Any Migraine Sufferers?

bump for later, thank you for sharing your stories.

I have been having migraines since my freshmen year of high school and once I had my son, they only got worse and more frequent. A few years ago I went in for a routine eye exam and found out that I had a Pseudotumor cerebri, which is just a build-up of of intracranial pressure for no explainable reason. I was told that with diet and exercise, that it would eventually go away on its own. They have not disappeared yet (I have one as I am typing this) but they have been so frequent (currently get them at least once a month and they last for 2-3 days to a week), that I have learned to deal with the pressure and pain and push through so that I can get what I need to done. Showers are the only thing that really help with my migraines besides sleep. Over the counter meds don't really work. Caffeine used to help, but I have cut it out of my diet except for occasionally when we go out for dinner.

I also get migraines, but mine are related to a bleeding disorder that I have. So when mine start I know that my platelet counts are out of whack. Just a word of caution, some of the recommendations on here would tank my blood counts and make mine worse (but then again I can't even take aspirin so I'm a weird exception to most rules). If you haven't had blood tests done, it's a good place to start. Vitamin deficiencies can also cause migraines, so a full blood work up would pick up anything going on there. I hope you get some relief... they are not fun to deal with.

i have had migraines since I was about 4. lasting 2 days to 2 weeks.
many things trigger mine.... stress, allergies, bright lights, weather changes, hormones, loud noisy places/people, this one guy with a high pitched laugh, rain.

sometimes they come out of nowhere , not sure the trigger.

I sometimes have symptoms 1-2 days before. vision problems, speech difficulty, irritability, "brain fuzz", dyslexia, extreme fatigue, "floaters" (little black specks floating in my vision), decreased blood pressure, and large pupils.

I tested chocolate, cheese, and wine- those don't seem to be trigger. BUT I am testing processed flour/rice/sugar. so far, I have had few headaches/migraines since eliminating those. but it's only been 3 weeks.

I have never had food cravings as an aura or prodrome. I have found that craving like that usually idicate the food is partial culprit. eliminate those foods totally for a month. see what happens.

I was diagnosed with Chronic Migraine Syndrome when I was 14, and a year later I was hospitalized for about a week because they get to the point where I lose my vision, can't walk, and am practically a vegetable lying in bed. For a few years after my hospitalization, I would go to the doctor twice a day to get shots that relieved the pain. This was mostly during my early high school years. I am 22 now, and I still have frequent migraines, but the severe ones are few and far between.

I'm still not sure what causes them, and I've been poked, prodded, and scanned by so many doctors that it's frustrating. My dentist believed it could have been TMJ related, so I went through weekly jaw therapy for two years. It helped a bit, but not much. I've tried every prescription under the sun, and my migraines don't want to respond to any of them. Medicine just doesn't seem to have an answer for me. When I started changing my diet, I instantly started seeing changes.

First I eliminated soda (nearly 3 years now, and I haven't had a single drop!), and that greatly improved how I felt. Then I eliminated any white/fake grains (bleached, enriched, etc) and went to whole grains and wheat. This also helped a lot, but I still didn't feel great (this included other stomach problems I've had). Then my doctor suggested we look at my diet and try eliminating things one by one, and we might find another food that bothered me. And by golly, we did. The culprit was orange juice. I used to drink a gallon of orange juice every three to four days. My mother could hardly keep it in the house, but I didn't and don't drink milk so it was my main source of calcium. Little did I know that the high acidic levels were tearing my body apart.

Obviously, orange juice wasn't the only thing causing my migraines since I still have them, but today they're mostly caused by stress and my sleep disorder. I've kind of given up on finding a real answer, and take an Excedrin when the pain is too much.

Im surprised by how many of us get that 'burning' smell!! I never even thought it was linked to my migraines until this thread. Im going to see when I get that smell in relation to the migraine now lol My kids thought i was going mad keep asking them 'whats burning' , 'can you smell burning' lol I used to hunt for it to start with then realised it was just me!! How weird eh!

I also had 2-3 a week in high school. The doctor started me on beta blockers and it seemed to help. But school ended for the summer right when I started taking the meds. As soon as school started, they started back up in full force.
I started going to the chiropractor and found out that the way I'd carry my books/backpack caused my neck to get all out of whack and caused my migraines. It never made any sense, but I used to have to leave school and go home and sit in the dark with an ice pack and zero noise. Then once I figured out what was happening, I would leave school and have a friend drive me down the road, get cracked and go back to school. I do find that tension headaches can very easily turn into migraines with auras and nausea, but usually the ones caused by allergies are much worse. Just someone coming into the office with the wrong perfume on can send me into a tailspin that lasts for days.

