Head injury
How many got their migraine headaches from a head injury? I got hit with a double whammy, both my parents had migraine headaches so I was lucky enough to have that passed on but I was also hit in the back of the head with an axe at the age of 10. The axe blow was an accident but that us when my life with migraine headaches really started. Because of that and being misdiagnosed for years most typical meds do nothing. Just wondering if others have the same experience and have you found anything that's helps you?
Hi there. I'm glad you found us. WhiIe I personally don't have that experience, I know that many of our members here developed migraine after an accident or other traumatic brain injury, including some people on our staff that I'm sure will chime in when they get a chance.
As far as things that help, it's really impossible for us to say because each person's body is so unique and responds differently to medications. It's all about finding the right combination of tools that work best for you. I'm sure that you've tried so many at this point, are you working with a migraine specialist? Not every neurologist is an expert in migraine, so we try to encourage that whenever possible. If you haven't considered it already, maybe you could try massage, chiropractic care, physical therapy or a nerve stimulating device like Cefaly or Nirivio. All of those are non-pharmaceutical options. We see mixed reviews about the newest medications, Aimovig, Emgality and Ajovy, but those that have success say that it's been a huge help for them.
Let us know if you want more information about any of these topics. We have so much information here on the site and many helpful articles we'd be happy to pull up for you! We definitely understand what you're going through and hope you can find support here. Take care! -Melissa, migraine.com team
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your story with us.has given you wonderful information I'm going to piggy back off.
First let me say, don't lose hope! There are over 100 medications, suppelements, devices, complementary therapies and lifestyle modifications that can be used to treat migraine and most of us use a combination of them, I sure do.
I sustained a head injury almost 26 years ago which triggered long lasting migraine problems. It's not that a head injury causes migraine, (migraine is a neurological disease) rather it can make migraine more difficult to manage, it sure has been for me.
The best thing I've found is seeing a doctor who is a true expert in treating migraine and headache. These expert doctors are board certified in headache medicine. The thing is not every general neurologist has this certification. These doctors have had a wonderful impact in my care. Let me share information with you here; https://migraine.com/blog/really-find-headache-specialist https://migraine.com/living-migraine/change-thoughts-new-care/
https://headaches.org/resources/healthcare-provider-finder
I truly understand how difficult it is to live with daily pain and want to let you know you're not alone, we're here for you! Will you keep us posted on how you are doing? Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com TeamI had a really good specialist who postponed his retirement when he took me on as a patient. He was the migraine specialist of the nw. Unfortunately he was unable to help and we tried many different treatments even ones that weren't yet approved. So I'm no stranger to doing what the doctors have said and been their guinea pig for decades. I was just wondering if others have found relief in other ways. Like I've found meditation to help but that's only for the stress induced migraine headaches.
Thank you
thank you for sharing a bit of your story with us. Having a doctor postpone retirement to continue trying to help you is a rare blessing. I'm sorry your treatment attempts have not helped you more. My husband practices meditation daily to help with stress, insomnia, and depression. He finds it helpful. Biofeedback is another tool he uses to help relax tension in his face, neck, shoulders, and back. He goes back periodically to meet with that doctor to ensure he gets the most benefit from that type of therapy. He has also tried acupuncture, various CDB products, and specialized chiropractic. He has only found lasting benefits from chiropractic. The CGRP class of drugs has helped him as well. He continues to take Emgality monthly and uses Nurtec ODT as an abortive. A Nerivio device also adds a layer of relief to his varied combination therapy regimen. If any of these things interest you, please let me know, and I will get you some resources about them. Migraine is very individualistic, so finding the key for our lock can take some time. You've been treating for years, so you understand it's a marathon, not a sprint, lol! Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com team
, Sorry, I just saw this posting and am too slow in replying. I too suffered a brain injury as a kid from a fall off a platform landing on the back of my head. It affected my vision, speech and smell. Did you have those affected too? My first migraine was when I "came to" 4 days after the fall. Even though I vomited when I tried to go in the sun, and whined about the worse headache ever, my parents didn't realize that I most likely had a concussion. My vision went from 20/20 to not being able to read the chalk board only 3 feet away. My sense of smell became stronger and I no longer could stand perfume. Migraines began immediately and have continued for 60+years. Migraines run in our family, but noone else has them to my degree. Mine have I creased to chronic and they made it up to 28 days in a month. I too have had little success with medication, but currently I'm on Aimovig, Botox and testing out Nurtec. The one thing that made a big improvement for me was seeing an eye doctor who specializes in brain trauma, be it stroke or injury. In my case he found my vision was damaged by the fall and my brain has been doing overtime to try to correct what my eyes are seeing. He put me in binasal occlusion glasses, which are basically two clear triangle patches painted to the inside of my glasses which slow the images being sent to my brain and thevtiming is staggered a bit. This allows the brain to process the images easier. My migraines reduced by half! Currently I'm still having issues because one of the side effects of the fall causes my vision to degrade very quickly. Before my new glasses can even arrive, I can't see out of them very well. Therefore, we're doing cataract surgery next month to get lens inside my eyes. The other long term problem from the fall was my hyperosmia. I have become so sensitive to smells that I have to live in isolation to avoid other people's fragrance from detergents, shampoos, handcreams, hand sanitizers and even deodorant. I can smell these fragrances from 30 ft away. Walking my dog is dangerous thanks to neighbors' dryer sheets. Do you have any other problems like mine from your injury? I also have a problem when I lose my temper. I'm pretty easy going for the most part, but when I feel I'm treated unjustly, I have to work hard not to explode. Thankfully my husband works for the Brain Injury Alluance of KY, and he understands my issues well. He actually was the first person to realize I'd received a BI and he contacted the eye specialist who helped me.
