Brain waves

***If you're squeamish, skip this entry.***

Had an appointment with my neurologist this morning. Yes, I see a neurologist, Dr Zimmerman, and I LOVE him. I see him because I'm a migraine sufferer.  And when I say sufferer, I don't mean I take 2 Advil migraine and take it easy for the day.  When I get a migraine, it's full out, never ending pain, followed by explosive vomiting.

I remember my very first migraine.  I was working at Target, so I must have been about 17. The lights on the floor started looking funny, and I went to sit down for a minute. The overhead loudspeaker seemed like the volume had been turned way up, and I started getting pain in my head and feeling nauseous. I called my team leader and told them I was going home, and then called my mommy :) and she and my dad picked me up. My mom knew right away what the problem was, as my Grandma Marlis suffered from migraines.

It could definitely be worse. Back when Grandma suffered from migraines, there were no medications to take to alleviate the symptoms. Mom tells me Grandma would stay in a darkened room for days until she felt better. I can not imagine. I really can not imagine.

My treatment has differed over the years. When I was young, we would wait until the migraine got too intense (throwing up a LOT) and then headed to the ER. After I got married, I saw my general practice doctor about my symptoms. There began the long process of trying every migraine medication in the book, coupled with every anti nausea medication you can think of. I've also been prescribed some pretty heavy duty painkillers in an attempt to just knock me out until the migraine passes. They have worked once or twice, but never long term.

My next physician told me to come into the office when I got a headache for treatment. The problem was, every time I got one and called the office, they told me they couldn't get me in for hours. Yes, not effective.  I finally stood up for myself and asked for a referral to a neurologist. The neurologist hasn't been able to stop my migraines, but his advise has decreased their frequency.

Since I can not find an effect migraine treatment, 99% of the time I end up at the St Joseph ER. They are really amazing there, they get me in a room and administer medications, and then I wait for the doctor. This helps get me in and out more quickly too, as the migraine is controlled much better. Since there is no family close by, and we depend on friends to come over in a pinch and watch the children, getting in and out is of paramount importance.

The longest I've sat in an ER room without treatment was 5 hours. The whole time I sat rocking on the bed, keeling and vomiting while Mike sat in the dark room and tried to keep me sane. If you don't have intense migraines, I'll attempt to describe the pain. Imagine someone taking an icepick and inserting it behind one of your eyes. Then they pick, pick, pick, pick at the spot incessantly. I am not a wimp. I had two children at home with no pain medications. I would prefer to go through labor again then to have another migraine. At least with labor pains, the pains come and subside, get intense, and retreat. By the time they are on top of each other you're getting close to a birth, and you can push through until your baby is born. With migraine pain, there is no pay off, and no end without much suffering or heavy duty drugs.

No one is 100% sure of the cause of migraines. There are some ideas that hormones play a role, as well as stress, the foods you eat, dehydration, weather, etc. Each person is different, and each person's triggers are different as well. Some people respond well to OTC medications, others to prescription drugs, and still others like me have to be treated in the hospital. I am somewhat lucky, as I get 3-4 migraines per year. Some can get a migraine every day.

I get auras before my migraines. If I could describe it to you, I'd say it looks like the flash in your eyes after someone takes a picture of you. You know how you have those blinking flashers in the corner of your eyes for a while? My auras kind of look like that. Also, lines on the things I'm looking at get blurry, which starts the nausea problem.  When I get an aura, I'm supposed to take my medication right away. One of the keys to stopping a migraine is treating it as soon as possible. My brand new medication is Imitrex injections, which I get to administer into my thigh. My doctor described it as "Star Trek" medicine, since I don't have to stick and push the needle, instead the needle is automatic.

I have used Imitrex before, it was one of the first drugs I tried actually, but my doctor says new research shows your brain rewires after pregnancy, affected by the estrogen and progesterone, and medications that once didn't work can work after all. It's a stop gap measure, the medicine I really should be taking is not safe for nursing or pregnant women, and migraines won't make me stop nursing.

If you suffer from migraines, and you don't see a neurologist, please please call for an appointment today. You deserve to have a great quality of life, and effectively treating your migraines can make a huge difference. And if you don't suffer from migraines, I hope you understand a little more now what they entail, and the next time a friend needs help because they are in too much pain to even move, please help them in any way you can.