues that arise from many different things such as stress and other things… id consult a specialist… hope that helps

Jess • January 23rd, 2006 at 10:07 pm

I get mostly stabbing tension headaches and a sore neck.. I blame it on being a full time geek, computers are evil.
I’ve tried using ibuprofen but the only thing that seems to help is taking lots of breaks and trying not to get wound up. Also a comfortable chair would probably help.
as i discovered on friday, beer at lunch time will only compound the problem..

ndozo • January 24th, 2006 at 12:59 pm

I found your LJ from another person’s photoblog. Migraines are awful. Go to a neurologist. He or she should make sure it isn’t anything else serious, then they can give you good targeted medicine that really works. If you don’t want to take those meds, go to a neurologist anyway to rule out other serious possible causes. Then try strenthening your abs, neck and back muscles, massage, physical therapy, changing your work environment (chair, monitor height, posture, more frequent breaks), vitamins (try a multivite. Some people get help from b vitamins). I hope you feel better. But do get checked by a neurologist first thing.

Tan • January 24th, 2006 at 9:32 am

My sister in law gets really bad migraines and has started having professional neck and head massages and says thats helped enormously. Also, not sure if there’s a link or not, but she’s now on a gluten free diet and I think thats helping.

Jen • January 25th, 2006 at 7:30 am

Yeah, if they’re coming from your neck (common in people who do computer work), go see a good physio and they should be able to help you out. Also, a friend of mine who gets migraines bad swears by these little ‘stick’ type things, which you wipe over your temples/neck/behind ears/etc, to ward them off before they happen. You can pick them up at chemists. But if they’ve come on suddenly, the best thing you can do to start with is get everything checked out by a doctor to rule out any nasties.

bronwyn • January 25th, 2006 at 1:30 pm

mirgrains run in our family and my mum used to suffer from them where she’d be in bed for days, didn’t like light etc. she ended up taking medication for it which actally helps with heart related things. go figure. she now doesn’t get any.

however she also know’s what kind of food will trigger a mirgrain and she no longer eats those foods, i think she found this out through a natrapath type thing.

i suffer from mirgrains occaionally and i know mine are neck related and also related to my hormones. i would highly recommend seeing a natrapath, i see one and can not speak more highly of it.

Steven • January 25th, 2006 at 5:58 pm

I don’t get headaches much, but when I do, I find that
going out for a run helps make it disappear.

I know that sounds crazy because exercise is the last
thing I would want to do because I usually feel like crap
at that point (just before the run). But after 10min into
the run, I start forgetting about the headache. By the
time I’m finished my run, it’s totally gone.

My only explanation is that running drains blood
from your brain and reduces the stress that you feel.

Siobhan • January 26th, 2006 at 4:52 am

I’ve had migraines since I was in my teens. Some are related to my monthly cycle, some are triggered by foods, such as msg, chocolate, sharp cheese and red wine. some are triggered by flashing lights, like at a movie or the sun flickering through leafless branches as you drive by in the winter, or the sun flickering on a white picket fence, caught in the corner of the eye as I drive past.. or even weather related when the barometri pressure is low…

First thing to do is to keep a headache diary, recalling what you have consumed, done and the weather conditions and the time of your cycle… and see your doctor, about the migraines, they will run tests and let you know if it is, indeed a migraine, or perhaps something else.. there are medications which prevent migraines and some which stop migraines…. sometimes dietary changes and changes in lifestyle can reduce or even stop the migraine.. but the important thing is to see a doctor about it …

Accupuncture works well with some migraines… as does biofeedback… meditation too helps..

Good luck .. I hope they are just a passing thing for you

Lidija • January 26th, 2006 at 5:53 pm

Tracey, so sorry to hear the migraine is not letting up. I don’t have a first hand experience, but I spoke to a messeuse once and she suffered from terrible migranes for years. They were so bad that she had to take time off work when she’d have an episode. She tried a lot of things but what really helped her were head and neck massages (that’s how she ended up switching from law to massage therapy). It’s worth a try but I don’t know if that is a long term solution… Get well soon 🙂

carrie • January 27th, 2006 at 3:44 am

acupuncture has been the only thing that has stopped my migraines. i have a few friends who also found that cutting dairy out of their diet reduced the severity of their migraines. but for me, acupuncture has totally gotten rid of them… and when they start to come back, to the acupuncturist i go!

hope you feel so much better soon! migraines suck!

dani • January 27th, 2006 at 5:02 pm

hi tracey, sorry to hear this.
1st listen to your intuition now, and answer this: do you think you get them from tension? if so then you need to look at that on both physical and mental levels. maybe you don’t sit right at work, sit too much, your neck or back is out, or you genuinely have too much stress in your life that you either have to reduce or find a way of releasing or coping with. now if it’s not tension, but rather allergies to food – this is harder to work out. i personally can’t eat wheat, cow dairy, yeast products and most alcohol, additives, MSG. i think most of us who have these alergies can tolerate a little of the bad stuff but if you have a bit of all of it days and days in a row this can lead to migraine. and the otehr time i used to get migraine was premenstrual or at the start of my period and this is hormonal and needs to be treated with evening primrose oil, and magnesium phos (schuessler salt verison) really helps.
the hard part is working out why you get them.
good luck with it – migraines can be so debilitating and make you miserable and depressed and we can’t have that now.