Migraines

DimenaZhena
DimenaZhena Posts: 102
edited September 29 in Chit-Chat
My husband has experienced migraines since he was a teenager. He's been to the doctor and neurologist many times for it. I just want to know if any of you out there suffer from migraines and if you have any personal experiences/advice that my husband may benefit from. He's a police officer and his schedules are nights to days every 6 weeks with 12-hour shifts. He tries to sleep as much as he can, but he isn't always lucky. Plus, his stress levels can be off the charts at times with work and home situations. If anyone has any input at all, it would be appreciated. Thank you guys. :)

Replies

  • sweetbri07
    sweetbri07 Posts: 150 Member
    Massage therapy can help. But I always tell my clients to put ice on their head and heat on their feet or belly during a migraine.
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
    I've been getting migraines since I was a kid. The only thing I can say is to try and head it off and take either a prescription or I like excedrin as soon as he feels the symptoms start. Pain killers only dull the pain for me though, I still have all the other symptoms, but without the pain my day is at least tolerable. Then I just have to wait them out. I do also get them from stress, and with a job like his I can only imagine. He's got to find a "happy place".
  • igora_soma
    igora_soma Posts: 486
    First of all, poor guy! That sounds terrible :( I used to suffer from migraines on a regular basis. My "cure" is to take 2-3 aleve, heat up a flax seed bag (fabric bag filled with flax seeds) in the microwave and lie in a dark room. I also have a small silk bag filled with flax seeds that I will put over my eyes, it helps the muscles in your head relax.

    It's definitely different for everyone, but those things might help as it sounds like his migraines are stress induced.

    Hope this helps!
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
    Oh and I also have done acupuncture and that worked wonders! Highly reccommended. I had to stop though because I lost my insurance.
  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
    A diet of 90% fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, small amounts of grains, and 10% (or less, even zero) of everything else, tends to kick the migraines bye-bye. The best part? He could try this with nothing to lose.
  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
    <----former weekly-migraine-sufferer.
  • cillytilly
    cillytilly Posts: 243
    I am a migraine sufferer due to hormones plus other things. One of the things I have done that helped me be migraine free for over 2 years was acupuncture. It is a forced hour of relaxation that is very much needed when you have them. Also a good thing is to keep a food journal. I can trigger a migraine with dairy so sometimes food allergies can play a part in it too. Something else that might be helpful is to keep a journal of migraines. That way you might be able to decifer what could be triggering them.
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
    I have had many Migraines and have known many people. For me and others it turned out to be due to a food allergy. Has this ever been checked on him. Keeping a food journal helped narrow down "trigger" foods and now I can avoid them.

    I wish him the best. That's aweful.
  • jamie78
    jamie78 Posts: 514 Member
    I suffer from them too.. My doctor put me on Prodrin and it has worked wonders for me!
  • keb80
    keb80 Posts: 394
    I suffer from Migraines and they are AWFUL!!! Mine start with dizziness/vision disturbances following by a sudden/severe headache. usually I try to lay down as soon as one starts. But, I have 3 young kids so I usually call in reinforcments (my mom or husband to come over ) so I can lay down in dark room. I've had people tell me that Excedrin Migraine helps or he could get an Rx from the doctor. Also, he may wanna keep a journal of foods b/c often certain things can trigger a migraine. For me, its not always food but sometimes environmental things can trigger it.... I feel for your husband, Migraines are awful and I usually end up really sick (throwing up) from them. And for me, it usually last at least 6 hours and I don't feel quite right for about 2 days (weak/shakey)....
  • misscfe
    misscfe Posts: 295 Member
    I have suffered from migraines for over 14 years. Unfortunately if the Drs have not been able to find what causes them it makes it really hard to figure out what to do. One of the best meds I have taken when I get one is the Imitrex shot. It helped instantly. The pill and the nasal form didn't work at all. If he hasn't already I would make sure they are not food/drink related. Try eliminating foods that cause them just in case it is something he might be able to prevent. I know what your husband is going through since I have suffered many years from it. There are many different preventative meds that he can try but again if you don't know what causes them you can just try one after another until he finds something.
  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
    I really feel (and this is my opinion only) that one should consider changes in diet before resorting to medicine. Some things can be resolved with the food being changed, as described in my earlier comment.

