Coping, Symptoms, Triggers

Working on Computer, Reading Triggering Massive Headaches, Nausea & Dizziness

Working on the computer and reading have been triggering bad migraines for the last week. I can handle the head pain, but the extreme nausea and dizziness are nearly intolerable. The combination of the three obliterated my weekend. I feel OK now and am going to try to save that feeling so I can have fun with my sweet husband tonight. Maybe we can even go out to dinner. I only need to make it seven more hours, so I’m done with the computer for the day.

Coping, Exercise, Symptoms

Migraine Reprieve Ends: Welcome Back, Nausea

Is it normal for a visit to the grocery store to make someone want to throw up? Namely, me. At the Whole Foods downtown. Granted, a huge hot food section, lots of stinky cheeses, and two kiosks of made-to-order Asian food makes it particularly smelly. But still.

My head may be in less pain, but the nausea has returned full force. Clearly the my migraines haven’t retreated, only the pain. I actually developed the aversion to eating a few days ago, but the over-the-top nausea just kicked in.

Being honest with myself, I know that my “good week” wasn’t as grand as it seemed. It meant an extra good hour each day with an awesome day and a half on Tuesday and Wednesday. After walking less than a mile yesterday, my body felt as if I’d run five. The gentle yoga practice I did upon returning home increased the exhaustion. All the signs of an impending migraine were there whether I wanted to pay attention to them or not.

Now my head is sore to the touch (allodynia) and tears are streaming from my eyes (a sure sign for me that a migraine is coming). I didn’t ever consider that the effects of reducing my neck and shoulder pain were longterm. Even so, I hate when the good times end.

As usually happens, Hart missed my low pain, high energy days. I’m going to try to eat some lunch and relax for a bit. Maybe the migraine will let up before I pick him returns from work.

Coping, Meds & Supplements, Symptoms, Treatment

Migraine Remains After Migranal-Induced Nausea

A killer migraine knocked me down yesterday. I gave myself over to Migranal, the abortive that my headache specialist recommended last week. It reduced my head pain, but magnified the nausea tenfold. This is a common side effect. I just didn’t expect it to happen to me.

The migraine worsened in the night and was unbearable by 6 a.m. Advil, my old standby that has been useless in the last month, reduced the pain a bit. Attending my morning yoga class was an impossibility, so I turned off the alarm and slept until 10:30.

I still feel awful and am more nauseated than usual. I’ll be spending the rest of the day on the couch.

Researching Migranal for this post, I found some studies have shown it decreases nausea. Migranal is the nasal spray of dihydroergotamine (DHE). Maybe the side effect is more of an issue with the injectable form of DHE. Anyone know?