Need Support

Pam have you checked other avenues.

like having you eyes checked. You work on computer a lot.
You may need new glasses.

could also be smell sensitivity. some perfume or soap change.

also could be sinus related from the spring.

all these things can trigger migraines.

if they just started out of no where, also have your furnace checked  and ho****er heater and your car for a small leak or a small whole in you muffler, for either gas leak or carbon monoxided leak, both can cause what your describing.
My dad had a car that I would get deathly ill bad head ache every time I road in it.  To the point that I refused to ride in it any more. he took it in to the  shop and there was a pin hole in the muffler.

some are just extremely sensitive to those leaks.
 

Pam, I wish I could give you some magic solution but I can suggest one thing. My daughter suffered from daily, intractable migraines that were refractory to treatment. She had so much trouble with the pain and nausea that she even tried injectable dilaudid. One thing that helped her when they were at their worst was an otc product called Head On. It took the pain down a couple of notches and may be of help to you.
I will be praying for you. sue

Pam

Do you have your lab results for the B12 and iron panel?  Can you share those numbers please?

Hey there... me again!

First of all.  Dang it!  What the heck is the deal with the medical demons who keep attacking you? You can't seem to catch a break, can you?  Last year the leg thing, then the insulin resistance thing and now the migraine thing.  Enough already. I'm about to kick somebody's ass just so you can feel better.  ::: rant over :::

So, I want to know how low your B12 and iron levels are (yep, I asked that already, I know).  You know me and my Googleheadedness - I plugged in "migraine and pernicious anemia" just to see what I'd find. It seems there's a connection.   So then I plugged in "migraine and iron anemia" -- also a connection.

I'm still looking for stuff and will pass along what I find.  I've also put the Bat Signal out for Andrea U - she's got experience with migraines of her own and is the smartest vitamin person I know.  In the meantime -- start with this:

http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/medical/issues/sag-08-38-5/sa g-38-5-5-0706-26.pdf 
Print a copy and take it to your doc. 

Essentially there are two different ways to test your B12 levels.  Blood and urine.  Something I was reading a couple weeks ago compared the two (and of course I can't find it now) - basically urine tests show a deficiency much sooner than a normal blood test.  And once you see a deficiency in blood tests the body has already been deficiency for a significant amount of time. So obviously urine B12 testing is more accurate and gives a quicker diagnosis.  The study I link to above shows that people with migraines tent to have lower B12 levels in their urine (test abbreviated as MMA) even when their blood B12 levels were normal. 

So my point?  If your B12 is low in your blood tests, how much lower might it be in your urine tests?  And how aggressive is the docs being with getting that B12 level up? And when did the migraine start in comparison to the b12 shot you just got? (oh, just read migraine started Wed, B12 on Thurs).  I dunno.... it's worth having the doc look into anyway. 

Ok... I'll stop for now. 

Hi Pam --  Pam T asked me to come over.  I'm a migraine sufferer so I do know a thing or two to try.

Short term - there are a few things you can try:
 - Pure oxygen: There was a study that showed that cluster headaches (which is similar but different) responded to oxygen treatment.  Go to a doctor -- your PCP, a urgent care clinic, ANYONE and ask them to treat you with this protocol.  I can get you the JAMA article so your doc can look it up, but the article is password protected so you can't print it out unless you have the password.
 - Caffeine IV: this SOMETIMES works, but not always.  And it sounds like a blast to espresso fiends like me, but it didn't even make me jittery.  Did not not touch my spinal headache, but it is a possibility.  Would have to be at an ER to try it.  Your PCP will not have a caffeine IV lying around.
- Demerol IM: By getting it IM versus IV, it helps to avoid bounceback headaches (and helps avoid the sleepies).  Avoid Torradol as it is an NSAID (and worse than that Excedrin Migraine you're popping -- and YES I've been where you are now)
- Oral meds: I know you've tried some of the standard meds, but maybe a mixture of an analgesic and a migraine med.  If it's THIS bad, I'd be begging for something strong.  I know that docs at your ER's get leary when people are asking for narcs.  But you stand firm about no NSAIDs.  Hydromorphine 1mg helps my most violent migraines, mixed with a frova or migranal spray.

Hopefully, SOMETHING on this list can help your doctor break the cycle.


Long-term, there are a few things to look at:

- Magnesium citrate CAPSULES (not the liquid crap), 600mg per day, has been shown to help prevent migraines.  Takes 3-4 months to become effective.
- Riboflavin, 400mg per day, same deal.
- Topamax (or affectionately called dopamax).  Makes you feel like you're going insane.  Really.  But added bonus?  Helps you lose weight.  No, seriously.  If you can get past the horrid side effects for the first 3 months, helps with migraine control AND bonus of carb craving control.  (In fact, it's being used in a new diet drug.)
- Other drugs such as Paxil and Indural have been used to help prevent migraines.  Taken daily, of course, with long-term benefits.


I've been where you are.  I even have a co-condition of daily chronic headache.  Have had a single occurance (and hope it's my last) of a cluster headache, and a spinal headache.  Had daily migraines when I was pregnant both times (and both were post-op).

If there is anything I can do, even if it's to be a sympathetic ear.. let me know.  I can dig up articles about all of this for your PCP until you can get in with a GOOD neuro.  Your surgeon will be worthless.

Thanks Andrea -- you rock!  

Did you see the reference I had above regarding B12 deficiency and migraines?  Any insight on that angle?

While I agree to the MMA testing (I think MMA testing should be done on EVERY B12 test, actually, but that's just cause I'm anal), I think this is a questionable correlation.

I mean, I have a B12 level well in the 1000's and have significant migraine and headache activity.  No correllative value at all.  25 people is very small, no peer-reviewed studies, etc.


It's worth checking out, but I'm far from convinced there is a correllation yet.  This is the only reference I've ever seen.