Recurrent Migraines

K.,
I don't much about migranes I can only tell you what I have heard.
I have heard that dairy triggers some forms of migraines and you may have heard to stay away from chocolate as well. I would google it for ideas. I hope you find what you need, I would also look into homeopathy and chyropractors.

There are actually two distinct kinds of severe headaches. Migraines, and Pressure headaches. Both of which are always called migraines, even though they are actually clinically different. Pressure headaches however are actually caused by a build up of spinal fluid pressure on the brain.

One of the reasons you may get this when you are pregnant is because there is additional pressure pulling down on your brain stem, therefore blocking the space at the bottom of your skull (called the forum magnum). This makes that space smaller, making it harder for the fluid to flow. The reason caffeine helps this is because it is a diuretic, and it decreases the fluid. One of the ways to decrease this pressure is to spend time off your feet laying down. The most pressure on this area of your head is when your standing, less when sitting, and least when laying down because there is less gravitational pull believe it or not. As well, try very hard to sit up straight and not slouch, as slouching also adds to the additional pressure on this area at the base of your skull.

I learned all about this when I was diagnosed with a chiari malformation and was decompressed for it.

All I can say is I am so terribly sorry. I had them too and by the grace of God they stopped actually when I was pregnant. My OBGYN even let me have my diet coke to make sure they didn't pop up. Remember stopping caffiene will trigger them too. Ask your Dr about Tylenol PM, as him or her about if Tylenol makes any migraine meds. I know Excedrin done but it has Ibuprofen in it. Have you tried those patches you stick to your forehead that are suppose to help? Does your Dr have anything he can get you?
Hugs, I am so sorry, I have felt your pain believe me!

i'm sorry i get migrains but they usually only last a day. i don't know what to suggest since you're pregnant you probably don't want to try any of the prescriptions for migrains. i did notice quite a bit of things at vitamin cottage the other day for migraines that you could probably try. i hope that you can find something that works for you.

Hi K., I too suffer from migraines for many years. I have had three children and only with my last one were my headaches REALLY bad. I ended up taking darvocet or tylenol w/coedine to help. Mine are hormonal and tension related and I don't have any food triggers so I am not much help as far as trying to prevent during pregnancy. Good luck to you!

I get migraines, but luckily I didn't get too many while I was pregnant. But I was on a prescription for Midrin which is safe to take when pregnant. Although it makes me jittery and tired. But it was all I could do to make it through the day with a toddler. Talk to your doctor to see what he/she suggests.

The only thing that ever helps me is sleeping in a very dark and quiet room. Something that is impossible with two kids at home unless you have help.

I hope you feel better soon.

I have never had a problem with migrains until my last pregnancy (delivered 11-13-07). I discovered thankfully that there were some food triggers,I could avoid getting a migrain by avoiding those foods. But I also discovered that they were worse when I was dehydrated. Are you getting enough water?? A good way to tell is to look at your pee, if you can't tell the difference between the pee and the toilet water, then you are getting enough, if you can then you need more. The things that helped me to cope when I did get one was to first off take a tylenol. Then I would find a cool wet wash cloth and put it on my forehead and lay down. If it was really bad I would put the washcloth over my eyes to block out the light. I would make sure that the kids were safe (I now have 6) and occupied with a movie or something and try and relax. Thankfully most of mine would come in the middle of the night when I didn't have to deal with the kids, but there were a couple during the day. Most of all just keep the doc informed and try to get that all important sleep. Good luck to you and congrats on the new baby.

I am so sorry that you are having to deal with such pain. I can not even imagine. If you have suffered with migraines for such a long time it sounds like chiropractic could really help. My husband is a chiropractor in Fort Collins and has had lot of patients get relief. I'm not sure who to refer in Denver but if you'd like to just get more info on chiropracic care and headaches visit obergchiro.com/headaches
I used chiropractic with all four of my pregnancies.

Hope this helps and you can get some relief soon!
T.

I am so sorry to hear that you are in such pain!! I get migraines too and it's tough with kids. Is there any medicine the doctor can give you? Well this is what I do when I feel one coming on:
Darken the room, quiet, put temp on the slightly warmer side, wrap up in bed to feel warm and comfy.
Keep my hands and feet warm (learned that through biofeedback) to keep bloodflow going to extremities. This has helped me a lot!
Caffeine (I know you cannot have too much).
Ice pack to the neck.
Try to relax as much as you can (my migraines start with tension headaches).
And I get the kids as far away as possible. My husband is very helpful with this. What about friends and family? If I can just get an hour or 2 to myself I can usually pull out before the migraine gets too bad.

But at this point with you on day 3 - that is tough. I know there are injections you can get during a full blown migraine that are said to help but I've never had one.

