Long life with migraines

I am 44 and have suffered migraines since I was a young child. Doctors have accused me of making up stories and even pretending just to get drugs but the pain and suffering are all too real. When I was 35 I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Pseudotumor Cerebri. It is a condition in which my body produces too much cerebral spinal fluid. The fluid builds up between my brain and skull causing excruciating and crushing headaches which no drug can relieve.

I was declared disabled in 2006 based on this diagnosis and my chronic migraines which can come almost everyday. I rely on imitrex for migraine relief but am limited to the amount of pills I can get every month which hardly covers 3 days a month. In 2007, I suffered a severe car accident which damaged my neck and back. In the following years I have had 3 neck surgeries, including a complete fusion from C3-C7. My migraines definitely got worse. My migraines always start at the base of my skull and extend up the nerves usually on the right side, leaving me completely incapacitated.

My migraines don't seem to have a specific trigger and the worst ones start at night. The problem with that is if I can't catch it soon enough it quickly becomes out of control and unmanageable forcing me to go to the emergency room for a cocktail of anti-inflamatory medication, anti nausea medication and fluids. Within 30 minutes the migraine is under control but I have had to wait as long as 8 hrs to get that help. Complicating things is the fact that since the car crash I have been a pain doctor patient and doctors are quick to label people these days just by their medical history. Because of that, I always go to the same hospital so that my records prove that no narcotics are needed to relieve the emergency migraine.

Because people can't often see your pain I have fought my entire life trying to convince people that this pain is real. I am not under the care of a headache specialist. My primary care doctor prescribes the Imitrex. I take pain medicine and muscle relaxers for my neck pain but for 8 years I have been unable to work because I would call in sick more than I would ever be able to be at any form of work.

Has anyone tried Both treatment for migraines? I was hoping that that may provide more lasting results.

For now I manage my pain and symptoms. I have been able to reduce the amount of times I need to go to the hospital but my life is dominated by migraines. Sometimes I get very depressed.

I am using healing touch therapy to deal with physical and emotional issues associated with my migraines.

It's been a long battle and it is far from over but knowing that there is a support network as well as ongoing research now that the medical community has finally recognized the devastating daily effects of migraines I am hoping I live long enough to see a longterm solution to this very painful problem.

Thanks for reading.