Chronic Migraines

[Deb]

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

Debbi, I would also suggest he try eliminating grains/gluten. Even though it might not be the cause of his problems gluten can make migraines (and many other health issues) worse.

i am trying to convince my man THIS !

he just doesnt beleive it isnt a old injury

[Debbi]

Rough day - even for normal people like me! 2 hrs at ATT trying to get a new phone w/a data plan and connect my email to it. Then I had to rush to bring BF to the new neurologist & ended up in the wrong building. Got to the right building & could not find the office - had to go outside of the building in the back on the first floor to find the office & it is 95 here today........fun stuff.

Anyway, new doctor met with us for over 1hr. I did not go into the gluten - I mentioned he was off AS and the doc did not comment. He is concerned about a couple of things - most of all, his gait - he shuffles, primarily dragging his left foot. He trips a lot because he doesn't pick up his left foot high enough - he told the doctor that it is like his brain isn't telling him to pick the foot up. The doctor said he is extremely tight in the neck, head, shoulders (he really is) and when told to relax, he couldn't. So....he went through all the meds he has been on and for now has prescribed a mild muscle relaxer to be taken at night - tszanadine? Zanaflex? something like that. He is thinking that it may help - no one has suggested that before. Most importantly he wants him to have an MRI of his brain due to the gait issues. Since he has no pain in the leg or hip or back the doc is thinking it is stemming from his brain. He had an MRI 2yrs ago, but he wants him to have another one. He also said he is a good candidate for Botox due to his chronic migraines. So, after the MRI, depending on what that shows he may begin the botox treatments. I think he said it is about 20 sticks in the head and neck.......BF will never make it through that.

Meanwhile I will continue to get him off the gluten and keep him off the AS.

And yes, he has a migraine tonight............

[Star73]

awww Debbi, I'm sorry you had a rough day

I'm glad he is having the testing, especially with his leg problem. Hopefully it isn't anything serious. How old is he?

Zanaflex is great to relax the muscles. Neck pain and tension can cause some pretty intense tension headaches.

I'm glad he will stay away from gluten and AS. It can only improve his health and you won't have those inflammatory things adding to the problem.

Please keep us updated

[Debbi]

Thanks Star73! He is 62 years old & he really appears to be aging much faster than he should. Could be the meds, could be that he retired so young (53 - due to the migraines). I am okay w/an older BF that way I will always be the young pretty one LOL!!! He took his first zanaflex tonight so we'll see how it goes. I unfortunately ended up at the urgent care w/a major sinus infection - 2 shots & a script for a zpak & now I am home. He's on his own tonight - I have to take care of me!!

[E.W.]

I have been taking extra vitamine B2 for my cararacts and in my reading about this
I did find that it also ofton helps with migrains. No I did not save that refference I
will leave the Google search to you.

[Star73]

Originally Posted by Debbi

Thanks Star73! He is 62 years old & he really appears to be aging much faster than he should. Could be the meds, could be that he retired so young (53 - due to the migraines). I am okay w/an older BF that way I will always be the young pretty one LOL!!! He took his first zanaflex tonight so we'll see how it goes. I unfortunately ended up at the urgent care w/a major sinus infection - 2 shots & a script for a zpak & now I am home. He's on his own tonight - I have to take care of me!!

Yes, you need to take care of you ! Maybe yall got some kind of nasty bug and that's made his migraines worse. Or is there possible mold in your home that you may not be aware of? Take care!

[Debbi]

I don't think we have mold - this is going around here right now - the doctors offices are full. Everyone at work has it or had it. No migraine last night. He took another zanaflex tonight. We'll see... I feel so much better after the 2 shots and the Zpak - thank goodness!!

Looking forward to a nice long weekend.

[Muffabuff]

I suffered from them for ten years. Two things that are helpful, one there is something called the P pain pathway and if you have it peppermint essential oil is very helpful. It never helps me but my husband get tons of pain relief from it. Also there is a pressure point between your thumb and fore finger. If you apply pressure there ( pretty hard ) like acupressure it really helps break through the worst of the pain. Good luck!

