. HELP ! Do you or have you suffered with sever headaches.?

Question

This questiuon is about my husband and his awful headaches.
Brief history- 5 yrs ago he started to get headaches and migranes, went to docs had MRI scan all clear told 1 in 5 people have migrane so just get on with it, things got worse head aches lasted for 2 weeks at a time, back to docs husband demanded to see specilist, had more scans which where all clear told he had tension headaches given low dose of Amitrityline which has increased to a high dose ( he takes this everyday and when he has a migrane he has to take 10mg of Maxalt (Rizatriptan).
My husband still gets headaches everyday he takes normal painkillers as well ( we have checked and this is ok along side his normal medication).
I know the specilist is doing his job and I have looked at many websites but do you suffer something similar and how have you learned to deal with it? have you had or heard of surgery for this ? Any serious ideas/help/advice this is affecting my husbands quality of life.
Thanks in advace.

Answer 1

I developed severe daily migrainous headaches which were not responsive to normal medications. I started with a headache that lasted over 15 days and ended up in the ICU with numbness down the left side of my body and loss of vision . All test were clear. I saw multiple specialist, and travelled all over the US. This was made even more aggravating as I am a Specialist in Headache Management. I worked with specialist in several fields of alternative medicine as well as pain management, headache management, psychiatry, and relaxation therapy. I attempted accupuncture, as well as several trials of nutritional supplements. I believe in all these treatments, though they don't work for every patient.
Eventually, I was taking, pain medications, and it was determined that my headaches were probably due to multiple head injuries in the past, which had also resulted in a seizure disorder.

I have now stopped all medications except some medications which help prevent seizures and headaches. Follow a headache prevention diet, and control my headaches with biofeedback. Though it has taken time to get the proper combination.

Get your husband with a specialist, have him continue to work until a treatment is reached, do not believe anyone who says they can cure the headaches with any miracle 100% cure rate treatment like dbgyong, it does not exist. But there is a treatment for everyone.

A good source of information is the National Headache Foundation. Look at the information under Educational Resources. There is a lot and much of it won't apply, but there is valuable information which you can use, like headache diaries, diets, etc...

www.headaches.org

I have noted that one person recommended chiropractic manipulation, another mentioned that they had hemiplegic migraines. My migraines it turns out were of the basilar artery form. As a caution, basilar artery and hemiplegic migraines not only should not take the triptan type migraine meds, they should never have chiropractic. Never try chiropractic until cleared by your specialist. Chiropractic may help, but if the chiropractic physician is not trained in headaches he can cause a stroke in certain types of migraines.

Dont give up, there is a treatment for everyone, it just takes time!

EDIT: FOR Joan F: years of research on paracetamol (one of the most researched medications in history) has never shown any suggestion of the medication leading to gastric ulcers. I have some problems with the widespread use of paracetamol in combination medications as it is overused and thought to be overly benign by the public, but ulcers it is not suspected of.

Answer 2

I suffered from headaches for 18 years, right side of my face neck and head,even inside of my mouth was tender. My eye hurt when I moved it. I had bone softening treatment, I even had tooth out at my request, I insisted I had an xray of my head. Which showed nothing. I really thought it was a tumour or something. The pain used to last 60 hours four days into my period. At the menopause it all just stopped. But I took so many paracetamol tablets I now have ulcers. I also had migraine tablets which did nothing to stop the pain. The doctor said the paracetamol are not the reason for the ulcers but I tend to disagree. I think my migraine was somehow related to swollen veins at the time of the month.
This information may help someone but not of course your husband (being a man) He could have an a food allergy, Cheese, Chocolate, Yoghurt's, Cream, alcohol or something else. Don't rule out things like bread some people are allergic to the ingredients in food. Take a note of what he has eaten and see if it's that.
I now have a droopy eye from the pain I had. My sympathy goes out to your husband. It's awful.
You could try to get an allergy test done. I think it would be worth it. It could be caused by tension also, or eyesight, looking at the computer too much. You didn't say if the pain was one side of his head, in his neck or whether it was front or back of the head. The position of it can tell you a lot. Neck is usually tension, sides are usually migraine, top can be blood pressure etc etc.

