Not easy to keep well.

[Lizzie69]

Hello to all. Had been feeling good until about 6 weeks ago and ended up with a migraine that was not responding to sumatriptan. After conversation with my sister -very longstanding, I decided to go gluten free. Joint pain went and felt even better.

Then hit with migraine 2 weeks ago that lasted 36 hours and not responding to usual meds. Then had another that started last night. Fortunately it has responded to meds but feeling like a space cadet so will head into work late and work my hours back later in week. I am at a loss that is this a sign that I need my B12 injection sooner that 3monthly. I have been feeling a little dizzy at times if I turn my head and have calf cramping.

I just find it hard to know what to do. I take a multivitamin. I think I might need to try the B12 spray. Juggling autoimmune conditions is crap and I have lost days off work to migraine. I am worried that I may lose my job and really don't want to go on a migraine preventer but feel that have little choice.

Will try to phone GP and see if I could get my B 12 injection sooner.

Feeling quite sad as trying my hardest to stay well. Xxx

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Can empathise as I suffer from bad migraines as well - curious that you seem to be mentioning roughly 2 weeks between the migraines - just wondering if they could be hormonally related - mine have been a bit of a beggar in the last few months - I get them at both changes in hormones but as I'm perimenopause I don't always have a bleed but they still seem to be happening.

migraines are actually a condition that will be recognised as a disability so depending on what your employer is like I'd mention it as it is something that they would be obliged to show that they had made reasonable adjustments for - that' isn't a guarantee that you won't be dismissed on the grounds of physical capacity as part of the reasonable depends on the needs of the business - may be worth talking through with citizens advice ... or with the PAS themselves if you have the right level of membership.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

[Lizzie69 in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks for your reply. Have been thinking maybe getting more hormonal. Do you take a preventer for your migraines?

Going to not let it beat me. Have you ever tried acupuncture. Have already seen occupational health previously but that was before treatment for B 12.

Will contact PAS for advice. Thanks.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Lizzie69]

I had high blood pressure at one point and took a beta blocker and that seemed to incidentally help with the migraines but when I tried it specifically for the migraines at a later point it didn't really do anything ... not on any other preventatives - tried pill for a while but that just made everything worse so didn't try it for very long. I find that running really helps - I used to suffer migraines most of the time and estimate that I probably had about 4 days in the month free from them - and certainly nothing like that now - though some of the migraines I get can be really bad and like you sometimes they don't respond to triptans - though I use rizatriptan rather than sumitriptan - and also in very much lower doses (1/4 of a wafer, if that). Triptans can be a bit of a mixed blessing as they can actually bring on an attack or make it worse.

I also find that some aromas can help - peppermint, lavendar, citrus and ylang-ylang - but part of my sensitivity is around smells when it comes to migraines - rather than the more traditional light and noise.

The national migraine centre sponsor a forum on HU so you might find looking through the posts there or even putting something up there gets you some more ideas.

[jimister]

I suffer quite frequent migraine. Initially improved after the menopause but gradually started coming back. In the past i have been on beta blockers and Sanomigraine all worked for a while and gradually stopped working. Gained a huge amount of weight on Sanomigraine. I take Imigran, Syndol or Paramol but i feel that you can then run into painkiller induced headaches which i think has now happened to me. But it is so hard to tolerate that sort of pain and take nothing to relieve it.

[jimister]

Forgot to mention also had 20 sessions of Acupuncture did nothing to help at all.

[Lizzie69]

Thank you for your reply. Do you find you get more migraines before you are due your B12 injection? I have only had my loading doses so hard to know what is just migraine, pernicious anaemia or hypothyroid. It really is such a juggling act.

I suppose 6 weeks ago I had a glimpse of feeling great and had energy. I know people on this website will understand. There is probably such an overlap that everything has to be in sync including all vitamin levels.

[Marz in reply to Lizzie69]

Low iron levels could be a cause too. After all it is iron that transports oxygen around the body to all the cells. A full iron panel alibg with Ferritin may br useful. How are you doing with the VitD ?

[Lizzie69]

Thanks for your reply. Take a multi vit with added iron and vit D. Just covering that I probably don't absorb vits as well as I should so supplementing way to go. Going to see if I can get my vit B12 every two months as being getting pins and needles in feet and hands so think maybe need a little more.

Hopefully the fact I have not been to the doctors in three months apart from my B 12 injection will make them realise that mostly things are better but just need some fine tuning.