Emergency Room Trip = Catalyst for Change
I have never felt a migraine that painful before. It felt like something exploded in the back of my head.
I had been struggling with migraine pain all day… no pain meds were touching the pain… it kept getting worse. All day, I debated about whether or not I should go to the Emergency Room. At around 8:30 pm, I went into my bedroom to lay down in the dark, thinking it would help. That was when my brain/body turned on me, and hit me with pain that turned me into a sobbing hysterical mess.
Luckily, my dad was home and we zoomed to the nearest ER as fast as the car would take us. The pain did not let up, not for even one second. It was persistent and the absolute worst I had ever felt. Once we arrived at the ER, the nurse kept telling me to calm down, but I couldn’t. I needed the pain to stop NOW because I just couldn’t take another SECOND of it.
After sitting in a wheelchair for 5 minutes, still sobbing hysterically, my dad insisted they put me in a Quiet room while we waited for a room. Any amount of time spent in the Quiet room was STILL too long for me to handle. I kept begging for pain meds, for someone to make the pain stop, asking for someone to help me, but it just took much too long. It would be another 45 minutes until I was in a dark, quiet, private room, hooked up to a heart monitor, being interviewed by the doctor. At that point, the pain was so bad, I would have rather died than feel it for another second.
He FINALLY gave the nurse the OK to give me Toradol, Dilaudid, and Compazine. Within 5 minutes, the pain subsided and I was able to feel relief. It is crazy that the pain meds worked that well and that quickly. I am so lucky.
All in all, it was the fastest I ever got treatment at the ER, but that still didn’t feel fast enough. I am very grateful that the pain calmed down, and that I was able to go home after a few hours. That amount of pain was traumatizing…
…But in a way, I am grateful… because I finally feel ready to make some lifestyle changes. The ER that night was my Rock Bottom. I knew that I couldn’t keep living the way that I was. And now that I’ve changed some things, I am feeling better.
I will post soon about what I’ve been doing differently. Stay tuned!
Failure? Or Success?
When it comes to migraines, there is still so much mystery!
All of my tests this year–tons of blood work and a CT scan–have come back as “normal.”
After suffering since 2001 with horrible migraines on a near-daily basis, I am still searching for answers in 2014. I cut waaaay back on my hours at work. I was in the hospital 3 times. Yet still, I was told I was “normal” and “healthy.”
There’s a Thomas Edison quote floating around on the internet. I can’t remember the exact wording, but the story goes something like this:
Thomas Edison was asked about all of his failures in trying to invent the light bulb. Edison replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
When searching for migraine relief, it’s a guessing game. Trial and error. I’m going to see a new neurologist on Friday and I am excited to get a new perspective. I’m keeping an open mind. You just never know what will work and what won’t work. I’ve tried many different things (and most of them didn’t help), but you just never know when you might find the one thing that DOES work.
*Fingers crossed* There’s always hope…
Is There a Migraine and Histamine Connection?
When I was in the Emergency Room at the hospital with horrible migraines 3 times this year, I was given a cocktail of medications, always including Benadryl Allergy (diphenhydramine), an antihistamine.
Since it helped me sleep, I decided to take one or two every night before going to bed for the last couple of weeks.
SHOCKINGLY, I’ve had more pain-free days than painful days lately. (Before the Benadryl, I was waking up with horrible migraine head pain almost every day.)
I’ve been doing some research for a few days, and I found a study that is really interesting: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/5/1185.long
Here’s an excerpt:
“Many migraine patients have histamine intolerance evidenced by reduced DAO activity, triggering of headache by food rich in histamine (eg, long-ripened cheese or wine), and the alleviation of headache (ie, disappearance of symptoms) under a histamine-free diet (57, 65) and therapy with antihistamines (66).”
Has anyone else tried a histamine-free diet or a medication therapy including antihistamines (like Benadryl)?????
I feel like I may be onto something…
ER Trip #3 (This Year)
What do you do when your heart is beating erratically, your migraine (on a pain level of 1-10) is a severe 11, and you’re scream/crying because it effin hurts, but you’re scared to take meds?
Who you gonna call….?
(Not Ghostbusters. 😛 )
It’s time to go to the Emergency Room. Every migaineurs favorite place because it’s so peaceful, calm, and quiet…
…Not really. It was an agonizing, torturous wait. They made the scream/crying girl with an irregular heartbeat wait THREE HOURS to be seen. THREE HOURS of torture.
I would say that it felt embarrassing to be hysterical with no “visible” symptoms, but really, it’s the hospital that should be embarrassed for making me wait so long in the waiting room.
How can we make hospitals take us more seriously?!?!?!
Effin Ridiculous.
They told me I have PACs, aka Premature Atrial Contractions. Apparently, nothing to be too concerned about at this point. I’m supposed to keep a heartbeat diary, noting if caffeine or stress levels affect my heartbeat. Other than that, I am “healthy” and “normal.”
Yay…?
So I guess you can add that to my list of health issues, all invisible: Migraine disease, PACs, anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
Yes, I am young (27) and yes I look “normal,” but the pain is real. And really horrendous.
Such is my life right now. Ya feel me?
Here’s to cancelling plans and trying to rest this weekend.
Kelly Alive 