Migraine Headaches Support Group
Migraine is a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head and are often accompanied by photophobia (hypersensitivity to light), phonophobia (hypersensitivity to sound) and nausea.
Hi everyone, I'm new to this group.
I developed migraines approximately a year ago and have gone from 100 to 50% functionality in that time. I had to quit my FT job, give up my apartment, and now just rent a room and work only part-time. Just typing this in the postdrome of the second migraine I've had in 2 weeks. Still super tired and eyes hurt looking at the screen. So sick of doing nothing. Lying around listening to podcasts, waiting for the pain to end, then once it ends waiting to stop feeling exhausted.
I live in fear of becoming homeless. I only work 20 hours a week right now, have a medical accommodation for an extra 15 minute break at my job and work from home. I wear sunglasses when I leave the house, even on cloudy days. I try to only be out of the house in daylight for 10 minutes at a time. Even then I get migraines, usually the pain phase lasts about 2 days. That's 2 whole days, lying around, listening to podcasts, wondering what I did wrong this time or what more I have to cut out of my life so this can stop happening.
I saw a neurologist last year in the summer who said I have 'tension headaches' but I feel like he is wrong. The pain is always one-sided and feels like it's my nerves. I feel like I have nerve damage. I kept wondering if a stressful job did not start these migraines, and also constant moving in the beginning of 2020. I don't know. I was hit by a car when I was riding my bike a year before the migraines started. The car t-boned me into my right side and I fell on my left side full force on the pavement. The left side is the only side the migraines are on. Most of the force was absorbed into my shoulder but I believe I may have also hit my head. I can't completey remember. Yet I had no headache after that happened.
I just came out of a period where I was having 29 days of pain in my head and 15 of those days being light sensitive and nauseating... Every month. It was just over 2 years of that!
I am a teachers aid in a special education classroom. Every day was difficult!
I keep a journal. I jot down the headache, the meds I took, if they helped or not, and if I had any unavoidable triggers. (Like sweating on a hot day) it helped me see of there were any patterns, and track how often I was taking meds for it.
Start a journal. And talk to the dr.
They are up on the latest research and study of headaches and migraines....ALL the medications that are used on and off label...clinical trials...more so than just a neurologist.
Your accident could have triggered the migraines, and I wouldn't accept this doctor telling you that what you have is tension headaches. Tension headaches don't last that long and make you feel that way.
I'm sorry you are going through this. I understand what you are going through because I had to go on disability because of chronic daily migraines. And the search to find a headache specialist to help me was a very long process. I went through years of bad doctors that just didn't know how to treat me.
I hope you can find better answers than what you have now. Best of luck to you.
@Yvette, it is a neurologist, not a headache specialist, and imho he didn't seem like a very good one. I say this because he reported back to my primary doctor after my visit that I did not have nausea with my headaches at the time when I clearly had remembered telling him I did. Also tension headaches as I understand are over the whole head, not always on one side.
I should mention I had an MRI done for the brain that came back clear. i was thinking I might ask my primary doctor for an MRI of the neck/back bones to see if something got twisted when I fell off my bike. The only other thing I can think of is it could be cervicogenic headaches.
I should look into seeing a headache specialist. I guess I just feel like it's a waste of time because nobody knows what's going on , better to just suffer with it. My only fear is becoming homeless.