What a day.

[Serenitude]

Started out with an appointment this morning at the Nuerologist.

I've been having migraines 3-4 times a week for months. They were angry I hadn't been in sooner. Since I found out TV triggers them, they put me on an anti-seizure med, Topomax. Then, just in case I'm chronically rebounding, they forbade ALL pain meds - including the handfuls of Aleve, Ibuprofen, and Excedrin I've been taking every two hours for months. Also can't take Imitrex now. Not until the frequency stops. Should be a nice couple of weeks, at least, until the Topomax kicks in.

Then, on the way home, we got in a car wreck, and totalled out our '03 CRV. Hit a stopped car trying to swerve and miss it at the last second, our fault. I was in the passenger side, taking a drink of Starbuck's Venti Caramel latte' with an extra shot. BLAM! Neck snapped forward, coffee goes everywhere. If I weren't wearing my seat belt, I'd be missing most of my teeth and likely have shattered my face.

Weird part - it happened just like in those insurance commercials where they're just talking about something glib and then POW! out of nowhere. We had been talking about a CD I was playing - "Thank You" from Duran Duran - so in the seconds after the impact, I just picked up the conversation about the CD again - was it a good remake of "Success" from Iggy Pop.... Funny how you react. Just like me.

So here I am prone to chronic migraines, taken off anything resembling pain medication, and I get my neck whipped on the way home, so needless to say I have a headache. If my posting around for the next little while is a little slow, please understand and forgive me. I'm trying. Once the Topomax takes hold, and I quit rebounding, things should be back to normal. The car can be fixed.

But, man.

What a day.

[davidlpf]

sounds like a really bad day, hope the meds help with the migranes.

[Donnie B.]

Wow.

Well, look at it this way... tomorrow is almost sure to be better.

[Moose]

Wow. Man, that's tough, Serenitude. My day was throroughly frustrating, but I came through it intact. I guess I shouldn't gripe too much.

[Van Rijn]

Yowza. That's a painful day in more ways than one. I'm glad I don't get migraines often these days. I predict long sessions in a dark quiet room until it settles down. And the crash on top of it, ouch! Good thing nobody was hurt from the accident, though.

[Tobin Dax]

Not that you'll still hurt from the accident in ten days, but you could ask about shortening the ramping-up period. I don't remember if it was when I went on or off topomax, but my neurologist said I could cut down the do it in a week and a half.

[Swift]

Man Serenitude, that ... stinks... (I feel stronger, but you are a mod ;) ). Good luck with the headaches. And remember, eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen the rest of the day.

[foreignkid]

I'm sorry about your bad day today, but the head snap reminds me of a funny story. Here goes:

I was young, living freely in the heart of Romania. My friends and I made a habit of swimming in a nearby river. The river bank was highly elevated, dropping straight down into the water, with carved out stairs not far off. The weird thing was, right, that there were constructions going on nearby, and apparently, mud from the bottom of the river was excavated. So my friends and I used to watch out for these machines, since wherever they excavated, a huge hole formed. Therefore, the river was about 3 feet near the shore and about 6 or 7 where the hole was. So, kids that we were, liked to dive into the hole and come back out by way of the stairs. By now, I'm thinking you guessed what happened. Yes, I missed the hole. Headfirst. OUCH!! When I came up, I could not breathe, and was naturally scared. One of the bigger guys had to take me up and out, and lay me on my back. I eventually regained my ability to breathe (I was half passed out from the lack of oxygen), but for about a week, I felt the sharpest of pains when I tried to inhale fully. I can now proudly tell you that I have had regular migraines ever since. And no, I never dove into that river again.

So, Serenitude, I feel your pain.

[Gillianren]

Wow. Well, I hope you're better in the long run, Serenitude.

[Maksutov]

[edit]'ve been having migraines 3-4 times a week for months....Then, on the way home, we got in a car wreck, and totalled out our '03 CRV....Is it empathy when one can identify with another's situation due to having been through the same?

I've been enjoying two/three/four/continual migraines a week for over three years now. It got to where Zomig, Imitrex, et al, were like sugar pills. Unlike you, after going through the seemingly endless process of elimination, no "trigger" was found. In the meanwhile I reached the federal limit for controlled pain relievers, so my former doctor cut me off cold turkey.

