I have had debilitating migraines since I was in high school. The worst of them sometimes sent me to the emergency room for some kind of relief before I decided to drive an ice pick through my temple to end it once and for all.
In the last five or six years, I have kept Imitrex on hand, the only drug that seemed to help. Unfortunately, after the heart attack I was told to lay off the Imitrex as it doesn’t play nice, what with all the blood thinners and whatnot floating around in my arteries now.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to matter: in the last five months since the heart attack, I have had only one, relatively weak, migraine. I usually average one a month. As if this wasn’t enough to rejoice about, I also have only had two or three regular headaches in that time. I used to average three or four a week.
With my blood pressure, my cholesterol, and my cardiac health all being treated, this is an interesting side effect; the significant decrease in headaches I’m experiencing seems to indicate that they may have had a lot to do with my poor cardiac health all these years. I only wish that the doctors who were quick to prescribe Imitrex and rush me out of the office had been more thorough in finding the cause.
Debilitating Migraines eh? Me too, for forty years. Never tried Imitrex, Lord knows I’ve tried everything else.
I get mine after I eat something crunchy or chewy so we know the jaw is somehow involved, when we left Alaska and my husband went on to Salem where we’ll retire I stopped in Seattle because the UW Medical center is the world leader in Trigeminal Neuralgia research.
I haven’t been diagnosed with it yet only because in order to diagnose it the Dr must first rule out several other diseases first including MS.
Having ruled out most of what it could be, we are narrowing it down to what it is, and my original self diagnose of Trigeminal Neuralgia still stands.
Once it is officially diagnosed we can begin treatment. And not a day too soon for me.
I’m so happy for you that some good came out of your heart attack and my hope is that you can live your life pain free for longer and longer periods of time.