Newbie here....so glad to find this place!!

Hi everyone,


My name is Kristin. I'm 27 years old and from Jacksonville, FL. I have had migraines since I was a little girl, but they have gotten significantly worse since a car accident 3 years ago. I normally get headaches a couple times a month, but they can also be as often as three times a week. They last for 3-4 days and when I get them I can't do anything except lay in bed and cry. I'm not on any medications as I have no health insurance and can not afford treatment, so I pretty much just suffer through and try to sleep when I get one. What I'm really hoping to get out of being here, besides support and making new friends, is to see if anyone has been able to control their migraines through natural treatment methods like dietary changes etc, as I said unfortunately I have a job with no insurance benefits right now so I'm kind of stuck. Also, I have thought of applying for Disability, but I can technically work. I've lost 4 jobs within the last two years due to being absent because of migraines. If I stay in my normal two to three times a month migraines then I typically am much better about missing work, but if it slides back into my three times a week migraine cycles then I can miss up to 2-3 weeks of work at a time. I seem to switch back and forth between those cycles. So, if anyone has any thoughts as far as disability I would love to hear them. Thank you!

Kristin

welcome to you, kristin. lest you become discouraged, i won't tell you how long i have suffered with these monsters, but YES, i have found dietary changes to be an enormous help.

if you could hit "enter" after every couple of sentences, more people would be able to read your posts. like this.

when you do your research into the american food supply, you will be amazed at how full of migraine triggers it is. did you know that there are about 80 other names for MSG? because most people are aware that MSG can cause headaches, the food manufacturers have wised up and called it by multiple other names. deceptive, big-time.

if you educate yourself, you can avoid a lot of that particular trigger. some people don't seem to be able to identify any food triggers, but most of us can pinpoint things like cigarette smoke, strong perfume, chemical smells, and the like.

i'm really sorry you haven't any health insurance to help you with treatment, but maybe reading your food labels will be one answer for you. this is a great website: www.msgmyth.com. i have met the lady who has maintained this site for the past 15 years or more, and she is truly kind and knowledgeable.

hoping this will help you, you are welcome to PM me for more specifics if you like. dianne

Kristin, I have gotten the most relief from bio- identical progesterone, vitamin D and magnesium. You can buy these without a prescription.

http://www.omega-1000.com/

Other than that, ice packs seem to help when I get one. Oxycodone seems to cut the pain, if you can get a prescription for it. It is not expensive (about $10 for a prescription) but is tightly controlled.

check the post: bout fmla/disability. I just posted on there about disabliity. It might help you out, would re write here, but not feeling so hot!

Nice to meet you
Welcome

I'm very glad that you found us. My neurologist suggested that I try magnesium, vitamin B, and butterbur for my migraines along with the prescription preventives she gave me. Maybe they'll help you. I didn't seem to get relief from them, but she said many of her patients do.

Also, some pharmaceutical companies will give medications to people for free or at a very reduced rate who do not have insurance or aren't able to pay for the medications. It may be worth looking into. Of course, you'd have to have a doctor prescribe them, so if you can't afford a doctor visit, I guess that won't help much.

You mentioned a car accident. I would look seriously at your neck. Perhaps you have some damage from the jolt. This can really pump the migraines up!

From my own experience (and quite a few here I gather) chiropractors are too rough and can make matters worse, but a very gentle pyshiotherapist may be able to help. If they can't do anything within two or three visits, forget the whole idea or find another. Any that suggest "a year of therapy at least madam, as your neck is such a mess" run a mile from.

Good luck!!

When I had no insurance or income i hit the free clinic and got great care . they never rushed in or out like a few Drs had.

And I saw different drs who tried different things. It was good. they had four dollar scripts also. I believe for SSDI you cant be able to work at all. If you say you can work sometimes you dont qualify. even as you described.

I have read on here of others that M got worse after accidents. Have you had your neck pain diagnoised ? Also can you persue insurance money from the accident ?? I hope you can get something working better for you soon.

Hi there,

Welcome =) I'm going to try VitB and folate. Also magnesium. Hope it makes a difference for you.


04/29/2009
Vitamin B and folate fight migraine
Griffith University researchers have recently concluded a clinical trial showing inexpensive supplements help migraine sufferers.
Griffith’s Genomics Research Centre (GRC) Director Professor Lyn Griffiths said the trial had shown that folate and vitamin B helped to significantly reduce frequency, severity and disability of the disorder.
“The trial provided vitamin B supplements and folic acid to more than 50 long-term migraine sufferers for six months,” Professor Griffiths said.
“Results showed a drastic improvement in headache frequency, pain severity and associated disability for those treated.”
Previous studies by the GRC identified a gene, known as MTHFR, which makes people susceptible to migraine attacks when there is a mutation or dysfunction in the gene.
The dysfunction causes people to have higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which is known to cause an increased risk of stroke and other coronary diseases.
“The recent trial was founded on the theory that vitamin B supplements and folic acid will reduce the homocysteine and in turn, improve migraine symptoms.
“The success of our trial — supported by the Brain Foundation, Janssens and Blackmores — has shown that safe, inexpensive vitamin supplements can treat migraine patients.
“We are now going to undertake a more extensive trial and further studies to find out the best dosage of vitamin supplements for individuals as this may vary depending on a patient’s genetic profile.”
A migraine attack causes severe headache with associated nausea and vomiting. It is a devastating disorder that affects approximately 12 per cent of the Australian population.
Professor Griffiths said there was a real need to develop effective treatments to help those afflicted with migraine.
“Current treatments for migraine are not always effective and can be expensive and cause adverse effects,” she said.
Professor Griffiths’ work is at the forefront of personalised medicine, tailoring medical care to an individual’s genetic profile, which is a far safer and more efficient method of prescribing treatment.
Professor Griffiths’ team is a world leader in identifying genes associated with migraine disorders and was the first to show that variations in hormonal-pathway and blood-flow related genes are linked with the disorder.
The Genomics Research Centre has established a significant bank of population genomic resources, including the world’s largest collection of DNA samples from migraine patients, multi-generational pedigrees and samples from the unique isolated founder-population from South Pacific’s Norfolk Island.