Repeaters

I am prone to Migraines. These days they are mostly hormonally driven, which is good because it means I can track them and prepare, and that they herald other, um, changes headed my way.

However, in the last two days I have had three really bad Migraines complete with visual disturbances. Yesterday afternoon was the first, and I felt I dodged a bullet by taking Advil Migraine as soon as the first little "squiggly line" appeared (I only take Immetrex when I'm in a place where I can lie down and sleep because it tends to knock me on my butt) and that seemed to keep the pain to a dull roar. This morning I woke up with only minor discomfort in my head.

However, this afternoon, at nearly the same time as yesterday, those horrid squiggly lines reappeared. They are awful because they obstruct my vision and make it impossible to read or write anything. They used to start on the outside of my vision and move inward and around, effectively giving me tunnel vision. These days they often start at the center of my field of vision, kind of like the annoying dots you see after a camera flash goes off in your face, and just keep building outward. I can see, but I can't really make out any details.

At any rate, when those buggers came back today at nearly the same time as yesterday, I started getting a little concerned. It is unusual for me to have two in a row. I took the Advil Migraine again, but the pain today has been much worse than yesterday. I canceled my strength training session, went home and crashed on the couch -- keeping it dark and quiet -- and the pain eased up.

However, just about an hour ago those blasted squiggly lines started up again. And now I'm in tremendous pain, even though Immetrex is now coursing through my system.

I don't get it. The last time this happened was four years ago, and it became quickly apparent that my daily dose of delicious Gouda cheese was the culprit. Within a day of cutting out the Gouda, the Migraines ceased. But I haven't had a daily dose of cheese in a long time, and I can find no similar pattern in my recent diet to cause Migraine-repeaters.

Anyone out there got any ideas what the heck is going on with me?

Comments

[Larry]

Yeow. Three migraines in two days is horrible. I've had "repeaters" but nothing like as bad as what you describe.

Trigger factors for me include chocolate (once I cut this out, migraine frequency went way down), stress, weather changes (from cool foggy spring to dry hot summer, usually), stress (usually on the "trailing edge:" I get wound up, and then release, and the migraine comes with the release). There are many known trigger factors, and the more of them you collect in a certain period the more likely you are to have a migraine.

Cheese is a well-known tigger factor. Not for me, though.

It could be you have a few low-level triggers going on right now that individually are are to see. Perhaps the frustration you've been feeling is one. The difference between what we think God expects and what God really expects can produce a great deal of tension... at least in me. The spirit is called toward home, the body is called toward bed and the mind is called toward lofty things that look good to everyone else. It's amazing we survive.

[CBS]

Check out the book "Heal Your Headache" by David Buchholz. As you age and your body changes all manner of things can create the pain you feel. This book is given as a reference by my migraine specializing physician Kurt Hagenau.

[KatRose]

Queen O' Migraines here. Remember the two month long one I had back in '95? ::shuddering::

My best guess would be stress. You are, after all, working a full time job, going to school and trying to have some kind of social life.

You might also want to look at environmental factors. If you're getting headaches at the same time in the same location (i.e. office), it might be some chemical that's being used to clean or disinfect. Or it could be that someone in the office is using a cologne or lotion that your body doesn't like. One of the ladies in a cubical near mine liked to use a very fruity and potent lotion. Every time she's open the bottle and spread it on, I'd get migraine hell. I told her what was happening to me and bought her a bottle of lotion that didn't make my allergies act up. She was grateful and I was pain-free.

[Lu]

Stress?? What stress?! I don't have no stinking stress!