been fighting migraines.

[45nut]

Forgive the delay please,, I have been fighting migraines here and it's made it very hardf to look at a pc, a little relief today but I have 60 messages to get through and another 40 emails waiting, so please don't take it wrong if you have sent me messages and not received a reply.

Just trying to exist in the realm of tremendous migraines is a battle I don't wish upon anyone I know,save congress. :coffeecom

[GRUMPA]

DANG!!! I haven't had one of those in a better part of 20yrs, and you know what I can remember that like it was yesterday. Man that was horrible.

Wish you a speedy recovery....GRUMPA

[firefly1957]

My prayers that you get well soon migraines are no fun I had a couple back around 1984 none since. Like you said the world pretty much stops during a migraine.

[southpaw]

Closest I think I have come to one would be a hang over. I can't imagine anything that resembles what I have heard about them. Take your time and get lots of rest.

Jerry Jr.

[shooter93]

Ken...you may want to look for food triggers...it's very common. And you could stop by chat too....you remember how sympathetic we are there....lol. When you're up to it let me know....I haven't called about your Enfield because I knew you were under the weather.

[MT Gianni]

Get well Ken, the board will still be here when you get back.

[Bullet Caster]

^ditto for me too, Ken. I have migraine headaches too and they are no fun. The only thing about mine is that I don't get a headache. It comes out in my vision. I get these electric-like, neon strings in my vision and I cannot see a thing. Usually I have to sit in a dark room and wait for 'em to subside. Gets kinda dangerous when driving. I've pulled off the road when this happens. Never have found out why I have them and haven't had one in a while now. I've given up hydrogenated everything. If it has any hydrogenates in it my wife won't buy it. She now reads everything on the labels. Might try it, Ken, if you've not altered your diet in an effort to find out the trigger if it were a food trigger. Anyway, get well, Ken. That's an order!!! BC

[DLCTEX]

Prayer going up for you, Ken.

[Recluse]

Ken,

PM/e-mail/call me if you need another care package sent to you.

Also, steer clear of anything with aspertame or nutrasweet or any artificial sugar/sweetners in it for a while. Based on our last phone conversation, I'm willing to go out on a limb on this one. . .

Let me know what you need.

:coffee:

[Screwbolts]

Ken, I to have suffered from migraines, My Neurologist had me start taking 400mg of Magnesium once a day, It has helped greatly!!!!!

[45nut]

^ditto for me too, Ken. I have migraine headaches too and they are no fun. The only thing about mine is that I don't get a headache. It comes out in my vision. I get these electric-like, neon strings in my vision and I cannot see a thing. Usually I have to sit in a dark room and wait for 'em to subside. Gets kinda dangerous when driving. I've pulled off the road when this happens. Never have found out why I have them and haven't had one in a while now. I've given up hydrogenated everything. If it has any hydrogenates in it my wife won't buy it. She now reads everything on the labels. Might try it, Ken, if you've not altered your diet in an effort to find out the trigger if it were a food trigger. Anyway, get well, Ken. That's an order!!! BC


I get these electric-like, neon strings in my vision
add the sensation of looking into a million power strobe light and those floaters and your close.
I will look for magnesium........ my diet is not based on processed foods nor do I have anything that tiggers these headaches beyond just existing.
It might be the horror of the demise of the nation that is so apparent and painful to me bringing on the physical manifestation of the sitrep we are in. Those of you that have sent prayers and gifts of alloy are in my prayers also,, I thank you very much for the help.
Anyone that has really important matters that need to get in touch, please contact a staff member for contact information, please rely on my able staff members for board matters if at all possible.
Thank you all.

[geargnasher]

Magnesium = muscle relaxer = reduction in neck muscle tension which can be a major migraine trigger. As messed up as Ken's neck is already, that could be part of the cause. I have had exactly four migraines (remember each one vividly), all in about six months some years ago, when I quit my job at Boeing they went away and, thank gawd, have not returned.

Gear

[fatnhappy]

Forgive the delay please,, I have been fighting migraines here and it's made it very hardf to look at a pc, a little relief today but I have 60 messages to get through and another 40 emails waiting, so please don't take it wrong if you have sent me messages and not received a reply.

Just trying to exist in the realm of tremendous migraines is a battle I don't wish upon anyone I know,save congress. :coffeecom

Good to see you back Ken, given the circumstances. I've been worried about you. If you're not online Monday, please accept my wishes for a happy birthday.