Back in 1984, I was driving to see my son and his grandparents in upstate New York. The road was dry, but there were t-storms up in the Adirondacks. What I didn't know was that some of those storms had flooded some of the valley roads. I came up over a rise, immediately hit the only flooded section between me and my destination (8 miles away) and hydroplaned off the road.

My newly restored 1968 Ford Torino GT slammed into a stone pillar. I broke the steering wheel with my forehead. The stone pillar was one of two which marked the entrance to a long driveway down to a house on Lake Champlain owned by a doctor. The doctor later sued me for $800 to recoup damage to his beloved stone pillar.

Anyway, my neck started bothering me. Then four years later the migraines began. For 23 years I kept telling my doctors about how much my neck hurt. Then the back of my head. Then my left shoulder. And so on. The doctors ignored what I told them.

Then last month, a new doctor finally took an x-ray of my neck and found four bone spurs, three areas with degenerate arthritis, and two improperly healed fractures.

After 23 years of dealing with idiot doctors who were mainly concerned with how many patients they could see in one day, I finally found one that listened to me. Now to see if there's a cause and effect re the migraines.

So I hear you and know the pain you're "enjoying" first-hand. If the doctors try to treat you like you're on an assembly line, create a fuss, raise hell, be a pain to them and maybe they're treat your pain!

[LurchGS]

Truely, I, fortunately rarely suffer a migraine, and my wife seems to be largely getting over hers.

But I can equate to a crappy weekend. In fact, I'm still stressing over it.

Let me begin this way.

I like dogs. Not barking rats, but dogs. Dogs that make you consider the wisdom of entering via that invitingly open window. Dogs that look as though, if they took a mind to it, would happily rip your leg off and beat you to death with the stump. (I don't wish to imply mean dogs, just large ones.)

But, like them as I do, I've never *loved* one. Loved him to the point where I wish I had the money to become a breeder. Buddy is obviously unique in my experience. I met his acquaintance in a search and rescue group where he was showing bloodhounds how to track, and I was volunteering at the time as the trackee.

In short order, given that his new handler couldn't keep him at her home, Buddy came to live with me. It's been 4 years now... The other dogs are... dogs, but Buddy is an American Tundra Shepherd Dog (look it up http://www.americanshepherd.com/).

If I didn't have a wife, he'd be sleeping on the bed and I'd be on the couch.

Ok, now, you understand, I *really* like this dog, right?

When my wife came home Friday afternoon, Buddy - normally pretty energetic - was collapsed in the middle of the kitchen floor. Worse, his rear legs were covered in blood. Once she got the blood cleaned up (looking for the source) she discovered he was bleeding from .. um.. a natural opening.

This is NOT a good sign.

She bundled him up (how she picked up a 125 pound dog, I'll never know), got him in the Blazer and off to the Vet. Who promptly did four things: Pump fluids into him, pump vitamins into him, ascertain that he'd not gotten into some rat poison - and said "I've not got a clue".

Whereupon we perforce trundled him off to the nearest animal hospital (about 40 miles away).

We dropped him of at almost exactly 19:00. At 21:00 they'd X-rayed him - no sign of cancer (whew), but also no idea WTF was wrong. VERY anemic (gums almost white). Keep flooding him with fluids/anitbiotics/etc. Schedule an ultrasound for first thing in the morning.

Wonderful. No sleep for Lurch - too stressed. Both boys upset, but dealing with it better than I was.

Talked to Doc at about 11:00 re the ultrasound. Nada. Not a CLUE why he was bleeding so badly. Schedule exploratory for Monday morning if he lives that long. (ok, Doc was much more ... tactful than that)

Talked to Doc again Saturday night....bleeding seems to be slowing.

Ok, I got SOME sleep Saturday.

Talked to Doc again Sunday morning. Appears bleeding has stopped, but let's watch a bit, just in case.

Talked again Sunday Evening. Yay! no sign of relapse. Give the poor pooch these meds on an impossible schedule for the next 10 days and take him home.

No sleep SUNDAY night... got home with Buddy at about 01:00, but was so excited (think of a 6-year-old's christmas wrapped up with the hours before your first wedding. I was *wired*).

I apologize for bending your ears about this... as you might be able to tell, I'm still stressed. But I'm getting better. Really.

Buddy is here with me now, begging for a hunk of my graham cracker/cream cheese snack. I love him like a son, but I'm not crazy. These are MINE.

