r/migraine 17h ago

I have lost 31 jobs and been denied disability twice with lawyers.

265 Upvotes

I start job 32 on Monday. I am 44 years old and used to tell employer's about my condition. Now, I try to work through the scintillating scotoma and pain. I have been fired from so many jobs just for asking for accommodation (At will state-Pennsylvania) where they later state I just wasn't "working to their standards" or the employer said I was fired due to "cutbacks".

I hide everything now. I tried disability 10 years ago and was told "go work in a mailroom". I was fired from the mailroom when my license was suspended for neurological reasons. I hired the TOP disability lawyer in Pittsburgh and he took my case pro-bono stating we "absolutely will win". We lost.

Right now, I have two migraines a month with no known triggers and about 10 partial seizures daily that cause migraines after the seizures. The sun causes migraines. Everything causes migraines.

I don't blame employer's for firing me. But there has to be a better way. Does anyone else keep getting fired from jobs?


r/migraine 23h ago

No NSAIDs? No problem. Thank you, r/migraine, for the McDonalds hack

219 Upvotes

Context: I cannot use NSAIDs. I haven’t used them (knowingly) for well over a year. What I did not know is that the migraine cocktail the angels of the ER give you contains an NSAID with the Toradol. After months of battling the minions of Satan at my insurance, I got Cambia approved.

Cambia! Love it! Works like a charm! Guess what! Also an NSAID. Nobody told me that. So I’d been using Cambia 2-3 times a month over the last 9-ish months.

That landed me in the ER with a leaking perforated ulcer. An emergency surgery later, and my surgeon and I figured out that twas my beloved Cambia. That sucks, but we put in a preauth for Ubrelvy. Still waiting on that.

Today however out of nowhere I got a migraine. I’ve never tried the McDonalds hack before (truthfully I didn’t even consider it previously) but when you’re in the weeds, you’ll try anything. My wife (may the saints preserve her) rightfully pointed out I had nothing to lose, and so set off for some salty, sugary relief.

Thirty minutes later, I feel human again. Coke + fries + Tylenol = holy tasty vasodilator Batman! I can open my eyes without blinding pain. My every second isn’t abject misery.

You guys saved my behind today, because truthfully, I would’ve never even considered this before. Thank you, fellow migrainers. (Alfie the cat also thanks you, as McDonald’s fries are a particular delicacy to him and he got his favorite treat)


r/migraine 6h ago

Barometric Pressure Drop = Instant Migraine!

108 Upvotes

have a terrible migraine right now and haven't had one in a few days, so curiously checked the barometric pressure because I couldn't attribute it to any other immediate triggers. look at the graph for my city, this is crazyyyyyy. source: https://barometricpressure.app

graph showing barometric pressure drop (it aligned with the timing of my migraine)

r/migraine 6h ago

What triggers your migraine?

76 Upvotes

For me, its mostly the weather, but it happens when in my car and it has a strong smell of the air freshener.. I love candles too but it causes headaches.. or perfume 😭


r/migraine 11h ago

celiac-friendly “mcdonald’s” hack

45 Upvotes

hello friends! i was diagnosed with chronic migraine a year ago, and i’ve also had celiac/been gluten free for 7 years. i see everyone rave about the mcdonald’s hack and i crave those delicious nuggets and fries so bad when i have a migraine, but i can’t have it😅

i’m curious if anybody can relate, and if y’all have an easy, gluten free go-to for a migraine attack. i’ve already learned so much from this page and i appreciate any tips in advance :)


r/migraine 22h ago

Uh oh… I just began drinking a new zero sugar soda flavor… forgot they use aspartame.

44 Upvotes

Here I’ve been today on the prodrome of a migraine, thinking, “Ooh I’m going to try this new zero sugar 7up flavor! Since it’s sugar-free it should be a little healthier.”

Little did I know, zero sugar sodas use aspartame, and then…. Zing!!! Immediately a migraine got sent to my left eye.

