Is that Wonder Woman Cefaly look too ComicCon for you? Are you a hipster and desire that stylish beanie but need room for your man bun? Ever wished you could bury your painful head in a portable snow bank?
Check this out. (No seriously, I love this thing. It ain’t Cosmopolitan but I was already willing to wear Theraspecs at work and do the Wonder Woman thing in front of my teenager and his buds.) One size and adjustable for simultaneous Cefaly use to achieve that post modern chic.
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It does seem to put the cold where it needs to be. I wish instead of the hair chimney they’d put another ice pack there. And I wish I’d had it earlier in the week when I had the worst migraine in two years, and boy is that saying something. What’s the saying? Necessity is the mother of invention? Or was that desperation? Idk. That’s why I bought it.
@turnitaround James, please do that Amazon product display thing you do. Thx Never mind, you got it already.
(NB from admin: these images link to products members have found helpful and at the same time helps fund the site: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More recommended products here. Thanks for your support!)
I think maybe it depends on the particular migraine. Mine are all over the map. I have the same symptoms you describe sometimes and the only thing for it is nausea medicine, silence, darkness and stillness. Others I’ll get splitting, crushing, red hot pain in my skull. Or a hot poker in my eye. Or pain that feels like the bones in my face are being ground down. For those lovely freak shows, ice cap.
It is. And I most definitely do. (I wasn’t in the mood to go looking up the post.)
Icing right now in fact, though unrelated to MAV. No surgeon should ever utter the words ‘let pain be your activity guide’. They should get to know me better first. I’m an idiot and require stricter guidelines with a wide error margin.
Oh I wasn’t checking up on you. That earlier post found me. Just popped up on the screen on my little Android tablet.
Agreed surgeons come out with the daftest statements, and there’s a whole thread on that somewhere too I recall. I always remember a relative being told pain comes from the brain. Not from the affected limb. When you are in agony who’s really going to care. It’s not where it’s coming from that matters its how speedily it’s going.
Given my personal habit of doing whatever I please and accepting the consequences, I’d say this pain will take longer to chase away. Next round (lumbar) is in 14 days. Probably ought to be further down recovery road by then if I have any hope of mobility afterwards.
The ice cap, laid flat, is good anywhere and retains cold nicely. It has lots of individual compartments so it can follow curves.
@flutters Ok, even though I am in pain, that made me laugh. I definitely want one. Been in the bed since Tuesday night. My head was killing me. Left an e-mail and voice mail for GP and they finally called me back yesterday and asked questions (the nurse did) that the dr told her to ask. She said she would get with the dr. and call me back which she did many hours later. Stated they were calling in Maxalt which I used about 15 years ago and didn’t do squat and cost about $35 a pill. Said I would try it anyway if it was cheaper, but I hurt too bad to drive to go get it. I’ve only worked one day this week and I finally made myself get out of bed so I can get the meds so hopefully I can work tomorrow. Hopefully, they won’t fire me. I haven’t eaten since Tuesday night either, so I’m going to try to eat now. I’ve slept so much, I am groggy, but if I am going to drive 10 miles, I need to try to force myself to move around a little. I think my head is actually better, but I am quite depressed. Still over 2 weeks to the ENT and neurologist appointment. I went to the bathroom earlier and saw my reflection and I look like medusa on crack. I get tired just thinking about putting on a bra and brushing my hair. Sigh
I’m really sorry you’re suffering. I’m really glad you laughed. Those multi-day bastards are so hard. Worst one for me so far was probably 11 days. At that point the look on your friends and family’s faces is alarming. Work can’t happen. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I work for myself. Migraine still manages to get me client dumped on the regular. Good luck.
Maxalt didn’t do anything for me either. Neither did Sumatriptan. My current rescue cocktail is either Ubrelvy (when I have to function and it’s worth the cost) or some mix of Fioricet, Amitriptyline, Benadryl and Compazine - plus electrolytes and fluids. That’s basically the contents of the IV migraine cocktail, or the parts I could get scripts for. I got a Xanax and Phenergan last week for minor surgery. Not too sure that’d fix MAV but it was sort of enjoyable in a totally detached from the moment sort of way. Still hurt, likely because I mistimed the dose. I seem to remember getting an epidural for the last time I was in that sort of pain. Maybe it was a duration thing. Same area; no baby. Anyhoo - ice cap, useful little thing.