[Serenitude]

Wow, Maksutov, thanks for your post. It only goes to show: No matter how bad one thinks one may have it, and how whiny and sympathy-wanting one may get, there's someone out there (and usually closer than you think) who has it worse. I probably needed a shot of that ;)

[LurchGS]

After 23 years of dealing with idiot doctors who were mainly concerned with how many patients they could see in one day, I finally found one that listened to me. Now to see if there's a cause and effect re the migraines.



OOh - I'm posting twice in a row, I think.

I can understand your situation. Not from personal experience, thank goodness, but vicariously through a friend of mine. The problem here is that it's a degenerative disease - fragile posterior bone spurs all up and down his spine. Causes all manner of pressure on the spinal chord. *really* fun when a spur snaps off.

For years, his doctors simply treated the symptom (pain) it all having been discovered too late for surgery. They were slamming him with insane doses of morphine = to the point where he was functioning on doses that would put a horse to sleep for a week, and certainly kill me (three times his size).

He didn't like it, but didn't realize what was going on. I suggested to him and his wife that he demand referral out of the medical plan. He ignored me (this is how I know he's a friend - most people would [rightly] smack me upside de haid for butting in)

Not to be out-stubborned, I dragged my Paramedic wife into the fray. In relatively short order, he was seeing another doctor - who referred him to ANOTHER for a brace. My friend also learned that morphine isn't the best drug out there.. so he took himself off (that is, told the doc he was done with it - it wasn't foolhardy "I quit"). He was a wreck for a month, but in that time, he kicked the stuff.

Now he functions much better, and he's less uncomfortable, usually.

I didn't think much about it - he is my friend, after all - just can't play football - but I occasionally pick up his meds for him (his wife occasionally has the car our of town). One day recently, I'd stopped at the clinic and picked up a month's supply (I swear, it was close to 5 pounds of pills - a gallon ziploc bag). On the way [directly!] from the clinic to my friend's house I had a flat tire.

No biggie, I'm a guy, I can deal with these things. What I could NOT deal with was the state trooper who stopped to make sure I was ok and spotted the huge bag of highly controlled narcotics in my passenger seat. Fortunately, he was a good guy. Got the seargant on the phone, and between them called all the people I suggested. They finally decided I wasn't a dealer.

Only time in my personal life I've received a police escort (no lights/sirens, darnit, just followed me to my friend's home, checked it all out). My friend got his meds a little later than expected, and we all got a good nervous laugh out of it.

[Tog_]

Okay, pop the batteries out of the Woo detector...

Ready?

Several years ago when I was really getting into the martial arts thing, I bought a book on acupressure. The thinking was that it would be a very good guide to use for finding pressure points. As I read the book, I naturally had to try out a few of them as different things came up. I've since lost the book. Well I let a not-quite-ex-at-the-time girlfriend borrow it, and like dropping a quarter in an outhouse, it's really not worth getting it back. Anyway, there are a few of the points that I remember. In testing on myself and others, here's a breakdown.

Stuffy nose. Works on me every time. Works on others most of the time.
Toothaches, doesn't work for me, but has for everyone else so far.
Sciatic pain About 90% say it took the pain away. Works well for me.
Headache about half got some benefit from it. I'm one of them.
Female cramps still untested (I'm not allowed to touch her feet on the rare times she gets them)
Migraines 1 for 1.

A woman I knew from an online chat room was part of the first big gathering we had in Chicago. She had a prescription for Valium to deal with her migraines. She felt one coming on and said that she would have to take a pill and lie in a quiet room for a few hours. I offered to try the pressure point. After 5 minutes, all signs of it were gone and she came back to the group, never having taken the pill.

Here is how it's done, and this only for migraines. Regular headaches are different. You should feel it on one side of your head. When you first feel it come on, you need to take off the shoe on that side. Probe the bottom of your foot, just behind the ball where the big toe attaches. Somewhere between there and the middle of your foot is a spot that when you press your thumb into it will hurt... A lot. If you're not sure you've found it, you haven't Press there as hard as you can stand. It's better if someone else does it. Don't massage or move the thumb or finger at all. Just press straight in. It should also work if you step on a super ball or some other object that has a small surface contact but not so small that it will break the skin.

Given the nature of the board here, I expect resistance to this, but try it. The worst that can happen is it won't work.

