Headache Relief

[Snowman5933]

On June 8, 2006 at 5:00 a.m. I awoke with the worst headache I have ever experienced. My head was pounding (it felt like my heart was beating inside my head), I was sensitive to light and noise and began throwing up by 6:00 a.m. I went to my family doctor and he gave me Stadol and Phenegren. The medication gave me temporary relief, but the headache came back the next day.

Let's skip forward...I've had a headache for 30 straight days. Last Friday, June 30, 2006 I went to see a ears, nose, and throat doctor (I thought my headaches were sinus related). One exam and a cat scan later the doctor determined that my sinus were in excellent condition and could not possibly be causing my headaches. He gave me a 7 day supply of Imitrex (take 1, 100mg tab per day) and told me to come back in a week. It took 2 days to see a major improvement, but I got alot of relief. I took my last pill yesterday and went for my follow up appointment today. By the time I got there at 9:30 a.m. my headache was a 2-3 on my pain-o-meter. The doctor re-examined my sinus (everything looks great) and referred me to a Neurologist. In the mean time he wants me to take the Imitrex everyday (I can't see the Neuro doctor until late September). He wrote the script for 90 pills with 2 refills.

Some of my co-workers (1 being a RN, and 2 others being Neuro paitents) feel that Imitrex is a very dangerous medication and should never be taken daily for long term use. I asked the prescribing doctor if the medication was safe to take everyday and he stated if I had a headache everyday I didn't have much choice. I called my pharmacist and asked his opinion and he stated that Imitrex can elevate your blood pressure rapidly which can cause alot of problems if it goes unnoticed. Your probably getting the idea that I'm a little nervous about taking this med everyday for a long period of time. Does anyone have experience with this medication? Know of any OTC meds that work well with this type of headache? Anyone had a daily constant headache for an extended period of time? How did you cope with it? I've tried alcohol, but it seems to magnify the pain. My boss thinks it may be stress related (I only supervise 10 full time employees and 45 individuals that are mentally retarded and have behavior disorders...so I don't know what would give her that idea...LOL). Seriously, I cope with stress very well. I've been doing my job for 6 years and little has changed so I don't think I became unable to deal with stress in the last month. I can't think of anything that has changed about my home, routine or lifestyle. I would really like to find out the cause of all this pain.

Let me know what you think.

Snowman

 

[EJFan]

my mother has chronic migraines and hasn't really found a "works every time" fix for it yet.

an interesting thing a neighbor discovered (he was bed ridden w/the after effects of shingles, blind and in frequent pain)... his wife discovered a transdermal patch of lidocaine called "lidoderm" i believe. it worked wonders for him over the final couple of years of his life. they're about 8" square sheets that you cut to size/shape and slap on the affected area. i don't know how/where to get them but you might check the net or your doc.

i have a distant relative who also has chronic headaches and he got that implant thingy... nodes go on the brain and it's controlled similarly to a pacemaker.

 

[Exciteher]

Don't know about your specific med...

But I do know your body can suddenly decide it has had enough, quite independently of what you think you can handle...

I take stress well, but had a horrid period in my life where the stress got so bad, I was dizzy constantly, for weeks, could not even drive. But I did not know it was stress, I figured that all out only in retrospect.

MY GP sent me to an eye-ear- nose-throat-guy thinking it could be inner-ear related. The specialist did a workup, everything turned out fine, and told me it was possably brain related, and was about to order an MRI...then he told me it could possably be stress...he ordered some blood work. He said he was looking for an elevated salt-sodium level, which he said was a marker when your body starts to fail to handle stress. Blood work came back and it was as the doc suspected. He gave me a Vallum...told me that if that reduced the dizziness, it was proof it was stress causeing the trouble. Took the Vallum...and within 20min the dizzy feeling went away completely, it was like a miracle. The doctor ended up prescribing massage once a week, and refered me to councelor to identify and make a plan of action to deal with the cause of the stress. No drugs....worked great. Especially the massage!