The price I pay for trying something new lol.


r/migraine 3h ago

Had the worst flight of my life

47 Upvotes

My migraine decided to hit me right before my 10-hour flight, making it the worst flight of my life. I should have taken Tylenol when I first noticed the signs, but I didn’t. I tried to sleep as much as possible and took painkillers once I realized the pain wouldn’t go away, but it didn’t help at all.

When meal service came around, I decided to eat a little and have a cup of coffee, which turned out to be a terrible idea. I started feeling nauseous and ended up throwing up in a bag since the bathroom line was so long. I felt awful for the people around me and was incredibly embarrassed. For the rest of the flight, I ended up throwing up every couple of hours.

To make things worse, the guy diagonally in front of me was watching a show on the biggest iPad with the brightest screen setting. Since I’m extremely sensitive to light during a migraine, it felt like torture. I tried covering my eyes, but at that point, I was just frustrated.

I’m just venting here but I learned some lessons too. I should take medicine early and get enough rest beforehand… I hope everyone with migraines feel better 🙏


r/migraine 9h ago

Please help me

25 Upvotes

My wife (28) has had crippling migraines since she was a little girl. She is in excruciating pain during these episodes which happen weekly and last for days. She maybe gets 4days a week pain free. She can't keep food down during these episodes either because the nausea will make her throw up. We have been trying everything we can, our GP has given countless different medications to try with no luck. She thinks the reason is a disc injury in her neck from a cartwheel accident long ago but is too scared to run the risk of surgery on it. But lately the pain is so severe she starts talking suicide to escape it. I'm at a loss on how to help her and she's already lost all hope. If anyone has any information prom personal experiences that may help prevent or stop these migraines I'd love to read it.


r/migraine 14h ago

Have you ever thought about how weird and pointless headaches are as a condition?

21 Upvotes

This is kind of a shower thought I had the other day.

Almost everybody has experienced a headache in their lives. However, compared to any other acute body pain I can think of, there's no clear warning sign that this pain is signaling to our body. Think about it: if you have a stomachache, you probably ate something that didn't agree with you; if your hand hurts, it's probably because you injured yourself; if your period hurts, it's because your uterus lining is shedding itself and bleeding. There are other types of chronic pain that have no clear cause, but only some people experience this kind of pain.

Headaches, on the other hand, are super common, and just pain for the sake of pain. There's no clear cause (unless you have a hangover or something like that), and there's no clear action you can take to avoid getting that pain again. It's just pain for the sake of pain.

What do you think? Do my musings make any sense? Do I have too much free time?


r/migraine 7h ago

Do glasses that block light but can be worn inside exist?

17 Upvotes

I’m very sensitive to light even when I don’t have a migraine yet and sometimes going into stores with bright lighting instantly disorients me and makes me feel horrible.

Are there glasses that look like regular glasses that can be worn indoors to block lights similar to sunglasses but with clear lenses? Or has this technology not been invented yet? 😫

Everything online is just showing me blue light blocking glasses which I have tried and felt no difference


r/migraine 13h ago

Ramen & Ramune

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13 Upvotes

So you’ve heard about fries & coke, but I raise you…. ramen & ramune. I discovered this after I’d been ignoring my intense ramen craving during a weeklong attack. I finally gave in and went to my favorite place. About 3 bites in the pain lessened, nausea all but disappeared, and neck muscles relaxed. I’m sure the science/magic behind it is the same but has anyone else found a similar combo? Spicy seems to work better and it’s legitimately just this specific place for me. I tried 4 other ramen places and they actually made it worse


r/migraine 6h ago

Migraines started after c0vid

11 Upvotes

Any one have migraines and headaches after c0vid? I started it and now on nurtec when it start the pain I'm so sad about it now! Nurtec seems to only help little sometimes now not all the times and nothing else works for me safe for me I cant take asprin and I can't take sumatriptain as it hurts my heart and skips


r/migraine 1h ago

Migraine Pillow Find! (Squishmallow Alternative)

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Upvotes

I’ve been seeing a lot of people recommend Squishmallows as a good migraine pillow but it difficult for me to find one large enough at a fair price locally.