[Serenitude]

If there is resistance to any advice that offers migraine relief without meds, I will personally put grape jelly on all of thier doorknobs. Please, if anyone has any alternative or folk remedies, by all means feel free to post ;)

[Fazor]

I didn't see this thread until now. Hope your day is going better today, 'tude dude. ;) As you said in the OP (and it's something I constantly tell people when they call and report thier accidents) cars can be fixed or replaced. The important part is that everyone is okay.

As for the migraines, I have a friend that gets those really bad. She's not allowed to eat a lot of things (MSG I guess is a major trigger for her). And she has to take a pill before she can drink any caffine or alcohol! I don't think there's enough pills in the world for me if I had to do that. :)

[Serenitude]

Me either. I'm relying on massive amounts of coffee to make it through ;)

[Van Rijn]

Me either. I'm relying on massive amounts of coffee to make it through ;)

Well, caffeine can sometimes help, but also sometimes can exacerbate migraines. Of course, my recipe for "home made Excedrin" is generic brand acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and big cup of coffee. It works for moderate headaches (and yes, I know they are telling you to stay off the pain relievers).

[LurchGS]

I can't say if Acupressure works on migraines - but it certainly does on my headaches and it worked against seasickness when I was active duty. (those silly bands are worthless for me - I have huge wrists, so the nubbies are in the wrong places)

I'll mention the foot pressure to my wife.

I used to partake of caffeine - a case of Pepsi a day. Now I drink water. On those few occasions I've tried caffeine to put the kabosh on a headache - it worked. But when the caffeine wore off, the headache was back, and worse. (I therefore think caffeine is only good for caffeine-withdrawal headaches)

In fact, to digress a bit, it is my belief that 90% of common headaches can be cured by the simple expedient of drinking 8 ounces of water and/or eating something. Not to mention getting more sleep.

[Whirlpool]

Started out with an appointment this morning at the Nuerologist.

I've been having migraines 3-4 times a week for months. They were angry I hadn't been in sooner. Since I found out TV triggers them, they put me on an anti-seizure med, Topomax. Then, just in case I'm chronically rebounding, they forbade ALL pain meds - including the handfuls of Aleve, Ibuprofen, and Excedrin I've been taking every two hours for months. Also can't take Imitrex now. Not until the frequency stops. Should be a nice couple of weeks, at least, until the Topomax kicks in.

Then, on the way home, we got in a car wreck, and totalled out our '03 CRV. Hit a stopped car trying to swerve and miss it at the last second, our fault. I was in the passenger side, taking a drink of Starbuck's Venti Caramel latte' with an extra shot. BLAM! Neck snapped forward, coffee goes everywhere. If I weren't wearing my seat belt, I'd be missing most of my teeth and likely have shattered my face.

Weird part - it happened just like in those insurance commercials where they're just talking about something glib and then POW! out of nowhere. We had been talking about a CD I was playing - "Thank You" from Duran Duran - so in the seconds after the impact, I just picked up the conversation about the CD again - was it a good remake of "Success" from Iggy Pop.... Funny how you react. Just like me.

So here I am prone to chronic migraines, taken off anything resembling pain medication, and I get my neck whipped on the way home, so needless to say I have a headache. If my posting around for the next little while is a little slow, please understand and forgive me. I'm trying. Once the Topomax takes hold, and I quit rebounding, things should be back to normal. The car can be fixed.

But, man.

What a day.


Oh Serenitude. :(
Get well soon.

You need to sleep those for awhile.

I have migraine myself, but not like that of yours .
It attacks me very seldom , but when it does , It really Hits my brain and made me a useless person throughout the day.

Funny is , I always take one kind of drug , since I gotten my migraine, and thats "Avamigran".
But for me, the only effective dosage when it attacks is "Sleep".

Rest well Dude.

:)

[Gillianren]

I used to partake of caffeine - a case of Pepsi a day. Now I drink water. On those few occasions I've tried caffeine to put the kabosh on a headache - it worked. But when the caffeine wore off, the headache was back, and worse. (I therefore think caffeine is only good for caffeine-withdrawal headaches)

In fact, to digress a bit, it is my belief that 90% of common headaches can be cured by the simple expedient of drinking 8 ounces of water and/or eating something. Not to mention getting more sleep.

My headache cure is Mountain Dew. It's sugar, liquid, and caffeine; since most of my headaches are caused by low blood sugar, it's a quick and dirty cure that gets me into shape to eat real food--which I usually have to prepare myself, a difficult task when I'm in stabbing pain.