Migraine and Co morbid illnesses.

Just bumping this up.
thanks to all who have responded.
Wanted to feed this back to the two ladies and a gentleman on whose behalf I am collating this about Wednesday.
Please if you haven't voted, I would be appreciative if you would.
No need to comment if you don't want to....
Thanks very much all of you.

P

Meant to say, I will post the findings of this, totally non scientific but possibly helpful Poll
Thanks again.

So, thus far, of the 44 votes here. Most of us do NOT have just migraine.
Many have other illnesses, which admitting to my own ignorance many or may not be cause or effect.

More than I would have imagined also like myself have FM
And several IBS.

Does anyone have any comments or opinions on this very small sample and unscientific poll please?
Myself I am surprised that less of us have just migraine. Man more have other possibly intrinsic problems.

Thanks again for indulging me and think I will shut this off tomorrow (Wednesday night)

Cheers all.

My reply's late, but it's been a rough week head wise. I'm hypothyroid, year round allergies, depression, and a migrainer. DH is a celiac (autoimmune response to gluten), insomniac, seasonal allergies, anxiety and undiagnosed hyperthyroid (I see all the signs, but the tests come back high-normal). I think that migraines and autoimmune issues can be interrelated, and my neuro tends to agree, but there's hasn't been a study to officially correlate the two.

Thank you Sara. I think you and your neuro are correct. Lot of thyroid people get lots of headaches if not migraine.
I hope you are feeling better than you have been.

migraine
depression
insomnia

I know I marked only migraine as I don't have other chronic conditions. I do have Essential Tremors (which have actually begun getting worse lately), had TMJ, had depression, had rheumatic fever, had RSD, and other weird reactions to injuries (I suspect Ehlers-Danlos but never have been tested or evaluated). The had are in the past as I don't currently have issues with the.

Thank you Pen. I'm managing, but I visit the in-laws on Friday, so I'm planning to be in a constant attack this weekend. Plus 4 plane trips and a time zone change. Blegh! Bless my neuro's heart, she gave me some injectables and permission to take things a little sooner than normal this weekend.

Other: Hypothyroidism, Restless Legs Syndrome, Osteopenia.

Lynelle

Leslie - Although your ailments may have been there all your life, all of your symptoms I think hit all of us to some degree just because of the migraine. And about being skinny, have you tried Topamax? I'm sure you know this but antidepressants (which I guess I'm just assuming you might be on since you mentioned depression) have been known to really slow metabolism. With Topamax you won't eat period so slow metabolism won't have its effect.

Pen, the age of each person would probably be helpful and at what point they got their diseases and migraine. I think once you hit mid-life you start to pick up extra crap that wouldn't have anything to do with migraine. If you got enough results, you might see some correlations though. Maybe you should apply for a grant. We can do our own research.

Ha Linda, we probably do need our own research, lord knows with the lack of funding and in some cases interest, we the patients know best what we feel. I like to try to find things but I am not very scientific I'm afraid.
Mind you, given we are given drugs for everything out there except migraine as preventatives, that isn't too scientific either...

Good thought about ages though, thanks...

Thanks to everyone that took the time to respond to this.
It seems on this tiny and purely anecdotal poll that more of us have other conditions than straight migraine.
It also seems that as many have IBS and Fibro as straight migraine.

This might not mean much to anyone, but there is a theory that some migraines are a cause rather than an effect.
I think I might fall into this. Therefore, and given I haven't, I think I might need to give more attention to primarily my FMS and also the iBS (which started it all) in order to gain some control over my migraines.
My unknown triggers would seem to be intrinsic.
I am speaking with a doctor about this, for my own benefit, but if anyone else particularly with FMS would like to be kept informed, just let me know. I have a FB page dealing with the issue too. Almost all of the so far 90 people on there also have co morbids.

Anyway I will let you know what he says, and once again thank you for bothering, and I was sorry to read of the awful illnesses some of us are having to bear. As if migraine isn't enough.

As CD said. "God bless us all, everyone."

Pen

Interesting to me the number of thyroid/goiter problems, for that matter all the autoimmune disorders.
And yes, I am coming to the same conclusion Pen that the migraine is the symptom of a problem.
Whether the problem is autoimmune or not the statistics even on this short survey lend support.
The catch is that many people may have antibodies attacking something they shouldn't be and the right test hasn't been ordered. (Or designed yet).
Add to the list conditions like celiacs and endometriosis which are associated with autoimmune through genetics it gets interesting, very confusing, but interesting.

marion wrote:Interesting to me the number of thyroid/goiter problems, for that matter all the autoimmune disorders.
And yes, I am coming to the same conclusion Pen that the migraine is the symptom of a problem.
Whether the problem is autoimmune or not the statistics even on this short survey lend support.
The catch is that many people may have antibodies attacking something they shouldn't be and the right test hasn't been ordered. (Or designed yet).
Add to the list conditions like celiacs and endometriosis which are associated with autoimmune through genetics it gets interesting, very confusing, but interesting.

