Living with Migraine

I've suffered with migraines since I can remember, they're not linked to my menstrual cycle, not triggered by cheese, chocolate, wine or caffeine. 

I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy 3 years ago which has dramatically reduced the number of attacks I have, combined with beta blockers, I can go 2 months without an attack, but in the last 6 months, they've returned with a vengeance. 

In the past 6 months I've had migraines caused by travel, lack of sleep, lack of fluids, eye strain from endless tests and scans and just migraines for no apparent reason.

The latest one is on day 14 and showing no signs of stopping despite taking 1200mg of ibuprofen, followed by 900mg of aspirin as advised by the GP or 6 doses of Naproxen which was prescribed by the out of hours GP on Tuesday, so after a visit to the GP this evening there has been a change of preventative medication and a strong pain killer usually used to manage drug addicts withdrawal symptoms.

In the past I've tried all sorts of preventative medications and pain killers, all work for a period of time, some of them have had the most horrendous side effects and quite a few have left me with headaches.

In the past 14 days, I've visited people, been out shopping, cleaned the house, done some sewing, ironing and been to work.

I can function with a migraine, drive, cook, blog, watch TV. What I can't do is sit in a darkened quiet room, because my senses are tightened and I can hear the fridge humming and the slightest chink of light is like a torch shining in my face.

It feels like someone is twisting a hot cork screw in the side of my head. I know exactly what that feels like as I've had a bone marrow biopsy. I find it difficult to find words to describe things, I can't answer simple yes or no questions. The pain is predominately left sided but can switch suddenly to behind my right eye. I also get random shooting pains in my arms and legs that literally cripple me for a split second.

I can sleep with a migraine, which is what people find weird, and when I wake up, I forget it's there, until I sit up and it feels like I've been hit on the side of the head with a brick. Heat pads and hot water bottles dampen the pain temporarily, a bath helps, as does a can of coke and caffeine. 

There's lots of things I can do to lessen the pain, but nothing I can do to make them go away.

Do you have migraines? 

Dealing with chronic pain and flying

I've had chronic neck pain for 24 years years, since an assault in the workplace.

My chronic pain is constant, it is 24/7. I am aware of the pain every waking minute of my life.

My chronic pain is no worse than anyone else's and probably better than a lot of other peoples.

My chronic pain can't be alleviated with meds or a few stretches.

Some days my chronic pain is just there, other days it's flare up and is worse, these I call 'bad days' restricting my movements and actions. Most days are just NOT bad days.

As a result of chronic pain, I sit, walk and move with purpose. I'm constantly changing position, stretching my neck, slouching my back to take the pressure off my shoulders, I end up with a bad lower back and in turn hip pain. I can exercise, I can take meds for that, I can improve the pain levels. I can make it manageable, but there's not a day when I'm not aware of it.

I get cramps in my wrists and pins and needles in my hands and fingers, making fine motor skills difficult such as writing and taking lids off jars etc. Repetitive strain from ironing, hoovering, sweeping and mopping are getting worse and I often can't pick things up or find myself just dropping items such as tea cups.

I have a 14 hour flight ahead of me next week. I recently took a 7 hour flight in business class, I was able to lie down, not flat, and stretch my legs, but I was still in tears after 5 hours, rather than the usual 2 hours. The only time my pain doesn't flare up is when I'm either walking or lying down flat. Neither of which I can do on a 14 hour flight and I doubt I'd bag an upgrade to 1st class.

The most I can hope for is a row of seats all to myself. It happens fairly often to me. Even 3 seats means I can lie flat on my back, legs bent and can curl up on either side. Plus sleeping does help to pass the time.

I've had numerous surgeries, treatments (physio, acupuncture, chiropractic) and tried various medications, but only ever get short term relief and the more meds I take, the more I need and the side effects of some of them such as Gabapentin have been horrendous.

