I get headaches from time-to-time, and then I get some REALLY BAD headaches.

My doctor has said that they classify has migraines.


Today........ I have one of 'those' headaches.

I've taken my prescribed meds and it seems like I've just eaten a sugar cube.

I've got WWIII going on, inside my head, and even my eyeballs ache!!!!!!!
There are tanks. Infantry. Even guys on horseback, stompin' around in my head!!!!
I think the 93rd Bombardment Group from WWII just unleashed everything they ever dropped..... at one time, in my head!


And to think........... I've got 3-1/2 hours left to go on my shift, and a commute back home, ahead of me!





Thanks for letting me vent.


ETA: I was just talking with my manager, and he said that he's NEVER had a headache, in his life. (He recently turned 63.) I find that amazing!!!!

Who else gets 'bad' headaches?????
Anyone not get headaches?????

 

I've been suffering from a chronic migraine condition for almost 40-years now... In the 1970's, it was believed by doctors that children couldn't get migraines so, they treated it as if it were caused by allergies - I spent a great deal of my childhood doped up on things like Actifed (remember Actifed?)

I've been getting them daily now for most of my life - most times, they occur multiple times in the day. I've had them for so long that I am now considered a potential stroke and seizure risk (if a migraine condition is left untreated long enough, it can cause either a stroke or seizure, once you get to that point, there's no turning back. I've already had 1 stroke as a result of my condition - it was a very minor stroke, though - my doctor called it a "migraineous stroke", but they are more commonly known as transient ischemic attacks, or TIA for short.)

Luckily, the doctor I had is one of the foremost authorities on migraines in the United States. His name is Jaren Blake and is currently working out of the Bingham Memorial Hospital in Blackfoot, Idaho. He also suffers from migraines and spent his entire medical career specializing in their diagnosis and treatment.

It's only been within the last 10-15 years that doctors finally started understanding what migraines were. It is now recognized as being a neurological disease.

They are NOT headaches and should not be treated like one. Headache medication will make a migraine worse as the cause of a migraine is a direct opposite from the cause of a headache. Those over-the-counter 'remedies' like Excedrin Migraine are the WORST possible thing to take for a migraine - those are purely a marketing ploy designed to feed off the ignorance of the general public as to what a migraine actually is.

Also, many people think a migraine is just a really bad headache - I myself thought that very same thing for most of my life and, as a result, I spent much of my existence in a state of "self-medication" in order to kill the pain. The problem with that was that the condition kept getting progressively worse as time went on. It got to the point where I thought that maybe the only way out was to simply die - except, I'm not a suicidal person so, I took a different route and learned what they were and how to manage them.

In a nutshell - headaches are a constriction of the blood vessels in the brain while migraines are dilation of those blood vessels - it gets a bit more technical than that, but it gives you a basic idea of what I mean when I say headaches and migraines are opposites.

Here's how you can tell if what you're feeling is either a headache or a migraine - they both come in multiple varieties, but here's a quick reference:
Headaches are an "all over" pain - meaning they can make your entire head hurt - as if someone was tightening a band around your head - sinus problems can cause headaches - they are relatively easy to manage.
Migraines are NOT an "all over" pain. Imagine dividing your head up into quadrants. A migraine will usually always occur in one of those 4 quadrants - I've had them "move around" from quadrant to quadrant. The most common type I get are called cluster migraines - those feel like someone is shoving an icepick through your temple with the tip being just right behind your eyeball - those always show up in the 2 frontal quadrants (left or right) - in my case, they switch sides periodically.

There are also migraine types that, strangely enough, have no pain associated with them - instead, they manifest themselves in your vision by either causing what are known as "color auras" or a "tearing" in your vision. My mother gets the aura with no pain type and my best friend gets the tearing type (I'm not sure how to describe the "tearing" - my friends description was like taking 2 blocks of wood and envision them to be a whole, then slide one of those blocks one way or the other, causing the vision to tear or rip.)

By the way - migraines are most commonly experienced by females. Males can get them, but the percentage of women who get migraines is much higher than men. It is also genetic, which means it can be passed down through the family - my grandfather on my mothers side had them; my mother gets them; I get them. Check to see if there is a family history of this condition.

