I had a medical condition that gave me severe migraines for about 6 months. They were completely incapacitating.

Has anyone ever had their scalp be sore after a migraine? It would be sore to the touch for several days after a bad one. I went to the emergency room and they gave me a shot of demoral and then another one before I left and it only took the edge off the pain.

My sympathies go out to those who suffer from migraines they were a horrible experience.

I still think I have them but no one knows for sure what my headaches are.

I've had migraines since I was a little girl. When they gang up on me with my other chronic pain, I'm in bed, sometimes screaming, for days.

Yes. My scalp is always very tender for a few days after a migraine.

I also feel nauseated and a bit disoriented for a day or two after.

If I take two ibuprofen as soon as one starts to come on, I can control about 90% of the pain. I also have to lay down in a quiet dark place until my vision clears. If I wait even 10 or 20 minutes to take ibuprofen it doesn't do me much good. I had migraines for decades before I discovered this little trick. I don't go any place without ibuprofen.

If I don't catch it in time, I'm in a hell like no other. It usually lasts for at least two days.

I usually have to take 3 or 4 to do the job. :( I'm glad that it works, though. I'll have to try doing the dark room thing while my vision clears and see if that helps. (I despise how the pain doesn't start to get bad until after that happens... it's like there's a switch that gets flipped and when my vision clears, in starts the pain.)

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I get migraines if I eat too much sodium in one meal. It took me a while to make the connection, but I used to eat a package of ramen mixed with a can of turkey chili for lunch, and get a horrible migraine shortly afterward. I realized that the two together were about 4000mg of sodium!

As long as I keep my sodium intake down, I rarely get headaches at all. (I still love ramen, but replace the flavor packets with sodium-free bouillon!)

You don't even have to buy the ramen noodles with the sodium packet- you can just buy the noodles in large packages plain. Chuka Soba makes some good ones.

Both my sisters started getting migraines in their mid-30s, so I'm anxious about the next few birthdays. I found out that if I play on one of those Nintendo DS's, I get a nasty migraine complete with "aura" and nausea. Same thing if I do multiple players on a Wii.

My oldest sister has told me to write down all the details of the day when I get one- weather, female cycle time, food, symptoms, etc...before they start getting frequent. Her migraines started getting better after she divorced her ass of a penis-holder and left the cult.

I started getting migraines in middle school, and after about a year, I made the connection that anytime I ate cup-of-noodle's or instant ramen, I would consistently get a migraine the next day. I cut them out of my diet, and besides other infrequent MSG triggered migraines, they have become very rare.

asdfghjoiuytrewqwertyui Wrote:
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> I started getting migraines in middle school, and
> after about a year, I made the connection that
> anytime I ate cup-of-noodle's or instant ramen, I
> would consistently get a migraine the next day. I
> cut them out of my diet, and besides other
> infrequent MSG triggered migraines, they have
> become very rare.

That is a really good call about the ramen and the MSG, asdfghjoiuytrewqwertyui.

Glad you were able to make this connection!!!

Part of my migraines are the tightening of the muscles that encompass my head. When the headache is gone and the muscles released my scalp was tender for days. Sometimes I think the muscles are what trigger the headache.

I have noticed in the past several years more and more clients have migraines. I would like to know how to help them. About the only thing I know of is coffee. But the migraines they complain of are very serious and the specialists seem to be at sea.

The Dr. had me keep a journal and put down EVERYTHING I ate including spices. Turned out it was sunflower seeds. I can have them, just in moderation.

Used to have them terrible... of course I was in a family business - that didn't help

got my blood pressure down and asprin 85mg a day and have not had one in years.

Could be that I quit the family biz but actually my BP was off the charts. had to get a morphine shot twice.

They started in my early 40s, and I was extremely sensitive to light. It was on the left side of my head and in my eye socket. I stopped drinking Diet Coke, and they went away after a very painful few days. I had Diet Coke for lunch and dinner a few months ago, and I had another migraine. I drink coffee every day, and I don't get migraines from caffeine. There is something about Diet Coke that gives me a migraine, and it's not Aspertame either.

They were really awful, and mine weren't really even that bad compared to other people. I feel like a wuss hearing about the scalp pain. Good grief, that's horrible.

I've had three major ones, and the pain was strong and relentless. Resting in a quiet, dark room was somewhat helpful. I agree with Mia that of the OTC drugs, ibuprofin has the best chance of success. Aspirin and acetominophen are useless. I also found that massaging the back of my neck helped somewhat. I could never figure out what set them off. They are to a regular headache what a broken bone is to a sprain -- a totally different animal.

I agree that ibuprofen is the way to go. I've also gotten some relief from massaging the back of my neck and by resting in a quiet, dark room.

I've had them off and on, starting when I was a teenager. One cause for me is genetic as they run in the family since both my mom and brother have had them that I know of. I did find that one trigger was birth control pills, so when I got the prescription switched, I was fine.

I have complex migraines triggered by dehydration and sleep deprivation, among other things. I take Amitriptyline before bed, which has stopped about 80% of my headaches. If one does begin, I take Sumatriptan and it knocks it out within 20 minutes.

