migraines. I think. questions. doctor. peri-menopause?
'K. Prior to last week, I'd probably had about a half-dozen migraines in my life with the last one being at least a year ago. I've now had two in the past eight day. They slay me.
I got one last Monday and by 11:00 a.m. I was seriously thinking that I'd have to cancel the rest of my workday. Canceling that day's caseload would probably be 10% of my MONTHLY business (not my salary - what my business brings in). Ouch. I didn't. I dragged through it, came home and crawled in bed for the night at 7:00 p.m.
I got another one today, but I took Excedrin Migraine around 2:30 and laid around and started feeling a bit better around 8:00 (I'm going to bed as soon as I type this).
Both times they have not started as a headache, but rather as extreme fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and photophobia. The headache comes later which is why it was only in the middle that I would figure out it was a migraine (today, I initially thought it was hypoglycemia, but a caffeinated sugared coke - I know, I know, but it was that or cancel my client whom I'd not seen in weeks and really needed to talk with - did NOTHING/zero effect).
So, six since I was 23. And, two in the past eight days. My mother said she started getting them around 39. I'm 39. She also says that the women in our family don't go through menopause until late.
Questions:
1) at what point do I talk to a doctor about this? I cannot deal with this. I cannot cancel a workday and I cannot be out when I'm the only adult with my son.
2) could this be the start of menopause?
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Go see the doctor..probably just estrogen related migraine which has nothing to do with menopause..however, dr. can prescribe imitrex for you to try. It helps me if I catch the migraine in time. When you get the first symptoms, take the imitrex..
I am having these monthly now, too. It bites.
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Meg
Mama to Alexis, 23; Jacob, 20; Eli, 7; and Sophia Jane, 5
Okay, estrogen makes sense. Last night I had very sharp, shooting pain in my right ovary. I figured that it was clearly ovarian cancer or an ectopic pregnancy that was rupturing . Today it was gone. And, a migraine. So, I'm betting that I ovulated yesterday. But, then why eight days ago as well? I didn't have my period then and I don't think I was ovulating.
well, not sure..could be any number of reasons. It has seemed to me since I started getting them, that I get them when they are triggered by more than estrogen levels too. Sucks..this last one I got last week I thought was cuz my AF was due, then she didn't show up and today I have had a lurking one (got it in time though) and I now have spotting. shrug!
YOu can be triggering it by who knows what. I really recommend seeing a doc and working it all out.
There are so many possible triggers. Cheese is one, for pete's sake. A doctor can prescribe you the magic stuff, and that will make the process of finding your trigger so much less unpleasant.
I get a lovely one every month on day 3 of my period. We're all gloriously unique.
There are so many reasons they can happen... and it could be hormone related and ALSO something else combining to make them happen so close together.
For a few years I was having 2-3 a month - and with 4 little little kids, it was no picnic. They learned really quick that if I said I had a headache that it was a movie in mom's bed day. They even started bringing me cold cloths for my head and would close the curtains before i even got upstairs.
Catching it before it turns into the headache is tricky. It helps a LOT... but it can be tricky. ((hugs))
Okay, estrogen makes sense. Last night I had very sharp, shooting pain in my right ovary. I figured that it was clearly ovarian cancer or an ectopic pregnancy that was rupturing . Today it was gone. And, a migraine. So, I'm betting that I ovulated yesterday. But, then why eight days ago as well? I didn't have my period then and I don't think I was ovulating.
Of *course* it was ovarian cancer. LOL.
After your period, your body starts working up enough estrogen to ovulate, so probably its the increasing levels causing it.
Here's what I recommend--preventative, red raspberry tea. Get the good stuff. Drink a cup a day around the time of the month that you get the headaches.
Muscle test to see if your body wants progesterone--get a cream and alternate where you put it on your body when your body wants it.
Do you get auras with your headaches? At the first sign a headache is on its way, drink a large regular coke, take ibuprofen and a real sudafed. (Also, do you get seasonal allergies? Maybe the combination of allergies plus hormones is doing it to you...my migraines tend to hit hard if I have hormones & sinus issues coincide.)
I'm sorry you had a migraine. They suck, really bad. I get them at least 3-4 times a WEEK. They had almost stopped during pregnancy, so I kind of let it go, but have had a fierce comeback since Sophia was born.
Once things calm down a little, I'm heading to the docs.
Hope you are migraine free soon!
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Jessie Kaitlin- Wife to Matthew, and Mommy to Sophia (1/8/09)
Catching them in the beginning stages is key. Hard to do, I would imagine when you are 10 minutes into a session. I don't take anything prescription and I get probably two a month. Maybe 75% they are either when I am ovulating or the day before my period. Excedriin Migraine works fine if I catch it early enough. If I catch it really early plain ol ibuprofen and caffeine spray works. When I have a bad one and I am really nauseous, a cup of coffee of soda is impossible. I found this caffeine spray (strongly peppermint flavored like Binaca) that works great. 2 0r 3 sprays are equivalent to a cup of coffee. Primer Caffeinated Breath Spray
It also seems to have less of the jitterery effect that Excedrin Migraine does. If I take EM after like 3pm, I can't sleep which is odd because generally a cup of coffee after dinner even doesn't effect my sleep.
