Hey Kristina,
Yep - Diplofenac. I share your doubt re the Voltaren/Diplofenac. Heās talking about using it during acute attacks, when I get scintilating scotoma as my aura. He reckons it may reduce the intensity and duration of the attack. Iām willing to try it (itās cheap and OTC) but will be surprised if it does anything for me as I donāt get āpainā with those migraines and nothing has ever worked before. But - canāt hurt to try!
Vic
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Like Barb I was very impressed with the amount of time I had with him (at least an hour) - which was reflected in the cost - $370!!!
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thatās nothing - ~20 mins with waterston cost me about $300 (not including the petrol!) - that makes him twice as expensive :shock:
hope the MRI went OK.
Hi Victoria
Interesting info from Dr Granot re foods not being a tirgger - had me pretty gob-smacked when I read that. I did mention to Dr G that Iād been on a migraine diet for a long time (20 yrs or so) &, looking back, I donāt think he made any comment - certainly didnāt tell me I was missing out on all that loverly chocs & coffees I love!ā However, having been a migraineur for more than 50 years & having a restricted diet, caffeine was never on my list of foods to avoid. I had a 8 year period of just having the odd migraine before MAV hitting - enjoying coffee & chocolate daily (modest amounts) with no migraines. However, I feel that being in this MAV situation my threshold for migraines has definitely lowered & many things which now set off migraine and/or balance problems would not previously brought on these symptoms. Iām not feeling brave enough to do the caffiene challenge yet - two weeks migraine free is the longest Iāve managed so far - Iād want to have at least two months free before trying.
Was Dr Granot suggesting Periactin as well as Prothiaden? Iām reluctant to push the Proth up any higher (100mg) but would like to get rid of the visual triggers (lights, supermarkets, TV panning, pc use etc). Hope your MRI comes up clear.
Regards Barb
Hey Gabrielle and Barb,
I doubt thereās any cut price neurologists around. Fair enough given how many years of study they do.
The MRI was a lot cheaper than my previous ones (but no Medicare rebate) at $320. It didnāt go too badly - Iād loaded up on 7.5mg of Valium before hand, so went to my happy place 
. My head was on a weird angle though so it felt like I was lying on a knife. So I moved and of course we had to do that part again. Anyway, about 45 mins in total, with contrast. I asked the technician if he saw anything - specifically AVM, hydrops or lesions. He said no, but qualified that for the first two they are very subtle measures and way beyond his expertise so the MRI doctor has to have a look. He did say that Granot had ordered that I be tested for EVERYTHING. Technician seemed equal parts exhausted and impressed and I got so many pictures of my brain that the envelope was so heavy the receptionist had to give me a carry bag! So, if thereās anything there that shouldnāt be I think Granot will find it. I donāt see him again for a few more weeks so wonāt know till then.
Re the food triggers - perhaps he just meant they arenāt a problem for me? Scott and/or Barb maybe itās worth asking if either of you see him again. I agree with you Barb re threshold. Iāve slowly started reintroducing small amounts of caffeine and alcohol. Up until recently I wasnāt even the slightest bit interested in booze (I guess the body and brain knew I shouldnāt have it) and even the small amounts of caffeine are making me fairly jittery - so Iām not out of the woods yet.
Re the Periactin - not sure if it would be in addition to the Prothiaden or in lieu. Will find out on next visit. Barb, Iām on 75mg of Prothiaden but have previously been on 150mg.
Thatās all I thinkā¦Valium still working its magic
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I asked the technician if he saw anything ā¦ He said no.
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He was right. :lol:
http://www.sexyfoodtherapy.com/sft/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/no-brain.jpg
Iād better go too. Homer, ermm, I mean Vic, you get Medicare rebates on all of this right? I know I got a couple of hundred back after I saw Granola the first time. 
S 8)
ā Begin quote from āscottā
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I asked the technician if he saw anything ā¦ He said no.