If your regular doctor doesn't know much about migraines, try another one. Seriously. Ask you OB/Gyn for advice on what you can safely take. Consider learning biofeedback if your insurance covers it. There is probably a lot of free online info too.

I really feel for you. Migraines are so debilitating and the pain is something unline anything else. Being a mom makes it so much harder to take care of yourself and migraines make it even harder to take care of the kids. Personally, to me, this is an emergency. 3 days in excruciating pain and kids to care for and being pregnant requires immediate action. Get your hubby on the phone to friends and family and have someone else take care of the kids until the migraine is GONE. Toughing it out is not helpful for you, your children or your fetus. Go to the emergency room if you have to. I hope you get some good advice from moms who know how to handle migraines while pregnant. And I really really hope you feel better soon!

I suffered from migraines as a teenager and after trying everything under the sun ( a limited diet, preventative meds that made me feel woozy, nuerologists and so on) the doctors decided that they were hormone related. The reason headaches are probably back with a vengance during pregnancy is the changing hormones in your body. I talked to my OB about this when I got pregnant because I was concerned about hormone related migraines and he said that prescription pain meds can be prescribed in the case that tylenol or other methods aren't working. I would talk to the doctor about it ASAP, migraines are no fun!

I am also a sufferer of migraine headaches since I was about 12 o4 13. So I have had them for the past 26 years. I was getting at least one a week that would last several days. In the past I have treating them with medication. But after awhile your body gets used to all that medication. So I was told Acupuncture works well for them.
So I have been going to acupuncture and it really works. I starting going about 2 years ago and I have only had about 1 or 2 really bad ones in that time. It is a little expensive, but well worth the money. I would rather spend money on Acupuncture than medication. Wish I would have learned about acupuncture alot sooner than I did!

Gosh, there have been some great suggestions so far for you. I have been getting migraines since I was in a car accident last year. To the point of having to go to urgent care for shots to relieve them. According to my Dr, these types of migraines are common in whiplash patients but also anyone who has "bad posture". It's happening because the neck isn't strong enough to support the skull so it falls forward and the nerves get pinched between the C1 vertebrae and the skull. I've been able to get them under control through strenghtening and stretching excerses so I don't have to go to Urgent Care anymore. However I do still get some doozies about once every 10-14 days. When that happens I alternate ice and heat on my neck and shoulder muscles to get them loosened up so they release the pressure on the nerves. I also do some simple head nods in different directions to stretch out the back of my neck and voila, they are usually gone in a day. If there are particularly bad I take Regular Tylenol and get a massage (Massage Envy has 50min massages for $49!). Any hey, who couldn't use a massage every now and then. Good luck to you. I hope that you are able to find some releif soon!

K.,
I suffer from migrain headaches all my life. I esspecially had some wammy's with my first one. It could be a couple of different things going on.
1. It might be hormonal.
2. it might be a form of water retention and swelling. Are you retaining fuild?
What has your Dr. have to say about this? A chiropactor will most likely help but mine increased as the pregnency progressed. Caffeen is really a big trigger for a mygrain. It might help in the short term but in the long run it might be part of the problem and not the solution.
I just tuffed it out but it might be difficult with the other kids around.
Try some camamile tea to relax. It is better if you can brew it fresh instead of tea bags (Vitamine Cottage sells it in bulk.
Also Try the chiroprator. I go to Caldwell Chiropractic in Wheat Ridge on Youngfield. You want a good Dr. to help.
You might consider Accupunture. It has help with other pain I have had to deal with. Patty Wang on Hamden and I 25 is good and also Applewood Accupuncture on Youngfield by 20th in Wheat Ridge is not bad. You might concider a message to relax you, also.
Good Luck,
C. B
Sorry, I can see what I am doing.( It is the middle of the night and my glasses are upstairs) So my spelling is worse than ever.

I would suggest seeing a neurologist. If you are suffering this bad from migraines, they can help you even though you are pregnant. There are a lot of medications out there that you can use safely. Don't make yourself suffer....along with the fact that these are very dangerous. I have migraines myself and luckily a particular form (I get several) get better during pregnancy. I have to be monitored ever 6 weeks and the neurologist is very helpful.

I come from 4 generations of migraine sufferers. I have a reaction to aspirin, ibuprofen and such. They did seem to get much worse during my pregnancy. One thing that I found that worked within 15 minutes was to put an ice pack at the base of my skull and put my feet up and cover my eyes. It never failed for me. Hope it helps you.

K., I am praying for your migranes to be resolved...My daughter has a type of cluster migraine. The ER doc told her that because of the altitude in which we live, that "water," "gatorade", will help since our bodies are over 75% water, we dehydrate quickly. When someone gets a headache it is a sign that you are already dehydrated.

I hope this info helps you.

Be well and Gods blessings rest upon you.

Cath