The 14 hour flight and time difference will wipe we out regardless of the added pain on top, so my plan when I arrive in Australia is to check into the hotel, have a deep hot bath and go to bed. I will merge from my room when I return to normal, of which my normal is chronic pain, just without the tears.

My dental implant journey

In 2017 my front tooth fell out. I picked it up and just shoved it back in, visiting a dentist in the UK the following morning, wedging it back in place he informed me it was on a post and if it fell out again that would be it.

I've known for a long time that I've had bone degeneration and receding gums and eventually I would have to face the expensive and timely implant journey I am now on.

I don't have a fear of dentists but I've been avoiding it as long as possible. a) we didn't have the spare money b) I have chronic neck pain and find sitting of any kind difficult for long periods of time. This includes flights, cinema, hairdressers, in a car. I suffer with severe migraines. c) I've had some bad and I mean really bad dental treatment in the past.

I'd researched dental implants in the past and had a couple of consultations over the years. the route was to have the teeth removed and implants put in on the same day. I knew with the bones I have this wasn't the best option and when I raised it was dismissed, so it all got put on hold.

Over Christmas I heard a snap in my mouth when eating and my front tooth was loose again. I asked for recommendations online and after several weeks of research I found myself at the clinic of Dr Geoffrey Shape in Dubai at the Perio Clinic.

You may ask why I'm giving you his name and it's because he is good, his team are good and he listens, something I've had problems with in the past.

On our first meeting I informed him that he wasn't getting his hands on my teeth or my money unless he listened to me first. He listened.

My teeth were in poor condition, bits missing, rotten teeth hiding under crowns and I was slightly embarrassed by the state of my mouth. I also told him about my inability to sit for periods of time and that I didn't have dental phobia, I just can't sit still......he listened.

And so my journey began. I had a full break down of costs and time frame for procedures, which was amended with consultation as time went on.

Phase 1. X ray. Broken tooth removed, mould for plate.

Phase 2. 4 further teeth removed, one from each corner of my mouth, a deep clean of my gums and a new plate fitted.

In was in a lot of pain and discomfort once the injections wore off but I think having all those injections in each corner of my mouth with hindsight was not a good idea, however it did make the deep clean far less painful when I've had it done in the past without injections. One socket had a stitch in it which irritated me.

Sent away for a few weeks for gums to heal and to get used to wearing a plate.

The first plate fell out every time I drank anything and I couldn't eat with it in.

The second plate was a mouthful and for the first few weeks I felt like I was choking on it, but as the gums healed the plate fitted better.

Both plates took some getting used to, my speech was affected, they were constantly moving in my mouth, food got stuck underneath the plate and in the first few weeks I was uncomfortable going out wearing them for longer than an hour or two. I soon adjusted. I don't wear the plate when I'm at home or walking the dog. I have no problem with removing my teeth when I'm out to rinse them under a tap and I take them out when I'm driving and as soon as I can. A friend suggested Poligrip which has helped reduce the amount of food that gets underneath.

Phase 3. 3D scan

Phase 4. Bone graft into the sinus and two posts fitted. Total time in dental chair = 4 hours with a short break in between teeth.

I took a cushion for my neck and a hot water bottle for my back which the receptionist kindly refilled half way through. I downloaded some pod casts and at one point almost drifted off.

Now I'll not lie, but it wasn't as painful or as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The injections are the worse, but he used a numbing cream fist which helped. My face was uncomfortable as my lips were stretched and my neck hurt from tipping it back on an angle, but time passed quickly and I drove myself home afterwards.

I was surprised when the stitches wore off that I wasn't in any pain and managed to eat and drink that night as normal, soft food only. Again the stitches were the biggest problem, there were 8 of them and I could feel them all the time. Wearing the plate helped an awful lot.

2 days later, some swelling.

4 days later and back to normal.

Phase 5. Removal of the stitches and the last implant post, lower left jaw fitted. 2 hours in the dental chair.

