test for migraine

i was recently asked by an american dr doing research into migs whether if could have my son tested to see if he will have migraines if i would. i said no as i know the chances are high he will and i said if the answer is yes what are you going to do about it??? worry, be filled with guilt??!!! but would anyone else have it done??

I agree. Both my kids get migraines and the guilt is horrible. Thank god Chris get very few anymore and Sarah's have reduced to menstrual only from chronic.

yes i agree about the guilt, my lad is only 7 and hasnt shown any signs yet but if he does get them i know i will feel soooo guilty when i see him in pain knowing how it will devastate his life!

How would they "test" for the possibility of migraine?

Yes, very interesting question - how would one "test" to see if someone will get migraines? I mean, they don't even know what causes them, so how could they possibly have a test to see if someone will get them...hmmm...pondering.

Would certainly like to know. Did they tell you what type of test would be administered?

because theyre researching into the gene that causes them and it was the gene for migraine reserch i was taking part in as my granny, father and 5 of my siblings all get migriane.

dawn.binks wrote:because theyre researching into the gene that causes them and it was the gene for migraine reserch i was taking part in as my granny, father and 5 of my siblings all get migriane.

So how would they test someone like me Dawn, who has no one in the family.
Is there still a gene?
How far back do they look?
Are there two kinds of migraine??

Pen

it would be different for you pen because of your other chronic pain where its a case of the brain screwing up all the pain messages sent to it rather than the migraine that goes through its normal programmes of the different stages. its going to be a controversial subject as it goes into gene therapy and then the ? is how far do you go with that??!! a whole different ball game!

Dawn are you saying my theory of there being two kinds of migraine is considerable then?
I know so many people who have fibro and thyroid problems and no family history, but get dreadful migraines.

P

yes, i do there are!

Hi All,

I think there must be some genetic component to some types of migraines. I know that is true in my case. Would I, if I ever had children, have them tested- not without reason, if there was a way to prevent it, maybe, but probably not. I remember that my father felt horribly guilty for about two years after my migraines became chronic. I am not sure even knows that I noticed that in him, but I did and I think the guilt would be worsre for the child and parent unless, of course, there is a reasonable and safe solution or treatment.


Pain free days,
sailingm

Since migraines are a neurological problem, ANYTHING that causes neurological problems can potentially cause migraines. It is our brains inability to control its own processes that brings on the attacks, the "cause" can be genetic, hormonal, environmental, illness, tumors, anything that messes up the brain.

We tend to focus on the genetic component because it is easier to find a "cause" when it runs in the family. They definitely run in my family but only my daughter and I have had the chronic ones. Everyone else is episodic and gets one every once in a while. So even when they are genetic, that doesn't mean that you will get them and if you do, that they are going to be the horribly chronic.

dawn.binks wrote:yes, i do there are!

Dawn, is this your opinion, or have you picked this up from the powers that be please?
It might mean that if I fix the fibro the migraines would improve.
With no triggers and no connections, I and many others would benefit from knowing this.

Thanks

I agree with ALLI. Thats what I think from all the reading and DR visits.

So far, they have found only one gene that causes one subtype of migraines. They found that several years ago. So I'd assume that you probably carry this particular gene if you are being asked to test for migraines. But from what scientists know about the genetics of migraines, it seems that the genes (including the one they found) make you susceptible to getting migraines, if other triggers get factored in. They won't guarnatee that you will get migraines. My therapist compared it to the gene that makes some people have a greater tendency to become alcoholic or gay. A friend of mine has the alcoholic gene run in his family, so he consciously makes the decision not to drive any alcohol, so he won't run the risk of becoming an alcoholic more easily than someone who doesn't have that gene.

The migraine gene works the same way. I clearly have the gene. I am the third generation to have migraines constantly (my mom and BOTH her parents have/had them all the time), and I'm at least the fourth generation to have them some of the time. We have no idea how many generations back the migraines could go in my family. But it is entirely possible that people in my family, such as my brother and uncles, who do not have migraines, may still carry the gene. My uncle probably does because his son gets migraines. But he just didn't set himself up with the right triggers to set the gene off. I don't think they really know what those particular triggers are. Maybe it's as simple as being in bright light, loud noise, eating MSG, and drinking alcohol all at once, in other words adding up a lot of the "known" triggers for those of us who do have migraines all the time. But it may be ways of coping with stress or who knows what!

I personally never intend to have biological children because of this gene. I probably won't have kids at all because I dont' think I'll be able to take care of them, but if somehow I get better, I don't want to pass this gene on to a fifth generation, since each has gotten worse. But if I already had kids, it might be useful to know that they carry the gene, just to do what I could to help them ward off a migraine. I'd probably get counseling about what to do to keep from triggering the gene that is already there.

VickyG - I would not forgo having kids because they "might" inherit the disease. I have 5 kids that are fine. I can understand not having them because you can't take care of them though.

I knew when I decided to have children that migraines were hereditary in my family but had them anyway. In no way do I regret one single minute of their lives or the difficulty I had raising them because of chronic migraines ( and an idiot for a husband, he thought migraines were something I was "bringing on myself").

Both my kids get migraines although Sarah was by far, worse than Chris. Chris doesn't get many anymore, he kind of grew out of them by the time he was 19-20. Sarah was chronic all through puberty but only gets one or two a month now and those are hormonally triggered.

They do not blame me for passing on the gene. And they have given me joy and definitely a reason to live when I seriously considered suicide. They are smart, fantastic, empathetic people and I do think that watching me struggle and with what they struggled with, they have a learned not to take life for granted.

It was extremely hard to raise a family and work at the same time with migraines but I wouldn't trade a minute if it meant I didn't have my kids.

In the rest of my extended family only one of my neices and nephews (5 of them) gets the occasional migraine so there is no guarantee that even though they carry the gene that they will in fact have migriane disease.

The only real question should be whether you can really take care of them when they are young, but don't let the off chance that the gene will express stop you.

great post ali, so lovely to hear of how youve anaged to bring up the children struggling with migs, it is really tough but as you say they are what makes life worth living!!

my children number 5 also, and i don't regret having them for one moment. i was fortunate in that i didn't start having the M's until just before the fourth child.

all through the kids' childhoods, my M's were quite infrequent. i could usually soldier on, and husband was there if i could not, and had to go to bed for a day.

somehow, we live life one day or one-moment-at-a time, and it all works out. i'd say one must-have would be a husband or partner who REALLY GETS IT.

two of my adult children get infrequent migraines. at least a majority do not! dianne