Anyone had a cold shot for a migraine?

[Greg Dent]

Not a shot in the arm its a shot of cold they spray in the back of the throat. There was a thing on the news a few years back. Well maybe 10 to 15 years ago. I can't remember. They were spraying a shot of cold in the back of peoples throat to kill the pain of a migraine. 

 

i started eating a pile of ice cream and it really helped calm down a headache or a migraine. Not a scientific study on my part but I found if I got my mouth really cold a head ache would be cut to nothing. Has anyone else found anything like this before?

 

 

[Greg Dent]

Here is an article showing how effective hot or cold therapy is. I use cold packs on my head or neck when I get a bad one. But I am trying to find info on the cold shots in the throat. If anyone find anything would you please put it here for me?

[Greg Dent]

Forgot the article sorry.

 

http://www.headachemag.org/OurThoughts/Post/Ice-or-Heat-for-Headache-Relief

[Sheila]

Not what you're after Greg, but my son suffered from migraines for years (caused by a cracked skull after falling over whilst ice-skating when he was 12) and only morphine injections at the local hospital when he lived in another state relieved him of the blinding headaches.     His new doctor prescribed blood pressure tablets which has almost totally cured his problem.   Perhaps this can help.

[Greg Dent]

The ones I get start with pain in my neck. You can actually feel swelling in the back of my neck. It starts there and goes up into the back of my head and then usually to the front on one side or the other. My wife can tell which side because either eye will be closed slightly. If at 2 in the afternoon she sees my right eye closed a little she can tell I am in pain. Then sometimes it will switch sides and my left eye will close up a bit. So Its not a typical migraine. But when i get one my lord it ruins my day. Even the day after I have phantom pain that my doctor said is still the left over migraine pain or a phantom migraine.

[Toy Poodles]

The ones I get start with pain in my neck. You can actually feel swelling in the back of my neck. It starts there and goes up into the back of my head and then usually to the front on one side or the other. My wife can tell which side because either eye will be closed slightly. If at 2 in the afternoon she sees my right eye closed a little she can tell I am in pain. Then sometimes it will switch sides and my left eye will close up a bit. So Its not a typical migraine. But when i get one my lord it ruins my day. Even the day after I have phantom pain that my doctor said is still the left over migraine pain or a phantom migraine.

 

Greg I have the exact same headaches that start in my neck and go through one eye or the other. I too put icepacks on my neck to numb as much pain as I can. I usually fall asleep on it for bout 4-6hrs and my husband comes in and changes them out about every 2hrs. When I was younger my eyeballs would literally feel bruised to the touch for days afterwards. 

[Jewelz]

Greg I have had Marcaine injections where they use a needle and freeze an area of the neck and head that cause pain. It lasts a week approx and it works if you can handle needles.

After a car accident I had migraines and whiplash and regular pain meds didn't work so I went for these for 4 months one a week.

[ava]

Mine are always centered over an eye as well.  

 

I find laying in a dark and cold room with wet/cold washcloth over my eyes and ice pack on my forehead, plus my meds does the trick.

[Greg Dent]

Ya I just am trying a new pillow tonight. The place let me borrow one for  few night. I hope it works for me because its over $100. Ouch and a half. I hope it works because if i wake up with another one this week i am going to scream. If it doesn't they said bring it back and try another one. We shall see. 

[Witness1970]

My migraines were caused by food allergies. When I was very young I did not like cheese very much and never ate it. At thevagebof 12 I started eating cheeseburgers and I started having migraines. They would start with blurry vision that would grow from a small spot until it covered 75% of my vision. The spots would go away and a few minutes later the headache could start and then would come the nausea and vomiting. I started avoiding cheese and the migraines stopped. Years later I had a job that sometimes required work outside at night in thge cold winter. I started drinking hot coffee on those cold nights. The migraines started again. I soon realized that the coffee was the culprit. I found that cheese, as it ages, produces tyramine, a baso-reactant. The caffeine in coffee is also a baso-reactant. One doctor told me that when the migraine started some people go into the hospital to getbavbaso-suppressant shotbtonease the pain. Or you could just avoid the cheese and coffee.