[Muffabuff]

I just remembered It may take awhile to start working but I took feverfew herb for years and it greatly reduced my migraines. I also had sinus surgery, the sinus headaches can turn into migraines. Has he considered sinus surgery? I never had another sinus infection again. Does he have an Rx for imitrex injections?
Vanessa

[Debbi]

Imitrex never helped him. The MRI has been done so we are waiting to hear the results some time next week and now he is having hip pain so they are sending him for an MRI of his back. His regular doctor wants him to go to pain management. I think it's too early for that - he needs to stick w/the Neurologist to see if we can get the headaches down first. He said the MRI machine was so loud that he had a bad migraine about halfway through it - he could hardly stand it.

[Muffabuff]

Oh I know unfortunately I have had to have a couple of those and they are very loud and take a long time to complete. I have been through "pain management" several years ago for the migraines and it would be putting it mildly to say that it did not go well for me! I had a very bad accident about two and a half years ago and have a lot of nerve damage in one of my hands, the only way for me to " manage" the constant pain is to have my pain medication. I've recoved all that I can through months of physical therapy and acupuncture and no doctor is going to tell me to meditate or biofeedback my pain away. Your boyfriend must advocate for himself until he finds a doctor who will partner with him so that he can live with his pain the best way he can. You cannot be addicted to pain medication if you are truly taking them for pain. My pain management doctor monitors his patients very closely. If you lose your meds, tough you go without until next month. That quickly weeds out people who are doctor shopping for meds that don't need them. I certainly feel for your BF, he should not settle for any less then he deserves when it comes to doctors however. After my accident, my left arm was completely paralyzed. While I was still in the ICU a horrible neurologist came into my room and said about my arm, " it's dead you killed it". Had I listened to him I would have not done all the PT I did and would never have recovered all of my arm back and very much of my hand. I have nerve damage and pain but my hand is very functional. I had a very short window of time to recover function and his big mouth could have jeopardized that for me. You don't need a soul to become a doctor. Always remember, he has the power and the decisions are in the end the decisions are his. I wish you all the luck in the world and please let me know what happens.
Vanessa

[Debbi]

So sorry to hear about all you have been through Vanessa. I am very familiar with the "Jesus Complex" many doctors have. I am not sure that this new neurologist is the one he will keep seeing, I have mixed feelings about some of the things he said, but I know his current neurologist is totally disinterested and a part time doctor at best.

He has a headache tonight - in fact a dual headache: sinus on one side and migraine on the other - 1 Relpax + 1 Percocet - then another Percocet an hour later (per the docs orders) and it isn't getting worse, but it is not getting better. I think the next step is botox - just don't know if the new doctor is the one to treat him (he doesn't believe in narcotics to treat pain) - may see what the MRI shows and then have him go back to the other doctor for the botox while I keep looking for a neurologist. Pain Management right now for his hips isn't the answer - if he is going to go to pain management then it needs to be for the headaches and everything.

BF doesn't want to take the pain meds they upset his stomach, prevent him from enjoying his life (ends up in bed), he gets no "high" from the Relpax & Percocet like he did w/the Stadol NS. Which is why he can never have the Stadol ever again.

Thanks so much Vanessa for your words of wisdom and encouragement.

