So Kid 1’s migraine is back. We are controlling it for now. We have a follow up on Monday and that’s when we will figure out a more long term solution. Right now mostly it’s severe nausea. She is taking medication for that too, and it’s keeping her from vomiting but she still feels nauseated, which is awful.
But this morning we managed to get half a protein shake and a few sips of coffee into her, so yay.
We haven’t written in weeks. This has been a long and painful ordeal. It seems like I always wake up because my child is in severe pain.
I sent a thank you note to Eloisa James. I ended up reading SAY NO TO THE DUKE, and it kept me sane.
Thank you for all of the awesome recommendations.
SAPPHIRE FLAMES was reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly. They like it.
SWEEP OF THE BLADE will be available in paperback on release date or shortly after. Because it’s a POD (print on demand) book, the company that prints it won’t let us take preorders. I don’t understand why we can’t do preorders. What difference does it make if they receive the order on the release date or prior? I wish I had more information for you on why that is, but I am really dumb right now, so I don’t.
Still haven’t figured out who sent the diamond painting. The investigation continues.
Some of you asked if the deleted scene/short story Misadventure is referenced in SAPPHIRE FLAMES. It is. You will now have insider knowledge of what went on. It fits very nicely with the narrative, so we are stoked to see if you laugh when you start reading those parts. 😉
Kid 2 has set a daily reminder on Gordon’s phone to “poop his pants.” We can’t figure out how to turn it off. Kid 2 is old enough to legally drink, by the way.
Finally, I did this silly meme on Facebook.
I have realized that Samuel L. Jackson is my Patronus.
I had horrible Migraines until 15 years ago. I worked in a county Mental Health unit and one of the doctors told me to try Gabapentin (it is also called: Neurontin). I take 2 at night and I have had little side effects. I cannot in all conscience recommend this medication, but it has helped me. I have had only 3 major attacks in 15 years after spending many days out of work , including trying to read papers with colored auroras floating over script. Again, suggesting any medication does not include your reactions or allergies, but if your Migraines are bad enough…
So basically doc be like, “Ooh, Migraine! Must be Meningitis!”
(three days later)
“Okay, not Meningitis. Must be anxiety. Go home and call your doctor in the morning.”
When in doubt, blame the patient.
(I have a general distrust of any diagnosis that blames the patient).
So I have migraines and have had since I was in a very bad car wreck as a teenager. Through trial and error I’ve found that I can’t take any drugs in the same category as Imitrex due to nausea. Because the only thing worse than a migraine is vomiting with one.
I hope your daughter finds what works for her.
whoops, wrong blog post. But oh well.
I am so sorry. My son inherited migraines from me. We he was smaller they advised against migraine meds and let me give him motrin, Tylenol, a coke and an anti nausea med. If you didn’t catch the headache in time, he was vomiting for hours and in severe pain. Water didn’t even stay down. Light was agonizing. Ice packs and lying on the bathroom floor were a frequent occurrence. All I could do was hope he somehow feel asleep and it would pass while he was out. I kept wishing I could take the pain for him and would do anything to take the pain. Mercifully no demons popped up in response to that plea.
We can now give him migraine meds and the difference is night and day, if he takes the pills at the first sign of a headache. And yes, he says he can tell whether a headache is a migraine or not. I hope you find a good Dr. I would try and start keeping a book of everything to figure out triggers (his are not eating on a regular schedule, allergies, and strong storm fronts(pressure change))
I wish you all the best.
I am sorry kid 1 is having migraines, unfortunately there is usually a bunch of trial an error to figure it out. The above comment on keeping track of things can be very helpful to avoiding migraines. Don’t assume something isn’t a trigger because it isn’t on the list (one of my triggers is orange juice). Although it can be a pain, regular schedules for food and sleep can help. And if a preventative helps, I’ve discovered (the hard way) that they slightly decrease the migraine. Also, warning on pain medication rebounds, sometime stopping the pain medication brings on another headache, which is incredibly frustrating. Hope her “trial and error” period is very short.
How long have the migraines been going on? Anything new in that time? Like laundry detergent? Change in diet?
Have her keep a food diary once she can eat. I inherited my mom’s migraine allergy to certain red foods (red, orange, purple, caramel, etc) but it can also hide like in green bell peppers that would ripen to red, or butter-flavored stuff (have you ever noticed how orange movie popcorn butter is?).
