Migraine Talk
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Post by ajdesq Mon May 25, 2015 12:04 am

I just wanted to check in and say hello, and thank you to all the folks who run this site and contribute. It's been a massive help to me.

I'm a 45 yr old chap who's suffered migraines since childhood, as has my brother, and as has my Mum who is now in her late 60s. We all suffer quite badly.

I was diagnosed (finally!) about 2 years ago, only after taking triptans to find they worked. It was like a miracle and my life was wonderful again. I got a prescription for 50mg Sumatriptan for each attack and thought that that was that.

However... you all know what's coming. About a year or so later the attacks got more frequent and more intense. Just before Christmas I was in bed one night in so much pain I was beside myself. It's scary, isn't it, especially when you live on your own.

The GP's response was to double the triptan dose. That worked short term, but the intensity and frequency kept on increasing. Before, I would get about two to four per month. I'd wake up with one, it would increase in intensity until it peaked between 4 & 7pm, then die down for the next day. Now, I was getting auras and the attack would last up to 5 days, sometimes with only 24 hours respite before the next.

A few weeks ago, I had an attack that lasted about 8 days. I was so fed up. I had decided that the triptans had made matters worse in the longer term, so I went cold turkey.

Three weeks ago, only 24 hours after the 8 day attack, I was hit with a 9/10. It was the hardest thing to do to spend the day indoors crying with pain on the sofa when I knew that the evil triptans were in the bathroom cupboard, but I managed it. It peaked at about 4 or 5pm, and by 9pm I was walking the dog and feeling heaps better. I found this site on that day and was delighted to do so. I was just too sick to register and post!

The next attack... 10 days later and only about a 6-7/10. Lasted about a day, and I thought that I had sussed it.

Until Thursday just gone. Oh my goodness me. 10/10. It was as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to the right side of my head... and rather than peak late afternoon and go, it was still there into the wee hours.

Four days later it lives on, albeit having switched to the left side and being a nagging 3-4/10. Not painful enough to stop life, but painful enough to stop me being creative or productive. Ugh.

Right now I'm on my holidays in the Outer Hebrides, but as soon as I get hold of a bottle I shall be taking magnesium supplements, and when I get home to Kent I will be seeking out alternative therapies. In my simple mind, if your body is in pain, it's telling you that something is wrong. While I shall continue to use triptans to MANAGE the attacks (which means sitting them out if I can but taking a pill if I have something important on) I am on a quest to see if I can trace the root of the problem and deal with it. So far, the medical profession has only focussed on dealing with the effect and not the cause. I have been referred to a specialist who has given me some simple tasks (magnesium, allergy test, the usual stuff) to see if they work. You can't knock that, you have to try the simple stuff before going hard core. I'll get his letter and recommendations just as soon as I get home in 2 weeks.

It's not just the pain of the attack that gets me down. It's the aftermath where you sit all lethargic and lifeless and start getting angry at yourself for being so. Now I have started being a little more kind to myself for my lack of dynamism - and that is thanks to you guys.

My first port of call will be Reki, and maybe acupuncture. I will keep you posted if and when it happens.

Andrew

ajdesq

Posts : 2
Join date : 2015-05-24

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Post by Sarah Mon May 25, 2015 12:43 am

Hi Andrew, and welcome.

We're a very quiet forum these days, unfortunately. But there is so much historical info on here that's useful, as you've found. And a few of us are still about.

You were brave to go cold turkey. It's absolutely awful, isn't it?

Best of luck with the magnesium. It has to be worth a go. I totally agree with your approach.

Best of luck with it.

Sarah

Posts : 588
Join date : 2011-04-21
Location : Essex, UK

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Post by ajdesq Mon May 25, 2015 12:55 am

Thanks Sarah. Yes, there is so much historical information on here, that probably accounts for why it's so quiet. I'm sure I'm not alone in appreciating the massive amount of work and effort that goes into and has already gone into this site Smile

ajdesq

Posts : 2
Join date : 2015-05-24

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