Not saying that stress is your problem, but stress can do very pecular things. I hesitate to take any medications I do not absolutely have to... If I were you I would want to get a very heavy-weight second opinion since headache can be a sign of so many bad things. If I had a chronic blood pressure problem or a history of high cholersterol I think I would want an MRI and/or possably an MRA (Magnetic Resonant Angiogram). Have you seen a vascular surgon-cardiologist? Do you have a history of Migranes's? Have you had vision problems related to this? Don't want to second guess your doc's... but I have seen headache sort of blown off by doctors before, and I would want to rule out risk of stroke.

Also, if you work around heavy metals like lead, sanded and painted your old house lately or do stained glass work, do a lot of soldering etc... I would get a heavy metal screening. Heavy metals can cause these symptoms.

Did you get a real diagnosis or did the doc just shrug and say "Here take this."...????

 

[Bert Notorius]

Probably won't be much help, but I get the migrane symptoms- I call them the dancing sparkles- where there's an increasing shimmering ring of vision impairment. But I don't get the intense pain following. But when it begins, I grab something with alot of caffeine and eat something high in sugar and it seems to help.

You don't by chance have apnea? Or put on ~10 lbs lately?

 

[it's just me]

Probably won't be much help, but I get the migrane symptoms- I call them the dancing sparkles- where there's an increasing shimmering ring of vision impairment. But I don't get the intense pain following. But when it begins, I grab something with alot of caffeine and eat something high in sugar and it seems to help.

You don't by chance have apnea? Or put on ~10 lbs lately?

Painless migraines, but I can't remember the scientific name for them...

I have visual auras sometimes. The only positive to them is that they are simply beautiful fireworks that only I can see. Most often I get a black hole in my vision that can turn into loss of vision. Even knowing what it is, it is still freaky.

Caffiene helps by altering the size of the blood vessels back to normal. A migraine is a sudden change in the size of the vessels.

Low blood sugar can trigger a migraine. Sugar, starch, carbs can bring your blood sugar up and help alievate the pain.

 

[it's just me]

O

Some of my co-workers (1 being a RN, and 2 others being Neuro paitents) feel that Imitrex is a very dangerous medication and should never be taken daily for long term use. I asked the prescribing doctor if the medication was safe to take everyday and he stated if I had a headache everyday I didn't have much choice. I called my pharmacist and asked his opinion and he stated that Imitrex can elevate your blood pressure rapidly which can cause alot of problems if it goes unnoticed. Your probably getting the idea that I'm a little nervous about taking this med everyday for a long period of time. Does anyone have experience with this medication? Know of any OTC meds that work well with this type of headache? Anyone had a daily constant headache for an extended period of time? How did you cope with it? I've tried alcohol, but it seems to magnify the pain.

Imitrex is not designed to be taken daily! You can only take two does in 24 hours.

Do you remember when it first came on the market? I refused to take it for years because of the stigma attached to it. Lots of reports of deaths from heart problems related to it.

Imitrex, and the others such as Frova, Maxalt, Emerge (?), Relpax, and others, work by returning the size of your blood vessels to normal---a migraine is the result of a change in the size. Doing this can cause a spike in your blood pressure.

I have suffered from migraines since I was diagnosed at 8. Then I was given darvocet and told to sleep it off. Now I use Relpax, Phennagren and Vicodin. I only get relief when I get somewhere and get still and then that don't always help. The best thing for me to do is get my laptop in bed, read or watch a movie. Something that forces me to remain still. Luckily I am not bothered as much by sound or light as I am by movement. Bright light bothers me but I can usually watch a movie.

I dabbled in aromatherapy and herbs. I tried chammomile tea but being allergic to ragweed that didn't help. Peppermint tea didn't make it worse. Tension Tamer by Celestial Seasons helps a little but I think it is just the calming effect overall.

I burn peppermint candles, dab peppermint oil on my temples, use peppermint lotion, anything to surround myself in peppermint as it is supposed to help. Lavendar is benefical too so I will take a bath in lavendar baby bath followed by using the lavendar lotions then going to bed where I spray my sheets with lavendar spray. I am not sure that either of these help me but I figure I have nothing to loose and it won't harm me like medications will.

For OTC relief I take BC or Goody powders. They contain caffiene and asprin. They don't provide relief but they can make the pain tolerable until I can seek relief.