ā End quote
He was right. :lol:
Iād better go too. Homer, ermm, I mean Vic, you get Medicare rebates on all of this right? I know I got a couple of hundred back after I saw Granola the first time.
S 8)
ā End quote
Ha ha, you cheeky monkey. Thereās definitely something in there - I hear a rattle when I turn my head :lol:
No rebate for the MRI. Will get something back from Granotās visit - tried at Medicare today but the wrong date was on the receipt so Disinterested Medicare Drone Woman wouldnāt process it.
Snaps! $320 eh? Guess Iāll just have to bite the bullet.
Ok, I have to ask. Why do you all pay so much for healthcare, I hear of you guys talking about insurance, but then talk about these big prices to see the doc.
This is before insurance, right? What the heck is going on over there in your neck of the woods. LOL ( wow lots of puns you can make on this forum) hee hee
K
Hey Vic/Scott, just letting you know that you can get MRIs in Campbelltown and Nowra and they are bulk billed. I went to Nowra as it didnāt take as long to get in as Campbelltown.
Iāve had one visit to Dr Chen at RPA and he certainly didnāt take an hour or go into that much detail so I may see Granot too. Did you get back much on Medicare?
As to Voltaren, Iām going to look into that as I use Nurofen all the time and I think they work similarly. I donāt get headaches often but when I get very dizzy I take Nurofen and it eases the intensity.
ā Begin quote from āKristinaā
Ok, I have to ask. Why do you all pay so much for healthcare, I hear of you guys talking about insurance, but then talk about these big prices to see the doc.
This is before insurance, right? What the heck is going on over there in your neck of the woods. LOL ( wow lots of puns you can make on this forum) hee hee
K
ā End quote
In our system you can pay nothing at all for healthcare. It works like this: the Government sets a āscheduleā fee for all medical services. For example, they might say that an hour with a neurologist costs $150 (I donāt know the exact figure, Iām guessing). If you go to a doctor who ābulk billsā you will pay nothing out of pocket, it will all be covered by Medicare. Doctors are allowed to charge whatever they want - so, if it is above the schedule fee you pay the difference. So, if a neurologist charges $250 per hour, you would pay āout of pocketā $100. In addition to Medicare many people take out their own private health insurance, at different levels of cover. It is quite complicated as to what the insurance will or wonāt pay.
In the case of Dr Halmaygi, he works in the public hospital system. So all my tests there were completely free. The consult with him left me āout of pocketā about $100.
In the case of Dr Granot he works in his own private practice. I will still get some money back from Medicare - Iām just not sure how much yet. He suggested I get my MRI done at a particular centre which he thinks is very good. That practice is fully private so there was no Medicare rebate, however it was cheaper than others places I have been to where I DID get a Medicare rebate. I was under no obligation to go to the MRI place that Granot suggested - I could, like Manny suggested, have gone to a place that bulk bills and I would have paid nothing at all. I was happy to go to the place Granot recommended. It was all my choice.
Thank you, I find it so interesting how different each country is. In a round about way its similiar to us I guess.
My curiousity was getting the best of me, thanks for the post.
K
Resurecting Dr Granot once again as I had another appointment with him today.
We are dumping Prothiaden. Dr G says he has indeed seen some patients who do well on a med, go off it and continue to do well then when they have a relapse and try it again it doesnāt work anymore. But he also says heās seenevery permutation imaginable - works once, works always, works sometimes etc etc.
So, as the Prothiaden is NOT working he says I can dump it rather quickly, over the course of a week or so.
Then I am going to start Periactin. I did tell him that Iād started using Phenergan (and quite a lot of it) but he said it is the āwrongā anti histamine. He also seemed quite impressed by my ability to tolerate drowsy drugs :lol: . I did point out that I am NOT able to tolerate speedy drugs (had a Diet Coke today and buzzing and bouncing and jitterbugging about like a freaky loon).