Before I began this medication regimen, I found that Ibuprofen helped the most along with an ice pack on my head til it practically froze. I used this regimen when I didn't have insurance and was spiking a headache 40 to 50 times a year. It was unbearable.

Too many fresh grapes will give me a migraine every time. Not grape juice or wine. Just fresh ones. Weird.

I also made a connection with hormone swings. Two weeks before my period I would always get one. Then another two weeks later.
As i've gotten older it has calmed down some.

I had my first when I was in 8th grade, coinciding with my puberty hormone surges. Then none that were very notable until I was pregnant, again with hormone surges. Now I get them randomly, sometimes while pmsing and other times that I haven't been able to tack a trigger on to.

Migraines have different triggers. Common ones are caffeine(which can help some people kill a migraine strangely), booze, especially red wine, cured meats, sharp cheese, chocolate and citrus fruits. Smells such as paints or perfume can be triggers for some. They can be related to hormones and menstruation if you are female. Keeping a food diary is helpful. If over the counter pain killers don't work, talk to your doctor. Imitrex and similar drugs worked wonders for me. Sometimes migraines can be caused by a hole in the heart. As I understand it, everyone is born with the hole but in most people it closes in infancy. Doctors are not sure how it is related to migraines, but there is a connection and it can increase the risk of stroke.This is not the cause of ALL migraines.Too much or too little sleep can also be a factor.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 08:16PM by bona dea.

bona dea Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Migraines have different triggers. Common ones
> are caffeine(which can help some people kill a
> migraine strangely), booze, especially red wine,
> cured meats, sharp cheese, chocolate and citrus
> fruits. Smells such as paints or perfume can be
> triggers for some. They can be related to hormones
> and menstruation if you are female. Keeping a food
> diary is helpful. If over the counter pain killers
> don't work, talk to your doctor. Imitrex and
> similar drugs worked wonders for me. Sometimes
> migraines can be caused by a hole in the heart. As
> I understand it, everyone is born with the hole
> but in most people it closes in infancy. Doctors
> are not sure how it is related to migraines, but
> there is a connection and it can increase the risk
> of stroke.This is not the cause of ALL
> migraines.Too much or too little sleep can also be
> a factor.


I have the hole between the chambers of my heart and I believe it was the cause of the migraines. I had an alergic reaction to the plastic in a catheter that was placed in my arm so that I could self administer IV drugs. I have a clotting factor deficiency that research has shown to make blood clots unstable. I got a blood clot in the arm with the IV and it detatached and went to my lungs (and nearly killed me) and then I think that I developed small blood clots that detached and went across the chambers of the heart so that they were sent to the brain.

It took months for the vein with the IV to go back to normal and I think I just put out small blood clots regularly which gave me migraines.

It took me many doctors to figure out what was going on but I am quite sure that small blood clots in the brain cause migraines. The larger ones gave me stroke like symptoms.

I had a heart infection when I was 11. That's when the migraines started. I had one every day until I was put on an antibiotic.the infection damaged one of my heart valves. It caused me to have a heart murmur.
After that I had several a month up until I was in my 50's. They have calmed down. I only have them once in a while now.

I started getting migraines as a teenager. They continued on a regular bases until my mid 20's when I finally figured out that caffeine was a major trigger for me. I still get them once in a while. The last one was in January. It had been several years since my last one before then. I have never had my scalp hurt afterwards, though.

I had them when I was pregnant with my daughter. My doctor told me to drink something with caffiene. This was during my last trimester. The funny thing is I gave up all coffee and soda when I found out I was pregnant but according to my doctor I could have had them all along. (in moderation, of course)

I've had migraines since I was a young kid from a variety of reasons - stress, smells (perfume mostly, changes in weather, food additives, MSG, artificial food coloring, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, & very bright light, to list a few things.

fluorescent lighting is the worst! I refuse to live in a house that has fluorescent lighting. It makes me feel sick.

2 semesters ago, I was in a class that met in a classroom that was in the interior of a building, so it had no windows. I ended up getting migraines almost every time the class met because of the fluorescent lighting.

I have felt tender on my scalp. I think it's just an extension of neck tension.

When I finally had the balls to openly drink coffee around my folks, I got a coffee percolator and drank strong coffee (build up to it). My migraines almost stopped.

Apparently caffeine is used to treat migraines in some meds. Caffeine in coffee - evil. Caffeine in medication - good. Stupid cult.

Yes, coffee helps me too. I just have to make sure not to drink it on an empty stomach or else I'll then feel sick.

My migraines went away, completely. They were caused by a severe whiplash, due to car accident, which totaled my car. I was sitting at a stoplight, when my car was hit in the driver's side, at full speed. I felt OK--a little weak--and played the piano at a fashion show that afternoon. The next day, the pain hit. Traction helped relieve pressure, restore circulation, and aline the vertebrae. Try a neck-support pillow. Two Advil, taken immediately, help more than percocet or tylenol with codeine. The headaches would come and go, and, with me, it made a difference how I moved. This is worth considering, if you are athletic. Everyone is different, but I'm perfectly fine, if I don't jerk my head, if I don't reach upward too long, and if I don't sit on the floor to play games. I can ski (if I don't crash), bicycle, hike, play tennis, swim, yoga, dance--just not any fast, jerky movements. The headaches last 3-4 days.