[OBIII]

Know that you are in our thoughts and our prayers, Ken, and if we can help in any way, do not hesitate to ask.
OB

[kappy]

I have a migraine right now. But she cooks so well, I don't have the heart to get rid of her. ;)

Just kidding... love my wife. She, on the other hand, often suffers from migraines. I feel terrible for her when she gets them. Poor thing has to isolate herself and just sleep them away. Fortunately, she has only had to miss work once, and often goes months without getting even the slightest tinge.

She had a great emergency med for it called Maxalt. You take one of those and it gets rid of the damned thing, and you do NOT take two, or the migraine rebound will send you to the hospital. One, however, would be perfect.

Hope you feel better!

[AkMike]

Best Wishes Big Guy!

Get well soon!

[Lloyd Smale]

i used to get them so bad id puke. Ive even been in such bad shape that id have to put my face down in a pillow to block light and puked in the pillow and didnt have the energy to even take my face out of it. Odd thing with me is that ever since my last back surgery 3 years ago i havent had a single one. relpax used to help me if i caught it early enough. I sure feel for you as there isnt anything as misserable as a good migraine! I chuckle at my wife complianing about a little headache. Most people dont even have a clue!

[RugerFan]

My wife used to get pretty bad migraines. Occasionally bad enough to require a trip to the ER and a shot of Demerol to break the grip. Hope you want need anything that drastic. Get well soon Ken.

[winelover]

My wife suffers from them also. Her Dr. prescribed Imitrex, but you must take it at the onslaught.

Winelover

[Doc_Stihl]

Removing anything with Aspartame has reduced my wife’s migraines by immensely. It's amazing how much stuff contains it.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Had them for almost 40 years, Started in 7th grade. Light senseitivy, pain like a red hot 30p nail shoved in eye, nausea. Genitic, grandfather had them and father still has them.
Triggers, eye strain, mussle tension, MSG, dried foods. MSG is the worst.
My meds for my circulation condition bring them on, also. Vaso dialaters, high blood pressure meds will give me one real bad.
Luckily, if I can sleep for ten minutes, they usually go away.
Good luck and hope yours go away.
CF

[sparky45]

I recently started getting Migraine headaches, and get this, they started a couple of months AFTER I retired from 35 years of providing Anesthesia. I'm one of the lucky ones though, I get the vision disturbances ( neon vision ) first which alerts me to what is about to happen ( the tremendous headaches ) and I grab the generic brand Ibuprophen and take 600 to 800 mg with moderate results. I really have compassion for those who suffer greatly with this condition. Get well quickly 45NUT.

[shdwlkr]

ken
I also live in the world of migraine headaches and this year there have been way to many of them.
I totally understand where you are coming from and for those who have not had the pleasure of a migraine headache. Think of smashing your thumb with a 10 pound sledge hammer and then having to look at bright lights for hours while your thumb comes back to normal, no you can't put any ice on your thumb you have to enjoy all the stages of it going from being in pain until it settles down on its own.
For me a dark room, lots of quite and my pet cats and hours of time to work through it seems to help me. Yes I know many don't like cats but I have had a cat in my life since I was 3 weeks old and that has been decades ago and yes in the army I had a cat not a dog. You see cats like to be quite, sneaky and like to alert their owners quietly when they see things that are not normal unlike many dogs that like the whole world to know something is wrong.

Today I am enjoying a sinus headache and they are fun too. Oh well at least I know I am not dead yet.

[ErikO]

We switched to stevia for non-sugar sweetners and my wife's headaches are down to just the stress her jerk of a husband puts on her from the nasty migraines she suffered for years.

Good luck, god speed and better health to you. :)

[Beau Cassidy]

I hope you get better.

I started getting them pretty bad about 10 years ago. I just sucked it up until about 3 or 4 years ago when I started getting things like eye watering and nose running. Never any vision disturbance or nausea.

Brain MRI has been almost normal. Sleep study is normal.

I still get them to a certain degree daily. I have tried all of the seizure medicines and Imitrex type drugs with no efficacy. Now I am on a twice a day beta blocker that is decreasing the intensity and maybe the frequency some.

I get very short-tempered when one comes on. Ironically, if I focus on a task such as reloading, casting, or (uh!) work, they decrease. I don't consider one gone for 3 days with no rebound headache.

[kappy]

You know... come to think of it, I had a headache (I know it isn't a migraine) which behaved a lot like a migraine. The pain was on one side... made my eyes hurt... even caused some visual problems. Weirdest thing, it would move around. It lasted more than a month. The doc put me on some weird meds to break the cycle of what she considered multiple migraines. Turns out it was a sinus infection from Hell. One day of meds and it was done.