[Muffabuff]

Your very welcome. I also found much relieve with an old fashioned ice bag on my forehead. Peppermint or ginger tea is great for an upset tummy from the pain meds. Believe me, that doctors beliefs about narcotics for pain would make a radical change if he were the one in pain. I've met many like him and I believe his karma will come calling sooner or later, I've seen it happen. I can't imagine why your BF would continue to see him.A doctor with a medical degree and no empathy is of no use to anyone. Good luck as you move forward. I hope those around you realize that taking care of someone who is sick can take a toll also. Don't forget to take care of yourself.
Vanessa

[Debbi]

The new neurologist had given BF the muscle relaxer and last headache he had he took the relpax & percocet and with the muscle relaxer he only had to take the 1 percocet - which is really good. He has had an MRI of his head - no results yet. He had an MRI of his lower back and there is a problem - abnormal tightening of discs/muscle spasms - got this result yesterday - the nurse called and spoke to him. I told him he needs to get those results and get them to the neurologist as this could be why they have increased. Right now he is out of town visiting w/his family and I fully expect he will have a headache due to the 5 hr drive and the impact on his back as well as the stress associated w/the visit - his mom is not doing well - but hopefully this new info may be helpful with the headaches.

[DiamondDeb]

Debbi, it does sound like this new info may be related. I'm praying he has answers & is feeling better soon.

[Debbi]

Thanks so much Deb! He did have a headache last night after the 5 hr drive. But he says he is okay today. He comes home tomorrow. I sure hope these new findings will indicate this is part of the problem - keeping my fingers crossed!

[saltnpepper]

I so agree..........amazing how many veggies/french fries (?) have wheat coating to make them fry up better.


Anna

[Star73]

Originally Posted by Debbi

The new neurologist had given BF the muscle relaxer and last headache he had he took the relpax & percocet and with the muscle relaxer he only had to take the 1 percocet - which is really good. He has had an MRI of his head - no results yet. He had an MRI of his lower back and there is a problem - abnormal tightening of discs/muscle spasms - got this result yesterday - the nurse called and spoke to him. I told him he needs to get those results and get them to the neurologist as this could be why they have increased. Right now he is out of town visiting w/his family and I fully expect he will have a headache due to the 5 hr drive and the impact on his back as well as the stress associated w/the visit - his mom is not doing well - but hopefully this new info may be helpful with the headaches.

ouch!!! if you have pain anywhere it can tend to make you clench your jaws even without you realize you're doing it and in turn you can get a major headache. I have RA and I have to do jaw relaxation exercises. I hope he gets some relief soon!

[CarolynF]

I found this on John Briffa's site:

Migraine headaches are generally severe and typically affect one side of the head, and may be preceded by neurological symptoms including visual disturbance. In some people, they can be common and extremely debilitating. The good news is that certain naturally-oriented strategies can be very effective in reducing the frequency and/or severity of attacks.

One of my standard approaches here will be to consider whether there are any food triggers. The classical triggers I learned at medical school include cheese, chocolate, coffee and red wine. Actually, in practice I find perhaps the most common food trigger of migraines and headaches in general is wheat. Actually, I had a conversation today with someone with coeliac disease (gluten sensitivity) whose predominant symptom (on eating gluten) is headache.

One other natural strategy I use in practice is magnesium. Studies show that, generally speaking, magnesium deficiency is more common in migraine sufferers than non-sufferers. There’s also several ways in which magnesium deficiency may predispose to attacks. For example, magnesium deficiency can make constriction in blood vessels more like (magnesium normalises the function of the ‘smooth’ muscle that lines blood vessels). It is thought that constriction and then dilation of blood vessels around the brain can be at the root of some migraine headaches. By reducing the risk of changes in the blood vessels, magnesium might help with migraines too.

Recently, the Journal of Neural Transmission (to be honest, I’m not a regular reader) published a piece from a couple of doctors with a special interest in headache who make a case for magnesium therapy for all individuals with migraine [1]. They point to the links between magnesium deficiency and migraine, and list a number of risk factors for deficiency which include poor intake and/or poor absorption, excessive excretion by the kidneys and stress (increasing depletion). They also point to a mixed bag of evidence in which magnesium has been given to migraine sufferers.

If the evidence is mixed, why give it to everyone? The authors reasons that one reason for why some studies are positive and some less so may have something to do with the fact that in some studies, magnesium was given to people who were not magnesium deficient and were therefore unlikely to benefit from it. Then why not test? As the authors point out, conventional testing for magnesium in the blood is not particularly accurate. Only a very small amount of magnesium in the body is found in the serum (watery component of the blood). Most is found within the cells and within cells. For this reason, serum levels are not a very good guide to overall magnesium status in the body.

