So over it...

On the verge of a break-up
 
My head and I have been arguing a lot this week, A LOT, a lot.  I'm going on day 3 of a mean migraine that pretends to go away, but only comes back worse than before.  I've been suffering from migraine's for about 5 years now.  I didn't notice them until after I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed in December 2005.  I used to think it was just my head stressing from having had my jaw held open for a long period of time.  In 2008 my doctor at the time sent me for an MRI of my head to see if I had sinus issues, I never heard anything back from her so I assumed it came back clean.  The migraine's, however, have only gotten worse. 
 
I was prescribed Maxalt in 2009 to take once I noticed a migraine was coming, it worked pretty well.  In 2010 I was switched to Sumatriptan (the generic Imitrex) and it works like a charm.  Usually within 20-30 minutes after taking the pill, the migraine tapers off.  Unfortunately, I have learned that it's possible to have a re-occurring migraine within 24hrs after using the medication.  What's scariest about all of this is that I only get 9 pills per prescription and I've filled it nearly every month for 1 year. Basic math tells me this is 108 migraine's in a 12mo time span....is this even normal?
 
Although I have had them for this long, it doesn't make having them any easier.  I thought I got in tune with myself and discovered I was having them the week before, during or after my period, but that's not always true.  Every 3-6mos though I will get one that's really painful and nothing I do seems to ease it, this week would be one of those highly irritating ones.

So what is a migraine?
 
The word migraine basically means "half-skull".  It's a very painful condition causing moderate to severe headaches and occasionally nausea.  It's three times more common in women than men (how convenient).  A typical migraine is unilateral, meaning one side of the head, pulsating and can last anywhere from 4-72hrs.  They can cause light and sound sensitivity.  There are a million ways a migraine can be triggered, but it's hard for certain to diagnose unless they follow a specific pattern.  The most common theory is that there's a disorder of the serotonergic control system (serotonin).
 
I've found, the more pressure I apply to the side of my head (9x's out of 10 for me it's the right side) it helps to ease the pain.  I try to lay down or prop my head on my arm on my right side so I'm applying pressure to it.  This is only temporary of course.