[Stick_man]

Ken, I feel for ya. I know migraines are no fun. I have only experienced them a couple times in my life, but my brother used to get them pretty regularly. His turned out caused by his "breakfast of champions" that consisted of a Diet Coke and Hostess raspberry filled powdered donuts. Turned out he was hypoglycemic and that was causing massive blood sugar swings. Once he gave up the donuts he eliminated most of the migraines.

My daughter gets migraines fairly frequently now to the point of nausea and no energy. We have taken her to no less than half dozen "specialists" in the medical field, run cat scans, MRIs, blood tests, etc and nobody can figure out what is causing them. She has a few other symptoms as well, but it seems like going to see doctors anymore is a crapshoot. Seems like a dark, quiet room helps as much as anything for her.

Prayers are with you Ken. Get feeling better quickly. Sounds like you have a birthday coming up soon and improving weather. Gotta be able to enjoy them.

[a.squibload]

Ken, get well soon. My wife is sleeping in her chair right now with a pillow
over her eyes, migraine for a few days. Sometimes triggered by root beer.
She is an aromatherapist, but Tylenol PM is her preferred antidote for migraines.

I've seen those neon strings, were not accompanied by pain. Was worried
about retinas or whatever. Doc called 'em "temporary migraines" or
something like that.

[cast405]

A treatment that has been working for a coworker of mine is believe it or not Botox, he has a series of shots(no pun intended) ringing the base of his skull. He gets them 6 months apart or so just another treatment to look into.

[wallenba]

Propranolol Hydrochloride ( Inderal) worked on mine. Mine were not the severe skull cracking type though. Just the baseball bat to the back of the head type.
http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/propranolol-inderal/

[Rockydog]

From about the age of 10 my son used to get migraines so bad that he'd get violently nauseous. He always said that his whole world went black when he had one. His vision was limited to a narrow tunnel. When total darkness and quiet didn't work I used to take him to the ER for hypos. It about broke my heart to see the physician put a 3" needle in his back muscle. He used to take massive doses of caffene (caffergot) when he got one but it didn't help much. In about his freshman year in HS a friend suggested that I take him to a chiropracter. At my wits end I followed her suggestion. The chiro did a thourough examination and said that my sons neck was all messed up. She spent about 10-15 minutes working on his neck. My son said that it was mildly painful but that his neck felt and turned better immediately when she was done. Severe headaches went away that day. He's 33 now and has not had a major migraine since. He'd been trampled by a cow when he was about 3 years old, chiropracter thought that it probably related back to that incident. Don't know as it would help everyone, especially someone with severe neck injuries, but it sure worked for him with one visit. RD

[Freightman]

My wife has them and have seen the results she use to be non functioning when she had one, when Imitrex came out she was givin a prescription and now they are manageable. The only problem with the Imitrex is the cost is very high and if you haven't got insurance it is almost prohibitive.
My prayers are with you as it seems that you are in a rough game of life and need all the prayers you can get. Thanks for all that you do and what you provide for us.

[Echo]

I get the occasional migraine, but not the headache kind - the vision kind. It starts with blurred vision at the focus point and grows semi-circularly to the left of my visual field, a wavy, waving line. Takes about 2 minutes to grow to a max, and then disappear. Disconcerting, for sure, but no pain. First time it happened I called my opthalmologist, and his receptionist (Susie, know her, my wife ran his optical shop) told me it was a migraine. Didn't know they came in a painless variety.
Anyway, hang in, Ken.

[walltube]

Ken, I have been where you now are. Royally screwed by Worker's Comp and then having to make ends meet by my wits and under-the-table income. What I did not have to contend with is the excruciating pain you are suffering. *YOWCH* That came for me much later in life. I survived both to tell the tale. G-D willing, so shall you.

That said, I'll try not to heap a trite "feel your pain" message on you. Rather let you know there are many of us out here that have been, and are yet in the same boat as you.

By 'same boat', I also mean you are not a whiner or sniveler. You have refused hand outs, but accept help with dignity. Quite the man you are I must say. You must be, to keep this contentious, ornery, opinionated, know it all :rolleyes:, men and women from across the Globe one big happy :rolleyes: (again) family from running amok.

Happy Birthday, Ken. Be nice to share a fine IPA with you. Beings we can't, I'll do that tonight in abstentia, one 16 oz. mug at a time. ( My Dearly Beloved celebrates her 63rd)

:drinks:
Harold

[45nut]

still dealing with the mirgaines,, let off a tiny bit right now so I could log gin and reply to the pm's that have been waiting for my return.
I do wish there was a cause I could positively id them too but right now,, it seems it might be in the maternal dna. plenty of history on that side of my family, so it's just my turn and time.
I appreciate the thoughts and prayers, very much.

