migraines... what to do, what to do!!??

I am sorry you have to go thru that!! I had my follow up with my surgeon yesterday and was braggin how i have gone from 4 headaches a week to NONE in at least a month and a half....LAST NIGHT i jinxed myself with a HORRIBLE migrane!!!  UGH!! And to find out the only thing i can take is Tylenol products...I could not have described it better..as you said it is like taking "tic tacs" ...Tylenol has NEVER phased my headaches, i ALWAYS too 800mg Motrin or Excedrin migrane...NOW post op, i don't know what to do either!! Maybe someone will come up with a good cure :)

i use to take 800g of ibuprophen.  That was the only thing that touched my headaches.  obviously we cant take that.  so..  a trip to the neurologist is my next step.  I hate that you had a migraine last night.  I can definitely sympathize.  !!    

As a *daily* headache sufferer, I suggest skipping the PCP and going straight to your neuro.  And your gyn will just send you to a neuro anyway, so don't waste the copay or your time. Most of the meds you used pre-op are fine post-op.  Most are not NSAIDs and are small. There are a number of preventative meds your neuro can talk to you about.. things they've used for years (Indural, for example), to some of the newer things (like Topamax). But if you only have them once a month, abortives probably are your best bet.  How do you work with the triptans?  (Imitrex, Zomig?)  There are others people don't know much about (Amerge, Migranal -- actually a spray) that work better for me than the Imitrex. And if it gets really cumbersome, you might be a candidate for occipital nerve blocks.. basically steroid/lidocane shots in the upper neck/lower head that last for 3 months.  But these are more for regular headaches rather than episodic ones. So go to a neuro.. they tend to have more tools at their disposal, know more of the current research, and have more samples to give out ('cause let's face it.. migraine meds cost an arm and leg!)

Thank you sooo much for this very informative message.  I really do hate to hear that you suffer daily with headaches.  I can't imagine these daily...although I am on my 3rd day with this one!!  I am on a mission to get in with my neuro as soon as I can.  This is the pits.  I have had nerve blocks in my back for pain in my legs before...so I am not opposed to it...if it would work...I woould try anything!!!

Yeah, they suck.  It's something you get somewhat used to, though. Not all neuros can do the blocks, and they aren't always warranted.  So it's something you'll need to check into. Oh, and yes, you can take Vicodin with your pouch.  It's a combo of hydrocodone and tylenol.  Just be aware of the tylenol content (most have 500mg per pill) because you *can't* go over 4000 mg in a 24 hour period of time without possibly damaging your liver. Good luck finding some answers.

Three Tylenol and a heavy dose of caffeine... it's all my PCP will let me  have the first year. I've suffered from migraines since I was 8. Good luck and I hope you feel better. Hugs