That part - can you point me in a direction of the information relating to that? I forgot about that - I'm currently in remission on endometriosis and have an IUD that seems to be keeping that at bay. But suffered for a number of years with it and ended up having to do a chemical menopause to get it under control.

I have FB group now 90 strong where we have been discussing FMS/IBS/Migraine.
It came from my ponderings about there being maybe (and it is just me, nothing scientific).
as to whether there may be 2 forms of migraine.
As a stand alone (cause) and as a symptom (effect).

I started with IBS, got menopause, got migraine, got FMS.
The more I talked to people the more apparent co morbids came out of the wood work.

Now there seems little doubt that lots of people have "migraine". With no other encumbrances.
But others of us have so called co morbids....FMS, IBS, Thyroid, the list goes on.

I am not smart enough (yet..LOL) to work out the common denominator here, if indeed there is one.
But my husband and I, and now some helpful drs on line, plus 2 thyroid experts are working on the idea that if our migraines (not everyone's) are a symptom, we will never be free unless we hit the cause(es)

It is just a theory, it is anecdotal, there is from my point of view no science behind it as yet, but on a personal level I am keen to find out if it can help me.

Thanks for all the help guys.

My two cents worth. I think migraine is a symptom of something else--the something else could be numerous things, as all of us on this forum are very different. Just like a stomach ache could be a symptom of many things, not just one thing, I think the same of migraine. That is why one medication works for one, but not another.

I'm far from being a doctor, but the doctors and scientists don't seem to know much more!

Exactly Linda, and for me, I have IBS and FMS, and have had thyroid fluctuations.
There a couple of very eminent drs in the US who work mainly with thyroid and FMS but having met one of them I do know of the amount of headaches and migraines some of the patients have had. When they have been otherwise "sorted" the headaches/migraines went too. So that is my preferred tree for the barking of right now, because neuro cant help me.
Well never did actually. And I am back on the hormone trail too , because the whole thyroid thing is endocrine....
But I stress...that's just me......

If anyone wants to join the FB discussion on this subject you are very welcome.

Heelerlady,
I picked this one
http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/autoimmune_endometriosis
cause it went into the association of all sorts of weird problems but any search of "endo autoimmune" will bring up 1000's

I forgot to mention I had endometriosis in 1979.
That was into my IBS phase but pre FMS and Migraine.
It gave me dreadful abdominal pains, and into my back.
I had a lot of tests, but they couldnt find what the cause was.
I had the dr out in the night several times and collapsed walking home with the pain.

They sent me to get my kidney checked first, but the IVP just showed the non functioning kidney that I was born with.
Not the cause of the pain.

So I was referred to a gynie. He told me it was endo and I would be sterile.
That made me mad, I felt I would decide that for myself.
Anyway I wasnt cos in late 1980 my 3rd child was born.
She was a joy and took the endo with her....
So I never got any treatment for it, but it sure was painful and made me very tired.
Very similar to some of the FMS problems I get....

Thanks for the link. Interesting. We have thyroid disease that runs in the family (my mother and a cousin) and to see that it was related. Hmm....well it'd be wonderful if they could find the true source for all these weird issues.

I thought I would revive it.
We have many new people and it seems given the current thread, most of us have many more things wrong with us than just migraine.
It appears that hardly any of us have "just" migraine.

What does this mean? How about this XMRV virus that they think might cause Fibro etc?
What happens to us that we suffer so many things, and so many of them are the same.

I read a good article by Jacob Teitelbam this morning.
It isnt about migraines, but he is a good Dr and it is worth reading unless you are one of the few who "only" have migraine.
And dont be put off by it being in Psychology today....


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/complementary-medicine/201007/xmrv-and-cfs-2nd-positive-study-fuels-more-controversy

I've also had bloodwork done many times to check my thyroid. A few doctors have said that my thyroid is large and hard, but the blood work shows it's functioning in the normal range. I'm the ONLY female over 30 in my mother's side of the family who is not on thyroid medication of some type. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

That normal range is not normal to a thyroid dr who knows his stuff.
The gate is far too wide. And ours is worse than yours I think.
Check out someone like Dr John Lowe or Jacob Tietelbaum, many others.
Bet they would be treating you Brenda.

Pen

I didn't know you could take a poll like that, Pen. I have arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. Also some other things. So what's on your mind?

Hal