so frustrated
I'm due for Botox in a couple weeks, and this is always when my migraines ramp up in intensity and severity. I've had a migraine since Saturday and it doesn't seem to be getting better--I can push it aside for a few hours but it won't break. At this point I'm afraid to drive home, so I'm probably headed to the ER when I get out of work, but I hate having to go there and I don't know if they'll actually treat me.
But I feel utterly wretched and have since I woke up, and it's only getting worse as the day goes on. Sigh.
Hi rebecca,
I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so poorly. Although I don't get Botox, I understand how difficult it can be when it wears off. I did want to let you know I've heard from many patients that when it's time for another round of Botox, their migraine frequency increases. When you see your doctor, ask him for suggestions how to get you through from round to round.
In the meantime, you may want to ask your doctor for a steroid dose pack to help break the current cycle.
Let us know how you make out after Botox.
NancyHi Rebecca,
I also tend to feel terrible as my Botox wears off. I take about a half a dozen preventatives and I've yet to find an abortive that works, so I've started trying alternatives at the end of my Botox cycle. I actually had some success with acupuncture this time around. Like anything it can be kind of hit or miss and it might take a few tries to get it right, but if you can find someone who can figure out how to needle your migraine (for me I need him to put needles on my occipital ridge- basically along the hairline on the back of my head) then it might be worth a try. It probably won't be a miracle, but at this point I consider anything that reduces my pain level to be a success.
I did end up going to the ER and for once they treated me without a lecture, which was nothing short of a miracle (they know me, they know I'm a chronic pain patient; they're not technically supposed to give me narcotics and they almost always lecture me on how many I take before they give me anything), but I wanted to get home and so I left before getting one last dose, and as a result the migraine didn't break. I got some temporary relief but by the time I went to bed it was back.
This morning I took a Relpax, which is a triptan I haven't tried in a while, so we'll see if it helps. I have unpredictable reactions to triptans and sometimes they help, sometimes they just make things worse.
But I have an 11 hour day ahead of me and no way of going home early, so this is going to be a really long day...