[Hamish]

'96 my former doctor told me "I don't know what else to do for you, I think it's all in your head".

Know exactly what you are saying and understand completly, you're part of my day in my morning conversation with the Man.

[Bullet Caster]

Yeah, Ken, prayers are said every night for ya. I know what you're going through. I am just thankful that it's only my vision that gets impaired--I couldn't deal with that kinda pain. Get better, Ken. I feel certain that the whole board is praying for ya. BC

[a.squibload]

Ken, wife says oil of peppermint rubbed on your temples
might help.

[DukeInFlorida]

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.............

I was having a lot of migraines, and came to finally understand that they were being caused by some MOLD conditions in my sinus cavity. A trip to the doctor alleviated it, but when it gets damp (especially in the Spring rains), I still suffer.

Migraines can have hundreds of root causes, and not all of them are easy to remedy. They are very debilitating however, and I can sympathize with your condition. I've spent endless hours, hiding in the dark, with my head wrapped in hot compresses, drugged up, hoping to escape the pain.

I'm wearing masks when I mow the lawn these days, and try to remove mold where ever I detect it in my home. One trick that I do is to run my down pillow in the dryer on high heat for an hour every few weeks. I can't sleep on a thick pillow, neck issues.

Best of luck finding and curing the cause of your migraines, Ken!

[Finster101]

You have my sympathy. My wife has been fighting them for ten years now. It has had a tremendous impact on our lives. Many of the things we used to do together are just not possible now. Best of luck finding the cause.

James

[41 mag fan]

Back in the 90's, actually 90-96, I used to get both the head and eye migraines. Mine come to find out were from several reasons.
First is I had what they call a military neck. I took the natural curve out of my neck vertebrae, and put a nice bubble of the top of my skull in the windshield of a '76 Dodge truck.
Got that taken care of and my migraines started receding to about every weekend.
I did in '96 2 things that got rid of them for good.
I at that time worked a job in a rubber factory, lots of nasty smoke from the presses.
I quit that job and divorced my wife of then.....problem solved.
haven't had another one in almost 16 yrs now.


Hope you get to feeling better Ken

[troy_mclure]

My gf used to get "thunderclap headaches" as well as migraines. She has only had a few since she was put on topimax 1.5 years ago.

[skipme56]

If you have sinus problems, that can trigger a migraine. Smells and heavy colognes will do it. Get it checked soon, don't want to see you the way I am with hyper chronic migraines.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I used to get those horrible headaches. I would do anything for relief. I found if I held my head back and screamed it gave me a moments reprieve. I sure got strange looks while I was sitting at a stop light. Strangly, I haven't had a headache since I retired. I still get the rainbow rick-rack in my vision but they are not followed by a headache. My eye doctor said I was lucky. I found if I hold a very cold and wet wash rag against my eyes it shortens the duration of the rainbow. Many famous people in history suffered from migraines. The field hands on Thomas Jefferso's plantation said they would often see him riding his horse swaying back and forth and mouning as thou he was in agony.

[leadman]

I used to go to the ER regularly for shots of Demerol. Had 3 shots one night and was still able to walk out of the er. I tried Imetrex and it was ok, but Maxalt worked much better. Don't get the kind that disolves on your tongue, don't work as well.
If I eat chocolate I almost guaranteed a migraine. I have had a very rich spagetti sauce do the same thing. Don't know why.
Since I am muscle relaxers every night for the pinched nerves in my neck I do not get as many migraines. The radio frequency nerve ablations in my neck have helped also. Basically fry the pinched nerve with microwaves.
I too have had sinus conditions trigger the migraines so now I put some Vicks in a pan and heat it and sniff in the fumes. Opens the sinuses right up and with a couple 200mg motrin I'm good to go.
Hope Ken or someone close by can read all of these posts and maybe fing something to help get him out of this condition. This is a terrible thing to have to try to live with.
Get well Ken.

[geargnasher]

I know Ken's neck injury probably has a lot to do with it, or at least with triggering them. My wife has had them for years, the kind that keep recurring over and over for a week or more, then go away for a week or two and come back again. She started taking extra doses of a chelated magnesium supplement according to some research she'd done. In three months since she started taking a gram a day (along with the normal vitamin/mineral regimen we both take) hasn't had a major migraine, and only a couple of mild tension headaches. Everybody's different, but taking massive doses of a good, absorbable, amino-acid chelated magnesium has so far pretty much cured her, for what it's worth.

