The Wall

By hummingbirdlady

I started to have migraines almost 10 years ago. I had a cervical decompression and fusion in 2017 which wasn't much help and I am in limbo for now. I have high blood pressure so I can not use much to have settle for Fioricet and a dark room. I have had headaches before for days, now I have migraines for months. Siblings love

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Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
Hi <inline-mention username="hummingbirdlady" user-id="3896389"/>. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experiences with us. I'm sorry your options are so limited right now. Let me talk about that for a bit if I may. I also have high blood pressure and a number of other chronic health conditions in addition to chronic migraine and have a number of medications I use to abort attacks that do not include Fioricet. Here's the thing - when we live with multiple health issues, in my opinion, it's a good idea to see a doctor who is an expert in treating migraine and headache disease rather than a general neurologist. Here's why - general neurologists may be fine doctors but have a hard time being experts in one area because they treat so many conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and more. These doctors may claim to be 'headache experts' but that may not truly be the case. Doctors who are certified in headache medicine are experts. Let me share information on how these doctors are different and how to find one; <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/really-find-headache-specialist/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://migraine.com/blog/really-find-headache-specialist/</a> <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/seeing-a-board-certified-headache-specialist/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://migraine.com/blog/seeing-a-board-certified-headache-specialist/</a> <a href='https://migraine.com/living-migraine/change-thoughts-new-care/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://migraine.com/living-migraine/change-thoughts-new-care/</a> <a href='https://headaches.org/resources/healthcare-provider-finder/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://headaches.org/resources/healthcare-provider-finder/</a>. Now on to Fioricet. This medication is not the best thing to use when treating a migraine attack because it masks the pain, it doesn't stop the migraine process which is what we want to do. The other complication is Fioricet can put us at increased risk for something called rebound headache (medication overuse or medication adaptation headache) which can make our attacks more difficult to treat and we can end up in a endless daily cycle of pain that may be hard to break. Here is more information on this; <a href='https://migraine.com/headache-types/medication-overuse-rebound' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://migraine.com/headache-types/medication-overuse-rebound</a> and <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/new-research-shows-abnormal-pain-processing-in-medication-overuse-headache' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>https://migraine.com/blog/new-research-shows-abnormal-pain-processing-in-medication-overuse-headache</a>. Please let me know what you think and I hope you are having a low pain day, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Advocate/Moderator
hummingbirdlady
Thank you for reaching out to me, I am waking up with migraines in the middle of the night and with Sunlight. But it has taken a back seat with the other health issues lately 
1. Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
 <inline-mention username="hummingbirdlady" user-id="3896389"/> Good to hear from you! I'm sorry you are dealing with other health issues - you're not alone in this and we are here for you! You may want to discuss having a sleep study with your doctor. Many times when we are woken up with migraine, it's an indication of a sleep issues, of which there are many. How are you doing today? Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator <a href='http://Migraine.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>Migraine.com</a> Team 
2. Melissa Arnold Admin
 <inline-mention username="hummingbirdlady" user-id="3896389"/> To add to Nancy's excellent advice, if you're looking at having a sleep study you may want to visit our friends over at our sister site, <a href='http://www.sleep-disorders.net' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>www.sleep-disorders.net</a>. The articles there might be interesting to you. 😀 Wishing you the best as you try to figure all this out. -Melissa, <a href='http://migraine.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer nofollow'>migraine.com</a> team

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