Answer 3

Was listening to a doctor on "Science Friday " on NPR , a few years ago . Realized then that my bad headaches were migraines . That doctor described the mechanisms of migraines . It helped a lot in reducing them . It's controlled , in part by blood sugar level. I noticed after that , that an attack was more likely from eating too much (Thanksgiving dinner!), or not eating anything for most , or all of the day . Certain foods are more likely to set it off . Citrus , especially grapefruit (I used to eat/drink grapefruit ~ every day . ) Aged cheeses , such as parmesian & romano are at the top of the list . Artificial sweeteners , especially aspertame , which is derived from grapefruit, can lead to migraines . Certain beers do it to me . (Sam Adams 'Cream Stout', for ex )Other food can too, varies with the individual . He should keep track , at least mentally , of what he ate & drank earlier, when an attack occurs .

The original, commercially produced, migraine medicine was capsules of powedered leaves, or extract of matricaria , aka , feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium) . It was prerscribed, & commonly available , in Canada for 20+(early '70s?) years, before anything was available in the US . It wasn't patentable , so nobody was interested . Some of the current drugs are the synthetic descendents of this .

I was very happy to learn of this , ~ 10-12 yrs ago , as I had the answer to my problem growing right next to my driveway !;D I started cautiously , and eventually worked out that 1 a leaf slightly larger than a quarter was the right amount for me , two if it was really bad . It did the trick in about 30- 45 minutes . The first time I tried it, the headache had been with me for almost 4 days . Gone in less than an hour! About 10 % of the time it didn't work, or took much longer it didn't . Then someone who was taking a commercial drug told me what her doctor said . She was advised to take her medication 3-4 times a week, regardless of headache, and then after a month or so, it should work whenever she needed it . I tried this with matricaria , and now it works 99+% of the time . I've only had 1 this year that lasted more than a few hours, and that might have been because I forgot to take some with me, so was most of the day without it .Best thing is that there are no side effects, other than the awful taste .It's also inexpensive, in my case, a 65 cent seed packet, has self-propogated for 15 yrs. I know other people who've had equally good results .

He can ask his doctor about it , but don't expect much . If it's not on their drug salesman's list, its no good , as far as most doctors are concerned . Ex: Last year, a doctor came in to where I work ( a garden center/ cut flower grower) under orders from the other half, to buy daisies . He was perplexed by all the possibilities , and couldn't reach her .He jokingly said all the choices wre giving him a headache . I jokingly replied that if it got too bad, the original migraine medicine was right there in his hand . Dr Jekyll, meet Mr Hyde . He went on a five minute rant/lecture against "natural medicine" & "unproven substances " (it has been tested,and found safe, in Canada, long time ago, not that I would ever tell customers what I just told you ) I've heard other variations of that , & it does seem typical . Anyway, worth a look , if you're desperate, and nothing else works .

http://www.purplesage.org.uk/profiles/feverfew.htm

http://www.hardyplants.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=PMUW-A2&Category_Code=Tanacetum

Answer 4

I used to get headaches only I put mine down to my periods when I used to have them, I had a bleed on the brain 2 and a half years ago only every now and again my speech was slurry as though drunk,so my doctor sent me for lots of tests, the results were that I have had quiet a few strokes over a number of years, that's me. My niece gets severe migraine and has had lots of tests and tablets she has changed her diet and the headaches are less frequent. I have given you 2 different true stories so you need to go back to your Doctor even ask for a different consultant as this could be something simple to something serious. An old doctor once told me to listen to my own body so if your not happy make your point, good luck.