Gear

[runfiverun]

i watched a deal on the [nat geo airc] chanell the guy had to take lsd about every 6 months for his migrains.
i wasthisclose to trying it.
it's amazing the triggers and cures that work.
i can sometimes make mine subside with a little chocolate, usually it's waiting untill i throw up that works the best.

[skipme56]

All my Doctors keep saying that they won't kill you, even though it feels like they will. I am disabled because of migraines that make me pass out and send me into seizures. Hope all that have these things get better. Ken sorry to hear that yours have hit you so hard.

[smokeywolf]

I get migraines if I don't get my morning dose of caffeine. Doctor said migraines are a typical symptom of withdrawal from caffeine.
The wife gets them almost every month during her cycle. Specialist gave her a pain killer and told her to drink cola drinks as they are good vasoconstrictors. She then has to take on extra calcium and magnesium.

[Joe504]

I had them for years as a kid. Imitrex put an end to them. After a while, I stopped having them. That is a real wonder drug.

[a.squibload]

"Thieves" lozenge / cough drops from Young Living
opens sinuses & kills germs. I sometimes sleep with one
in my cheek. No sugar.

[Chicken Thief]

Like mental illness!
If you have'nt been there you cant truly understand what it is.
And i would not wish neither for my worst enemy!!!

[45nut]

Update: still enduring the mograines, not any fun nor relief.
I can reply to emails much easier than a pm, so please if you need to contact me use an email.
castboolits at gmail dot com.

[randyrat]

I feel for you ken and have no idea what it is like to get these migraines so all I can do is pray, pray that they can be cured someday.

If you come up with a medication that will help you or give you some relief please let us know, all of us would be happy to help fund it.

While ago I was getting headaches every dang day, I thought something was seriously wrong because i never get headaches.
Working on the road I would stop and buy a small cup of coffee about 1 pm and I started to feel better. Finally, I asked the wife what kind of coffee she bought last time- DECAFFEINATED- I have not been without coffee/caffeine since 10 years old. I don't need a lot of coffee but I need it every day.

[leadman]

There was a drug on the market call cafergot(sp/). It was a daose pack, take 5, then hour later take 4, etc. It worked for me but they took it off the market cuz people were using it to off themselves by taking it all at once.
Used to make my lips numb.

I hope Ken finds something to help him out of the grip of these migraines.

[snuffy]

There was a drug on the market call cafergot(sp/). It was a daose pack, take 5, then hour later take 4, etc.

I've avoided posting on this thread because what I have to say could be taken the wrong way.

I was diagnosed with migraines while in the AF in the mid 60's. I DID get capfergot,it did little or nothing to alleviate the the pain. I also got another drug, which I didn't then understand was a tranquilizer. At least I could sleep.

Shortly after getting out of the AF, I started to see a chiropractor for a bad back. While seeing him for the back, I had a bout of migraines. He adjusted my neck, paying particular attention to the atlas vertebrae. They stopped, and I haven't had one since, over 42 years.

I happened to be talking with a neurologist, pursuing why I was having dizzy spells. I described my "migraines" to her, she said I had just described a textbook description of histamine or "cluster" headaches. She said they were very easily treated and prevented.

45 nut, if you're not already seeing a neurologist, or are already, ask him/her if what you have could possibly be histamine headaches.

[rmcc]

Endocet or Percocet only thing that knocks mine out!!!

[45nut]

back to the top,, maybe fall will offer some relief....or the coming october surprise.

[Echo]

I've had a couple of migraines, but they weren't headaches, they were visual phenomena. Blurriness at center of vision, that gradually expanded into a 180 degree wiggly half-circle, generally to left of visual center. No pain involved. Called my Ophthalmologist, & receptionist (Suzy) accurately diagnosed it as a migraine, which MD (Chuck) corroborated. VERY minor, and only twice, but glad I wasn't driving.

[John Wayne]

This drug has been on the market a little over a year and is called Sumavel dose pro which is a subcutaneous needle free Sumatriptan. Ten minute pain relief and no pain in two hours for most patients. See a good Doc. for a prescription. I also had a headache once for 9 days (no joke). One trip to the Chiropractor and two hours later it was gone. So as mentioned above look for other causes. Best of luck to you Ken

[swheeler]

Ken; hoping your pain goes away, you are in my prayers. Scot

[Superfly]

Only thing that helps me get rid of them is Puking my guts out then passing out.

I wish i could give em to my neighbors.