Migraines

It’s no secret how I love to stick to timetables, lists, diaries etc. So this unscheduled post is a bit out of the ordinary for me.

But this impromptu post is about me, the person … not the arty-crafty someone I’d rather you perceive. So here’s a little about me…

I have the migraine gene.  A genetic disorder passed down to me from my parents.  Medically, the exact cause of migraines is still a mystery. There is no cure, just preventative treatments; which don’t seem to work for everyone.

For the past thirty plus years I have suffered from migraines, which in recent months have progressed to a chronic condition. I suffer from these daily, usually curled up in bed and isolated in a dark and silent room. Please don’t confuse these with the norm of a headache; the symptoms of a migraine can only be described as turmoil; involving extreme pain. I can only describe it as an intense throbbing or hammering to the head, usually located on one side (for me it mainly affects my left temple and eye and forehead). Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and unsteadiness on my feet. I become light sensitive, sound sensitive and smell sensitive. And if you think you can tip toe past me during a migraine episode – you will still sound like a stampede of horses racing by.

Over recent weeks I have had a couple emergency visits to the hospital, home visits from the paramedics, followed by a weeklong stay in hospital due to the escalating severity of the pain and symptoms. At the Doctor’s request I received Intravenous Lignocaine Infusion continuously for the whole week. But the symptoms persisted. Then dehydration followed (due to the increased vomiting). Receiving IV fluids was a no-go due to my tiny inconspicuous veins collapsing every time an attempt was made to insert another intravenous cannula. Next, the anaesthetist was called in … but still, those stubborn little tubes of mine were not going to be tempted … not by anyone. So rehydration was a very slow process.

During my stay tests were performed. An MRI scan for the head and an MRI scan for the neck. More medication was administered, and medications were changed.

In the hope that I can find some relief for my pain, any inconsistency with these investigations would have been a blessing. Although I must admit it was comforting to hear the results showed very little other than moderate disc degenerative disease in my cervical spine.

And still there is not much left to do other than more trials … let’s change medications and try different migraine preventatives. For the moment the best outcome I can hope for is to reduce the severity and frequency of my migraines.

So, let’s see how we go.

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Hugs,

Effie