The pain has never bothered me as much as the nausea. I have been to the doctor before with pain I rated as a 13 on a scale of 1 to 10 but was begging for a Phennagren shot instead of something for pain.

Something you might want to look into is Botox. Women who suffered from migraines reported less attacks and/or less severe attacks after recieving Botox injections. A couple of years ago a study was began to see if there was indeed a link. I tried to get in but was disqualified for having too many attacks--18 in 30 days, many lasted multiple days. They told me that it would not help me due to the severity but I was willing to try anyway even for a little relief. If your insurance covers it, you might want to investigate anyway.

Topomax, blood pressure meds, birth control pills, antidepressants and other things can be taken daily in an effort to reduce the attacks. Be careful with the BCP route as it can trigger attacks too. Have you switched BCP, if you are a female? Or worse, had a Depo injection? Those can be hell with migraines and the only cure is time.

I suffer from chronic kidney infections. I can always tell when I am getting one because I get relentless migraines a few days/weeks before any traces of blood or infection is present in my urine. Your problem could be your body's way of warning you of something going on too...

My heart goes out to you...

 

[Snowman5933]

Have you seen a vascular surgon-cardiologist? Do you have a history of Migranes's? Have you had vision problems related to this? Don't want to second guess your doc's... but I have seen headache sort of blown off by doctors before, and I would want to rule out risk of stroke.

Also, if you work around heavy metals like lead, sanded and painted your old house lately or do stained glass work, do a lot of soldering etc... I would get a heavy metal screening. Heavy metals can cause these symptoms.

Did you get a real diagnosis or did the doc just shrug and say "Here take this."...????

I started seeing my GP, who then reffered me to a Neurologist (couldn't get an appointment until late September), I approached the Ears/Nose/Throat doctor on my own (Sinus checked out great). I don't have a history of migranes, but my mother does. I haven't had vision problems yet, but my eyes do begin to hurt.

No, I haven't worked with any heavy metals, paint removal...etc. I stick to mowing the grass.

The Ears/Nose/Throat doctor was great, but no he did not make a diagnosis. He said he was just trying to help me until I could get in with the Neuro. He said taking the medication (Imitrex) daily was better than suffering from a moderate to severe headache everyday. That's about all he said. Wished me good luck! I hope that works.

 

[Snowman5933]

You don't by chance have apnea? Or put on ~10 lbs lately?

I don't have apnea and I haven't experienced any recent weight loss/gain. Thanks for taking time to read and reply to my post.

Snowman

 

[Snowman5933]

Imitrex is not designed to be taken daily! You can only take two does in 24 hours.

Do you remember when it first came on the market? I refused to take it for years because of the stigma attached to it. Lots of reports of deaths from heart problems related to it.

Imitrex, and the others such as Frova, Maxalt, Emerge (?), Relpax, and others, work by returning the size of your blood vessels to normal---a migraine is the result of a change in the size. Doing this can cause a spike in your blood pressure.

My pharmacist warned me about the possibility of elevated blood pressure and told me I should monitor it daily to be safe. My GP prescribed Maxalt a few weeks ago (I took 2 doses which had no effect). That's when I decided to find another doctor and see if I could get some help.

I burn peppermint candles, dab peppermint oil on my temples, use peppermint lotion, anything to surround myself in peppermint as it is supposed to help. Lavendar is benefical too so I will take a bath in lavendar baby bath followed by using the lavendar lotions then going to bed where I spray my sheets with lavendar spray. I am not sure that either of these help me but I figure I have nothing to loose and it won't harm me like medications will.

For OTC relief I take BC or Goody powders. They contain caffiene and asprin. They don't provide relief but they can make the pain tolerable until I can seek relief.

My SO tried rubbing my neck back and shoulders with some peppermint lotion last night. It felt great, but the constant pounding in my head kept me from relaxing. I finally had to take a sleeping pill to get some rest.

I've got Excedrin Migraine OTC and I think it contains caffiene and asprin, but it says not to take more than two tablets in 24 hours.

As soon as I can get in to see the Neurologist I hope to gain alot of useful information (probably hoping for too much). I really don't want to have to take a daily medication, but considering the options I guess I don't have much of a choice.

