Monday, October 23, 2006

migraine-city

Yeah. So I would like for these migraines to stop now, please. I feel like I've been in a constant state of headache since the miscarriage, and I am decidedly unappreciative.

Yes, that which doesn't kill me makes me stronger, but ENOUGH already. I'm happy being a weakling girly-girl.

When I was actively cycling, or when I was actually pregnant, I could handle the migraines. I knew I was "taking one for the team" by not taking any preventive medicine. But right now, with everything in flux, I just want to take something prophylactically to stop them from happening in the first place, but I can't until I find out how long it will be until I can go through a treatment cycle again. If it's going to be three months, then it might be worth taking Depakote in the interim. But if it's only going to be 6 weeks, it's not worth it. Depakote is a miracle drug in my opinion, but not unless I can take it for a while.

Meanwhile, taking pain medicine is starting to backfire. See, if you take too much pain medicine for migraines, eventually you get these lovely things called "rebound headaches." Truth be told, I think the rebound headaches are worse than the migraines and there's even LESS I can do to relieve the pain, because just about anything I could take for the pain would result in just more rebounding. It's fun, really. I think my first experience with rebound headaches was when I was around 12 years old and I found it just as insulting and irritating as I do today. Argh.

Oh well, at least I can take Aleve now, which I couldn't have taken if I were still pregnant. One small victory. You know, if I'd remembered to bring any to work, that is. I started a new job last week, so I'm trying to remember to bring things like that back in to the office. And when I do finally remember, oh sweet joy!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm so sorry. As a fellow migraine sufferer, I can understand your pain. I only get them a couple of times a month but they're usually post-ovulatory and then I can't do anything about them either. It's miserable.

I hope that they stop very, very soon.

Ms. Perky said...

Erin, thanks for the sympathies. I'm sorry you get them too. I mostly can handle them; I've had them since I was two and I get 4-5 per week if I'm unmedicated (I can get down to 4-5 per month if I'm on Depakote). I definitely have no correlation with ovulating or not (since absent medical intervention I simply don't ovulate). I wouldn't wish migraines on virtually anyone.

Anonymous said...

Karen, did you have a spinal at the hospital when you had the miscarriage?

After I had my miscarriage/D&E I had a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE headache for 3 days straight. I thought it was just from crying and all that was going on. Since I don't get headaches very often, I finally called the RE's office and they told me to go back to the emergency room for a blood patch. The headaches were from the spinal and something not clotting. After I had the blood patch they headaches went away pretty quick.

That may not be your problem anyway since you get migraines on a normal basis, but it's just a thought. Hope they get better.

Ms. Perky said...

Jennie, good suggestion, but definitely not the case for me. First of all, I'm completely, 100% opposed to needles in my spinal column (no spinals or epidurals for me if I have anything to say about it... ICK). Also I wasn't given the option.. it was general anesthesia or general anesthesia, which was fine with me.

But these are normal migraines. It's just slightly more than usual (say, 6 a week instead of 4-5 a week).

Le Sigh.

Anonymous said...

They didn't give me much of a choice either, they just told me I was getting the spinal. Ick is right, but the spinal wasn't as bad as the blood patch. They had given me something to relax for the spinal, but nothing for the blood patch. That was just awful, or at least for me since I think needles are creepy.

Hope you can take something good and get a little relief.