[Tazzy]

The ones I get start with pain in my neck. You can actually feel swelling in the back of my neck. It starts there and goes up into the back of my head and then usually to the front on one side or the other. My wife can tell which side because either eye will be closed slightly. If at 2 in the afternoon she sees my right eye closed a little she can tell I am in pain. Then sometimes it will switch sides and my left eye will close up a bit. So Its not a typical migraine. But when i get one my lord it ruins my day. Even the day after I have phantom pain that my doctor said is still the left over migraine pain or a phantom migraine.

Similar to mine. Mine stem from whiplash injury to my neck / shoulder on my left side (my head was turned when I was hit from behind).

I have found trigger point release and acupuncture to work but can't afford treatment right now. So I made my own trigger point release. Two tennis balls in an old sock, tied loosely so you can move them around to where you need pressure. Then place them under your neck/ shoulder or where ever you feel the tightness/soreness begin from. Lie back only slightly at first and increase pressure as comfortable (deeper as you can stand it), moving the balls up to the neck. Sometimes my trigger seems to be from my neck but actually begins lower down. I get them both sides too but because our neck muscles affect either side, the trigger point can be one side but cause eye pain headaches on either side.

They ruin my day too (sometimes days to get the pain under control.) I get pain like a knife thru the top of my head afterwards for days. I always say, I can handle pain anywhere else but thru my eye / face/ head like these makes it impossible to think, read, sleep, work....hard to ignore or get under control once they really take hold so I do preventative maintainance now with my sock. Along with a stiff drink or glass of wine to relax the muscles.

[Tazzy]

Greg I have the exact same headaches that start in my neck and go through one eye or the other. I too put icepacks on my neck to numb as much pain as I can. I usually fall asleep on it for bout 4-6hrs and my husband comes in and changes them out about every 2hrs. When I was younger my eyeballs would literally feel bruised to the touch for days afterwards.

Yep, bruised to touch eyeballs! Wow, that is so true!

[Tazzy]

Also, watch to see if they are triggered by positioning of your neck like when you sit and talk to someone or watch tv or at the hall sitting on an angle to the platform. I must only sit and face straight on. I can't sit to the side or my trigger points flare up. Keep a journal and see if you notice a pattern of what you are doing before you get one. (Also, where you have been - my muscles react to fragrances so pain always follows exposure for me. When I would go inside the Kingdom Hall, I was getting flare ups after every meeting for days. Just finish one flare and another would begin next meeting.)

I also can't vacuum or my points trigger.

[Tazzy]

This is great too - got one from my physio. Love it!

http://theracane.ca

Everyone who tries mine wants one!

http://theracane.ca/Thera_Cane_techniques.html (Explains trigger points well and how the pain spreads)

But sock and tennis ball is cheaper!

Edited February 5, 2015 by Tazzy

[Greg Dent]

That is ingenious. The only majour trigger my wife and I have found is waking up with one. Or if it comes in the middle of the day I can tell there is a storm coming. Or it has started. Its not always like that. But waking up with one is the most common. There for we see it as being a pillow problem. My chiro said that Pillows should be replaced every 3 to 5 years if they are a standard fiber filled pillow. The one I am thinking of getting is a pure latex pillow. It has a 10 year guarantee on it. For that price it better have. The one I was using he said should have been replaced after 5 years. I was using it almost 8 now. It is going into the garbage now. I have tried temperpedic pillows with forming without. I have tried side sleeper pillows ones with cut outs ones with this and that. Gell you name it. I have spent almost  enough to buy a good used car for pete sakes. 

[Tazzy]

I did the whole pillow change thing too. Tried everything. Now I use one from jysk by Kathy Ireland called Resort. $30

The other thing that has helped me is a device for my jaw clenching called a NTI.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/709183

It's expensive but my insurance paid for it. It helps with the ones caused by my jaw clenching. I used to wake up with migraines before this device but now I never do.

