My husband has charted my migraines on Excel

He took the statistics, migraines, triptans and other possible implications.
Well, I guess we might not have gotten everything....

My migraines are on a rough cycle of evry 4th day and lasting 3 days at a time.
It's hard to be sure, because i have all this myofascial pain every day and they can run into each other.
I can go 8 days once in a while and it can last 1 day or 5....but overall, looking at 2 years it is 4th day for 3 days,...

Guess what he found....drum roll.....
They appear to be totally random....

NOTHING external seems to influence them.
Food, weather, sleep, medication. Not even stress.
He said, they do appear to be totally random overall.
And they come on in seconds like pushing a button. (well the few that come on in the day, I don't know at night).

The only trigger I have EVER known was hormones.
No migraine until peri menpause and then with period, later middle of month, until every hormone twitch produced one.
Given I have been in menopause since 2005, could it STILL be hormones....Of course we cant chart that any more!!!
We cant find another trigger except lights and smells if I am on the cusp anyway....

So I wondered, has anyone else with no apparent triggers tried charting them, and did it reveal anything?
I am disappointed. I really hoped putting it down mathematically like that would give me a clue.
Especially as we are trying to get away for a couple of days....

I am bummed today because I had a lousy head yesterday (day 4) and felt sure I would wake with migraine this morning...
No I havent. So now its day 5, and although I do NOT want a migraine, I needed to get it over to try to get away....
Our window of opportunity is closing.

Pen

You probably knew you would hear from me. I haven't literally written down everything like your husband did (good idea by the way), but I do have kind of a spreadsheet in my head (along with my check book and everything else--very rarely document anything). I lead a fairily routine life and eat pretty much the same stuff everyday so nothing like that triggers my migraines. They are pretty much on a cycle regardless of any external factors--every 3-4 days. Unlike you, I am able to abort them most of the time. Without abortives mine would be lasting 3-4 days I am sure. Hormones I think are the culprit. When does it end (if ever)? I don't know. It is a depressing fact. I am very thankful I can abort most of them. I think I am too young to be consuming so many drugs though. I hate it. You wouldn't catch me even taking an aspirin before these started. Now I will take anything and any quantity to do the job.

I hope you get your free days!

Pen..When I've seen a new neurologist that have always given me a migraine diary..since they were a new doctor to me..just in case, I didn't know my triggers.

It asked the normal question//pain level 1-10

Time you woke up, went to bed, ate and what you ate, if and when you had the migraine document how you felt at the time (stupid question..how does anyone feel when they have a migraine? GRRRR.)

What you took for the migraine..did it work..how long did it take..etc.

I've had migraines most of my life..since I was 14 but didn't know they were migraines..until I was diagnosed at 21..

So the diary came much later..but, multiple times. I'm so sorry that you tracked everything and it didn't show a particular pattern..Praying,that you feel better soon. greeneyes

Every 4th day is not random!

The random is, the regardless of seemingly everything. Weather, food, etc etc.
4 days is an average. Today's is day 6. Never more then 8, which is once this year, and is two 4 days isnt it.
Can be only 3, but overall, last 2 years it is every 4th day for 3 days regardless of everything we can think of.
All external influences, including stress....

Pen

I too have been maintaining a daily log for the past 16 months and never found a pattern either. Not to foods, caffeine, weather or much of anything I could think of. Travel and turning my neck would cause it to flair, but I got plenty with neither of those things. If you think it could be hormonal, you really should give the natural progesterone a try. You can still be having this problem well through menopause. My problems did not start till I was 46.

I was highly skeptical, but it worked.

Www.migraine-headaches-information.com.

I've never found an obvious trigger. They are completely random unless it is the day after a big event or I am exposed to some sort of chemical that I'm sensitive to. Otherwise who the hell knows what sets them off. I gave up trying to find a reason or obvious trigger years ago. They are what they are and attack whenever they want to. It's almost like having a little brat in your head that throws temper tantrums at the slighted provocation.

Alli

The reason he did this was because we are still trying to get away for 3 days and not managed.
Looking to see if there was a better time....apparently not.
Now on day 4 and no sign of abating.....

P

I hope it lets up soon. It's such a frustrating disease.

I wonder if we're looking at it the wrong way? Maybe migraine is the norm and something we do during migraine triggers a pain free period.

Sounds about right Leslie. I went 8 days last month and I would love to know what I did right???????????