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22 years of migraines

I have been having migraines since I was 6 years old. My father has them and so does my brother. And I have never heard of anyone having them as bad as we do. It will start out as a visual disturbance, like holographic in a kaleidoscope. I won't be able to read or see what I'm doing. This can last the entire length of the migraine. Then I'll start to have tingling in one of my hands, and after several minutes it will be completely numb. The numbness will travel the length of my arm and end up at my face, making my mouth and throat numb. Often my entire face will be numb and tingling. Sometimes it ends up affecting the other arm and hand. Usually when the numbness starts, so does the crazy speech. I'll sound like I'm drunk and it will even sound strange in my head. That's when the nausea and head pain really start. I have thrown up so much that my nose has started to bleed. These migraines have lasted up to 48 hours, but usually no more than 12 hours here lately. I usually lie on the bathroom floor in the dark, hanging over the edge of the tub.

I've been on Imitrex, and it only made them worse. Now I take Treximet, but I can only get samples since I don't have insurance and it's very expensive. The Treximet does seem to work, but not entirely. I would love to have a life without migraines. I wouldn't be afraid to go on trips and I wouldn't have to leave work when they come on. I'm a nurse, I'm not allowed to be sick.

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