Chronic Migraine/ Headaches/ Anxiety

Hello Doctors and Medical Professionals. I have experienced chronic migraines and headaches for many, many years and am looking for a solution. I am a young patient who is currently putting myself through college, hence it’s very important that I miss as little of work and school as possible so I may one day graduate! Any help and/ or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I have made the rounds on traditional migraine medicine and have suffered the effects and am ready for a new approach. As such, here is my medical and emotional history and current state.

__________________________
Sex: Female

Age: 25

1. Describe your main suffering? Migraine
Chronic refractory migraine (diagnosed). Occurs 2-3x per week for 24-48 hours each time. Occurs over right temple, behind right eye, right sinus area, right eye brow. Occasionally extends towards the back of my head near my ear. Migraine is worse when bending over. Stress seems to be only known trigger. Treated by lying down in dark, quiet room. I like to sleep through these episodes if possible so I don’t have to feel the pain. I take 100 mg Imitrex for pain when I feel the migraines comes on.

2. What other physical sufferings do you have in your body?
Headaches. 3 days a week, tension headaches, like a band of pressure around my head that extends into my neck and shoulders with tightness in both neck and shoulders. Headache is worse when bending over.

3. What mental sufferings / feelings do you have associated with your physical sufferings?
A moderate case of anxiety brings on both my migraines and headaches. I have tightness in my chest (a feeling of a weight being on my chest), tightness through my neck and shoulders, clenching in my jaw, grinding my teeth while I sleep and an overall feeling of impending doom. I have tried traditional antidepressants with no luck. The fact that this anxiety makes my migraines and headaches worse increases my level of anxiety.


4. What exactly do you feel when you are at your worst?
I feel like my head is pounding and that I’m about to pass out from the level of pain I’m experiencing. I’m also very nauseated and have probably vomited. I am probably also panicking because I don’t know what to do to manage the pain. I’m also very depressed because I feel trapped by my migraine condition and I feel out of control because I can’t fix it.

5. When did it all start? Can you connect it to any past event or disease?
It was because of a traumatic emotional event. My mother had bipolar disorder and was unable to care for me so my father and step mother took me in even though they already had their own family. This event triggered my headaches (started age 11) which over time turned into migraines (started age 20). Physical and emotional abuse also played a role in my childhood.

6. Which time of the day you are worst? Morning

7. What are the things which aggravate your suffering and which are those which ameliorate the same?
Aggravate= Stress, physical exertion
Improve= relaxation, laughing, bonding with close friends/ companions

8. Do your think your sufferings have relation to any external stimuli (like, change of place) or any internal biological changes in the body, like, menses (in females)?
My sufferings are external in nature.



9. When do you feel better, during hot weather or cold weather, humid or dry weather?
I prefer cold, dry weather.

10. Describe your general mental set up? Are you Moody, Arrogant, Mild, Agreeable Changeable, Nervous, Suspicious, Easily offended, Quiet, Arguing, Irritating, Lazy etc.
Witty, Bossy, Creative, Spontaneous, Quiet, Introspective, Fastidious

- How do you feel before or during a thunderstorm?
Comforted, like I want to curl up inside with a blanket and watch the storm

- Do you like being consoled during your tough times?
Yes

- Are you sensitive to external stimuli like smell, noise, light etc?
VERY, very sensitive

- Do you have any typical habit or gesture like nail biting, causeless weeping, talking to one self etc?
I bite my nails and talk to myself when no one else is around

- How do you feel about your friends, family, your children and especially your husband / wife?
I sincerely love the people I chose to keep close to me

11. What are your fears and do you dream of any situation repeatedly?
My fears are that I will not succeed in life in that I won’t be married or have a family or a great job or a house or vacations or things like that. I feel like things are never good enough and I hope that one day I’ll get to a place where they will be good enough.

12. What do you crave for in food items and what are your aversions?
I really like sweets and I don’t really like sour foods.

13. How is your thirst: Less, Normal or Excessive?
Normal

14. How if your hunger: Less, Normal or Excessive?
Excessive. I tend to feel hungry a lot.

15. Is there any kind of food which your body can’t stand?
No

16. Is your sweat normal or less or more? Where does it sweat more: Head, Trunk or Limbs?
Trunk

17. How is your bowel movement and stool type?
1x per day/ morning. Sometimes acidic/ burning

18. How well do you sleep? Do you have a particular posture of sleeping?
I sleep on my side, fetal position. Sleep well (7-8 hours per night).

19. Do you think you are able to satisfy your sexual desires in general?
Yes.

20. How do you think you are different from others, if at all?
I’m very sensitive and I care about everyone, even people I don’t know.

21. What medications have been taken earlier by you to treat the diseases and do you have any particular symptom surfacing after the medication?
Antenolol 50 mg- currently taking
Topamax 100 mg- currently taking
Elavil 50 mg- allergic reaction
Pamelor 50 mg- allergic reaction
Neurontin 600 mg

I have some flaking skin and redness under my right eyebrow and some itching on my throat leftover from an allergic reaction from Elavil. I can get it to go away from Cortizone, but it keeps coming back…

22. What major diseases are running in your family?
Biopolar Disorder- Mother

23. Describe, how do you look like? Describe your overall appearance
5’4”- Caucasian, 140 lbs, Brown Hair/ Eyes, Italian