Thanks to everyone for all of the information. I'm feeling alot better this morning, but I can tell the medication is just keeping the pain at bay.

Snowman

 

[SweetErika]

I'd be very concerned about a migraine daily, and taking Imitrex at that rate. There are prophylactic medications for frequent migraines, and some of the other rescue drugs like Zomig work better than Imitrex, in my experience.

At any rate, I'd strongly suggest going back to your GP with a request to try and manage your pain and find a more effective remedy until you can see the Neuro. Docs usually have samples of migraine drugs, so see if the doc will let you try some different ones in hopes of better/longer-term relief. You also probably want to investigate prophylactic meds, see if painkillers alone help, and the possibility that your headaches are being triggered by tension/are tension headaches in disguise.

You've got the Imitrex, and nothing to lose by investigating and trying to find the cause and/or a better solution for these. Plus, you really need to be monitored if you're taking a lot of Imitrex.

I'm not sure what your insurance situation is, but if necessary, get a referral for alternative therapies like acupuncture and massage, which could help you a ton. At least they might reduce your pain enough so you don't have to take so much Imitrex.

Finally, start keeping a food, activity and headache journal if you haven't done so already. There are forms for these online, and the diary could help you and your docs figure out why you're getting the headaches.

I'm sorry you have to deal with this kind of pain, Snowman, and hope you find relief and the cause quickly.

 

[Snowman5933]

SweetErika,

Thanks for all the information. I haven't exactly been keeping a journal, but I have been writing down all my doctor appointments and what medications I am taking/changing as a result of each appointment. I took my bp earlier today, it was 126/77, so far so good. The only alternative therapy that my insurance will cover is Chiropractic. I have thought about giving it a try, maybe I wil.

One problem with trying to find the cause of these headaches is I'm such a creature of habit. Nothing ever changes. I don't try new foods...been eating the same stuff for years. I haven't been anywhere to be exposed to any rare compounds....sorry guys no kryptonite. I haven't changed laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, deodorant...etc. Literally nothing has changed.

I will keep everyone posted. Hope your all having a good weekend. I want to go and see Pirates of the Carribean 2 tomorrow and grill some steaks. I'm trying not to let the headache slow me down.

Snowman

 

[lycanthropedude]

no real advice, but I sympathize and wish you much luck in a quick fix.

 

[velcroktty]

S

...... I'm such a creature of habit. Nothing ever changes. I don't try new foods...been eating the same stuff for years. ...... I haven't changed laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, deodorant...etc. Literally nothing has changed.......

Snowman

Nothing except your body and its chemestry and overall general state of bodily affairs that is. The things you use and eat and do may remain the same -- how your body reacts to those factors is another matter in itself.
Lots of people are known to develop allergies to things never bothered them up until the first time it presents itself to them.
Sometimes you find out a lot of info by talking to your family members about their experiences with these types of things too.

 

[SweetErika]

Nothing except your body and its chemestry and overall general state of bodily affairs that is. The things you use and eat and do may remain the same -- how your body reacts to those factors is another matter in itself.
Lots of people are known to develop allergies to things never bothered them up until the first time it presents itself to them.
Sometimes you find out a lot of info by talking to your family members about their experiences with these types of things too.

Very true.

Give food, activity and pain (when it starts, what you're doing then, severity, meds and relief from them, what helps/worsens it) journaling a shot, Snowman. Chances are doctors will have you do so anyway, and it will help them eliminate and zero in on certain things. It doesn't have to be a big, elaborate deal, and you can even do it online. Here are a couple I pulled off of google:
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/diary.pdf This looks the best to me personally
http://www.migrainehelp.com/pdf/MigraineDiary.pdf Kinda elaborate, but a good example
http://www.eheadachejournal.com/ or https://www.paincare.net/html/headache_diary.asp Online

Could it be Temporal Arteritis, Snowman? One of the trademarks is persistent pain.

 

[VelvetDarkness]

I haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if I repeat others.