LOL I have to say that medusa looks wayyyyy better than me. I put on a bra under my pj’s and went to the drive thru to get my meds. Took my dog because she loves it and doesn’t get out much. I felt guilty for not walking her for a day and a half. I took the maxalt and so far it’s not doing anything which is what I was afraid of. At least it was cheaper. 16 years ago 3 pills were $106. I got 10 pills this time for $14.28. I noticed that the pills said may cause drowsiness and dizziness. YAY! Just what I wanted was more dizziness. Shoot me, please. I’m scared to see what they will say at work tomorrow, but if they can’t understand and fire me, then I may have to go the disability route. May be hard to do since I haven’t even been diagnosed yet. My 91 year old mom who is a retired RN fusses every time I call in, so she doesn’t even know how many days I’ve really missed. I don’t want to be a burden on my family, but it’s hard to work between the migraines, depression, anxiety, etc. She is a bit of a control freak and I love her dearly, but I don’t think she fully understands. She’s already told me to quit drinking diet dr pepper which I LIVE for. I have tried to drink more water and lay off the soda and alcohol too which is hard because I don’t think she knows I am an alcoholic either. How does one give up the few things in life that make them happy? I guess you have to pick the ones that make you suffer least. Ughhhhhh
You decide that crutches aren’t doing you any good, that’s how. Diet coke, a hot day and MAV earned me a tonic clonic that resulted in permanent short term memory loss and was the beginning of aphasia that’s embarrassed me more times than I can remember. Three months of my life, gone like they never happened. Now I drink water, mint tea, decaf coffee. Alcohol some but not when my thresholds are low or other triggers are high. I come from alcoholics and drug abusers. It’s an easy route when you’re in pain all the time. There are more days than I care to admit how tempting it is to find myself in the warm embrace of a hard drug. I’m worth treating myself better. I have enough stuff tearing me down without self destructing or indulging in a penchant for sabotage.
Have you tried therapy, love? Sounds like another tool you need in your kit. I can’t imagine a MAVerick trying to survive without it. But, you have to do the hard work. You have to decide.
And even green, Medusa’s better looking than I ever was.
The dr suggested therapy, but with a $75 co-pay, I would have to choose between that and food or mortgage. I’ve had therapy before and it didn’t really help and would also have to take more time off work without pay to go. I have a flexible spending account, but I had to get a dental bridge that took a lot of it, then the MRI was a $250 co-pay, so I am down to about $269. I want to get that lovely cold migraine cap (and don’t think I won’t rock it at work either) and of course with another ENT and neurologist appt. in a couple weeks, each of those are $75, so that means until May 1st when the FSA starts over, everything else will have to come out of my paycheck. A paycheck that is getting smaller and smaller because I am out of time on the books and keep calling in. I also have other meds that I get 3 months at the time, but they are not too terribly expensive and just had a few of them refilled. I am also worried that the neurologist won’t diagnose me right away and will put me on a bunch of meds that make it worse. Last neurologist I had 8 years ago, put me on stuff that was worse than my symptoms so I quit taking the meds and quit going to him. The unknown is very scary. Guess all I can do is wait for the appointment and see what he says and then go from there. Maybe they will let me take a leave of absence if I still need it by then. I have money in savings for an emergency and I hate to spend it because I worked so hard to save it, but I can’t keep living like this.
I have to say I laughed when you said even green, Medusa’s better looking–I thought the same exact thing about me before you said it almost verbatim.
I understand your fears, and the constraints. I’ve lost most of my income. Disability would be easier to live with probably, but pride says no. I like working. But, I’m down to maybe 1/3 time because that is what I can handle. MAV doesn’t care if you self funded your masters degree, paid student loans into your 40s and have 20 years of your life invested in a career. And your ego just has to adjust itself which takes a huge amount of time and pain.
Disability is hard to get. Usually requires a ton of medical paperwork (and the expensive, time consuming and frustrating appointments to get it), plus a long term symptom diary plus a lawyer. Most folks get denied on the first try. It’s usually a years long process. Our healthcare system in the US is just crap. No safety net, terrible benefits, high costs - even for the people who are ‘essential’.
Losing your job is a financial emergency. Losing your happiness is worse. This is an emergency. Use the savings as an investment in your own future. I did. Worth it.
Maybe look into a church counselor? You don’t actually have to be a member of the church to get some help.
And start documenting symptoms now. Gather up all the info from this site you possibly can and give it to your specialist. Educate your ENT or Neurologist so they are your partner and will work with you. I’ve been thru 5 neurologists already. Finally found one willing to work with me.
Meds always suck worse at first and then slowly get better. It’s just the way of it.
Also, we are officially way off topic, so maybe start another unique post or diary. You’ll find this community understands and supports you. I do.
I am the google queen and before going to the ENT had never heard of vestibular migraines. Ironically, it’s the first thing she said. Once I googled that, I was like how could that have never come up before when I had put in my symptoms a million times? The BPPV did come up and that was the second thing she mentioned. We will be able to confirm/rule out that one when I go to my ENT appt. on the 23rd. Then the neurologist appt. is on the 27th. I did make a list of when my symptoms started and what they are and will give it to the neurologist. I actually took this list when I went to the ARNP and she took it from me and wrote a bunch of stuff on it for me to google without reading it and misdiagnosed me with retracted ear drums. I never have liked her, but the dr was booked so she’s the only one I could see. It was a waste of a visit. I have a friend who recently got disability and said she would help me if I go that route. It took her 4 years to get approved and sadly, I don’t think she deserves it. She has always been a con-artist and hustled for what she wanted until she got it. She got some kind of neuropathy in her shoulder after having shingles, but I see pictures of her on facebook riding jet ski’s at the beach and I think she’s faking it or at least making it out to be more than it is. I make way more money now than I would on disability and would only try if it was an absolute necessity. Only time will tell, but I really appreciate you and everyone else on here taking the time to respond and give support. I don’t really have a lot of friends (trust issues) and the ones I do have are kind of shady, but it’s all I have. I have borderline personality disorder and am an introvert. I would rather be at home with my dog all the time than go anywhere. I could go on all day, but enough of feeling sorry for myself. There are people out there way worse off than I am.
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