The Pain

Image by Migraine Chick via Flickr

I don’t remember when I got my first migraine because I didn’t know that’s what it was called. I thought it was a headache. I thought all headaches started out on one side of your head, knives of pain shoved under the edges of your skull, into your eye socket, your sinuses. Waves of nausea. Nerves on fire.

When I have a migraine, I have sensorial super powers. I have supersonic hearing, see a light on through 3 closed doors, smell a cracker crumb on the floor.

My hands and feet become ice cold, while my head becomes an inferno. My tongue feels thick. I crave a vice grip for my head and an ice helmet to cool the inferno of pain.

Over the 25+ years I’ve had migraine headaches, I’ve tried many treatment options: acupuncture, diet, preventative medications, abortive medications, massage, meditation, rocking back-and-forth in a dark room while crying in pain. Some have worked, others haven’t. Currently, I use a combination of things. That’s not really the point. I’m not searching for the magic answer. Just marveling at the phenomenon of the human body, I guess.

Comments

[Carrie]

I've never really viewed my migraines as giving me "superpowers" but you are dead on: THEY DO.

Together in migraine he**, sister. Here's hoping that they wane as we age and we can look back at all those years of pain and laugh.

[Meg E]

You may not be searching for the magic answer, but I sure am. So, if you happen upon something that works for you, shout it out! :)

My today resolution is "get more sleep"...but I have insomnia (like you, but not as bad) sometimes too so that's not always the answer. However, last night, up late reading trash on the internet (and yes, it was trash, yummy trash), I knew I was going to pay and I am...

[califmom]

Acupuncture has worked for me in the past, but I got tired of going every week. Currently, I'm giving Topamax another try (as a preventative) and continue to use triptans (Imitrex and Frova) in combination with anti-inflammatories (usually ibuprofen liqui-gels) as abortives. I recently purchased a gel ice "helmet" intended for chemo patients, of all things, that feels quite lovely, although it doesn't stay cold as long as I'd like. The frequency of my migaine headaches has remained about the same, but the intensity has lessened with the Topamax. Hopefully, as we get the dossage right, the frequency will lessen, as well. I still average about 3/week. I still might go back to acupuncture as a complement to the rest of the therapies. I'm working with a headache clinic for the first time, which has been a blessing.

[Lucretia Pruitt]

Migraines. The bane of my existence. 5 days in a row last week. Turns out allergy season now triggers them for me too.

So that makes lack of sleep, stress, garlic, allergies, msg, extreme changes in altitude (yay flying!) and too much dairy that are my KNOWN triggers.

Excedrine Migraine plus dark room, sleep and *lots* of writhing in pain and whining is my usual M.O.If I'm lucky and catch it in time and it's not too near the time I take another medication that is not supposed to be taken with it, I can do Imitrex. This seldom happens.

They are evil. No doubt about it.

[deborah]

superpowers; yes, that is exactly what they are!! I can totally relate to smelling the cracker crumb on the floor, my husband calls me a bloodhound with my intense sense of smell powers. They are always there.