If you are in constant pain and a doctor has even considered giving you imitrex longterm I would say September is too long to wait for a neuro appointment. Although you had a cat scan, it was seen by an ENT doctor. Go back and ask if that scan can be reviewed by a neurologist. Keep badgering your doctor until you are made a priority case. Call the neuroligist's secretary and ask to be informed of any cancellations. Sadly, in healthcare as I'm sure you know, it's not the most deserving who move up the ladder, it's the ones who make a fuss.

Personally I have temporal lobe epilepsy and take imitrex occasionally for migraines I get as a secondary symptom. I get the mother of migraines and am knocked out for days at a time. Light hurts, every tiny noise hurts, breathing is excruciatingly loud - these are serious, debilitating migraines which could themselves bring on a seizure if untreated.

Imitrex is a heavy drug and I'm assuming from this that you are in considerable discomfort. Are you still working after 30 days of this? Don't. If there is a neuro problem you won't help it by continuing to push yourself and as an RN you should know this. Take care of yourself for a change, wherever it is you work they'll manage without you.

I'm being more than a little bossy, I know, but these things are too important to push to one side - especially when you've had no improvement after a month.

All the best

Velvet

 

[TheSnowCrystal]

I HATE Imitrex!

I've suffered from migraines most of my life. In my teen years, I rode a migraine rollercoaster. I was loaded up with 2 daily preventative medications and 1 abortive. This ended up having negative effects on my body and I had to get off them, much like a drug addict. Since then, I've only taken a couple of migraine medications.

I tried Imitrex about 4 years ago. Once. That was all I needed to make my decision about it. Know that awful feeling you get when you hit your "funny bone" on something? Well, imagine that feeling intensified about 3 times, in your head and shoulders. It completely freaked me out. A co-worker also had the same experience with it. Imitrex claims to be a medication that lets you continue functioning during your migraine, but I think it's evil.

Snowman, be extremely cautious about taking this medication, as well as other abortive migraine medications, for extended periods of time! They are not meant to be taken that way, and could have serious effects. What you're experiencing does sound like migraine. If anything, you should be trying a daily preventative medication. Your doctor was very irresponsible in telling you to take an abortive daily.

It's very important to understand that migraine is not a headache -- the head pain is just a symptom of it. With a headache, the blood vessels in your head are contracting. With migraine, it's the opposite. And, migraine is a neurological disease. It's also highly hereditary.

One good suggestion for helping to ease the attack is to place something cold on the back of your neck or anywhere on your head. This helps to shrink the vessels back down.

Otherwise, I'd have to say that this situation sounds suspicious. You said that you had a CT scan done to rule out your sinus, but I'd strongly recommend having an MRI done on your head. With this intense of a situation, you need to rule out a possible tumor as soon as possible. I don't mean to scare you, but such sudden, consistent, and strong head pain is not to be taken lightly. Please make sure there's not something much more serious going on.

Take care of yourself - I wish you all the best.

 

[Snowman5933]

https://www.paincare.net/html/headache_diary.asp

I signed up for this one.

Could it be Temporal Arteritis, Snowman? One of the trademarks is persistent pain.

I sure hope I don't have this. I'm 34 and male...it's most common in people 60+ and women have a 4 times greater chance of getting this disease than men. I also don't have any of the other symptoms. Thanks for the info.

 

[it's just me]

Keep a food diary and pay close attention to any patterns that emerge.

For example, hot dogs are a common trigger. I eat one rarely. I love the ones at Sam's but I cannot eat a whole one before a migraine hits. Also bananas are a common trigger for people but you probably won't find it listed in any food tirggers lists. I can eat one banana with no problems but to eat another within so long and it will trigger me. Spinach is another trigger. Tomatoes are for some people.

Just because something is not processed doesn't mean that it won't act as your trigger. Likewise, just because something is processed doesn't mean that it will trigger.

You mentioned alcohol earlier. Red wine (and grapes) kill me but white wine (and grapes) are ok. Alcohol itself can be a trigger so be very careful there. I had half a Young's Double Chocolate Stout the other day before an attack hit. Sometimes it will hit you fast and other times there may be a 24-48 hour delay. In time you will start to notice trends but it may take a while.