I've been on various meds, including Topiramate (Topamax), Imitrex, and Treximet. However, since I started logging my migraine triggers, I've been able to manage them better and I can now keep them in control using Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) - yep, Aleve is useless for body aches, but it does wonders for migraines - just take 2 of them at once and wait... (prescription strength is 500mg, but 2 "over the counter" tabs is around 440mg, which works well enough.)

With a migraine condition, the most important thing is to recognize the triggers - each person has different triggers. Mine are mostly chemically-based such as cleaning products, and whatnot, but there are some other things such as scented candles that I have to stay away from otherwise, it will trigger a migraine (I always keep a bottle of naproxen sodium nearby.) When one happens, log it - write it down and keep records - when did it happen; what were you doing when it happened; and, what did you do to treat the symptoms. By keeping records, you can then start to see a pattern to what causes the migraines and what the triggers are - once you start to figure out what the triggers are, you can then start to either recognize them and prepare for them, or avoid the triggers altogether (which, while it is the better solution, it is not always possible to do so.)

You also have to be careful while treating the migraine. Over-medication can cause what Dr. Blake called "rebound headaches" - you definitely DON'T want one of those on top of your migraine...

Hope this helps...

 

My dad used to get those "cluster" headaches. They are in a league of their own.

 

My headache is always behind my right ear.
The pain radiates up, to the top of my head.

The ONLY medication that takes these headaches away, is Fiorinal without codeine.

Anacin will kinda 'dull' the headache, but, Fiorinal works.

Aleve (Naproxin Sodium) does NOTHING for me. Doctors prescribed it for my Arthritis. It takes about 48 hours for it to get into your system, but, even then, it does nothing for me.

 

I remember looking into it, and some found relief with pharmaceutical oxygen. Worth a try anyway.

 

How long have you been married, Keith?





Just sayin"

 

I have never had a headache in my life.(43)

My father either.

My mother and brother have severe headaches all the time.

I can not even sympathize with anyone with headaches because I have no clue what it is like. I understand that they are painful, but have never been much of a help around those with headaches.

 

On occasion...I would get a migraine...doctors tracked it to bananas...a food trigger. Since I gave up eating bananas...17 years ago...no more migraines. Unfortunately...it doesn't appear to be that easy for you Keith. Keep the faith!!!

 

I've been married for 99% of my adult life!!!

Wait a minute................ you might be onto something, Keith!!!!!




You're only the 2nd person I've ever heard of, that's not experienced a headache.
Unreal!!!!

There are times that my headaches are so bad, all I want to do, is lay down in a darkened room, and put cold, then warm compresses on my head, drink water and get rid of the pounding in my head!




There's no known 'trigger' for my headaches/migraines.
Wife.... maybe.
Kids..... maybe.
Stress... maybe.

Wife is out-of-town on business.
Kids..... only one left at home, and I was at work, when the headache 'hit'.
Stress..... nah. Yesterday was a 'light' day.

?????????????

Pounding is gone, but, there is a dull 'ache' still there, this morning.

Maybe I'll talk to my manager, and take a day of 'I don't want to be here' leave.

 

As I have gotten older (50), headaches were more common. I have come to find out that I do not drink enough water. For me, they feel like a hangover headache. Dehydration has been the cause for me. I make myself drink a lot more water, and my headaches are not very common.

 

Getting older is a headache....

 

If a woman holds an aspirin with her knees... her headache goes away.


Just sayin'

 

GREAT story! Hung on every word. Repped.

I got bad headaches once/week without fail from age 12 to about age 17......so it may have been a puberty thing. They'd come on in the morning.......and would be with me all day, and only going to sleep that night would end them.

Since then? Rarely. But I hate 'em.

 

When first I saw this topic I thought we'd be talking wimmen?!?!


Didn't know there were other kinds of headaches too.

 

Hi Keith,

Yeah my wife gets really bad ones!
She gets them behind the eyes too and they can knock her out for up to 5 or 6 days at a time ... so i know where you're coming from!

May i suggest working on blood circulation as often the cause of headaches is blood clogged or stuck in the head. Also look into your neck alignment and perhaps see a chiropracter.

Lastly i would recommend trying to chew on raw ginger and of course keep hydrated.

All the best with your journey, my wife is still trying to find the cure, but we already know that drugs/meds is definitely not the answer!

Cheers,
Frank