The first time I cried was when he removed the stitches from my upper gum, it was so painful, but he was kind and patient and gave me a low dose of injection to numb the area. The worse part of the lower jaw implant was the vibration of the drilling, my ears were ringing. No pain after the injections wore off, drove myself home, ate and drank as normal. I did feel sorry for myself though.

Recovery time longer due to my neck hurting more this time.

I've been eating and drinking as normal, although I have changed my diet slightly but mainly eating soft foods such as fish and rice for dinner most night, yogurts, honey and bananas and porridge for breakfast. I've not been eating bread, red meat (unless it's minced) and I've drastically reduced my sugar intake and stopped eating sweets and chocolate. In fact I noticed when I ate some chocolate I had a migraine within a few hours and I've lost around 4kg which is doing me some good.

There are a lot of do's and don't's to follow after the surgery and in particular the bone grafting. Avoid sneezing, no swimming or exercise for a week afterwards, stop smoking for two weeks after surgery,.

One thing that should've been added to the list was 'don't attempt to blow up a balloon' your head will feel like it's exploded.

Phase 6. Stitches out, they bloody well hurt so a local injection was given, plate adjusted and dates set for the next few and final phases for a temporary tooth for the front as the gum has to be re cut to expose the post and some minor surgery to ensure the gum heals properly and looks nice around the new tooth.

The other 2 implants have a metal cap on them and I can feel them in my mouth, with my tongue and there's a slight metallic taste.

The following morning after the injection wore off, I've realised the 2nd plate is now too big. I did mention it felt like it was pushing on the back of my teeth, but when I ate today it kept falling out, so I'll have to go back again to get it sorted.

I'll update this post as time goes on, but for now, other than sorting the plate out, I've got a break from the dentist for the next few months. Next appointment May 26th 2019.

Phase 6 Dental plate no longer fitting. Back to the dentist for the gum to be cut, dental implant post exposed, temp tooth fitted and several stitches in my gums. the plan is for the gum to heal around this tooth as it will be visible when finished.

The tooth is fitted with a screw in the back of the tooth which is tightened and then the hole filled.

I left the surgery in agony, not my tooth, although my gum is sore, but with my neck. I couldn't sit still, I was fidgeting and cried with the pain from sitting for so long.

Next phase is a mould, 3 teeth made and then the following week the teeth fitted and a final check up and I'll be done by the middle of July.

One Daily Positive - Project 365 Week 52. Christmas on the QE2 and an iron infusion

You can't just pick Christmas up as it is in the UK and move it to the sun. We live in an Arabic Country and they allow us to have Christmas.

We can't come to Dubai and take over, we have to fit in and adapt. It's great though as here we have people both muslims and non muslims wishing us a Merry Christmas, heck we even have shop displays advertising Christmas it's NOT a festive of happy holiday, it is what it is.n

I've not been well this week, was really tired after an iron infusion and on Tuesday a migraine started to develop, it was on and off controlled with medication till Friday morning. If I took to my bed and popped a handful of pills every time I had a migraine or my chronic pain flared up (I'm in constant pain with my neck 24/7) I'd not get out of bed and would probably have numerous complications from the side effects of the meds and besides, staying in bed doesn't make the pain go away, if only it was that easy.

It's also been super chilly this week with temps dropping to 16c and I've actually been shivering in the shade and after sunset.

357 Sunday Picked Peter up after he dropped his car for a service, had a Dr's visit, then took mum to the Waldorf Hotel to check out their Christmas tree and decorations.

358 Monday Mum and I went to the Mall whilst Bob went to doggy day care for a bath and another trip to see Santa. We had dinner and consumed our body weight in after 8 mints.

359 Tuesday Merry Christmas and off to the QE2 for Christmas dinner, followed by a walk on the beach to see the sunset. Die Hard was on the TV when we got home.

360 Wednesday Just another day in Dubai and I spent the best part of it at the Dr's having an iron infusion. Peter dropped mum at the Souk Madinat, early night for me, Peter stayed up to watch Man Utd win.