We’re also allergic to certain foods that flouresce under UV light.
A neighbor who had migraines started keeping a food diary at mom’s suggestion and discovered she was allergic to yellows.
When’s the last time she had her eyes checked? Headaches used to clue me in that it was time for a new glasses prescription.
I REALLY hope she gets a handle on the cause quickly.
Hugs!
One time when I was on a date, this guy just started staring at my neck when he hadn’t been. When I got home, found a rash on my throat and that was the first and only time that I wore perfume. I tend to react more when my blood sugar is down.
Now my mom stopped having migraines when she stopped smoking.
I used to suffer from migraine because of a combo of eye strain and florecent lights, and none of the meds prescribed to me worked. What did end up working is a combo of apple cider vinegar tablets( not the capsules) about 6 of them at a time and activated charcoal powder. Not sure if you would be interested in trying it, I thought I would share just in case.
is kid 1 stressing & worrying about something?
also read somewhere that sometimes botox works.
I suffered from frequent migraines for decades – in the fall of 2017 I had one for over a month. I am fortunate to have an amazing migraine specialist. He’s not even a doctor, he’s a PA with a special certificate in headache management but he has gotten me to the point where I have almost no migraines anymore. I do take a number of preventative medications and supplements – verapamil, candasartan, topiramate, vit. b-2, vit. b-6, b-12, coQ10, and Boswellia Serrata. It’s a lot but it is better than migraines. I do believe inquiring around for the best migraine specialist around, even if it requires a bit of a drive, is more than worth it.
My son, who is a doctor, told me that dehydration can cause headaches, and that even if not the cause, dehydration can make any headache worse. I don’t know to what extent this might apply to migraines, but it’s easy to get slightly dehydrated without realizing it, and summer heat is here. Good luck to all of you in getting control of this.
My teen daughter started out with migraines that defied treatment. They were defined as “intractable”. We tried everything and nothing worked. We were not shocked, because she had suffered body pain and gastric issues for years that never seemed to have a medical basis the doctors could find and were difficult to treat. Very long story short, turns out she has a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in which intractable migraines are wildly common. Someone mentioned EDS to me when my kiddo was in the hospital for migraines and I waved it off. Then she spent nearly a year bedridden thanks to the neverending headache and nausea. Seems like you’re early in the process, but keep this in your back pocket just in case the normal migraine treatments don’t work. And the hallmark of EDS is being double-jointed, otherwise known as hypermobility. If, by chance, Kid1 is double-jointed, I’d look into EDS sooner rather than later.
The food coloring my mom and I are allergic to is water soluble (if we boil a food item that has it and pour off the water a couple of times we can eat it) and we’ve found that if we drink a lot of water when we feel the early signs of a migraine we can flush it out faster.
I have some major issues that became much less when I lived in Denmark. Never understood why. Now I’ve researched and researched and slowly taken things away that seem probable culprits. Most aren’t easy oh look get rid of this no more symptom but most when out of system for over a week I feel better over all with less flair ups. One tricky one I cane upon is enriched foods the fda is fond of them and they are also fond of chemically produced replicas of originals like folic acid vs folate one naturally occurs the other is chemically produced. I react to the chemical not to the natural. Unfortunately some aren’t so apparent and the fda allows the same name to use. Normally I’ve found my migraines are one of 3 things ( lack of something, chemicals in my food, or stress that I don’t have a plan for). In case you are wondering Denmark doesn’t complicate their food unless it’s an import.
I take ginger for the nausea that accompanies my migraine. Sometimes, if I soak in double strength epsom salts in a really warm bath, it helps reduce the pain of the headache.
Sounds to me a lot like Kid1 has… migraines. I sincerely hope it’s nothing worse. As someone that grew into migraines aged about 40, I’m really not trivialising them – I describe them as feeling like someone’s driven an axe into my head, and then jumps up and down on the end of the axe for hours. They’re no fun. But apart from wishing I was dead so the pain would stop they’re not actually serious. They disrupt my life but they’re not going to kill me.
I take some pills everyday to keep them down to an acceptable rate (without them I get migraines lasting 3-5 days every week, with them it’s every month instead) and then more pills when the migraines hit to try and reduce the pain and manage the nausea.
So I hope they find out there’s nothing worse, they find something to help her reduce the frequency and impact.
All the best to you all.
