The Lighter Side of: Migraines

Migraines are one of those symptoms where if you do not know whether or not you have had one, then you have not had one. You know if you have had a migraine.
I have experienced more than my fair share of illness and pain over the years, but migraines *usually* take the cake when it comes to putting me out of commission.
I am one of the lucky ones, though. There is a medication that I take for them that is incredibly effective, kicks in fully within 30 minutes, and has very few side effects. I also do not have to worry about taking it during the day because, when I have a migraine, I have already written the day off. This medication makes me super drowsy and I often sleep for a few hours after taking it.

Did you know that there is such a thing as a stomach migraine?
While this is more prevalent in children who will later develop migraines, they can happen in adults.
Due to my Crohn's Disease, I will never truly know whether some of my episodes have been stomach migraines, but I remain convinced that I do experience them every so often.
Why??
Because sometimes, when I have a migraine and my intestines and upper abdomen are also excruciatingly painful, with excessive nausea, and some vomiting, if I take my migraine medication, it takes care of both affected areas.
Medication that is tailored for migraine headaches should not work on abdominal pain unless it is migraine-related.
Though it is possible that simply the pain and nausea is my Crohn's reacting to the severe pain in my head.
I may never know for sure. It also doesn't really matter, as stomach migraines are not exactly dangerous. If something works to ease those symptoms then it doesn't really matter to me exactly what they are.

The Lighter Side of migraines is that even when they become all-encompassing, there are options for relief. There are many was to battle migraines and I have been fortunate enough to experience effective relievers. There are medications, there are Botox treatments, acupuncture treatments, tea, supplements, and even physical activities that can help ease the pain of migraines.
The Mayo Clinic, WebMD, and HealthLine all have some great tips on how to treat and prevent migraines in natural ways as well as types of medications that may help.
**The best course of action if you are suffering from migraines on a regular basis is to consult with your physician.**
As with all symptoms, even common symptoms can be something unexpected, so speak with your physician if you have had an uptick in migraine headaches, and pay attention to accompanying symptoms. Even if you have been diagnosed with chronic migraines or recurring migraines, discuss any changes in your experience.

Migraine Medication

The migraine medication that I have is a heavy-hitter. Not only can it dissipate the most intense and severe migraines that I experience, but it also makes me uncontrollably sleepy. I actually have a horrendous time staying awake.
So taking this medication during the day usually has me sleeping away the remainder of the day.

When a migraine hits late at night right before bed, that's the best time for this medication. Or at around 3am. But I don't get to choose when the migraines hit. I can TRY to power through a migraine until later on, but that has often backfired brutally. I hate wasting an entire day, completely incapable of functioning - either from stratospheric pressure pain or from a medication knocking me off my feet.
BUT I will always take uncontrollable sleepiness over unimaginable pain. I am very lucky to have a medication that effectively treats these brutal migraines. I am even LUCKIER that the migraines seem to be retreating. Over the last few days, my migraines have not become AS awful, they are not lasting as long, and it seems to be returning back to normal.

The question still remains: what was aggravating it so much? Was it just the season change? Was it the Cortisone? Am I feeling more pain in my SI Joints or is that me imagining things? Is it something else? Am I having HAE brain swells?

We may never know.
Until the next time I get the cluster.

Rollercoaster

The rollercoaster ride of health issues is not the kind I usually like to ride.

Yesterday was a good news - bad news - good news - bad news kind of a day. Up and down constantly.

I was nervous about an appointment because I am already on a lot of medication, but my migraines have been exceptionally bad, so I needed to ask for a specific migraine medication I was on temporarily a few years ago. I was living in a constant windy city and my migraines were intense.
I have had a severe migraine every SINGLE day for over a month now. Much more than that and I might lost my mind. Luckily, it's not a big or dangerous medication, it directly (and effectively) targets only migraines, and has few to no side effects normally.

So I received my prescription and became SUPER excited. I couldn't WAIT to fill it and take it and get to skip a migraine yesterday!!

But then I got to the pharmacy.
Turns out they don't have any in stock anyways, so they would have to order some.
Then, even though her prescription said a certain amount per month, I guess insurance will only allow <1/2 to be dispensed per month.
But then they said insurance won't even cover the brand name and would cost ~$200... so then I agreed to try the generic name if insurance covers it.
So I still suffered through the migraine yesterday - hopeful that today I could skip it!

Now we are just trying to decipher why my migraines have been so much more frequent again.
• It could simply be weather. It has been very all-over-the-place lately.
• I have been wearing my glasses almost nonstop lately - perhaps my prescription isn't quite right anymore? I will book an appt to see my optometrist.
• I am also experiencing more intense pain in my upper spine and neck, and moving my neck side to side sends shooting pains down my spine and shoulder blades. I may have pushed too hard, it might be that simple. I am also concerned that the Ankylosing Spondylitis has progressed in that area just like the inflammation and erosion in my SI joints. So many I will ask my rheumatologist for updated scans? I am due for them anyways.
• Maybe I just need a simple adjustment. It could be beneficial for me to go into the chiro or massage therapist (or both!). Or a physio appointment.
• It could be HAE swelling affected my skull/brain... but I doubt that one.
• I HAVE been grinding my teeth almost every night again as well. That would definitely add to it.

This afternoon I *should* be able to pick up my prescription though and maybe get some RELIEF for my pounding throbbing drilling pain.
Maybe I could do some reading tonight then!! Ooh!!