New Neuro, New Med!

So Tuesday I finally got to see my new neurologist. I was excited and also, to be honest, a little ready for let down. This was now the 6th doctor I was going to see for my migraine disease. I guess the 6th time is a charm!

Compared to the other twits I've seen, this new doctor, from now on, I'll call him Dr. G, he actually LISTENED to me. TALKED to me and TREATED me like a human, on his level and the same planet he was from. Not like those "other" doctors who talked down to me and made me feel like I knew nothing about this disease I have. I've probably done more research on migraine disease in the past 3 years then these doctors have in their lives!

Anyway, I'm getting riled up. Back on topic. So Dr. G listened to me and says he thinks I have transformed migraines. And no, that's not when your migraine turns into a robot. It's usually from over using medication....or at least in 80% of the cases. But for me, it's not since I tend to under use it.

So Dr. G and I discuss options. We talk about the Topamax that I've been taking for about a year and a half now, and how it's not working anymore. We decide it's time to get off of it. But first, we are going to add in Amitriptyline on a low dose to get the transformed migraines under control. Then back off both the Topamax and the Amitriptyline.

Amitriptyline is a Tricylic antidepressant (TCA) and used in low doses, can be a good preventive for migraines.

I'm just concerned because one of the side effects, like the second one, is "may cause increased hunger....especially for sweets" Awesome! Just what I needed, and increased appetite for sweets! Why couldn't it be like "may cause you to want to eat salads all the time" or "may cause excessive urges to work out"....nope, this is going to make me want to sit down with Ben and Jerry and just chow!

Yes, I know - all side effects are potential, but you know this one is going to happen to me, since I'm the one who went to culinary school to learn how to make all those sweets!!!!!

I guess time will tell. I'm on my second day of 10mgs. of amitriptyline. I stay on that for 2 weeks and then I go up to 20mgs.

I hope it works. I am so done with feeling like crap. I had a migraine all day yesterday. And, since I've already maxed out my abortive for the week, I was on Vicodin all day, which did squat. All it did was make me loopy. I still couldn't sleep, the pain was still there, and I was just a zombie all day with what felt like a knife going through my skull!

Well that's about it for this round.

I just wanted to take a moment to remember my cousin Joanne who passed earlier this week. She was only 55. She had a brain tumor which the doctors said was inoperable. It all happened so fast.

Joanne never married or had any children.

I will remember her for her long black hair, her sarcastic humor (I think that's where I get it from!!!!), her love of the Yankees and her love and dedication to her family.

Joanne - even though we were not that close - you were my "cool cousin" and I will miss you terribly. You were taken way to early and I'm sorry that it had to happen that way. You will be missed.

Up and coming doctor visit

I had gone to see my primary doctor a month or so ago and she referred me to a new neurologist, since the last headache specialist I saw was, well, horrible (don't worry, I won't mention your name and ruin your career here).

Come to find out, he actually studied with my at the time neuro that I was leaving because she was no good. Makes sense now, right!

Anyway, so my primary referred me to this neuro and when we were having our holiday party at work, the doctor group that I work for mentioned him too! So now I am excited to see him. He seems to have a good name with the other doctors in the area which is awesome. The doctor group I work for says he is a pain in the butt, always wanting tests done yesterday.....which is great...they agreed.

My big question latley has been "Do I have IIH?" Which is Intercranial Hypertension, formerly called Psudotumor Cerebri. IIH is increased spinal fluid in the brain that the body cannot absorb. It causes pressure in the brain, which can lead to no trigger migraines. I have a lot of these! The only way to test for IIH is by a lumbar puncture. Supposidly this new neuro has no problems with that and orders them frequently. Other doctors, including "Mr. Headache Specialist" stated to me that if I didn't have papilladema, that I could not have IIH - FALSE! And he is a specialist! This is why I never went back!

So I am getting a list of questions ready for my hopefully new neurologist. I hope that he is good and that we can work well together. I feel like I've been through enough bad ones, it's time I get a good one for a change!!!!

Wish me luck! My appointment is on the 22nd!

Almost two weeks! woot! woot!

So ladies and gents, I am on my 12th day of no migraines!! I have been feeling pretty good! I thought I was coming down with a cold on Sat. so I started dosing the Airborne - and it went away!

I felt a bit of pressure today - but so far, so good. I promise I will be on here soon to write something acutally worth reading. I have things in my head, I just need the time to sit down and get them here......

Wow a weekend went by and no pain!

I have no idea how that happend! But, I am on my 5th day of no migraine (please, keep clapping to a minimum) I have felt pretty good the last couple days. I really don't know why!

I've been on Jolessa now for 4 weeks - so this is the week I would normally be taking a placebo - so here's to hoping that the Jolessa breaks my menstrual migraine spells!!!! That would totally rock the hizzy!

For those of you who don't know - Jolessa is the generic Seasonale. So instead of taking 3 weeks of pills and then a placebo week, I now will take 12 weeks (I think??) of pills and then a placebo week. Plus the pills are all the same stregnth, unlike the ortho, which got stronger and stronger and then dropped you off a cliff with no hormones! UGH I think that was the worst of my issues! So we will see how it goes.

No migraines and no period???!!!! Is that even possible!!!! Oh I would so love that!!!