    If that didn't work, then medicine would be Plan B.


    Just my 2 cents.
  • DimenaZhena
    DimenaZhena Posts: 102
    Thank you everyone. This is a huge help for me. I've noticed if he has an excessive amount of dairy, he will end up with a migraine. I have noticed that he is more likely to get a migraine on night shift rather than day shift. His body just doesn't have time to adjust to his sleep patterns and therefore, his eating habits become unhealthy. I'm just trying to balance a happy medium for him, but the only way results can evolve is if my husband makes a few changes. I will definitelty tell him about food triggers. He keeps a migraine log of when he gets one, but I think it would be more beneficial if he actually wrote down things he ate along with his sleep and activity around the time of his migraine. Again, thank you for all of your advice! I will have my husband look at all of your comments and maybe we can try some new ways to help him become migraine-free.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    My husband has experienced migraines since he was a teenager. He's been to the doctor and neurologist many times for it. I just want to know if any of you out there suffer from migraines and if you have any personal experiences/advice that my husband may benefit from. He's a police officer and his schedules are nights to days every 6 weeks with 12-hour shifts. He tries to sleep as much as he can, but he isn't always lucky. Plus, his stress levels can be off the charts at times with work and home situations. If anyone has any input at all, it would be appreciated. Thank you guys. :)

    I was having bad issues with migraines last year, and my doctor told me 2 things that were contributing to mine...one won't help your husband, but the other may.

    I am also a police officer and I work 3rd shift. My doctor told me that working at night causes deficiencies in iron and vitamin D which can cause issues and he told me to supplement those. I still get "headaches" but not horrible "migraines" any more...

    The other had to do with taking my birth control pills when I wake up versus when I go to bed, lol. I hope he isn't taking them, though. :laugh:
  • workhardplayhard
    workhardplayhard Posts: 41 Member
    My wife had migraines that would literally put her in bed for 3 days before we found out that she had a wheat allergy. It would be worth trying to become gluten free, it is really healthy (although annoying) and it really worked for her. One time she had soy sauce with the most tiny amount of wheat and it gave her a headache within 20min. It is a real allergy and it causes migraines....which are hard on the whole family.
  • workhardplayhard
    workhardplayhard Posts: 41 Member
    My wife had migraines that would literally put her in bed for 3 days before we found out that she had a wheat allergy. It would be worth trying to become gluten free, it is really healthy (although annoying) and it really worked for her. One time she had soy sauce with the most tiny amount of wheat and it gave her a headache within 20min. It is a real allergy and it causes migraines....which are hard on the whole family.
  • DimenaZhena
    DimenaZhena Posts: 102
    LOL!!
    The other had to do with taking my birth control pills when I wake up versus when I go to bed, lol. I hope he isn't taking them, though. :laugh:
  • rs2361
    rs2361 Posts: 40 Member
    My neurologist advised me to regulate my sleep and eating schedule as much as possible. I am pretty certain that stress is a big trigger for me, but I'm taking some meds and waiting to try out Botox once it gets approved by my insurance. I tried dietary changes and food tracking and homeopathic supplements before going on meds, but they didnt help at all. Now, I cut out red wine, try to stay away from msg, and try (and fail) to keep a stable sleep cycle.
  • thinkpositive3
    thinkpositive3 Posts: 85 Member
    I highly recommend a chiropractor who uses pressure point therapy in conjunction with his chiropractic routine. It takes a quite a few visits in a row to get your spine properly aligned to make the nervous system work properly, but it's well worth it. Now I go once a month for maintenance and very rarely have migraines. Added bonus of chiropractic treatment - the rest of your "power system" is turned on and you feel great!
  • squigglypuff
    squigglypuff Posts: 279 Member
    I suffer from migraines as well and neither my neurologist nor eye doctor were able to sort it out. A family member told me to try acupuncture, but I don't really have the money for that. I noticed that since I began a better eating and exercise routine, I experience fewer migraines, but they still show up every now and then -- like NOW!


    Does anyone exercise during their migraines? I really want to do 30 day shred today, but I also really want to lay in my bed in the air conditioning until I feel better. I'm not sure if doing the workout would make me feel better or worse. Any ideas?
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