[migraine] lots of things happening all at once

[kaberett]

(I am excruciatingly aware of how boring it is that migraine is most of what I talk about at the moment, here and elsewhere; I do not actually expect anyone else to read this but I know I will find these records useful in future, so here we are.)

Symptoms-wise: still not bleeding, but post-prochlorperazine injection on Saturday evening, I didn't get symptoms (?photosensitivity, worsening of normal headache) until 3pm on Monday despite not having started the oral course of prochlorperazine until, er, symptoms started reappearing. But. I've been basically functional and non-migrainous! This feels pretty damn miraculous!

Treatment-wise: I now have an MRI booked for hideously early one day next week, and (o joy o raptures) a phone call with my GP sometime later that same morning. I submitted an eConsult yesterday with details of the A&E trip and the call to The Migraine Trust -- I flagged up that I'd had migraine symptoms of 12 days of the last 31 (the threshold for "chronic migraine" being "15 headache days per month, of which at least 8 have features of migraine") including the unacceptably long stretch; I asked for a prescription for vitamin B2 and magnesium, and how I should handle future long-running migraines, and how concerned I should be about my increase in Reynaud's symptoms; and I flagged up the need for my GP to consider possible interactions of prochlorperazine and amitriptyline, per the A&E doctor's request.


I have also spent some time in the company of the BNF's treatment summary for migraine -- and, oh, to make a hollow laughing:

Medication overuse should be addressed in patients overusing acute treatments such as 5HT1-receptor agonists, combination analgesics, ergots, or opioids for migraine. Withdrawing the overused medication can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches but is often associated with transient worsening. Not all patients overusing acute treatment will develop medication-overuse headache; in some patients, continued headaches may be a sign of poorly treated migraine. [emphasis mine]

So I'm going to print that out and highlight it to take to my neurology appointment, and I have also decided that: fuck it. Fuck all of it. I've got plenty enough data to do the actual statistical analysis on (which I might, just in case) demonstrating that my headache is not due to medication overuse, so I'm... just going to go back to taking adequate pain relief, actually, thanks, and have the argument about whether it would have been better to make more A&E trips in a time of plague when I, you know, see a neurologist.

Back to hurry up and wait it is...

Comments

[watersword]

Fingers crossed for SOMETHING to be useful.

[davidgillon]

I'd love to see you talking about other things because migraines aren't happening, but 'boring' isn't the word I'd pick for your current necessary focus. Concerning yes, boring no.

A word of warning WRT hideously early MRIs. I had a 6:30AM one a few years ago and OMG, so hideously cold! I am not exaggerating when I say that when the radiologist needed to adjust something (how I was lying?) she literally ran into the room and then ran out again. I suspect a combination of not heating the room overnight while still cooling the MRI's cryostat and superconducting magnet. Dress for the season, or for skiing!

I've been basically functional and non-migrainous! This feels pretty damn miraculous!

Everything crossed for more of this!

Remember to flag up you're an expert patient in (multiple) other areas so spending time with the BNF doesn't get misflagged as evidence of hypochondria.

[lunabee34]

100% agree with this.

I am one of those weirdos who finds MRIs soothing, and I would have fallen asleep during mine if I hadn't been so damn cold.

[kaberett]

THANK YOU for the note on hideously early MRIs -- I wore an extra layer everywhere than I would otherwise have got around to, and in consequence was for the most part at a very comfortable temperature.

(The exception was, obviously, my feet. I'd meant to pack slipper socks, and then forgotten...)

[chiasmata]

I have no words for how much I hate that your pain is so poorly controlled, just to prove a stupid fucking point to the stupid fucking GP.

[chiasmata]

(This brought to you by someone who was refused over the counter sleep aids yesterday because of my chronic pain meds. I’ve raised it with a GP but god knows if I’ll get a sensible answer.)

[ludy]

Really hoping some of it is useful.

#3 has recently started to have migraines (with the added issue of a Small not being great at giving clear/balanced/comprehensive feedback on their med experiences) so actually all this detail is super-useful - as much as I wish it wasn't based on painful/debilitating experiences for you.

[wildeabandon]

Whilst echoing the voices wishing you weren't having to go through the wretchedness of actually experiencing the migraines, I have not been finding your chronicling of it boring. Often angry-making on your behalf, but not boring.

[worlds_of_smoke]

-hugs- yay for functional days! I would do the statistical analysis out of pure spite, but that's just me.

[silveradept]

Here is hoping that you can get it through the thick skulls of the people you talk to that you know what you are talking about and they can skip to the part where they start doing things that will actually be helpful.

It's not boring you see you tackling this and advocating for yourself the best way you know how. It's aggravating that there's reluctance to believe you.