I only get headaches one side of my head--half a headache. I feel so sorry for you people who get migraines in your whole head. :(



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2012 02:23AM by forestpal.

There are so many things that this could be, you really need to get a referral to a proper neurologist or, at very least, have your care practitioner write you a script for something like sumitriptan.

If you're looking for something less 'druggy' then speak to them about the potentil for oxygen therapy. Basically you have an O2 cyclinder in your home and wear a mask, maybe for twenty minutes when you feel a head coming on or maybe for an hour every night. It all depends on you and certainly O2 therapy is very sucessful in the treatment of cluster headaches - and they have to be the most debilitating type of head pain.

If it's mainly the 'after' pain that's causing you an issue try the OTC med Naproxen - it's effective even in the early treatment of Rh-athritis, is an NSAID similar to Ibuprofen but seems to have 'extra punch'.

Avoid opiate based drugs, long term these can stimulate migraine headaches so try to avoid their use as part of your migraine regimen.

Much love.

Ax

I was diagnosed with classic migraine with aura several years ago.

They started when I was about 14 years old. I didn't know what was happening to me and I made my own diagnosis that I must have a brain tumor. Sometimes I would wake in the morning with a headache and a numb arm. (My mother was not one to take children to the dr. unless they were near death).

I would have visual zig-zag aura that would become visual blind spots. When I looked at a person, their face would be missing. Soon after that, my hand and arm would go numb and the numbness would travel up to my mouth and tongue. When people talked to me It felt surreal hollow quality. It lasted about 4 hours and then I would have a headache for 2-3 days that felt like it was in the middle of my brain.

What made it even worse was the anxiety that I was seriously ill. These happened about every 6 weeks.

Denial is my mom's middle name, she didn't want to consider it might be something serious. A doctor relative told her over the phone it might be a migraine. So that was good enough for her.

Later when I became an adult I researched more about migraine and also had a CT brain scan to rule out anything serious.
I noticed that during pregnancy these headaches would become more frequent but shorter in length.

If I get one now, I use advil and a little xanax to help me relax, a cool ice bag, (not too cold) on the back of my neck and a coke or pepsi with real sugar, no diet stuff for this. Also a nice dark room. I spent half my teenage years thinking I was going to die soon. Migraines are anxiety producing for me. I couldn't take imatrex during pregnancy and when I was able to it didn't change the course of the migraine. I think hormone change is the base of my headaches.

I've read there is probably a genetic predisposition to this type of migraine.

I try to keep up on the latest research on links between migraine & depression & migraine & stroke.

I can't tolerate strobe lights or the flashing lights on cop cars, they just make my brain feel sick. Fluorescent lights like in Walmart make me feel anxious & nervous like a rat in a maze but they don't usually trigger a migraine.

Yes, my migraines sometimes leave my scalp tender...as well as my neck and shoulders. I started getting migraines 26+ years ago when put on birth control pills. With how severe they were, coupled with a hole between the chambers in my heart, the doctor took me off the pill. They pretty much stopped once I was off the pill but started returning a couple of years ago now that I'm perimenopausal. My triggers are hormones (3-5 day period each month) and chocolate. Unfortunately, nothing really helps with mine and I'm allergic to most migraine prescription meds.

My youngest (a boy) has had migraines from around the age of 3. He would get one almost every Sunday during Sharing Time, lol. Until the fall of 2012, the noise of large gatherings of children and going too long without eating were his triggers. Then that fall his migraines became chronic, daily, 24/7 shortly after some other chronic health issues started. They were over alway over a 5 on a 1-10 pain scale. He had the chronic migraines for a year and a half and they stopped almost as mysteriously as they started. He saw several different specialist/neurologists but no one could find the triggers for the chronic migraines. Nothing over the counter would help and most prescriptions were also useless. The only thing that would stop one of these migraines was IV administered DHE (Migranal) over a 2-3 day hospital stay. The only thing the doctors could come up with for the cause was puberty hormones and a growth spurt. Luckily, he has had only one migraine over the past year and that one was on Wednesday of this week and it actually responded to Excedrine Migraine :)

although I can't take flashing lights, or fluorescent lights either.

My migraines stopped when I quit gluten.

My fix was to sit in the bath tub, in the dark, and rock back and forth then eventually throw up and go to bed. very light sensitive.

I have migraines. It is always in my left eye socket. I can usually tell when it's going to happen and so I can catch it with aspirin and caffeine or overdoseage of Excedrin.

However if I don't catch it, then I suffer horribly and after it's over I can't focus my eyes and drool from my left lip side (almost like a mini-stroke or bells palsy) this usually lasts for just a day.

My triggers are not enough sleep; fasting. You can imagine how I was as a missionary, because that's all we did was fast and lack of sleep. I told my companions they don't know what it's like, every light, sound, furnace blowing on you is pure torture. You need dark room, no sound and cool air.