A funny story. Not really, but I'll tell it anyway.

[Dublin Mike]

Don't you just hate people that complain all the time about something, but do nothing to fix that circumstance. Just drives ya crazy. Take this person I know. Gets killer migraines. The kind that makes you just want to curl into a ball and sleep all day. And trust me, whenever this person gets a migraine, I know all about it. "Oh my head is killing me." "I need to go lay down, I just can't take this." You get the idea.

So a few months ago, I find out they make a pill that you take once a day that keeps you from getting migraines. When I suggested that they go to the doctor and get this pill, the response was "I don't want to have to take a pill everyday." This is the critical moment of the conversation. The moment where I a.) say nothinng or b.) grab this person by the shoulders, shake the hell out of them and say: "dammit, if you don't go get that prescription filled, I never want to hear another word about a damn migraine as long as I live." And there were also factors to consider. One, I was driving, so taking my hands off the wheel to violently shake this person could lead to something dreadful, and two, this person is my wife, so shaking her violently may lead to something even more dreadful. Like no sex. So my response? "You do whatever you like dear." ;)

[themush]

You did the right thing in this situation Mike, anything other then "You do whatever you like dear" would have certainly ended in a firery car crash. Now slip the migrain medication in her OJ every morning and all should be well.

[Dublin Mike]

I can handle the fiery car crash, mush. Burns heal, eventually. It's the no-sex part that's a killer. :lol:

[catman]

I have a wife that hates to take medications also. She was raised by a Dr, married a nurse and has a daughter in medical school. One would think that medical professionals are attracted to her, or she to them.
She has had migraines at times throughout our married life and my advice to her is always the same -- do what your mother told you to do. Listen to your father. He would get her what she needs to get rid of the headaches.
By the way Mike, tell your wife that there are shots available to get rid of migraines. See if she'll take a single pill daily as opposed to getting one of those every time she has one of her "spells".

[Dublin Mike]

Meh. She just doesn't like to go to the doctor period Catman. Nothing I can do to change that. Been married to her to long to know that anything I say will not change anything.

Eh, I'll try it anyway. If I've learned nothing else, married life is full of surprises. (thanks for the advice Catman.)

[catman]

Any time. Always glad to help.

[boston_aloha]

I'd just wait until the next time she complains and they I'd say, well - take the the pill.... then again, I'm not married so you may not want to take my advice :D

[AmpleSound]

Actually it is said in late research that a lot of times migraines are caused by your diet, and quite possibly IMO the environment you work in... I used to get bad enough migraines they would hurt so bad I'd actually vomit from them. I used to work at a fast food restaurant called Corn Dogs Plus. I was around grease for 5-8 hours a day five days a week (this was for about two years of my mid/late teens). When I moved up here to Denver, CO in 2000, suddenly the migraines pretty much went away. So if you guys eat a lot of greasy food, or are around it a lot, that could be a factor. Now if I do get a migraine it's normally just the blurred vision, I do want to sleep, but they don't get bad enough to bring on the vomit... Hopefully this might give you a little insight, instead of having to dish out a violent shaking :P!

[Ravana]

A lot of people who take medications, or ought to, don't want to and don't like to. Side effects entirely aside (and these can be substantial considerations), they feel as if they are somehow flawed or inferior because they have to take these medications. This in particular stands as a barrier to people receiving treatment initially, but it can linger on for quite some time... possibly forever.

Oh, and catman: you're right—the shots are worse. Far worse. Nor do they always work. Then again, neither do the pills. But this can be another barrier to receiving treatment: often, you have to go through several different medications until you find one that works. This would be discouraging even to those in perfect health... but in this case, you get to continue suffering from the migraines, plus you get to be dragged down by the side-effects... which, in some cases, can be pretty grim. And each treatment generally needs to be tried for a month before it's abandoned, as most have a "ramp-up" time in which they need to accumulate in the body... or else the dosage needs adjusted, which then requires more weeks of waiting to see if it'll work. Then, after the treatment is abandoned, you have to wait two more weeks, minimum, before the doctor will start you on the next one... because the previous one needs time to be flushed out of the body. And it may not work, either... cycle continues.

Forget over-the-counter stuff... even the ones that claim to be "effective on migraines." That's a lie—I can't believe these people haven't been hit with false advertising suits. If you don't believe me... compare ingredient labels with their "normal" products. They are identical. Not even an increased dosage!

AmpleSound is correct in saying that migraines are often triggered by the environment... though the condition itself generally has to exist beforehand: those migraines triggered solely by external stimuli are very rare. Common triggers include tyramines (present in a wide variety of foods, from chocolate to artichokes to bananas, to soy sauce, to most cheeses, to red wines), bright lights—especially fluorescent ones: these are murder—and continuous noise or vibration... hate to say it, but riding in a car is one possible trigger. Suggest your wife start by avoiding as many of those as possible... then bring up treatment again if it doesn't work, or if she can't. Another common trigger is caffeine—or rather the absence thereof. If you're a caffeine addict, you will get a headache if you go without it for too long... for migraine sufferers, it'll be worse. Only solutions are to go through withdrawl—and don't think this is any easier than quitting smoking, folks!—or to regulate intake so that you are receiving small amounts of caffeine steadily throughout the day. Dehydration's another thing to watch for: it can trigger almost any adverse medical condition.

Keep in mind, too, that whatever doctor you see might recommend something very different from what you were reading about... it'll depend in part upon what symptoms your wife reports, but will depend far more on the doctor him/herself. Look for a younger rather than an older one (there are still doctors who will tell patients that this sort of thing is "all in your head"—duh! it's a headache! where do you get yours, doc... your rear end?), and look for a specialist. Neurologist or psychiatrist, if you can't find someone who specializes in migraines or headaches. Keep an open mind... and pay attention to the doctor: on the one hand, anything he/she suggests must be followed precisely—no "slipping off the wagon"; on the other, make sure the doctor is listening to your input and paying attention to what you're saying. If he/she seems not to be... change doctors. Immediately.

If, for some strange reason, it sounds like I have some measure of experience with this... well, there's a reason.

I know you started this as a "funny" (or "funny-but-not") story, Dublin Mike (and I agree: I've had more than a few "put up or shut up!" moments of my own)... but tell her, from those of us on the inside (of whom I know quite a few)... she should pursue treatment options. If she wants to talk to me, just let me know.

[BigBuddhaPup]

Don't you just hate people that complain all the time about something, but do nothing to fix that circumstance. Just drives ya crazy. Take this person I know. Gets killer migraines. The kind that makes you just want to curl into a ball and sleep all day. And trust me, whenever this person gets a migraine, I know all about it. "Oh my head is killing me." "I need to go lay down, I just can't take this." You get the idea.

So a few months ago, I find out they make a pill that you take once a day that keeps you from getting migraines. When I suggested that they go to the doctor and get this pill, the response was "I don't want to have to take a pill everyday." This is the critical moment of the conversation. The moment where I a.) say nothinng or b.) grab this person by the shoulders, shake the hell out of them and say: "dammit, if you don't go get that prescription filled, I never want to hear another word about a damn migraine as long as I live." And there were also factors to consider. One, I was driving, so taking my hands off the wheel to violently shake this person could lead to something dreadful, and two, this person is my wife, so shaking her violently may lead to something even more dreadful. Like no sex. So my response? "You do whatever you like dear." ;)


My solution to hardheaded people like that is: I make the previso: "I am going to say this once, I need to say my peace, then I will never mention it again"...You need to get the pill, it is idiotic to go through pain if you don't have to. Help yourself and take the damn pill. If you don't, then don't come around me complaining a migrane again. "Okay I have said my peace, no hard feelings."