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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 17, 2014 23:05:20 GMT -5
I'm sorry that I haven't been very active on here lately. For the past month I've had almost non-stop migraines. Almost every day has been spent laying in bed, in the dark, silently begging the birds to stop making noise (wishful thinking, right?....and normally I LOVE listening to them talk, chirp and even sqawk and scream...LOL) Well, just the other day I had a "EUREKA!" moment.....I remembered the invention of a little thing called ear plugs. I've been in heaven. LOL My poor, dear husband has not been in heaven. I can't hear him, so he has to yell to talk to me...but I also can't hear myself, so I guess I yell at him. Poor guy! I haven't even been out to visit my horse. I've seen her once in the last month. Talk about torture.... I had an appointment scheduled with my doctor for this morning, but something came up and they had to re-schedule. So it's set for tomorrow at 2pm. Keep your fingers crossed that we can figure out what the heck is going on in my body. I'm terrified.....my dad has been fighting a slow-growing brain tumor for the past 20 years, and my grandpa on my mom's side passed away from an aggressive brain tumor 6 years ago. I'm a bit worried, but there are many other possible causes, too, so I'm trying to stay positive. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know why I haven't been as active lately.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 17, 2014 23:19:07 GMT -5
I know it is hard to stay positive but wait until you get results of any test the doctor sends you for. I wish you all the best and hope that it is something minor. Please let us know how you go.
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Post by cnyguy on Dec 18, 2014 21:35:43 GMT -5
Sorry that you've been feeling so miserable, Dani. Hope you'll feel better soon, and that whatever is causing your headaches will be something easy to manage.
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 18, 2014 23:35:59 GMT -5
Thank you, Jan and Gary. My appointment went well...I'm going to make an appointment to have my eyes checked in the next several days, and my doctor has sent a referral to my insurance company to have an MRI on my brain done. I also had some blood drawn, so we'll see if anything shows up in that. It's really just a "wait and see" game, now.
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 18, 2014 23:38:15 GMT -5
One thing I asked to have checked are my liver and kidney numbers. I've taken a TON of acetaminophen in this last month, which isn't really a good thing...unfortunately, it's been necessary. So hopefully everything is okay.
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Post by biteybird on Dec 19, 2014 4:29:16 GMT -5
All the best; hope everything goes OK.
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 19, 2014 16:49:44 GMT -5
Thank you! I've had a couple of fairly good days...hopefully my luck holds out until after Christmas!
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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 19, 2014 22:49:56 GMT -5
Are your neck and spine okay? Years ago I had a headache that lasted 12 months - it did not respond to headache tablets. Turned out to be a problem with my neck.
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Post by Caseysmom on Dec 19, 2014 23:24:51 GMT -5
Sorry about the headaches, but glad you were doing better today, fingers crossed it keeps up for you!
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Post by easttex on Dec 20, 2014 13:22:41 GMT -5
Sometimes I overlook these threads at the bottom of the page. I hope you're feeling better soon. I've only had a few migraines in my life, but some of the visual disturbances were very scary. I can't imagine a whole month's worth!
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 20, 2014 22:29:58 GMT -5
It is definitely not fun, I can tell you that! I haven't really gone anywhere, because I'm afraid that I'll get a migraine while I'm out and won't be able to get back home. I went up the street to talk to one of my neighbors this evening, that felt like a major event! LOL
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Post by Jan and Shah on Dec 22, 2014 2:51:41 GMT -5
How's the headache Dani?
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 22, 2014 20:40:20 GMT -5
Zach and I went to a family Christmas party last night, it felt so good to get out! I had had a headache earlier in the day, but was feeling "okay" with the meds. Toward the end of the festivities I started to get another headache, so Zach brought me home. But we had fun. My friend whose barn Cami lives at is away on vacation, so she's hired someone (our farrier) to take care of the horses. I sent a message today asking how things are going, and she said that the neighbor is trying to be helpful, but is interfering. So I said I would go out and leave a note for her at the barn, hoping that as the other owner she will pay more attention to what I say. I got to see and work with my Camikins today for a little bit!!! Yay!!!! She's doing well, and gave me a very enthusiastic greeting when she saw me coming (awww, melted my heart!), but was a bit of a stinker because she hasn't been worked in so long....a bit like Izzie, Jan! Today we worked on paying attention to me, and being patient....and NOT throwing her head down to eat every time we stop moving. LOL She did well. Just before I left the barn another headache hit, so I had to be extremely careful getting home. This is why I haven't driven anywhere in the last month. Grr......
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Post by picoides on Dec 22, 2014 23:49:44 GMT -5
Hi Dani,
I saw your post and felt I had to offer my sympathies to you. I've suffered from migraines and tension headaches all my life. Both my Mom and my sister have them so they are hereditary for me. I've been on many different preventatives and so far what is working for me is divalproex (aka depakote). I've been seeing a neurologist who has been the only one to actually work with me long-term to find out what works. I also made life-style changes such as no caffeine, keeping the same sleep duration even on weekends, etc, etc. For treating a headache, I take Maxalt (melting tabs) because I often get vomiting and can't take pills. Just wanted to share with you what has worked for me, even though everyone is different. I wish you all the best in finding something that works for you. I know all about the struggle and wish you the best!
Jeff
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 23, 2014 3:54:36 GMT -5
Hi Jeff, and welcome back to the forum! Thank you so much for offering your experiences; migraines are hereditary for me, as well. I had a neurologist since I was a baby (had problems with seizures and developmental delays) through my high school years. Unfortunately, after I graduated from high school he seemed to "lose interest". I don't know...I went through a couple rounds of trying the more common medications, over and over, because he just wasn't understanding that they didn't work for me. LOL I tried Imitrex, Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT (melt), a nasal spray, um....there was another one that I'm forgetting....anyway. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. My PCP retired, and I was switched to a NP...eventually she retired as well. This was in 2005...my boss's mother (she lived in an apartment above the accounting office where I worked) demanded (and I mean DEMANDED) that I call this doctor who had taken care of her late husband. So, with her right in the room with me, I made the phone call and was put on the waiting list. At my first appointment with this angel, my mom and I explained all of my health issues and such. She immediately said something to the effect of "I want to try this..." and gave me a prescription for Midrin (the brand name is no longer manufactured, but the chemical formula is available through regular pharmacies). It was amazing. Every time I tried all of the other drugs, they worked beautifully the first time, but then my body developed a resistance to them, or something...not Midrin. I've been taking it every time I have a bad migraine for about 10 years now, and it's my Wonder Drug. As for lifestyle changes, that's a tough one.....I am on a fairly regular sleep schedule, thanks to a drug my neurologist prescribed. The problem is, I have a terrible short-term memory. I often forget to eat and drink anything, except my morning coffee. When I'm on the computer, or reading, or pretty much anything else, and my stomach rumbles (letting me know that it needs food!) I often tell it to shut up, that I'll get something to eat when I'm done with whatever....and then promptly forget. The issue lately is that my migraines have always been relatively infrequent. Growing up, from childhood until my mid-twenties, I could "plan" them on a calendar, almost to the day. Every three months, and they lasted anywhere from 24-72 hours, because the medications didn't work. Then, something in my body must have changed and I started getting a different type of migraine (less severe), and they were a bit more frequent, maybe one per month or so. Jump forward to now. Starting in the middle of November, I've had at least one migraine every day. I don't know what has changed. My diet (the foods I eat) hasn't changed, I still forget to eat sometimes, I don't do anything differently. But obviously something is going on. So anyway, thank you for sharing your experiences, Jeff. I hope I didn't bore anyone with this long, drawn out profile of my medical history. LOL
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