This leads the authors to conclude that a reasonable approach is to treat all migraine sufferers with magnesium, particularly seeing that this mineral is cheap, safe and readily available. It’s an approach that I, largely, endorse. I do think, though, that such an approach is best taken with the support of a health professional.

As to what to take, I tend to use magnesium citrate in practice, and usually aim for a dose of about 300-400 mg of magnesium each day (this equates to about 1750-2350 mg of magnesium citrate each day).

References:

[LCfan03]

I know you've already heard this, but i wanted to chime in again. I'm another migraine sufferer that was able to almost completely eliminate them with a gluten free diet and daily topamax.

It's really up to him and it's admirable that you are trying so hard to help. If he would do the gluten free diet seriously for 2-3 weeks I am certain he would reduce the # of headaches he is having.

[Debbi]

Thanks so much everyone!!

Magnesium - very interesting - will have to get him on that as well.

He is back home now and after the long drive, again had another migraine and I know he ate pretty good at his mother's. The first night he was so sick he couldn't eat. The next night he had steak and baked potato and now he is home and too sick from the migraine to eat. I am going to make sure he stays gluten free this weekend - I am going to watch him closely! He has suffered for so long (30 years), I don't think I could have put up with it all this time. Neurologist appointment is 6/13 so we'll see what he says about the MRIs. We are starting to have some hope with all this.

[atcgirl42]

Hi Debbi, just saw your posts. I suffer from chronic migraines. I take magnesium, low carb, avoid MSG and gluten, and get Botox. The Botox has helped somewhat, but it hasn't fixed the problem. I too had extremely tight neck and shoulder muscles and the Botox has helped a lot with that.

I just wanted to mention something that someone just told me about last week. She suggested that I try to find an Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractor. I've been to 2 chiropractors previously who did nothing for me and I had written them off. I had never heard of Atlas Orthogonal before but after Googling it, I made an appointment with one and will be seeing him for the first time on Monday. I can't wait and I'll let you know if it helps.

As far as the Botox goes, it took almost 2 weeks after getting the shots before it started to take effect the first time I had them. Possible side effect is dry mouth which was extreme! I haven't noticed the dry mouth being as bad since, but the first time was horrible.

[Debbi]

Hi atcgirl42

Thanks for posting!! Please let me know about the chiropractor - BF had been to one in the past and it helped a little but not enough to keep going and paying a fortune. I will google the one you are talking about. How many migraines were you having before the Botox as compared to now? Someone said it is 20 needle sticks - is that true? If it is I don't think BF will make it!! I am going to get some magnesium for him this weekend and I am making him stay gluten free - no MSG and no AS. He goes to the neurologist Monday to get the results of the MRIs - I can't go with him, wish I could because I can't count on him to ask the right questions or remember the answers. I am glad you are doing better and can't wait to hear about the chiropractor!!

[atcgirl42]

Headache-wise I was probably getting 3 or so a week. Usually I'd get one and it would just stay and stay and stay for several days. As far as the Botox injections go, it's probably somewhere in the vicinity of 8 to 10 shots for me. Definitely try the magnesium. A guy I work with has had a lot of success with it.

I'll let you know what I think about my appointment on Monday.

[Muffabuff]

Oh yes I remember now, mag sulfate was quite helpful for me as well. I'm going to put my DH on it for his migraines. Thanks for the reminder! Also, it takes awhile to see some relief, but the herb feverfew is very helpful in controlling and reducing migraines. But you must take it consistently every day migraine or no migraine.

[atcgirl42]

I saw the Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractor today, but didn't get an adjustment. Today was an initial consultation and x-rays. I have an appointment for tomorrow for my first adjustment. I'll update again then.

