My Migraines

I think that the very first migraine that I experienced was on my honeymoon. I hope that reading this does not discourage anyone, but that was 46 years ago. I have chronic debilitating headaches. They seem to come on from barometric changes, a conclusion that I came to on my own, even though I went to a neurologist for 40 years. I had been told that it was from caffeine, chocolate, eating red meat, you name it. I hate to think of all of the years of pain and the money that I have wasted on doctors who just did not understand. I was told that I would have less of them as I aged and that has been the case, although on more than one occasion, I have considered suicide, because of the pain.

I have the auras and blindness, get violently ill, throwing up, not able to make it to the bathroom, sometimes crawling on my hands and knees. In a word, that is totally inadequate, they are horrible. Once I begin throwing up, I know that I can't stop and I must be taken to the ER for a series of shots. Usually 2 for pain and 2 for the nausea. After I come home from the ER, I generally sleep for 2 days. Most of the time, I awake with a hangover headache. I get up and start moving around to work through it. Occasionally, I have a rebound headache, and have to go back to the ER to get a couple more shots.

My headaches seem to eminate from my neck. I have never injured my neck that I can recall. I have told this to several doctors, and they have tested me and never found anything. I have spent my life sitting on the sidelines at amusement parks, afraid of injuring my neck or triggering a migraine.

I raised 4 children while experiencing migraines weekly. I have a son and a daughter to whom I have, unfortunately, passed them on.

I have found a drug that helps me tremendously. It is called Maxalt MLT. I put one on my tongue and it melts and I can literally feel the pain leaving my head from my neck up.

As I have aged, I can see them easing tremendously. I had 2 last year and one so far this year. So it does get better. I am so glad that I have survived to this stage in my life. We are happily retired and living out our dreams. I prefer to never experience another migraine, but I feel that I can manage one or two a year.