I was very interested in your comment, I get migraines:::::With much muchness. Is there a preventative medicine I am not aware of? Please fell free to to comment for a more private discussion if it is controversial or personal. I take a whole cocktail when I get them and have learned some bizarre triggers but preventative meds? No.
Not trying to play doctor here, but I lost an entire semester in college due to migraines. In my case, tension had caused things in my neck to limit blood flow to my head. Took muscle relaxers, shoulder and neck massage, and a lot of anti-inflammatories to get it to quit. I know the frustration; you can treat the symptoms, but without knowing the cause, the migraines won’t go away. Sending good thoughts that you can narrow down the cause
Hi Ilona. I was given a leaflet by my GP on Brandt-Daroff Exercises to try and help my permanent migraine. These worked very well even though I doubted they would do anything due to the simplicity of them. It dislodges crystals in the inner ear. For half an hour a day it’s worth KOne giving them a go and they certainly wont harm.
A very late migraine thought. I started with migraine circa 1965 .
Back then I had emergency home treatments that can still be used til your meds kick in.
gross but it often helped..skip the zofran for nausea, and allow yourself to throw up. May help.
Get in very hot shower. Then no matter the weather I would wrap myself in blankets or quilts. Lie in dark and sweat…Relaxes muscles, medical reason-helps blood flow move from brain into rest of body. Sometimes the brain blood vessels swell and spasm. Take Biofeedback to learn to “heat” your hand temps when migraine starts.
In the absence of obvious causes, maybe look into estrogen, as it’s levels are associated with migraines.
Migraines are horrible – my late mother suffered from them for years. One of her triggers is licorice, and you’d be amazed at how many things contain it. Another allergen to keep an eye out for is soy. My family doc recently told me no one should be eating soy, and that about 50% of people are allergic to it (I’m not allergic but am definitely intolerant)… again, so many things contain soy, even spices. Caffeine from coffee and tea triggers some, but helps others (mum was one of the latter, thankfully).
Unfortunately, as someone else stated above, Kid #1 is in for a rough time trying to determine what triggers those vicious headaches and the nausea that accompanies the pain. Lying down in a dark cool room helps mitigate the symptoms to some degree. I wish her well, and hope it gets narrowed down to stuff she can avoid.
I’m so sorry about Kid 1 and the migraines. I don’t really have any suggestions as everyone else did a great job in the comments. I’ve found an app, Migraine Buddy, vastly helped me keep up with all the extras than come with migraines and how often I get them.
Kid 2 is hilarious and should never change.
Hadn’t checked in to the blog for a bit. Sorry to hear about K1’s problems. Have only had one migraine in my life, but I remember it well and would not wish them on my worst enemy. Hopefully y’all can figure out triggers and treatments quickly. Best wishes!!
Well,it can be worms. A few years ago my sister was compleining about severe headaches and they finally found her problem, a species of worms. OMG, I remember that my grandma was saying that she’s bewitched and she was performing al kinds of rituals with alots of spitting and mumbling. My poor sister was enduring anything just so the pain could stop.
What kind of worms? Pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms or something more exotic?
Could it be high blood pressure? Did the doctors check for that?
Please have your kid try crushed ice in a zip lock bag for her migraines. Place head on pillow with ice at base of head. Move ice to side of head, between eye and ear, switch to other side. Place bag of ice on top of head. This and over the counter medicine worked for me. Dark rooms and no sound or screens.
Hi
I suffered from severe migraines/burning scalp and ended up at the NYC headache center after seeing several neurologists who wanted to prescribe me medication. Dr. Mauskoff recommended magnesium shots, a holistic alternative which has worked wonders. I go monthly. Patients also can receive botox shots in the scalp as well. He’s well respected and i highly recommend magnesium shots ( pills didnt work for me). Good luck
OMG I went to him too, Tried the Botox but no go. Putting them in the scalp where docs have been doing doesn’t help as much as first reported. The problem is that the Botox basically can’t be everywhere at once around the head and neck and it is the problem of dilation and non-dilation that causes the pain. This can happen with or without Botox. Although my forehead was lovely and smooth for a while. Never tried Magnesium shots, must try.
It’s a long shot but my sister had something similar once and eventually was diagnosed with a pseudo brain tumor (brain thinks it has a tumor but it doesn’t). If I remember right, the cure was doing a spinal tap which worked like a reset. It is unlikely this is your kid’s problem, but I bring it up because it was obscure but not horribly terrible to fix.