Sorry to have so much to say on this but I have been searching for answers for years on migraines because I have a severe form that are not preventable by meds. I have developed migraine phobia (Cephalalgiaphobia) which leads me to becoming agoraphobic at times. Now I also have Osmophobia - Aversion to odors. This phobia is often seen in migraine sufferers who have experienced odor-induced migraines.

I'm a mess! Haven't yet found a therapist who has experience treating these phobias without drug pushing (I have had enough reactions with meds to feel the need to pursue non pharma management.) Any therapist covered by Ohip doesn't seem to have the skills or knowledge to work with this specific area but I'm still looking / searching.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Tazzy

[Greg Dent]

Your info may help someone else don't worry about it. SO far this pillow has worked. I slept very well the last 2 nights. I will try it again tonight and maybe keep it until sunday and see. If after work Sat I go to bed and don't wake up in pain Sunday I will be very happy. I will put the stats up along with the make for you guys. The fellow at sleep country was very helpful. It also helps they have our bed on the floor so I could try it on the same bed in the store. He helped me to find one that matched the depth of my neck as well. That was as important to get right so my neck was not kinked while I laid on side or back. Here is hoping.

[hatcheckgirl]

Thank you so much for posting your info and experiences here for the rest of us to try. I have been too dependent on meds to cope with the pain, as I am out of action for days if I don't stop the migraine from developing.  But who wants to live like this, forking out money for a packet of 4 pills that you seem to inhale, they run out so quickly. My pharmacist noticed I am coming back too often to replenish the supply (well, it was quite a stressful time). She recommended some preventative natural remedies, including Magnesium and Feverfew.  I've tried that in the past and they didn't work for me, but it may have been that the dosages were wrong for what I need.  Magnesium is good for cramps, but with migraines, you need more than this dosage.

 

Anyway, I'm glad you posted.  It gives me a few more things to think about using instead of the sumatriptan, which works by narrowing blood vessels in the brain.  That is why (I think) the cold therapy works too because the cold constricts.  Though sometimes, I find the steam from a hot tea also can help.

 

Please let us know how the pillow goes, Greg. I suspect something similar as I too wake up with them too.

[Greg Dent]

Its gone good with the pillow so far. Today Feb 18th is the first day I have had any neck tension at all. I think I slept weird last night. Other than that it has been great. I have fallen sleep faster and I actually don't recall sweating since i got this pillow. 

 

The sales guy said if you have any part of the body that goes numb or is sore when you wake up the your heart will pump harder to get blood to that area. This will cause your body temp to rise and make you sweat. SO if that is happening you need a better pillow or your is worn out.

[Greg Dent]

Woke up this morning with another head ache. Well only the second one since I got that new pillow. Wife said I slept funny last night with my head in a strange position LOL. This is different though its on the left side and not the right side. So this is different. I have not had a migraine since I got the pillow so that is great.

[hatcheckgirl]

Poor you!  Oh if only the solution was as simple as a pillow (or a pill, or a herbal mix, etc).  Just when you think something may work, it's not failsafe, and you have to go back to drugs (urgh!)

 

Hope Greg this will not be happening too often for you and the pillow helps most of the time.  We will have this problem fixed in the paradise.

(I always though our brains were too big for our heads, that's why we get migraines )

[Greg Dent]

Thanks Lucy. i agree about when this will all stop/ Let it come let it come.

[Greg Dent]

My wife found this article that explains exactly what is going on with me.

 

http://optimumsportsperformance.com/blog/suboccipitals-small-but-important/

[hatcheckgirl]

I'm reading it right now.  Very tecchy, but I've found some interesting possible explanations for what is happening to my poor little head too.

[LRJW]

I suffer from debilitating migraines quite often.  It's gotten to the point where I can't leave work early because I'm afraid I'll crash the car, so I will be "off the clock" and just go lie down in a dark, unused part of the office until hopefully my medicine kicks in.  My medicine doesn't always work.  I've been through about 15 different prescriptions, and have an appointment with a neurologist in a few weeks.

 

My doctor wants to put me on medical marijuana, but I don't want to go that route because of my past before I came into the truth.