Answer 5

I sympathise wholeheartedly with your husband as a few years back my husband had terrible chronic headaches that were so severe he literally felt like banging his head into the wall. He had a MRI scan after months of trying to convice the doctor it was more than high blood pressure. His scan proved
that he had narrowing of the ventricular and was diagnosed with hydrocaphelus which is pressure caused by water on the brain. He had two shunts put in his brain which did ease the pain. He did still get headaches but not as chronic as before.
His quality of life was dramatically reduced
My husband suffered for six years and eventually developed epilepsy. I sadly lost my husband last year because of this condition. Get a second opinion from a hospital that specialises in neurological conditions or
even consider having a private consultation done. I wish you luck and hope you get some peace of mind as to what's causing your husbands pain. My best wishes to you

Answer 6

It appears most people are satisfied to treat the symptoms, without going to the actual cause of the problem. Headache is not normal under any circumstance, other than a severe rise in temperature.

I saw no reference by anyone, having visited a doctor of Chiropractic. The one thing they treat exceptionally well is headache.

There is a direct connection of a neurological problem and structural problem of the body. You may notice a tipping of the head to one side or one shoulder being higher or longer than the other. Being suggestive of a pronounced structural problem. This can create pressures at the base of the skull and initiate an inflammatory process to involve some of the cranial nerves. Which become necessary to create a headache.

Answer 7

Jokes about sex and headaches abound. But if you get a piercing headache during orgasm, it's no laughing matter. Sexual activity — especially an orgasm — can trigger a headache. You may notice a dull ache in your head and neck that builds up as sexual excitement increases. Or, more commonly, you may experience a sudden, severe headache just before or during orgasm.

Answer 8

I'm hoping your husband is keeping a health diary keeping track of every thing that goes in his mouth, he is being exposed to in the air (like fragrances, cleaning chemicals, cigarette smoke, petro chemicals) and all the stresses he is having daily? This is a good way to isolate what may be causing his problem. Its a trigger diary, charting helps you figure out what his triggers are.

I have found that when I am feeling a migraine coming if I put an ice pack on both my forehead and the base of my skull where my head meets my neck I can lessen the length and amount of pain I have.

My triggers tend to be foods I can not tolerate such as foods with MSG in them, caffeine, and foods I am allergic to. I'm also super sensitive to perfumes.These are all things to keep in mind when trying to figure out what is causing his migraines.

Answer 9

When I get a migraine, I take two pink Migraleve tablets. They clear the pain in around 20 minutes.

There is a stronger Migraleve tablet which is yellow, but they are much more powerful and need to be taken with advice from a chemist.

I wish your husband the best of luck.

Answer 10

There is no medicine for H/A OR MIGRAINE. Not only these but for almost all painful diseases. Hence they become chronic.
Acidity, WORRY, excessive wind, cold , heat, sour food and sinusitis, constipation, intestinal inflammation; drug side effects, TV & COMPUTER SOMETIMES,
Blockage in the flow of Vital Energy are their causes. None of them can be treated with medicine. Our 100% success in treating migraine &H/A confirms it.

Acupuncture is the best treatment.
I can treat it with naturopathy and YOG, but how can you manage pl see.
Pain killers don't treat the pain but we loose the sense of pain for some time; in that duration our body itself treats sometime and credit goes to meds.

Avoid late sleeping if possible; worry, spicy foods, sour fruits, stale bakery foods and alcohole.
Sweet foods, COCOANUT WATER,sweet fruits, milk, rice, SPROUTS, SALADS and good sleep will help you.

But you try one herbal remedy- two drops of drumstick leaves' juice in opposite nostril if one side pains and both nostrils if full H/A will give you rescue. Betel leaf helps but it is very strong.

If it is acute pl search a painful point 3-6 mm behind your thumb nail and press it, H/A will disappear within 30 seconds.

Source(s):
SHREE SWASTHYAYOG TREATMENT, TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
R.H. 19, Jhulelal Society, Sector 2/E, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, INDIA.