M&M: Massage and Migraines

An article in the Sacramento Bee discusses the benefits massage can have on migraines. Click here to read the full article.

Since professional massage is expensive, the article lists three things you can do at home:

Hand reflexology: By pinching your fingers together, apply pressure to the web between your pointer finger and thumb and work the tenderness out for three to five minutes on each hand. This should take down the headache a few notches. Feel around this area for little curves under the skin, indicators of dehydration.

Foot reflexology: Sit down and put your bare foot on a tennis ball. Apply pressure while moving your foot around on the ball. Focus for 10 to 15 seconds on sore spots, then switch feet.

Light traction on the spine: Consult a professional to learn how to do this properly, then ask a family member or friend to try this method on you. Lying on your back, have them place a soft rolled terrycloth towel on the base of your skull before applying gentle traction from the C7 vertebra (the most protruding vertebra in the neck) up to the skull. Use 30-second traction intervals for five minutes total.

My comments:

Hand reflexology - lots of people, including my former chiropractor, shared this technique with me. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked for me, but maybe it works for some people.

Foot reflexology - can anyone say "Charlie horse?" That would most definitely give me a Charlie horse which would be worse than my headache.

Spine traction - my chiropractor tried this on me; didn't work.

Something that MIGHT work, though, is a head massage. I went to get my hair cut at a new place last weekend and the stylist massaged my entire scalp during and even a few minutes after washing my hair (and I was also in a massage chair). It felt so good and I think that would work on a tension headache. I'm either going to have to get frequent hair cuts or teach my hubby to do this.

On a different note, I went to my dentist yesterday and the girl who cleans my teeth (who is in her 20s like me) gets migraines so we always update each other on our progress (or lack thereof). She had been taking Topamax but it didn't work all the time and made her lose her appetite. Yesterday she told me a new side effect it had on her - kidney stones! She said they were more painful than the migraines, and her neurologist wanted to up her dose of the Topamax. Thank goodness she said no, and she stopped taking the Topamax. Now she is not taking anything, but she still had migraines with the Topamax so not much has changed. That's pretty scary; I think she was on the Topamax for only a few years.

Migraine & Headache News/Info

For your reading pleasure...

-Click here to read about compact fluorescent light bulbs and their effect on people who get migraines. I don't have light sensitivity with mine, but usually mine aren't full-blown migraines, just bad headaches (trust me, there's a difference). The mercury in CFLs scares me. I hope LEDs become popular (and cheaper) soon. Not sure how those would affect migraines though!

-CNN article on migraines - check out the comments too.

-Symptomatic relief medications (these should not be taken regularly as they can cause rebound headaches and have harmful effects on the body over time)

-Medications for headache and migraine prevention (From my memory - which sucks - I've tried Propranolol, aka Inderal;Verapamil, aka Calan, Verelan, Isoptin; Amitriptyline, aka Elavil (discontinued), Endep; Desipramine, aka Norpramin; Doxepin, aka Sinequan; Nortriptyline, aka Pamelor, Aventyl; Escitalopram oxalate, aka Lexapro; Duloxetine hydrochloride, aka Cymbalta; Divalproex, aka Depakote; Pregabalin, aka Lyrica; Topiramate, aka Topamax...obviously, none have worked for me, and many have unbearable side effects)

- Additional medications, again from WebMD here (I've tried every "abortive" medication except Naratriptan (Amerge, Naramig) - some worked for a few headaches but then they would make my headaches worse...I don't think they work unless you get "classic" migraines)

HEP update

First, an update on my HEP (see post below). I have "Lamictal" written down on my headache calendar, as well as "calcium channel blocker." My memory is so bad that I have no clue how I found out about those, but I googled Lamictal and I think it's a seizure medication. I've tried meds for seizures for my headaches, but I haven't tried Lamictal. I think I've been on a calcium channel blocker too, but I'm not positive. Those are two things I will ask my neurologist about.

My health insurance's Web site is undergoing maintenance, so I don't know if a nutritionist would be covered or not. I have an intolerance to monosodium glutamate (MSG) which makes me think that maybe food could be affecting my headaches too. If I eat MSG, I get awful flu symptoms but no headache (MSG gives many people headaches, but not me, go figure).

