[traveling michele]

Originally Posted by luckymommy

Michele, did you have your pain all over your head or in your sinus region? I have absolutely no sinus related symptoms that I'm aware of, so is it still worth exploring? I'm willing to try a lot of avenues. I have a list of things I'm going to pursue.

I did not have pain in my sinuses which is why I was surprised to find issues there. My pain was all over--- often in the back of my head-- other times in the front and mostly just everywhere. The doctors did a cat scan (or MRI I can't recall) and could see polyps and other issues. Once they went in for surgery, they realized I must have had old sinus infections that I didn't realize, plus my sinus cavities were extremely narrow so they widened them. After the surgery, I was able to breathe through my nose much better, and my nose was able to run for the first time (I didn't realize how blocked my nose had been). The relief wasn't immediate-- I also was allergy tested and started allergy shots because I had many severe allergies.

[zenor77]

Have you limited or gotten rid of many of the typical migraine triggers? I have problems if I have nitrates, msg, too much caffeine or chocolate (especially one particular brand.) Sometimes beer will trigger a migraine for me too. Also, too much stress and high altitude (9,000 feet) have caused issues for me.

I'm glad you are having success getting things under control, but I do think finding a way to control the pain is crucial. If pain meds aren't working, you may have to look at altering your lifestyle or tweaking your diet to eliminate certain things. Sometimes migraines are triggered by the unlikeliest things.

Good luck. You can do this!

[luckymommy]

Thank you all so much! I'm overwhelmed (in a good way) by your generosity. I'm looking into all of the ideas you have all contributed and I'm sure that one day soon I'll find a way. I do currently use Loseit to track my food intake, btw. It's a fantastic and free tool that works great for me.

[Megan1982]

Great job getting your food intake under control. It sounds like there are some good suggestions here for avenues to explore to work on reducing your migraine pain. If there is some food sensitivities here, food journaling could help there as well. (My food journal helped me diagnose my blue cheese allergy.) Good luck and keep letting us know how it's going!

[HikingChloe]

Have you considered acupuncture at all? It do it regularly and while my headaches were no where near your level from the sounds of it - it has helped me. I also got herbs from my acupuncturist which helped me quite a bit. There is something about the hour long session that tends to give me some clarity and feel more in control as well.

[Emme]

Just stopping by to give you a hug and to say that I hope you are having a good day!

[luckymommy]

Thanks for all the hugs and support! You guys are awesome! I'm probably going to get some acupuncture again soon. I've heard of a man in my neighborhood who is supposed to be very good and I"m willing to give it another shot.