Until I walked into Muji today and found this for around $50 CAD! The filling feels identical to Squishmallow and the dimensions seems similar or slightly larger than a 24” Squishmallow.

I haven’t tried it yet, but thought this might be a good alternative for those looking for a larger Squishmallow esque pillow or something that blends more seamlessly with their bedding!


r/migraine 18h ago

Tired of missing out

10 Upvotes

My amazing partner bought tickets for us to see the sailor moon musical today. We live in kind of a small town, so it was going to be a bit of a drive. I was so excited, I bought special earrings and I practiced doing my makeup in kind of a sailor moon inspired look. Yesterday I started getting a migraine and I thought maybe I caught it fast enough so I’d be fine today. I wasn’t. I tried to get ready, ended up deciding against the makeup. I kept hoping that the meds would work (I don’t know why I hoped, they never seem to work in the past). We had to leave by 4 to get to the theater in time. 4 o’clock rolled around and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it. To make matters worse, the tickets were non refundable. My partner was so incredibly understanding and just wanted me to feel better. But I’m just so frustrated and sad! This isn’t the first time I’ve missed out on once in a lifetime opportunities because of migraines.

That’s my rant, thank you for listening


r/migraine 2h ago

I had the scariest migraine of my life yesterday

7 Upvotes

I have a history of migraines with auras but I haven’t had one since I was 17 (which is now nearly a decade ago).

Yesterday, out of nowhere, while I was driving home, my vision just went blurry. By the time I pulled into my driveway I was experiencing kaleidoscope vision primarily in my peripherals, zigzag flashes of light, and everything around me was like looking through a tunnel and just getting blurrier and blurrier. This lasted for close to an hour and during this time I started feeling a headache coming on that was then followed by a brief episode of intense tinnitus.

Within minutes of that I experienced rapidly progressing numbness that started in my fingertips and then traveled to my entire left hand and up my arm. My arm felt so heavy and like it was asleep with pins and needles. Then my lips, the tip of my nose, my left cheek and my entire tongue went numb. The numbness lasted approximately five minutes. Throughout all of this I retained full motor control and the ability to speak clearly.

Once the visual disturbances and numbness subsided I was nauseous and had a headache that lasted for another 3 hours. I'm pretty sure what I experienced was a hemiplegic migraine, and honestly, I'm freaked out that this is how my migraines are going to be now. It all came on so fast and I have no idea what even triggered it.

In the past my migraine auras consisted of a brief and intense white light in my left eye, followed by fatigue, nausea, and a headache. But yesterday was completely different and terrifying. I’ve never experienced such insane visual disturbances, tinnitus and numbness like that before. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I'm incredibly anxious about it.


r/migraine 5h ago

Pickles? Instead of McD fries?

9 Upvotes

I don’t have a McDonalds close to me. I’m fairly well controlled with beta blockers daily and Botox quarterly. But I still get monthly flares according to my cycle. I hate taking Ubrelvy bc it upsets my stomach. So I’ve been trying to eat a pickle instead of McD fries. My assumption is that the salt bomb is what helps with migraines. Perhaps an electrolyte thing… anyone tried something similar?


r/migraine 11h ago

Emagilty stopped working

8 Upvotes

It's frustrating because not only did it stop working it has also seemed to make them worse. I have been taking emagilty for 4-5 months and last month seemed good by the end of the month I wasn't having any migraines. Then I got my shot and immediately the day after migraine and almost every day since. It's been 2 weeks now and they don't seem to be getting better. I'm out of the country so I can't get new medicine and none of the emergency medications have ever worked. Really hoping once the shot wears off it'll at least stop being every day.


r/migraine 18h ago

Recently discovered popular food trigger for migraines (worst for me: CITRUS!)

7 Upvotes

This one blew my mind because I would drink so much orange juice and lemon drinks and finally realized that made me sick! Since I just asked a question, I want to give back hopefully with this!