I have been getting migrains every since the birth of my children(25 yrs), I was getiing them 4-5 days a week with projectile vomiting. I was seeing the Dr. so much and went thru so many scripts that i finally ran into someone who told me to ask for Topomax and i did...works well for me!! I also carry with me Maxalt at all times just in case I feel one comming on. I have found that alot of food can trigger mine, so pretty much if it looks good and smells good I cant eat it. I also have the smokey smells and auras too.

Hi all. I am hoping maybe you all could answer a question for me. Many of you said you get naseau but is anyone in the same boat as me that they end up throwing up everything in the stomach, including bile? Once I have thrown and gone through the sweats and a least 1 shower I end up going to sleep in a dark quiet room for several hours before. Can try to function again.

This post is very informative. Thanks for whoever started it. Sondra

Hi all. I am hoping maybe you all could answer a question for me. Many of you said you get naseau but is anyone in the same boat as me that they end up throwing up everything in the stomach, including bile? Once I have thrown and gone through the sweats and a least 1 shower I end up going to sleep in a dark quiet room for several hours before. Can try to function again.

This post is very informative. Thanks for whoever started it. Sondra

Yes I get that too. That's exactly how every one of mine would go before I finally got some imitrex for them. Unfortunately they only give you 9 of those per month and I usually am out of them in a couple of weeks, but at least it's better than nothing.

I'm surprised by how many people are helped by over-the-counter meds. And a little jealous, I'll admit. None of those help me even a little.

Angel, I never got any relief from OTC meds, either.

I wish I had known to try Magnesium supplements or wheat abstinence. I tried everything else listed in this thread.

Mine responded only to Triptans - and the one that worked best for me, with the fewest side-effects. was Maxalt. I tried Immitrex pills and injections. The pills took too long, and the injections made me feel like I was going to die (heart palpitations).

Triggers were mostly (to my knowledge) weather and hormonal.

I wish I could use imatrex. Unfortunately I am allergic to something in it. I do find that I they seem to be better or not as many if I drink a lot more water. I try to drink 12+ glasses of water daily.

Wow, this reminds me of other symptoms I've had over the almost 30 years I've had migraines.
My first few migraines as a teen had the black floaters to the point where I couldn't see anything. Haven't had that in years!
No visual auras, but I'm usually very sensitive to high pitched sounds (could actually hear the refresh rate on TV and computer screens when I was younger), but when I have a migraine, sound doesn't bother me... I can sleep through things I can't normally. Sounds seem far away... like I'm hearing them through a tunnel.
Sensitivity to smells and desire for extreme temperatures (heat or cold and pressure on my head)... went outside to get some cold, fresh air once, when I was getting a migraine, but there were smokers at the no smoking building exit. Barely made it to the bathroom in time and had to get someone to drive me home that day.
My body temperature also drops. when I was a teen with my first migraines went to the clinic after losing my vision my temperature wouldn't even register on the thermometer. (It was years before I knew that pain was a migraine.)
Hot, steamy showers... sometimes I don't even get in... just steaming up the bathroom -- add citrus or mint scented products to the tub.
And oh yes, that post-stress and post-exam period with migraines, just as everyone else was enjoying the break.
I drink a lot more water now than I used to drink. I wonder if that along with the other things, like the supplement with B vitamins and magnesium is part of what's helping?
And luckily all the things I've learned have eased the symptoms so I rarely get to the point where I'm vomiting and shaking anymore.
Have any of you ever gotten a "painless" migraine? I got one, once. Weirdest thing... got the other effects, the weird audio, sensitivity to temperature and smell, and a sense of things being "off" or different that you all would probably recognize, but no actual pain.
Artificial sweeteners are a serious trigger for me. I can have MSG in small quantities, but try to avoid it because too much MSG especially in combination with salt, seems to be another trigger. Tunafish (not tuna, just the canned stuff) might be another trigger. I seem to be ok with the sulfites, but don't eat things with them much.
I don't have much caffeine anymore except to relieve a migraine. It's the one time caffeine won't keep me awake.
I'm lucky, I almost never have enough pain that it keeps me from sleeping, and depending on how early I catch it, anything from a 2 hour nap to a 20 hour sleep will get rid of it. I've only had a migraine last more than one day once or twice. But still when I think of the days of my life I've missed due to migraines... it's sad.
I can definitely understand the comment someone made about people gaining weight because they self-medicate with foods that help get rid of migraines. But between the nausea and sleeping through meals, even though it's almost the only time I still drink soda, on balance I usually lose some weight over the day I have a migraine, but part of it's just water loss/dehydration.
Also, I'm usually less hungry, but want those carbs the next day. How about you?

Being dehydrated and not getting enough salt; not getting enough sleep <--- my two big triggers.

Some meds have also triggered them in me... have you started any new meds? changed birth control?

Used to get migraines at least monthly, sometimes weekly.
I haven't had a single migraine since I began eating clean (knock on wood!)
I cut out junk, processed foods, and preservatives. I eat about 90% organic foods now. I don't know if it was the weight loss that helped me or the better food.