Denise's Story - classic migraine with aura

At age 18, I was a chronic sinus sufferer, and I thought that I was coming down with flu, or a scent allergy, because I was getting a throbbing pain behind my eyes, typical for any of my sinus headaches. I took an Advil, and then another, but nothing was helping me. I was working at the mall in my menial pretzel job, and merely assumed that I had gotten my glasses dirty when the lights began to grow auras. I was achy and tired, but at the same time, it hurt more when I closed my eyes. Every noise in the shop (known for its echoes) screamed in my head. I didn't notice when I started to cry, or when my body naturally tried to protect itself from the decibels. There I was, standing in front of a window overlooking the mall, holding a lump of dough to my ear, just sobbing. No one knew what to do, or what was wrong, and when they started trying to talk to me, I couldn't even half understand what they were saying because the dins were echoing in my head.

They left me in the office, lights off, holding my head, as they went to call my parents. By the time my parents came to get me, I was fully out, on the floor under a desk. (Thinking I was quite ill, I was given two Tylenol PM). I must have been ill, I must have had a fever (I wouldn't let anyone near me to check, everything hurt), but the Tylenol must have worn it away, they said. Two days of bed rest, and the continuation of the "sinus headache" eventually got me into the doctor’s office. The prognosis, migraine. I was surprised, to say the least, but the doctor was not.

Of course, since that time I’ve experienced quite a few more, in varying pain levels, and have tried a number of medications. In the past 4 years, we have studied my migraines and have found that I suffer from 2 types of migraines. I suffer from hypoglycemic migraines (when my blood sugar fluctuates rapidly, it causes migraines) triggered when I do not eat in a timely fashion or if I am not careful about what it is I consume, as well as classic migraines.

My symptoms are auras and sound sensitivity as well as weakness and numbness in my fingertips, and I've found that strip lights can trigger them. We have those horrible style lights in my office, and I generally avoid turning them on if I can help it. Also, other triggers are too much MSG, being on my period, Nutrasweet (but not sweet'n'low) and red wines. I also have to eat three square meals a day, and drink plenty of water.

Recently, I have not had the insurance to buy my medicine (Imitrex) due to the fact that for the next three months I will not have any health insurance. In my experiences, I have not been pleased with Imitrex’s performance. Hopefully, my future insurance will cover a more effective medicine. In the meantime, however, I take sleep aids, and try to sleep off the migraines, as homeopathic remedies do not seem to help. This may not be true for others, and as my future insurance may cover a homeopathic Doctor, I will be looking into that possibility again soon.