Saturday, July 25, 2009

New antimigraine protocol (long, skip it if you don't care) and pictures of other stuff



Migraines make me feel like this!




If you don't care about migraines, skip this, it will be boring!

I've had migraines since my 13th birthday. At some points in my life, they have been worse than others (early pregnancy and post pregnancy were the worst). Now they are regular and not terribly bad, just inconvenient, scary and predictable. Imitrex usually holds off the vomiting and severe head pain leaving me stupid and tired for a day or two. The majority of my hospitalizations since being diagnosed with Addison's have been due to migraines. If the migraine progresses too far, the pain and vomiting become unbearable. The vomiting is dangerous for those of us with Addison's. We vomit, become dehydrated and are unable to take our hydrocortisone and florinef which makes us vomit more. This leads to a downward spiral that, if left untreated, can result in death.

Anyway, since my migraines aren't so bad anymore, you might ask why I would bother trying over and over to avoid them. Here's the answer: Nearly thirty years of migraines is a long, long time. I hate the fear of not knowing if I will end up in severe pain eventually, I hate ending up in the hospital, I hate losing days of productivity, I hate the feeling of migraines, it's what I would imagine the after effects of stroke would be like (numbness, inability to form coherent sentences, struggling to make sense, temporary blindness).

I've tried: chiropractic, massage, accupuncture, biofeedback, Prozac, tyrosine, celiac diet, melatonin, avoiding alcohol and chocolate, increasing salt and florinef, taking more thyroxine and countless other things. Currently, I'm trying Black Cohosh. I don't have high hopes but I'll try it for a month or so and see if it helps.

What have you tried that's helped your migraine? Do you have Addison's?




Pointless but funny




Baby horse (born 6/19) and mom Buffy




Buffy's been sick with a liver infection. This is how it manifested itself. Very painful.




Winter/Summer comparison of Corral Creek trailhead




Summer Corral Creek trailhead




Weird, I don't know what this is




Lupine




Sage Grouse




Out on the trail




View from the trail
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7 comments:

  1. DebbieJuly 25, 2009 at 2:36 PM

    Dusty, have you ever tried going on an alkaline diet? I find that when I stick to a predominantly alkaline diet, I feel better. I had a tumor on my thyroid and I swear that the alkaline diet is the reason that it's now gone. Maybe it might work for migrains. My daughter had chronic joint pain due to a different autoimmune problem and she went on the Blood Type Diet (which is similar to the alkaline diet) and she was pain-free in about 6 weeks. That was the first time in about 10 years. We were thrilled. She stays pain-free as long as she stays on the diet.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 25, 2009 at 5:42 PM

    Have you ever tried a prescription med called Imigran ? It is a tablet or a nasal spray and works for mine if you catch them early. I have AD and touch wood since having HC and Florinef - barely have a migraine now so suspect they were re to my AD.

    Sue

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  3. UnknownJuly 28, 2009 at 9:17 AM

    Debbie, I haven't tried an alkaline diet. Can you recommend a reputable book or link? I've never heard of it. I hope it involves lots of chocolate!! :)

    Sue, I use Imitrex when the migraine starts and it works well for me too. Looks like Imigran and Imitrex are the same thing. Unfortunately, when it gets to the point that I have to take the Imitrex, I'm useless for a day or two after. I want to prevent the whole damned migraine. My migraines have become less severe but more frequent and regular since starting on HC and Florinef or maybe I'm getting older and that's why!

    Has anything else changed in your life besides the AD that could prevent your migraines?? If so, let me know!

    :) Dusty

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  4. DebbieAugust 2, 2009 at 12:39 PM

    Dusty, my daughter is getting married in about 3 weeks and I'm swamped (SWAMPED!!) with too much to do. For that reason, I'm not able to look up the alkaline/acid diet. I have tons of stuff. Please be patient with me until I can get through the next few weeks.

    In the meantime, the book that changed my daughter's life is "Eat Right for Your Type" by Dr. Peter D'Adamo. She was in chronic pain before abiding by his specifications. In about 6 weeks she became pain-free. While growing up, she almost never had beef. I thought I was doing the right thing by feeding her chicken breasts. It ends up being that the chicken was poisoning her body and she should have had lots of beef. Whenever she has chicken now (at a party or someone else's house), she ends up back in the fetal position with tremendous pain. She's learning to politely say, "no, thank you."

    For basic information, go to http://www.dadamo.com Scroll down on the left to "Listen to Dr. Peter D'Adamo's Interview with Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oprah and Friends XM Radio." It's a good overview.

    I've combined D'Adamo's protocol with the alkaline/acid diet. If I don't send you more info in a few weeks, please remind me. I'm very preoccupied until after relatives leave and the wedding is over. Thanks for your patience.

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  5. UnknownAugust 8, 2009 at 9:48 AM

    Debbie,

    Thanks for the link. There's no hurry on getting me the info. Do it when you can. Until it snows in a few weeks, I've got a lot to fit in myself. Congratulations on your daughter's wedding! Have fun and take good care of yourself!!

    :) Dusty

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  6. AnonymousAugust 14, 2009 at 5:39 PM

    Do you think your migraine may be an imbalance of your salt. If you start to get very slight low salt in your blood stream, and that can cause your brain cells to swell (intracranial hypertension, which overlaps with symptoms of migraine). Problem taking a dose of a steroid could make the intracranial hypertension worse, because it increases blood pressure. Consider trying some salt and a low dose of hydrocortisone right as headache is coming on, then repeat the low dose of hydrocortisone in 1/2 hr to 45min. This could be totally off, but with the addison's your headaches could be dependent on salt balance inside versus outside of cells.

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  7. UnknownAugust 16, 2009 at 10:24 PM

    Shannon, thanks for the idea. I don't think so though because I've gotten cramps so badly that my quads, glutes and hammie have cramped up. Went to the hospital and had electrolytes tested, salt was low. No migraine.

    Day 29 of my cycle without fail, migraine no matter what.

    I've had migraines for 30 years and Addison's badly enough to get treatment for 8.

    Do you have any suggestions for preventive treatment vs prophylactic treatment? Imitrex works great for getting rid of the migraine once it starts and my copay is low...What preventive thing might you do if you knew a migraine was coming on Day 29?

    Thanks for your input!

    :) Dusty

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