I have suffered from migraines for a few years. I cannot stresss how much chiropractic care has helped. I go 3 times a week and have for well over a year. I only get them now the day before my period starts and thats really the most frequent. Before the chiro i would wake up with them and it would take most of the day for it to go away. I do wish I had a prescription for Imitrex on the day before the period comes though, becasue most of the time I am on the couch with my eyes closed or calling DH home early
I would go to the doctor if it were me. Rebecca.
Okay, so, I have RRL tea at work that I was going to be getting rid of, but, perhaps, I'll start drinking it instead.
I have been going to the chiro since Jan for my arm, but I don't' know. . .
I will start doing neurotherapy for migraines. Interestingly enough, we have our group consultation meeting today, so after I present the person I was going to present, I'll present me.
I'm bringing my excedrine migraine to work and I'll make sure to always have a coke in the fridge.
And, I think I'll call my PCP. I cannot do a migraine. I know none of us can do a migraine, so I'm not saying that I can less do it than others. I'm just saying that I cannot do a migraine - especially at the office.
And, Jen, totally, of course it was ovarian cancer. And, I was going to have to get chemo and I was going to be bald. I was so ruminating about that two nights ago.
Of course it was ovarian cancer. I have screaming ovaries every month and have for years. And monthly I say "Endo, not cancer, endo, not cancer."
I've only ever had a handful of migraines. I use to get them when I was pregnant with Nick. And I had one several months ago, but it started with an Aura so I was able to get on it. Coke and Advil.
Thanks for the tip on sudafed as well.
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I am third generation chronic migraine sufferer. (My Grandma used to lay down on the vinyl floor of her bedroom, home alone with 8 kids, when she'd get knocked out by one.)
Sometimes they're bad, sometimes they're unbearable. I get a lot.
I think your first step should be keeping a headache journal. Keep track of what you eat, when you eat it, what your activity is, and what your sleep is. It's tedious, but it's hugely eye-opening. Because you have developed so many food sensitivities lately (which I also have), I suspect that it's something you're eating and responding to. But, it may also be hormones (many women get menstrual migraines. I get them with PMS.)
Identify your triggers and you might be able to avoid a lot of them. For example, I cannot have msg or I get a debilitating migraine for a minimum of 24 hours that NOTHING touches. (I was unknowingly exposed to MSG this week - found out after the migraine hit.) My other triggers are hormones, REM sleep interruption (if someone wakes me up in the middle of a dream, it's instantaneous) and my sleep schedule being thrown off (staying up too late, etc.)
To prevent them, I try to go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up when my body wakes me up in the morning. I do not ever vary my caffeine because if I skip it, it's a trigger. Same amount of caffeine every day, for the most part (I always have a travel mug sized cup of coffee in the morning now - my aunt had good success eliminating all caffeine from her diet - but ymmv.) I try to watch what I eat - sometimes msg is in there and we don't know. But, for the most part, if you eat at home you'll know. Aspartame and saccharin also are migraine triggers for me. I can't even take a sip of them. Sometimes it takes up to 24 hours to manifest as a migraine. I almost never get a mid-day migraine. I wake up with mine, so I can't dose them with imitrex at the first sign of symptoms. (Which means my migraines are full blown before I even know I have one.)
The thing that works for me is mega-dosing caffeine. A coke has about 25 milligrams of caffeine. A shot of espresso, around 80. I get a triple venti iced and it works (sometimes I have to take ibuprofen with it). It's a vaso-constrictor and helps control the spasms. I haven't been able to take imitrex for years because of nursing, but technically could now. As long as my caffeine/ibuprofen trick works, I'm going to stick to that because I feel better about the risks associated with it. Sometimes I take a bath with lavender, sometimes I take a bath and go to bed. I know the migraine is leaving when I get cold and sleepy. Again, ymmv.
My aunt and grandma were in some study for migraine treatment years ago. The doctor they went to treated them solely with caffeine pills and an analgesic. He published a good deal about that study. My grandma's triggers are wheat, chocolate, stress, and hormones. She's never had a migraine while pregnant (and had 9 pregnancies, 8 kids).
Triggers are really key. Sorry you're affected by this. I don't wish it on my worst enemy.
If you do go to the dr I'd ask for a full hormonal work-up. While it could definitely be estrogen/progesterone related, it could also be any hormone in your body acting wacky.
I don't generally get headaches that I'd classify as migraines but when my endocrinologist has me completely going off of or restarting thyroid hormones I get them somethin' fierce until things stabilize.
My guess is some progesterone cream would fix things. But I'd ask the dr for labwork just to know for sure before you start tossing time and money at random things.
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~Dannielle
Momma to Isabelle (8/95) and Mason (1/01)
Well I'm not a doctor but I can share my experiences... I have a long history with migraines with stroke-like symptoms (numbness down one side of my body, loss of speech, abnormal vision, vomitting etc etc..) And they are absolutely hormone related because I've only really had them when:
1) Starting puberty
2) While pregnant
3) The first week after birth
I've had a few in between but the symptoms are relatively benign in comparison.... My mother and MIL both had a huge spurt in migraines during peri-menopause.
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. Today it was gone. And, a migraine. So, I'm betting that I ovulated yesterday. But, then why eight days ago as well? I didn't have my period then and I don't think I was ovulating.
Rebecca.
dh Jon Jan 07 05 
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