My gf's migraine problem...

[defencerulez]

I've been with my gf for almost a year and everything has been great, we love each other and it's like a fairy tale...

 

However, she has a problem... She has serious migraine headaches whenever it's around the time of her period, in particular during the days before it's coming. I've witness her cried in the bed, or totally out of her mind during those times... Furthermore, it is not a situation that has seemingly a plausaible medical solution to it, as said by her doctor...

 

I don't know what to do... I mean, seems like she wants me to be with her during those times, and seems like I can somewhat comfort her, at least that is what she says and seems like it is how she feels. However, it's really those during those times that I fear the most to be with her... She keep talking strangely, acting very much like a kid, keep going back to topics that lead to discomfort to both of us. A few times, during those "migraine conversations", she makes me feels that a breakup is coming up; Keep asking if I love her or not and saying that I don't love her etc... However, during her normal or comfort times, those things rarely happens...

 

I need some advice to this situation as I am serious about this relationship, and this is very likely a long term problem that I am going to face...

[renaissancewoman101]

Does she take any meds for her migraines? I get nasty headaches once in a while, that I have to lay down and nap because it hurts so much. I usually take pain pills for that. When I am like that, if I had a SO, I would probably like to be left alone, or else have the person lay next to me, comforting me, being there for me. I dont know. All the times I've had serious headache problems, I've been alone.

[Mythical_Suicide]

The way you describe them it sounds like hormonal migraines I used to get them around my period. Is she on any type of birth control? Maybe she can talk to her doctor about it because if they are so bad then her doctor can do something to help her out.

[Dako]

You can't fix her head, but you can plan ahead for each attack until you both find a workable routine.

 

My ex had severe migranes, and we developed a plan to cope with them. I'd draw the drapes to darken the bedroom, she'd take her Naproxyn and lay down while I got a wet washcloth to cover her eyes. I'd try to make the house silent until her second pill, then I'd leave her alone. She suffered terribly, but she needed to be alone until sleep came.

If I crowded her trying to help, she'd flip me off.

 

It took years before she could sense it coming, and drinking lots of water lessened the occurrence.

[defencerulez]

I am guessing you are the luckier one who can actually go to bed when you are having your headache... When the migraine happens to my gf, she can't sleep, just lay in the bed awake, crying, sit on the sofa... I try to help her and comfort her and seems like it works... But then eventually she'll go on the negative side, this is somewhat a distruction force to our relationship... I can have nightmares sooner or later that we are going to breakup trigger by something in our conversations during her migraine, she keep asking questions, or accuse me of something...

[defencerulez]

The way you describe them it sounds like hormonal migraines I used to get them around my period. Is she on any type of birth control? Maybe she can talk to her doctor about it because if they are so bad then her doctor can do something to help her out.

 

Thanks for you suggestion, she tried basically everything, and birth control is one of them.

[Dako]

My ex couldn't sleep, but put herself in a trance with meditation until the drugs knocked her out. after the Naproxyn, she sometimes tookVicodin or some other heavy-hitter pain pill.

 

Some folks just pop pain pills, but they have side effects.

 

Pain is a tough thing to diagnose, and a pain specialist may have some ideas. I do hope she finds a method to soothe the pain.

[MacGyverRI]

I get migraines and they bite but I have an ample supply of Vicodan ES. Fiournal 3's worked for a long time also.

 

Black coffee lessens the pain, you must drink it when you feel it coming on though and the same goes for any meds.. If you wait it will always be worse.

 

Prevention mag. did a survey on migrane cures, coffee was the #1 cure. Chamomile tea was another good cure.

 

Chocolate is the worst thing when yo have a headache.

[Siriana]

MY mom has migrains. Usually before her period in PMS or after significant stresses in her life.

She can't stand the noises, bright light or any kind of food while having a migraine. It lasts usually 3 days. The only thing we can do is walking on the tip of our fingers, bring her tee and that's it.

She also gets somewhat depressive, she's in a mood for crying, and thinks how noboady loves her enough. It is annoying and draining, but again you can't do nothing. She also likes to have someone besides her side during these days.

When it comes to medications, after she red possible side effects, well, they were out of the question.

 

Now what could help your gf is buying some herbal, natural pills for PMS simptoms. It woan't help her completely but they could reduce the frequency at least. Also yoga is a good thing. Helped to my mom in an extent.

My mom uses stronger natural pills for pre menopause (since she's still not into menopause such stuff can help) and they reduce the frequency of migrens (but don't eliminate migraine completely - so maybe instead once a month -she has it once in three months ). Also doing yoga helped her to reduce stress from her life so she reacts less often with migraine.

 

Your gf should see a good gyno who is capable to advise something more natural for her PMS. Some doctors are familiar with that stuff.

[shes2smart]

There are some very good migraine meds available by prescription. I don't know why her doc has not given her samples or a prescription.

 

I never had a problem with migraines until I hit my late 30's. I'm told it's common in perimenopause. I don't get them every month, but they are connected to my cycle. I take a med called Zomig. One pill generally takes away the pain and related symptoms. Works better if I can lie down and have a nap after taking it, but I've also been in situations where that's not an option. Either way, after 30 mins to a hour, I'm feeling much better.

 

With Zomig, you take it after a migraine starts so you only use it when you need it. If her migraines are frequent, there are other types of meds that can be taken on a daily basis as a preventative rather than after the fact.

 

Pain can make a person do some weird stuff. Pain can also make a person take a very negative outlook on things. Last migraine I had was a 2-Zomig headache (I had to take 2 Zomig to make it stop...which is very unusual), but that translated into about 6-8 hours of constant head pain/light sensitivity/sound sensitivity by the time it was all over. Essentially lost the whole day. At the worst point, the sound of my own breathing was TOO LOUD. Also at the worst point, I was curled up in bed sobbing because it hurt so much and I was thinking it was never going to end.

 

The sooner she can get the pain to go away, the less likely she is to get in a negative mindset because of it. Have her speak to her doc. The meds they have now specifically for migraines are really amazing and they don't necessarily knock you out or make you loopy and non-functional.

[BellaDonna]

I never found anything to help my migraine headaches until I began seeing a chiropractor regularly. (Pain meds only dulled them, but did not get to the source) Maybe a chiropractor will work for her too.

 

BellaDonna

[treefrogkate]

You can't fix her head, but you can plan ahead for each attack until you both find a workable routine.

 

My ex had severe migranes, and we developed a plan to cope with them. I'd draw the drapes to darken the bedroom, she'd take her Naproxyn and lay down while I got a wet washcloth to cover her eyes. I'd try to make the house silent until her second pill, then I'd leave her alone. She suffered terribly, but she needed to be alone until sleep came.

If I crowded her trying to help, she'd flip me off.

 

It took years before she could sense it coming, and drinking lots of water lessened the occurrence.

 

You're an angel, Dako. I get migraines too, and this is exactly what my boyfriend does for me.

 

When she starts talking during her migraines, tell her not to talk. She might feel she has to keep talking because you are there and she doesn't want you to be, I don't know, bored? Just hold her and tell her that you are there for her, but that you don't want her to make her head hurt more.

 

Seeing as I get the same sorts of migraines, she may want to ask her doctor about taking continuous birth control (i.e. no week off). This is what I do, and I still get migraines but not nearly as often. This has the added bonus of making me not have a period every month.

 

Has she gone to a neurologist? General practioners know little about migraines. My neurologist gave me 6 different migraine drug samples and told me to try each until I found the one that worked, so now I have a prescription that knocks both me and the migraine out.