Dakota_Skye

hi kristy,
i'm 36 and, like maggie, i've been having migraines since my late teens. they got really, really bad in college though. i remember there were times when, despite taking excedrine (the only med that worked for me at that time), the pain was still so bad, that i ended up vomiting from it (sorry to gross you out)...and only then did i actually get some relief.

later, in my early 20's i couldn't take it anymore and i went to a neurologist who had me have an MRI test to rule out any problems within the brain itself. well, that was normal, thank God. then they made me keep a "headache diary," noting whenever i had a headache, as well as what happened before the headache started, what meds i took for it, and if the meds worked (on a scale from 1-5). well, that was a very good thing (although i thought a bit cumbersome at the time), because it was the first time i realized that a lot of my migranes were caused by my environment (stress, as you put it). whenever i was dealing with something that made me upset, i would get pretty tense (especially in my shoulder and neck areas) and then it would lead to a migraine later, or even the day after. i also noticed that whenever i even touched red wine, or any kind of alcohol at all, i'd get a migraine bull raging through one side of my skull; same thing happened with chocolate (and i LOVED chocolate); as well as most cheeses (now i'm afraid to eat any kinds of cheeses, not only aged cheeses, as they say), and many canned or processed foods. now, i can't even touch chocolate (i gave in to 3 pieces of andes candies--you know, the minty ones, last night, after dinner--and today, you guessed it!!! migraine!!!! that's why i'm even on this board right now)....i had another MRI in 2005(i believe), and that was ok too. that neurologist (whom i now go to every six months), gave me imitrex (to stop the attack), and also placed me on topamax, as a preventive med. this last one..the topamax--i have to take on a daily basis. at the begining, it was ok, in that i felt it helped to reduce the frequency of the pains, but now, after about two years of taking it, it seems to have lost its "power" or something. well, i'm due to see him on may 21st and i'll definitely tell him about it, because i've been missing quite a few work days due to the pains (since NOTHING works sometimes) and i can't go on like this....

oh, also, i tend to get these pains when i'm PMS-ing too--about one-two weeks before my period. then my mood also drops and i'm literally going through hell for those couple of weeks. so, i know it's also hormone related.

anyway, just wanted to share my story with you. from what you've written though, you are still able to manage your pains pretty well with over-the-counter pain killers, so that's very good!!!! just make sure to take care of yourself, and like maggie said, read up on migraines, since there are soooo many triggers out there...and quite a lot of information about them!!!

i wish you all the luck in the world, kristy!!!
fondly,
dakota

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