 

[Bert Notorius]

From ??? to June 7, 2006, no headaches. Then June 8, headache. Some event must have occured during your sleep to trigger this particular headache.

 

[Snowman5933]

From ??? to June 7, 2006, no headaches. Then June 8, headache. Some event must have occured during your sleep to trigger this particular headache.

The only time I have ever experienced headaches is time to time when I don't wear hearing protection while mowing the yard. Usually I take a couple tylenol and 30 minutes later I feel fine.

I have been exploring the diet issue, but I must say I am coming up short. I have a very strange (to some people) eating habbit. I don't eat any fruit, but I will drink OJ. I don't eat any vegetable, except a potato. I don't eat pork and I've been caffiene free for more than 3 years. I drink rarely, less than once a month (peppermint schnapps is my drink of choice). My favorite drinks are sugar-free cool-aid, water, sprite, and orange powerade. I don't add extra salt to my food, but I really like Tiger Seasoning (I'll have to check and see if it contains MSG) and Cajun Seasoning. I grill most everything I eat in the summer (too hot to cook inside).

My headache was terrible last night. I ended up having to take a second Imitrex and a second round of Excedrin Migraine (kept me up till 4 a.m.). I've been trying to hold off on taking any more meds as long as possible, but I'm getting close to my limit. I got dizzy earlier, which has never happened and I'm starting to think this is more than just a migraine.

On a positive note, me and the SO had a wonderful night together. Making love seems to be a very good therapy for the headache. At least it draws my attention away from it for a while.

Have a great day!

Snowman

 

[it's just me]

Dizzyness is possible with a migraine. Also it can be a side effect of the Imitrex.

Careful with the lovemaking. Orgasm can trigger a migraine too.

What flavor koolaid? Any of the reds? Red food coloring could be a culprit. It is present in orange poweraid too. Also, citric acid is in a lot of things you mention and it is a common trigger. Beef and seafood/shellfish can trigger. You drink sugar free things: aspartame is a major trigger!

Lots of times during a cycle, which you seemed to be locked in, things that normally wouldn't bother you can trigger.

Other things in the environment that you have no control of can trigger too: air pressure, warm/cold fronts, going from the a/c to the heat back into a/c quickly. Also, perfurmes and dyes such as detergents, carpets, paint, anything in your surrounds can trigger. The list is endless and sometimes you will wonder what *won't* trigger.

 

[Exciteher]

The only time I have ever experienced headaches is time to time when I don't wear hearing protection while mowing the yard.....

My headache was terrible last night. I ended up having to take a second Imitrex and a second round of Excedrin Migraine (kept me up till 4 a.m.). I've been trying to hold off on taking any more meds as long as possible, but I'm getting close to my limit. I got dizzy earlier, which has never happened and I'm starting to think this is more than just a migraine.

On a positive note, me and the SO had a wonderful night together. Making love seems to be a very good therapy for the headache....
Have a great day!

Snowman

Ok, the facts I have gleaned here so far:

1) Onset was relatively sudden and defined...started June 8 in the morning...woke you up.
2) You do not have a previous history of whatever you are having now.
3) Since onset, the condition has been acute and chronic... about 30 days
4) There has been no formal diagnosis of the underlying problem
5) Palliative treatment with strong medications seem like they are only marginally managing the pain, and except for some symptom control, your condition is in fact unchanged or actually degrading (...now add the symptom of dizzy)

A new sensitivity to some environmental variable is possable, some new allergy or food allergy that would cause some type of inflammitory response... yet you seem to be having less than encouraging results with anti-inflamitory drugs (Excedrine) or vasoconstrictors (Imitrex).

Do you have a systemic "posioned" feeling subtily riding underneath your acute symptoms? I know this may be difficult to pick up in the face of the pain of your other strong symptoms...

I would get back to my doc and raise a fuss and demand a full differential diagnosis ASAP. Promptly. Waiting months to see a neurologist..or any other other specialist .. is not an option in your case IMHO.