I have a tip that most people know, but I wanted to emphasize it on here. If you are taking a prescription (pill form), especially long term, and the instructions say to take it with a full glass of water, please do that. My mom is a nurse and she told me that if you don't drink a full glass of water, the medication can mess up your kidneys over time. In the past I'd drink as much as I could but if I was in a hurry I'd take a few gulps and that's it. Now, of course, I drink a full glass - I like my kidneys functioning. The bad thing is that I have to take my medicine at night (because it makes me drowsy) and that means I end up waking up once or twice in the middle of the night to pee. Oh well, my kidneys will thank me.

I've been running around all weekend and I'm starting to get a headache, so I'm going to relax. I hope everyone had a fun weekend. If you're struggling with headaches remember that you are not alone and I am praying for you.

My Headache Elimination Plan

Happy MLK Day everyone.

I've been thinking about my headaches and it seems like after keeping a headache diary for about 3 years, I'm not finding any patterns. I've tried tons of medications, have been to at least five neurologists, saw a chiropractor, and had a blood test.

Since my current neurologist seems pretty much stumped, I'm making a plan: my Headache Elimination Plan (HEP). I'm giving it a fancy name and am putting it on my blog in hopes that I'll actually carry out the plan. :)

HEP:
1. Research everything I haven't tried and take notes to share with my neurologist on my next visit, March 3. I'll share the notes on this blog too.
2. Research food triggers and see if I can get tested to find these. Possibly see a nutritionist (after all, that's how I found out my intolerance to MSG)
3. Be diligent in eating, sleeping and exercising on a regular schedule.

If you want to add to my HEP, please do so!

Hormones, birth control, headaches and doctors/specialists

I asked my new gyno about getting my hormones checked, and she said that would show nothing to help my headaches - it would only show when I'm ovulating. She did say that my spotting from the IUD would go away in a few months, and my neuro says if I can stop the spotting I'll have fewer headaches, so we'll see. I'll believe it when I see it (or DON'T see it...yuck...sorry)!

If you want to know a good birth control for headache-sufferers, my gyno recommended the Nuva Ring. My friend tried one and hated it, but I'm sure it depends on the person. I've tried various kinds of birth control pills, the patch (Ortho Evra) and the IUD that I have now. According to my gyno, the patch is about the worst thing you could try if you have headaches. She says if I really want to get rid of my headaches I should get pregnant - that worked for her. No thanks. :) I love kids, but I'd rather have control of my headaches first, then try to have kids (not sure if that would work though because I'd probably have to stop my medications before trying to have kids). I have LOTS to look forward to.

My gyno's husband works at a big neurology place in town, so she was asking if I tried that place. I said yes and left it at that (I don't think I had the best neuro there...he was more of a trial and error doctor - he tried medication after medication on me - and he didn't seem to care about ME and how I was handling everything like the neuro I have now does.) Anyway, our conversation went like this:

Gyno: Why aren't you on something to prevent headaches?
Me: I am - that's what the depression medicine is supposed to do.
Gyno: LEXAPRO??? Well have you tried Topamax?
Me: Yes, it didn't work and I lost too much weight.
Gyno: Any beta-blockers?
Me: Yes didn't work.
Gyno: Nor...
Me: ...triptyline...yes...and amitriptyline, too - it made me faint
Gyno: What about a calcium channel blocker?
(ME: I said I wasn't sure, but I just looked it up and I've tried Verapamil)
Gyno: Chiropractor or acupunture?
Me: Chiro, yes; acupuncture, not until insurance covers more of it!

I need to keep the same doctors so I don't have to go through that every time. :) I'm glad she cared though - maybe next year when I see her she'll know of something else I can try.

Thanks to all the doctors out there who take time to check out the physical and mental well-beings of their patients.

Neurologist visit

Yesterday I had a neurologist appointment. He apologized for not being able to help me yet. The last few visits he's seemed to be at a loss for what to recommend next; it's as though most of his patients try something and it works and they move on. With all the blogs out there similar to mine, I assumed that rarely happens. It's discouraging, but I guess it also means I still have hope.

His plan of action for this month is to lower the Lexapro (the expensive stuff) to 1 pill a day and increase the Desipramine from 30 mg/day to 100 mg/day. Since I've been having more headaches (tension) than migraines, he thinks that will help.

I asked him about having my gyno check my hormone levels and he didn't think it would show anything. I'll see what she says though on Thursday. My neuro told me to ask my gyno if I'm spotting from an irregular cycle or if it's from irritation from the Mirena IUD. He says I'll keep having headaches until I stop the spotting. I'd love to get rid of the IUD and get back on the Pill, because I'm having headaches either way, but I seemed to have more migraines on the Pill so I'm reluctant, and plus, as I've mentioned before, I had to pay $1000 for the IUD and it lasts five years. I'm only on year two.