In researching Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractors I became concerned about the number of x-rays they do. I'm worried about unnecessary radiation exposure. We talked about that at my consultation. He said that because he used digital x-ray, the level of exposure is much lower than traditional x-rays. He said that 7 digital x-rays equal the same exposure as 2 dental x-rays. Plus this isn't something where I'll be going weekly for the rest of my life. He said that the longer you hold the adjustment, the longer period of time between treatments. He said that most of his clients after the initial few weeks only come back 3-4 times a year.

He also said that with chronic, severe cases he has about an 85% success rate with patients feeling significantly better. And he said after a couple months if I'm still not feeling right he'd suggest I try acupuncture.

[Debbi]

That sounds hopefull!! Please report back about the treatment I was a Registered Xray Tech years and years and years ago - we were monitored w/badges that would be sent away to a lab to make sure we were not being exposed to too much radiation. I don't think you have anything to worry about w/the Chiropractor's xrays, sound like they are low level.

BF went to the Neurologist today - MRI of the head was normal. MRI of the back showed a bulging disc. Neurologist said that would not be causing the headaches. He does like him being on Percocet so he gave him a refill on the muscle relaxers, but increased the dosage and told him to try taking the muscle relaxer first when he gets the headache to see if it helps and he can do without the percocet. Frankly, I don't think that the level of headache he gets would go away w/a muscle relaxer, but he will try it. The Zanaflex is low dose right now and it does seem to be helping him. He often says he feels tense and then he gets a headache later. So maybe they will help. I have already decided I am not giving him the stronger dose unless he has a headache.

[Star73]

Hey Debbi, has the neurologist offered a migraine preventative med? Topamax worked wonders for me! There are other ones too like propranolol, etc..

[atcgirl42]

First adjustment done today. The adjustment itself was a breeze--painless and no wrenching of the neck like in traditional chiropractic. The doctor said in looking at my x-rays that I had a significant rotation of my atlas bone. In his opinion this was good because he said he knows he can treat me and I'll get relief from the adjustments and hopefully my headaches will go away. He said if I were getting these headaches and everything was already in alignment then the best I could hope for would be to find a medication to make the headaches tolerable.

The aftereffect: I felt fine for the first couple hours afterward, but by hour 3 started feeling odd. My body was achy, I started feeling lightheaded, and felt like I was getting a headache. My husband and I were out at lunch and I told him I wanted to go home and lie down. I immediately fell asleep and slept for nearly 3 hours! Woke up and the weirdness/headache was gone. In reading over the literature the chiropractor gave me, this is listed as a possible reaction to the first couple of treatments.

I'm definitely going to have to give this time to be able to make an honest assessment as to its efficacy. Next appointment is Thursday.

[Debbi]

atcgirl42 - that is an odd reaction, but it sounds like in a weird sort of way it relaxed you if you slept for 3 hours! I guess when the muscles are manipulated that affects organs, nerves etc so it stands to reason you might feel funny. I sure hope it works for you!

Star73 - Hi, thanks for the suggestion, but yes, he is on Topomax - 100mg in the morning and 200mg at night. His neurologist though it really wasn't helping him a few months ago and she took him off and boy did his headaches get bad -- every single one lasted 4 to 5 days to the point of dehydration and finally a trip to the ER. Needless to say he is back on them. I am going to have to google propranolol - thanks!

I hate to jinx things but the mild muscle relaxer seems to be helping......(crossing fingers & knocking on wood). I know it is unlikely that he will ever be totally migraine free, but it would be nice if he could at least go a week or two between headaches - to me that is manageable.

I made a mistake in my previous post - the new neurologist does NOT like him taking Percocet when he gets a migraine, but he has been having them multiple times a week for 30-40 years. Going without some sort of narcotic most likely will not work and going to the ER for a shot of a narcotic every time he has a migraine will definitely not work. We could never afford that plus I work and I am not going to spend 8 hrs in an ER so he can get a shot - not happening.