361 Thursday Headed off to Ibn Battuta Mall for a couple of hours, washing machine was repaired and bed lined changed, mum ironed and I felt tired so headed off to bed for the afternoon.

362 Friday Took a drive to Al Ain to show mum life outside the city of Dubai, whilst almost 3 million people live in Dubai, it's not representative of the life of how 7 million other people live. We stopped at camel farms, drove up Jebel Hafeet Mountain at 1,249ms for some amazing views over Oman, had lunch and walked round the actual town rather than visiting the malls. The christmas tree and decorations came down in the evening and were put away.

363 Saturday We headed off to the Creek for the morning, Mum finished her souvenir shopping, we had breakfast out and in the afternoon friends came to visit for a few hours.

I'm finishing the year in this post but also including the last 2 days of the year in next weeks post also.

364 Sunday Having a lazy day, dropped mum at the local pool while I blog, wash, clean and generally sort stuff in the house and measure up for new furniture we'll be ordering tomorrow.

365 Monday Off to Dragon Mart in the morning to get my sewing machine and over locker serviced and repaired and ordering new furniture for the mezzanine area. Plans cancelled and day spent in bed with Migraine. Spending the new year at a friends house, to watch the fireworks for New Year from their roof top. They're in the UK for new year.

On the blog this week:

Construction projects in Dubai

An InLinkz Link-up

Biokineticist, chronic pain and migraines

I’ve been visiting a Biokineticist and physio since January after yet another referral from yet another doctor after years of medication and surgery to help with chronic neck pain and the side effects of migraines that see me in hospital for treatment at least twice a year.

I’ve suffered with migraines since I was around 5 years of age, the first time I needed more than lying down in a darkened room and over the counter medication I was 15 years of age. The Doctor had to administer medication via an injection and it was put down to hormones and exam pressure. However the migraines continued every few months, until they became once or twice a month after an injury at work.

Over the past 18 years I’ve taken medication from painkillers through to antidepressants and muscle relaxants. I’ve had physio, pain killing injections, Botox, nerve blocks and the most aggressive intervention was the burning of the nerves in my neck under a general anaesthetic.

Migraines for me present with an aura, my vision becomes blurring for anything up to 24 hours prior to an attack, I become confused and my ability to think and do at the same time are diminished. I also feel extremely nauseous before ending up in bed for up to 3 days and often having to visit the hospital for medical intervention that has lasted up to 2 weeks in hospital as the migraines have presented as meningitis and been accompanied with high temperatures.

All treatment has worked, but the effects have worn off quickly and in most cases have been extremely painful, especially the Botox, which although the pain relief lasted the longest, the pain from the injections was unbearable.

The latest referral was as always viewed by me and hubby as ‘we don’t know what else to do with her, she refuses medication’ Having tried various medications and weighing up the side effects, it’s been decided that long term medication isn’t treating the problem, it just eases the pain.

The physio was very aggressive with her treatment of me and each session lasted an hour. This was after an assessment by the biokineticist.

I can’t really explain what a biokineticist is, does or even what qualifications they hold, but I do know that with her help, physical intervention, input from the physio, manipulations now once a week and exercises to do at home, which on paper look simple enough, but leave me exhausted, not only have I lost weight, my appetite has changed and I’m eating less sugary items. My body shape is altering, swimming has become easier, especially front crawl, my breathing has improved, I’m sitting upright, my whole body posture has changed. Long journeys in the car, flights, housework, using the computer for long periods of time have become easier, in fact what I would now consider to be normal, after 18 years of ‘normal’ being severe migraines after any of the above activities.

I’m the UK after 20 hours of travelling, sat in economy and I didn’t have a migraine, maybe a bit tired from lack of sleep but no migraine, the first time ever.  I’ve spent 3 weeks sleeping in different beds, on sofas, using public transport, dragging cases and a 15yo around with me and NO migraines.

