My new Internist: "There's no such thing as Chronic Migraine."
(Chronic Migraine since July 1984)
Having lost my wonderful Internist to burn-out (she no longer practices), I was forced into a search for an Internist who accepted Medicare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO. 99.9% impossible these days, when the desired is Medicare Advantage, only.
However, after 2 visits with the nearly one and only Internist who accepted my two plans, I will have the privilege of firing him, once I've seen my new Family Practice Internist, who I hope will work out.
The first replacement internist who indicated there was no such thing as chronic migraine also did not believe my litany of drugs tried for the last 33+ years of migraine. My initial migraine was an exception, as they had to rule out stroke in the ER while I was unconscious; and, I was hospitalized for one week. Aside from hemi horrible pain, I was left with "water on the brain" (due to the dilatory phase of the migraine which was huge) as the neurologist put it, so my memory was greatly affected for some months. However, I was assured that I had had the mother of all migraines, per the scan, and I do believe that half of the neuro Residents in all of San Francisco were paraded by my bed in the week I was hospitalized. I've never had so many of the same neuro evals in such a short period of time! LOL! The pain from that initial migraine has never left. It remains at Level 1-3 every day and spikes to 6-7.
Yes, Botox was great for 2 years, until my body apparently developed a resistance to it. Then there was the NSAID Mobic, which I took for 12 years and was 80% successful, but has unfortunately had an adverse effect on my kidneys, so am now in chronic kidney disease 3B.
Having moved to a new city after retirement has been a great challenge post-retirement, as I've lost all of my great docs. It's taken me this long (3.5 years) to get a line on a really buff pain doc, who I will see in 3 weeks. Hoping for great results here, as for my chronic migraine and severe low back pain I've been taking ONLY 1 oxycodone per day with breakfast, which lasts 6+ hours and have now been given the 3rd degree and here and now am known as a "drug addict ' NOT and a "drug seeker" NOT. I am so angry with our lawmakers who have literally lifted me up and tossed me into a dumpster with all of the hardcore drugsters in Oregon and across these United States I could puke.
March was an epiphany month for me - huge light turned on, for once since 1984, and all due to a confluence of events. It was during this month that I came to realize that MSG, glutimates, modified food starch and modified corn starch can spike migraine pain in less than 4 minutes. Since then, I've been able to decrease the number of migraine spike days by 80%. As today was our first day at 84 degrees and I spent one hour in the sun with my granddaughter without a broad-rimmed hat, I'm now suffering that stupidity with a migraine. Heat - blooming heat. Would like to know how many of you react to heat that way. My husband honestly doesn't believe me.
Being my first time on board here, thank you profuseoly for allowing me to rant. Living in a new state with tens of thousands of drug addicts, no wriggle room for people like me, an incredibly obnoxious and ill-educated physician from New York who thinks he knows it all and ought to go back to New york, and a knee replacement gone bad, when the surgeon injured 2 nerves and the ITB, thereby leaving me with a numb left foot and paralyzed toes, has me seeing too much red since the big move.
My wish for us all is more and better research, which results in effective drugs that run the gamut. (I say this because I'm limited in what I can take, due to seizure disorder as well.(
Again, thanks all for being here for me today.
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