The vectors of investigation are:
1) baseline stuff, BP. HR. blood work, electrolytes, kidney function, liver function..etc.
1) inflammation..allergy, poisoning etc..
2) pathology... infection or tumor
3) vascular events... check basic circulation and looking for evidence of ischemia or aneurysm. Check for evidence of a TIA (that happened while you were sleeping?)
4) Neurological... refered pain, neural pathology, mechanical neurological conditions...etc
5) Somatic reaction to stressors... your bodies way of unconciously coniving a way to stop you from doing something you are doing it does not like, and that you can "will" your way through.

This last one is easy to check for... take a short course of a benzodiazapine...like Vallium or Klonopin. Your comment on lovemaking makes me think this needs to be tried at least... sex releases all sorts of endorphins, and temporairly short circuits your stress response. As will Vallum...but less temporarily. Benzodiazapines are not the cure and are addictive long term... but they can be diagnostic.

This does not seem like it is a classic migraine, think that there is a good chance it is more than that... I think you need a prompt, very aggressive and complete workup for your condition. Seems to me the time for waiting for this to go away and/or mere symptom control is past over... it's time to test, not guess.

 

[Exciteher]

.... I have a very strange (to some people) eating habbit. I don't eat any fruit, but I will drink OJ. I don't eat any vegetable, except a potato. I don't eat pork and I've been caffiene free for more than 3 years. I drink rarely, less than once a month (peppermint schnapps is my drink of choice). My favorite drinks are sugar-free cool-aid, water, sprite, and orange powerade. I don't add extra salt to my food, but I really like Tiger Seasoning (I'll have to check and see if it contains MSG) and Cajun Seasoning. I grill most everything I eat in the summer (too hot to cook inside).....

Is this a life long eating pattern?
You say you do not eat pork, but fail to mention what other meats you may eat?
You grill a lot... no vegatables... a potato...

Do you have a medium to high cholersterol level, have a high percentage of saturated fat in your diet, or have a bad ldl/hdl ratio (even if cholersterol level is in limits)?

Do you have any history of heart disease, heart attack, stroke or PAD in your family history?

Since you are an RN, I imagine you can see where I am going with this. Not judging you, just trying to get a clear picture.

You may eat nothing but fish for all I know... which BTW is another heavy metal risk if you eat a lot of seafood, especially shellfish and bottom feeding fish.. but now (because of pollution) even tuna is problematic.

Does seem like your diet should be low in common food allergy culprits...except for what its just me accurately mentioned. The seasonings may be problematic from the food alergy standpoint. Easy to temporairly avoid them. Also avoid anything that may screw with your electrolyte balance (orange powerade). Also, check for sulfites in your diet...

The whole diet thing can be a can of worms.

One thing people do not realize: That even with organic produce etc, vital trace minerals can be low to non-existant because they have been stripped from the soil by 200yrs of farming. Once they (lets say zink) have been absorbed out of the soil... they are never replaced. So far anyway. Making sure you have an RDA of vitamins AND minerals may be a good thing to do...

 

[TheSnowCrystal]

My headache was terrible last night. I ended up having to take a second Imitrex and a second round of Excedrin Migraine (kept me up till 4 a.m.). I've been trying to hold off on taking any more meds as long as possible, but I'm getting close to my limit. I got dizzy earlier, which has never happened and I'm starting to think this is more than just a migraine.

I notice that you skipped over my post. You're perrogative, but I'm telling you, you're playing with fire. Keep popping those hard-core meds like this and you're going to end up with a whole new set of problems.

By the way, these meds can also produce a rebound when you take them this way.

I speak to you with years of experience and research.



_

 

[Weird Harold]

You drink sugar free things: aspartame is a major trigger!

Aspertame (Nutrisweet) reaction is the first thing I thought of when he mentioned sugar free Kool-aid.

As I read the thread, I also wondered if "eye-strain" might be involved -- how long has it been since the last eye-exam.

Asperatame wasn't around when I hit "middle age" -- AKA 35 -- but along with various other changes to my metabolism that occurred around that age, I became increasingly susceptible to eye-strain headaches. When Aspertame did become available, it took almost a year for it to begin triggering migraines and another year to figure out I should avoid it completely -- it isn't something that triggers migraines immediately.

I'd definitely avoid aspertame until the problem is resolved and go for a complete eye exam to eliminate those possibilities.