I pay around R180/£10 per week to visit the biokineticist. The medical aid covers the cost, but at these prices its affordable and I’d recommend them to everyone suffering with chronic pain.

I received an email from the Biokineticist and she shared the following information:

If someone asks we study BSc sport science degree and then
we do a BSc Biokinetic Hons for a year. Then you have to work a year as an
intern and then you can qualify as a registered biokineticist.

Life without Pain

In September 2012 I had day surgery on my neck to have the nerves burnt off that have been giving me so much pain for the past 15 years after an assualt at work.



Living in constant pain has drained me, restricted my activites and actually prevented me from doing certain things.



I've suffered deliberating headaches and migraines and have been hospitialised on too many occassions when the migraines have mimicked menegitius. Migraines also knocked me out for 3-4 days twice a month. Visual disturbances, vomiting, sensitive to light and touch and the inability to operate above an immediate need.



I'm now in my third month of being pain free, not one migraine, even after a return trip to the UK, spending 12 hours sitting in a confined space, 3 weeks of lugging suitcases, sleeping on sofas and pull out beds.



The operation wasn't easy. I was in theatre under a general anaesthetic, had the most severe head pain imaginable then spent a week in bed unable to lift my head off the pillow.



I still can't use a tin opener or write for any length of time without severe cramps and pain in my wrists and fingers and working above my head is difficult(hanging out the washing) but I can sit in a car for 2 days and drive to Cape Town and back. I can sit in the cinema for 90 minutes to watch a movie without coming out in tears from the pain of sitting still. I can scramble over rocks without the fear of causing more damage if I fell, haul myself up using ropes on a ship.

Over Christmas I've experienced continious pain in my wrists and a niggle in my left shoulder, so I guess I made need to go back sooner rather than later for the next stage. Thanks to medical aid that wouldn't pay for the whole treatment in one go. I'm really not looking forward to going throat again, but compared to how I was for the past 15 years, it's a small price to pay, even if they can't cure the chronic pain, being migraine free is amazing.

From appointment, to assesment, to treatment....6 weeks

15 years ago I suffered an injury at work, I now live with chronic pain in my neck, lower arm and fingers.

It doesn't prevent me from doing anything, it just hurts. I struggle with tin openers and writing and sitting for any length of time, esp driving, but I can manage it, it just hurts.

We moved to South Africa 19 months ago and almost overnight the pain stopped. I'm not working, I'm not doing 100s miles of driving weekly, I can't continue with my studies. The hot weather here also helped.

I was still experiencing pain if I did anything on a loop, but the pain stopped inbetween.

The last few months I've realised the pain is back. I know it sounds silly, but when you live with pain constantly it is possible not to notice it unless it gets worse. My threshold is probably higher than most.

More migraines, the feeling someone is putting pressure on the back of my neck, disturbed sleep and off I went to the Doctors a few months back. I was prescribed Gabapebtin. I refused to take it. In the past I'd suffered side effects. I was irritable, constipated, constantly searching for food and lost my sex drive. I started to exercise more and that helped.

The biggest trigger for my neck pain and migraines is stress. Couple with everyday tasks, writing, hoovering, cooking and baking (I have a guy who does my ironing) So back to the Doctors 5 weeks ago with a variety of issues (inc depression) and today I had my appointment with the pain clinic.

I went armed with a file of treatments and procedures. I accept my pain, I live with my pain, I just want a little help from time to time.

So I was booked in for day surgery, can't remeber what the procedure is called but it involves injection along my spine, from the base of my head to C8. I couldn't make the first appointment in 5 days time as hubby is away so it is rebooked for the following week on the 26th.

I'm so impressed, I know we are paying for it, via the med aid (waiting to find out if med aid will cover the cost) if not we'll have to dig deep. The only issue I had was completing the admissions forms as they wanted to know our car registration numbers...why? and a UK residential address and person to contact in an emergency.