Migraine Mama

Hi everyone! I recently found this site, I have my own migraine blog that I recently started to help me through this dreadful disorder. Here's the snipit from my first post a couple weeks ago.

I'm not sure where to even begin. I started having episodic migraines about 12 years ago, when I was 18 years old. I would only get about three or four a year. About three years ago, I became pregnant with my second child (a boy). Something during that pregnancy changed my body.

I started getting more frequent and more volatile migraines during the first trimester when I could not take anything for prevention or to rid myself of the migraine. Since then, my migraines have struck at least once a week, sometimes more. I am now in pain everyday, with only a few hours of relief throughout each day. However, I still only get about one full blown attack per week. I have been to three different neurologists. The first one was awful. First, his secretary wore extremely strong and musky perfume that would trigger a migraine instantly. Second, he was always about 45 minutes late to even show up to work and then he would only spend a few minutes with me. The second specialist started out by impressing me. But, from where I came from, anyone would impress me! The last time I went to her was in March when she told me that at 5-6 migraines per month (even lasting up to 3 days a piece), I was doing great. I didn't think I should have to settle for that, and neither did my primary care doctor. She sent me to the headache clinic at the university in town, where I met the most knowledgeable doctor I have ever seen. We are currently trying to get Botox approved through my insurance to see if that will help.

Over the past few years, I have tried the following:

• preventative medications: midrin, gabapentin, amatriptaline, topamax, dopamax, cymbalta.
• abortive: zomig, sumavel, maxalt, relpax, migranal nose spray, and a few others I cannot remember the names of.
• pain medications: toradol injections, vicodin, morphine (hospital)
• nausea medication: zofran, promethazine

Yet, here I am in pain. My migraines do not come with auras; however, I do have scent and taste hallucinations (usually a chemical smell or taste) roughly 20 minutes before the pain hits. I recently started losing vision in one eye when the pain hits. It's not a complete loss, but things go very blurry. I experience extreme photophobia and sensitivity to sounds/smells. I have yet to narrow down my triggers, except food and drinks high in sulfates and nitrates.

While all this is going on, I continue to work 32 hours a week so I can pull full benefits. I have two small children (a five year old girl and a two year old boy) and I am married. My daughter, 5, also suffers from migraines. We think she's been getting them since she was about 9 months old. Hers a episodic and the only medication she can have is Tylenol and zofran. She's usually in severe pain for a few hours, vomits and then falls asleep. I'm praying she grows out of this soon! I would rather be in pain everyday than her have even one episode.