“Kaiser Permanente, Advice.”
“Hi, I’d like to schedule an appointment to see my doctor about my migraines.”
“Migraines? I don’t know why you people make such a big deal about that. I mean, I’ve gotten headaches before. You people are always complaining. Just take some Advil.”
—-Paraphrased conversation I had with a Kaiser Permanente advice nurse.
I’ve been wanting to write an informative post about migraines for some time now, since I suffer from them often, and I’d like the people who interact with me to understand a little bit about them. There are so many misconceptions about migraines out there, and I’d love to dispel some of them. I’ll mention a little about migraines in general, and I’ll give quite a bit of information about my migraines specifically.
There are many types of headaches including tension headaches (the most common kind), cluster headaches, and migraine headaches. Each type has different symptomatology and different treatments. Not every bad headache is a migraine.
Migraines are headaches that generally involve severe pain on one side of the head. Other common migraine symptoms are sensitivity to light and/or sound, nausea, and vomiting. Many people experience “aura” at the onset of a migraine. An aura is a visual disturbance that takes different forms for different people. Migraines with aura are referred to as classic migraines.
I don’t experience aura, so my migraines are classified as common migraines.
Migraines are triggered by various stimuli. Migraine triggers vary widely from person to person, and they can include things like odors, foods, alcohol, dehydration, sudden change in blood sugar, hormonal changes (especially in women), travel, and bright light. I have a list of triggers too long to type, but some of the worst for me are red wine/champagne, perfume (I use fragrance-free products), sudden loud sounds, and hot weather. (By the way, it’s not sulphides in wine that are a problem; it’s a group of chemicals related to histamines called amines.)
MIGRAINES ARE NOT CAUSED BY STRESS! Sorry for the caps, but I really wanted to stress that point. It’s a common misconception that people under stress get more frequent migraines. However, there has been no link found between stress and migraines. There is, however, a direct link between stress and tension headaches. And of course, it’s always good for your health to reduce stress levels.
As I write this, I have a “mild” migraine. I typically get migraines about six times a week. That’s a lot of time to be out of commission! My migraines are part of a condition I have called fibromyalgia. (Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain in various parts of the body, depression, extreme fatigue, and often migraines.)
I do what I can to avoid getting migraines, including avoiding foods that I know to be triggers, keeping as cool as possible during hot weather, not drinking alcohol, keeping hydrated, keeping a relatively sane sleep schedule, exercise, and taking preventative medications.
Despite those efforts, I still get the frequent migraines. Most of my migraines occur in the late afternoon. Over the counter analgesics such as aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve have absolutely no effect on my migraines. To treat my migraines, I take a prescription medication called Imitrex, which is part of the triptan family of drugs. The Imitrex usually works, but it takes about 2 hours to kick in, and it has some pretty nasty possible side effects, most notably heart problems. Unfortunately, I take much more Imitrex than is recommended. For my more severe migraines, I use an Imitrex injection rather than a pill. I inject myself in either my arm or my thigh, which makes me horribly sick for about half an hour. Other things I do to aid in recovery from a migraine include finding a quiet dark place to be, using ice packs on the back of my neck and my right temple (most of my migraines are my right side), and breathing and gentle stretching exercises. Most of the time, I can recover from a migraine in about 3 hours, but I always feel worn out afterwards, and I’m always really susceptible to migraines the following day.
I experience nausea with all of my migraines, and vomiting in about 1 out of 10 of them. Not as much fun as it sounds, huh? Some migraines are relatively mild, and I can continue to work a little, or watch tv. Some of my migraines are so severe that all I can do is crawl into the shower in the dark and cry. Migraines vary quite a bit in severity.
I occasionally get headaches lasting weeks or even months at a time. During those periods, I have a kind of “background” headache that does not go away. I go to sleep with a headache every night and wake up with a headache every morning. Migraines will occur once or twice a day. The longest such period was about 4 months long (in early 2004). The most recent lasted about 2 weeks (earlier this year, maybe in May?).
I suppose the last thing I want to mention is that in addition to being disabilitating, migraines can be life-threatening. People who suffer frequent migraines are much, much more likely to suffer fatal strokes and aneurysms than other people. Recent research links frequent migraines with brain damage as well.
I hold out hope that I will find an effective way to treat my migraines. A lot of research is being done on migraines now, and new therapies are constantly being developed. 25-30 years ago, many doctors didn’t even believe in the existence of migraines. Now they are recognized as a condition, and they are being researched. (Although many doctors still know little about migraines, and they frequently misdiagnose migraines/headaches.)
I hope you’ve found this post informative. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to ask any questions about migraines in the comments below. 🙂
The best online source of migraine info that I’m aware of: MAGNUM
Great article: Migraines: Myth vs. Reality
Wikipedia article on Migraine
micheledodge
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Very informative article. I can fully relate to it!
I have on and off migraine,but lately it’s been pretty bad.
I have woken up in the middle of the night from the pain only.
I’ve heard the term “reiki,” but I didn’t know anything about it. It’s something I’ll definitely look into. I’m willing to try just about anything that doesn’t require taking more medication! I even did acupuncture for awhile.
I work from home too. I like the flexibility of being able to schedule my time around my migraines. I almost lost my last job because of my migraines. They threatened to fire me if I called in sick again. I enjoyed the work, but it became so stressful dealing with “you might not have a job next Monday” every week. I was happy when I was able to leave.
Oh…forgot to mention there’s PLENTY on that forum about fibro/hypothyroid, etc.
Warmly,
Andrea
I hear ya and understand!
I have migraines too. I thought I had a lot, but your case is much more severe! I do not take medications (although I should really get an appointment soon to check it all out!)
Mine can occur 2-3 a week, but surely at least once a week is “the norm”. Thankfully, I work from home, so I don’t need to deal with a boss or coworkers not understanding!
Nausea I get sometimes, but the best way I have found to get rid of them is basically go to bed as quick as I can possibly can (sometimes even before it’s actually there, I just feel it coming!). It is true that stretching also helps sometimes!
Sometimes a technique called “reiki” actually helps (if I can’t go to bed). It’s all about visualisation and respiration, to explain it in a nutshell. I lie down on my back, and visualise the migraine getting out of my body for several minutes. I kind of “push it out” of my body, but in my mind. I doesn’t work all the time, but sometimes it makes it less strong and I can go on with my day more easily!
Anyway, this was very informative, even though I have them! 🙂
Somehow I am not all that shocked by her totally inappropriate response.
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