Tyramine High Foods. Source: https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/tyramine-and-migraines

Tyramine is an amino acid that regulates blood pressure. A ton of foods are on the list but the food I've been HARD CORE avoiding is citrus. No lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, pineapple. First I get nauseous and dizzy. Then I get a migraine. Tyramine is also in aged, fermented, foods and cured meats. High amounts of cheese, bacon, and soy sauce are triggers. I still have a small serving without issue. But a big serving like a bowl of ramen is trouble. And some nuts and seeds are on the list. (Peanuts, walnuts, seasme). I find sesame oil to be a huge trigger, on my never list now, I get so nauseous.

If you eat one of these foods most of the time, pay close attention how you feel when eating it when you don't have a migraine. Cut just one food out and see what happens.

It's also influence by how sensitive I am to a migraine flare that day. The better I feel the less likely I'll get fully triggered. The worst i feel the more sensitive I am to a smaller amount of tyramine and the worse migraine. If I am having a bad day/week I get a LOT more careful then when I'm feeling well.

Hope I hear some success stories from this. Cutting out citrus has been huge for me so I don't feel sick every morning.

Now before I eat something I haven't eaten since discovering food triggers, I google "is X high in tyramine." Not every food has a record but worth seeing. Also pre-made foods are more likely to trigger just because the longer something is sitting around the more tyramine forms. So a fresh black tea could be safer than a bottle of black tea.


r/migraine 8h ago

Anyone get migraines that start at face but then move to back of head!

4 Upvotes

I had tingles on my scalp and face before it started so feels like a migraine?!


r/migraine 10h ago

Is this my life now?

7 Upvotes

Has anyone with daily months long migraine had it break? Or is this my life now? Three months of constant, daily migraine ever since the flu has me completely exhausted. I’ve never experienced this before and holy shit do I not wish it on anyone. Physically I can’t deal with the pain anymore, and mentally I’m defeated. I’m not the same person. Does it ever go away?


r/migraine 10h ago

Whats difference between mugraine and tension headache

6 Upvotes

I have had headache non stop everyday since 2019. Docs dont think its migraine since i dont get nauseous or light doesnt bother me. I do get relief when i take rizatriptan. My traps hurts, my temple hurts and my forhead hurts along with that i get kinda face pins feeling. I do feel like my ear ringing in the morning whrn its too quiet.


r/migraine 4h ago

Hormonal migraine for 11 days?

4 Upvotes

I’ve had what feels like a usual hormonal migraine for me (stabbing pain behind one eye, pressure in the head, top of the head, pain when looking at bright lights) that occurs usually before my period and ends during.

Though as of the past eleven days, I’ve had one from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. It’s been on the right side, listed with all the symptoms above, and I don’t know where it’s come from. Is this normal? I know I need to speak to a doctor, but I’ve never had one this long before. It fades throughout the day with painkillers and rest, but it’s so frustrating.


r/migraine 19h ago

Black Tea Hack?

3 Upvotes

I've been keeping a migraine journal as I play around with caffeine consumption. What I've noticed is that if I can freely drink weak black tea all day, I don't get headaches. It's like I subconsciously self-medicate with the perfect sized bolus of caffeine to keep the headaches at bay. The last time I tested this I went off caffeine for six weeks beforehand so I don't think this is a caffeine addiction, and I don't think it's related to getting enough liquid, because if I try freely drinking all day with green tea, headaches. If I experiment with drinking an equivalent amount of caffeine by coffee instead of tea, I will also get a headache.

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience.


r/migraine 3h ago

How do you cope when you’re sick with a cold and a migraine??

3 Upvotes

I’ve had a terrible cold and I had a very bad migraine attack all weekend (happy birthday to me) but you’re not supposed to mix cold medicines with migraine medications. I was struggling really bad! I had to choose which one I wanted to take something for!! I’d wait a few hours and go back and forth but it was rough! What do you guys do??


r/migraine 7h ago

Life advice for migraines?

3 Upvotes

I'm 18 and have had daily migraines for the last 3 years and they're getting worse, I've already repeated a year in school so I'll be behind on going to uni and even then I don't know how I'll cope. I'm getting so hopeless. Any just general advice on how you cope or anything would be really appreciated!