I suffered from periodic migraines for years. The only thing that kept the nausea at bay was McDonald’s coke. Something about their carbonation ratio worked for me. I also starting seeing an atlas orthogonal Chiropracter, which helped alleviate most of my migraines. Best of luck
What a coincidence! I just found this article a few days ago…
https://www.rd.com/food/fun/mcdonalds-coke/
I too have migraines and am avidly reading all the tips. I have none to offer–nothing seems to work for me. Triggers are allergies, storms and acid reflux.
I have had Chronic Severe Migraines since 2004. There were a ton of tests and lots of trial and error with different medications and treatments. It is important to find out what the triggers are so they can be avoided. I would recommend keeping a diary to try to identify what her triggers are. It took me quite some time to identify all of mine and to be able to feel when one is coming on in time to minimize the effects. Some of my triggers are preserved foods, cured meats (nitrates), caffeine, lack of sleep, eye strain, dehydration. Prevention is the key, She should try to keep the muscles in her neck, shoulders and jaw as loose as possible with stretching, massage and heat packs. It won’t prevent them but it will minimize the length and strength of the migraine. The tight muscles will pinch the nerves as well as minimize the oxygen to the brain. Once the migraine starts there is a limited window to impact it. Once it goes too far she just needs to ride it out. Staying in a dark, cool, quiet room will help. Soda crackers for the Nausea. It’s hard to eat when you feel that bad but the crackers will help. Some people will take/drink caffeine when it starts. It can help for some people but too much will cause rebound headaches. Anti inflammatory meds help. Peppermint oils and creams can help as well. I get Botox injections on my head, neck and shoulders every 12 weeks. It makes the biggest impact. I also get Occipital Nerve blocks regularly. She should also check to make sure her jaw is not out of alignment. Stress will make the symptoms worse.
My trigger is not eating enough nutrient foods the day BEFORE. I never drink my morning coffee until I’ve had a bite of food or sip of juice. Now I only get pain free halo migraines during the fall when there is a specific pollen in the air.
My trigger is not eating enough and weather changes, snow coming is the worst…. A collegue of me discovered Akupunktur, it helps her in a great way. Help without pills! Hope kid 1 will get better!!!
I am so sorry to hear about Kid #1’s migraines. I’ve had them for many years and I learned a lot at https://migraine.com/ and appreciate their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MigraineDotCom/
Some triggers can be avoided but others (weather, menstrual phases) can’t. But at least managing the avoidable triggers can keep the unavoidable ones from worsening the pain level of the migraine.
I hope she gets some relief soon!
So very sorry to hear your daughter has started migraines. I’ve read the comments throughout and there are so many that offer suggestions help and simple good wishes. There were a few things, though, that have started to help me recently (migraine almost every day, the worst in the morning, waking with full blown pain) and some triggers that I think no one has mentioned.
First, in trying to describe to my doctor what a migraine felt like while you were in it, and the medicine (usually Sumatriptan,) didn’t have a chance before it got too far. I told her that one of the things that made it worse was the panic and feeling like it would never go away – being trapped in the pain forever, inexorably tightening things more.
She asked, “Have you ever tried taking Valium if the headache has gone too far to relax the muscles enough and to help the panic that makes everything worse? Whaaaat? It helped. Of course I am not suggesting in anyway feeding your daughter Valium all the time. But I have started to try this and was shocked that no one had come up with it before. It had three effects; First, it did relax the panic. Second it relaxed my neck and shoulders and back. And third, it worked very well in helping me drift off as the sumatriptan begins to take a little more affect. The best thing about it is that there is no rebound headache and I am much more willing to rest and drift to sleep a little longer to let things settle. I now have matching doses when it is needed. Not always.
Also not laying all the way down-this usually makes everything worse and if you start to vomit…
Next, I discovered some funny energy gel packs by Cliff – the cliff bar people. I had some from a trip. I knew nothing would stay down and the thought of coffee made me want to throw up even more. But one day I reach down and grabbed one of these and opened it just enough to let a small amount of the gel ooz just past my lips. A little more and a little more. It was sweet and had some potassium citrate and such. It tasted lifesaving. Water, sip, gel, space. I think it is the double espresso so less than a full cup of coffee and no dairy to gag on. It helped! Also, and the last thing anyone wants to do- is walk around or stand and sway in place. It took a while to admit this actually helped.