Depending on how that goes after a couple of months weāll look at Topamax. He also mentioned Sandomigran.
On a funny note, as I came out of his office a lady in the waiting room said āOoooh, you look happyā and I said āIāve got a prescription! And if youāre lucky youāll get one too!ā She beamed hopefully and said āYay! I want one!ā :lol:
Hi Victoria,
I have my fingers crossed that the Periactin works for you. I went on this (only 4mg per night) while pregnant, and it seemed to help the MAV, although I think the pregnancy also assisted. What sort of dosage are you aiming to get to on the Periactin?
I took Prothiaden for a few months before getting pregnant and it helped considerably. I went off it during pregnancy and switched to Periactin, but since the birth of my baby the MAV has come back stronger, so Iām back on Prothiaden. Itās been over three weeks and I havenāt yet felt any improvement. I wonder if I, like you, wonāt have any luck with it the second time around. I am going to persist for at least six weeks to see if I have any luck. But to be honest, I think the problem is my trigger load is high (a baby who is very wakeful at night = no sleep routine for me; hormones all over the place etc), so it may be a struggle for any med to help at this stage. I am counting on things settling down once my baby starts sleeping better through the night (haha!!).
I wish you a speedy improvement on Periactin.
regards,
Helen
Hey Vic,
Sounds good. Hope this next one does the trick for you.
S
Sounds like a positive plan to try something else out. Clearly - for reasons unknown - the prothiaden isnāt working this time for you, so itās time to move on and try something else!
Hope you soon see some benefits!!
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On a funny note, as I came out of his office a lady in the waiting room said āOoooh, you look happyā and I said āIāve got a prescription! And if youāre lucky youāll get one too!ā She beamed hopefully and said āYay! I want one!ā :lol:
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:lol:
was there any feedback about your MRI?
Thanks guys - fingers crossed. Iām off to Bali today for a weekās holiday so not changing anything with the meds till I get back (not worth risking uspsetting the apple cart while on holiday!).
Gabrielle - MRI was fine - nothing there that shouldnāt be and everything in its proper place.
Helen - I have no doubt birth and being a new mum is whatās giving you problems now. Lack of sleep, hormones all over the shop. Hang in there! Hopefully the Prothiaden kicks in for you soon. Iāll be going up to 12mg of Periactin per night.
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Iāll be going up to 12mg of Periactin per night.
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Bloody hell Vic you do have the constitution of an ox (but not the figure of one I hasten to add!!) 4mg puts me in dreamland for about 12 hours :lol:
Itās interesting that he says phenergan is the āwrongā anti-histamine. I wonder why some of us get relief from it? And did he say what the difference is between the āwrongā and the ārightā ones?
good news on the MRI
Iāve said it before, you could give Vic a schooner or petrol and sheād sleep like a baby while the rest of us would be in the ER. :lol:
ā Begin quote from ālorcalonā
ā Begin quote from āVictoriaā
Iāll be going up to 12mg of Periactin per night.
ā End quote
Bloody hell Vic you do have the constitution of an ox (but not the figure of one I hasten to add!!) 4mg puts me in dreamland for about 12 hours :lol:
Itās interesting that he says phenergan is the āwrongā anti-histamine. I wonder why some of us get relief from it? And did he say what the difference is between the āwrongā and the ārightā ones?
good news on the MRI
ā End quote
Itās weird, generally the dopey drugs barely affect me at all (except for the travel sickness one which left me a gibbering wreck of jelly on the floor, rolling to my bedroom to pass out for a few hours). Granot chuckled at my 100mg Prothiaden + 25mg of Phenergan and said āWow, you must sleep wellā and I replied honestly, āNope, still takes ages to get to sleep, wake up during the night, but yes, I do struggle to get up in the morningsā.
I like Granot and heās super smart (unversity medal!) but he also doesnāt think Valium helps so you knowā¦likeā¦whatevsā¦ 