Hi, I just signed up for this forum this morning praying thier may be somebody that can guide me in a direction that a slew of Doctors and Specialists could not in the last 3 decades.
My name is John, a 32 year old white male. I have suffered from severe migraines since the age of 4. Doctors back in the early 80's just put me on pain medications, and told my parents I would likely grow out of the problem. Well I have aged almost 30 years since the very first migraine, and have grown to a whopping 6'5" 250 pounds.... yet I still suffer from migraines. At times these migraines cause me to lose days or weeks from my life. They are so bad that when one is in full swing, I have often considered suicide just to end the immense overwhelming crippling pain.
I have had every test under the sun in the last 3 decades, and have tried enough different medications to stock an entire pharmacy. These migraines usually start in the back of my neck, and wind up with fierce stabbing pain behind one or both of my eyes. At times that can become so severe that I cannot even stand on my own power. I get a bright purple-ish cloud in front of my eyes with the really bad ones. In recent years, maybe since mid 2009, my migraines have added another unwelcome symptom... confusion.
During the really severe migraines I now suffer with a varying level of confusion. Sometimes I try to speak, having what I want to say clear in my mind, but when I turn that thought into speach the words come out wrong. I often say bizarre things not even knowing I have said it. For instance- someone will ask me if I feel any better, and I will reply something like "the vegtables are driving busses".
This new unwelcome symptom prompted me to once again to subject myself to a slew of tests. One of those tests was once again another MRI. This is the first MRI I have ever had that showed anything near abnormal- this time they found an increased T1 signal that can be associated with several different ailments, but the specialist said it was likely unrelated and nothing serious to worry about.
These migraines are hurting my career, my marriage, and takes me away from my children for days at a time. It consumes every aspect of my life. I really can't stand this pain anymore. I would never willingly end my own life, but sometimes when the pain becomes so severe the level of rational thought is reduced to almost none at all, and I worry what I could be capable of during these episodes of confusion.
If anyone else has a similar story, and has found ways to reduce this pain, please, please, please, please HELP ME!
Thanks so much!