More updates after my gyno appt. Thursday.

So many doctors!!!

Happy New Year!

Next week I see my neurologist and a new gynocologist. I hate to disappoint my neuro, but the Lexapro isn't working anymore. I'm very disappointed yet somewhat relieved because they cost $100 a month (60 pills total, 2/day); without insurance is about $180 for 60 pills, but I'm not going to get into my abscent-mindedness and why I know that.

I'm going to ask my new gyno if I can get my hormone levels checked. A friend from church keeps telling me I should do this because her sister-in-law has hormone-related headaches. I guess it couldn't hurt, but I don't know how my Mirena IUD will affect the results.

Speaking of the Mirena, I also have an upcoming appointment with a dermatologist (whom I've seen once before) for my breakouts...either caused by the Mirena or by the fact that I'm not on birth control pills anymore.

Last but not least, I have a dental appointment coming up as well. The girl who cleans my teeth has migraines, so we always compare medications we're on - last I checked she was on Topomax and it made her lose her appetite and didn't work too well (I had the same results when I tried Topomax).

Please comment if you're female and have had your hormone levels checked...I'm interested to see how that works and if it might help me figure out why I get headaches. Thanks!!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Be safe and have fun as you celebrate the new year. I hope 2008 is headache-free for me and everybody else out there suffering.

In January this year my neurologist told me he thought this would be a good year for me and I would find a way to fight my headaches. It's been a great year, but my headaches are as present as ever, and I have one right this second that I've been fighting all day. I hope 2008 will be better!

Fioricet = Butalbital

I was just doing some reading on migraines and my medications when I realized that Butalbital, my go-to drug when nothing else works for migraines or bad headaches, is also called Fioricet. I guess maybe Butalbital is a generic name. Click here if you want to read more about Fioricet.

Quick recap on my killer (aren't they all) migraine: Sunday I had a migraine and took Butalbital in time, and it worked. Then Monday I woke up with it again and it was much worse and I had to miss work. I took two Excedrin Migraines because I didn't want to overuse the Butalbital since it can cause rebound headaches (of course so can the Excedrin) and it worked pretty well. Unfortunately the migraine came back Tuesday while I was at work, so I took Butalbital again, and so far it hasn't come back.

One thing I didn't mention was that I stayed up late and slept in longer than usual over the weekend, which may have brought on the migraine. I still need to stay focused on keeping a regular eat/sleep schedule. Then maybe I can beat these things.

Migraine Times Two!!!

Yesterday morning I woke up with a migraine. I went mountain biking Saturday and fell trying to do the teeter/see-saw thing (which, for the record, I had done successfully before), and I heard my neck crack a little. Maybe that brought it on, or maybe it was because I hadn't had a headache since the Tuesday before so all those days of potential headaches added up. Anyway, yesterday I was able to catch it in time to take medicine (Butalbital - which my neuro prescribed - pretty much strong Tylenol and caffeine), and I went to church and was just fine. Too fine, in fact...I went to Costco and Wal-Mart and spent about $300 to stock up my kitchen, and since I live on the first (technically second) floor of a condo and took the stairs for about 10 trips to and from the car, I think I overdid myself.

Here's where the "migraine times two" comes in. I woke up with one today and had to miss work. It was so bad that I couldn't move to get out of the bed and take medicine and eat. Finally I had my husband come home on his lunch break and he helped me out of bed so I could get some food. He left, and once I started eating (Cream of Wheat and a Propel) and took two Excedrin Migraines, the nausea hit me in a big wave. I went to the bathroom and hunched over the toilet, but I never did throw up. Thank God I was able to go back to sleep. When I woke up around 4:00, the migraine was pretty much gone, and I finished eating.

After every migraine, it feels like I've been in a car crash. I am sore, can't stop shaking and feel like crap. I'd rather have my typical 15 headaches a month than migraines like that. I'm terrified I'll wake up with it tomorrow and have to miss work again, and I'll probably start getting rebound headaches if I have to take more medicine. Since I don't get migraines often and Aleve usually helps my headaches, I don't take the strong stuff like Imitrex - plus I've tried it and it doesn't work every time.

I need to get away from the computer.