Migraine

January 8, 2003

Hi Yiva

I get migraines routinely, with lots and lots of

nausea. I just hate it.

First, I have learned to listen to my body when I

first wake up. Usually on a day when a migraine

attacks, my neck feels a little (extra) stiff and

achey. If I can, I go right back to bed for an hour

or two with a pillow wadded up so it places pressure

on the back of my neck. I try to get deeply asleep.

Next, before going back to bed, I take a prescription

drug, Ultram, and rub EOs into my temples and neck:

peppermint and lavender in sweet almond oil.

If I can't get back to sleep, I find a sock and two

tennis balls. I put the balls in the sock, then tie

them in snugly. THen I lay myself down for a few

minutes with the tennis balls at the back of my neck

just at the base of my skull.

Prophylactically, I take 35 mg of amitryptallin (sp?)

every night. It helps me sleep more deeply. I make

sure the pillow fits well under my neck, providing

lots of support.

If all this fails and the nausea hits, I have to spend

the next several hours near the bathroom. Once I am

all emptied out, I go back to bed with a cold

" wooby-like thing " and a hot one. THen I swap them

between my forehead and neck. Then I try to get

deeply asleep.

THat is my regimen. Typically I have headaches

threaten me every 3-6 weeks (usually right after I

resolve a major stressful event). With all this, I

can usually keep the bad ones down to 2-3 a year.

With these, I'll end up in the ER to get codeine or

morphine. Ick.

I hope you can use some of all these ideas....

Trish Ross

San Francisco and Gualala

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