-Chinese neck shoulder and head massage regularly. I found a man in a nail salon/spa. He was skilled in pressure points and muscle release without bruises left by massage therapists trying too hard.
Triggers: -If the headache came from stress it always comes the next day, after the stressful day.
-Any flashing lights, even the ones at intersections that monitor red light runners will do it. So will loud sounds. A police car coming toward me will almost trigger it immediately. I now wear earplugs to most movies. Also to theme parks. A huge help.
-Tragically, chocolate, the good stuff. No problem with shmershies.
-Almost all alcoholic beverages but especially when drunk with food. Weird. Exceptions (still no food) good vodka and single malt scotch. Not even favorites of mine. Apple cider also seems fine.
– As others mentioned Barometric changes, usually drops.
-Very important, having allergies under control. First, my sinus headaches always lead to migraines. More important Getting Enough Oxygen to the brain at night. Asthma anyone? Also any severe sudden bodily pain. Slam a finger? Get a migraine.
-Finally, recently a report came from Europe about taking a baby aspirin every other day, BUT not during one’s period.
Also—-obviously guilty as charged – everyone who gets them offers advice and those who don’t get migraines do the same but you may strangle them in extreme situations.
Great for recovery when pain and nausea gone? A fruit shake with pineapple and mango included- Buy the already cut up and organic flash frozen. If berries aren’t a problem, berries. Some sort of protein, flax seed, non-dairy liquid, 1/4 teaspoon of matcha and for some reason -avocado, and ginger. As much ginger as you can stand.
Hope this helps anyone, and much support for kid. I started at her age and then caught a 15 year break. Now my kid are your kids ages and I’ve got the migraines back. Hmmmmm
Thank you for the valium suggestion!
Obviously no two cases are the same, but I spent about 3 months of my senior year of high school in and out of doctor’s offices due to a severe headache that never, ever left me. Long story very short, there were muscles in my neck compressing nerves in my spine. The thing that first helped was MyoCalm Plus by Metagenics, it’s a natural muscle relaxer, and helped ease some of the pain. Otherwise, it was all about physical therapy. I hope she finds relief soon.
Ugh… migraine headaches suck so bad! I feel your kid’s pain and yours as well… it isn’t easy to watch let alone go through.
Sometimes I will develop them in my sleep and wake up with them in the middle of the night or in the morning. My job gets kinda pissed at me when I call out with them. I sleep walked a couple of times with them. One time I woke up in the backseat of my car in January (in Vermont), and woke up in the tub at least twice with my head pressed up against the side wall.
I take an anti-anxiety med called Citalopram to help manage my constant level of anxiety, and it has helped to lessen the number of headaches I get by A LOT. Anxiety issues affected my sleep… my eating habits… even caused the skin around my eyes to peel and flake… The no sleep and bad eating often triggered the worst of my headaches which could last for days.
Things that helped me:
– anxiety management (lots of different ways to do this than just meds including counseling, herbal supplements/tea that include lavender/etc, or just engaging in a mindfulness activity each day for an hour… yoga is awesome for this)
– cut out as much processed food as possible… there are often ingredients in them that can trigger a headache
– a good multi-vitamin and a magnesium supplement wouldn’t hurt
– massages (especially neck and shoulders)… the pain of a headache strains your muscles and locks you up which can create more strain and pain and create a loop of physical distress that causes more headaches… basically a self-feeding loop
– hot bath with lavender epsom salts, Dr Teals brand is great and even makes a bubble bath type… it’s a two-for-one deal…. salts to relax the muscles and lavender for the aromatherapy without the scent being too strong… too strong and the perfume can do the opposite and cause a headache.
– controlled sleep (avoiding staying up too late and sleeping in too long/too much… too much is as bad as too little… screws with blood sugar which can bring on headaches too)
– get at least 10 minutes of Blue Light sun exposure in the morning hours between 7 AM and 10 AM… helps with setting the circadian rhythm which leads to better sleeping habits, helps with mood/anxiety, and vitamin processing.
How are her iron levels in her blood? Low hemoglobin can cause headache issues too. i get more headaches when I’m borderline anemic. Being female can be tough. 🙁
Arg… wrote more than I intended, and I’m sure it repeats when some others have said, but I truly hope your daughter feels better soon.