I had a persistent migraine for more than a week, and then started having chest pains.

I'M FINE FIRST OFF

I'M FINE

He did an EKG, it was totally normal, it was just anxiety. And the migraine is being treated with cortical steroids, and he gave me a new prescription for painkillers to use after I finish this treatment cycle.

I post about this to facebook and my cousin who is as dumb as a box of hair sometimes i stg

replies: "Are you hydrated? Have you had bloodwork done? You sure seem to get a lot of headaches."

Yes, kid. Yes,I sure do. Ever since I was 8.

Because I have a chronic migraine condition

oof, anxiety because the migraine went on for so long?

And because I can't take medications that prevent them like anti-epileptics, because they cause me to have seizures

flamingchemist: ding ding ding

oof.

But then she goes "Are you sure it's not an aneurysm? You know those run in the family."

Me:

adlfkdhjf

Well. I test my cholesterol, keep an eye on my BP and resting heart rate, and don't smoke or drink or eat high fat foods to avoid an aneurysm.

I'm sure it didn't occur to the doctor you went to specifically for headaches that it might be an aneurysm

But okay, I guess it could be a super slow aneurysm that looks exactly like migraines.

What she means is stroke runs in our family, in the people who have hypertension or are sedentary

I mean I'll ask my neurologist later this month if it could be an aneurysm

but it's not a fucking aneurysm, it's status migrainosus because I didn't treat the initial migraine at onset, was dehydrated then, and then got a bunch of rebound migraines because I overmedicated.

but the "You sure get a lot of headaches" threw me for a loop

migraines aren't headaches. They're more like seizures. The pain portion (the "headache") is not the entirety of what's occurring.

I'm just. BAFFLED at the level of willful stupidity in my maternal family

Also, my resting heart rate is 68-80 BPM, and my BP is 115-120/60-70.

Like. :| Kid. It would be the most freak aneurysm ever.

huh. I did not know that about migraines!

I guess the symptoms are similar but like. That's something they'd have caught on the MRI last year if I had an unruptured aneurysm, and I'd be dead by now if it was a ruptured one. And this migraine hasn't been localized to one side.

but also oy at your cousin

Yyy migraines are basically a neurological cascade event. You can have a migraine with no pain!

that's like saying "man I've been sneezing a lot because of all of the flowers blooming" and someone asking "wow are you sure it isn't a sinus infection?? you sure have a lot of sinus problems!"

I get drooping eyelid, dry mouth, sweating, elevated heart rate, trouble processing visual input, lots of peeing :c (which is a hUGE indication of migraines and cluster headaches), irritability, and depression/anxiety in pro- and post-drome (before and after the migraine)

and severe icepick pain behind either of my eyes or between them.

ugh

This last trip to the doctor actually has me more hopeful because it's now getting actual attention, and there are so many studies being done and new therapies being developed, including gene therapy like what led to the vaccines for COVID.

I haven't given a lot of the daily medications a fair shake, either. I've also not tried botox yet.

meanwhile

risk factors for aneurysm

"Drug abuse, particularly the use of cocaine"

her sister who is my age was determined to have 4 different opioids in her system when she went in for quadruple bypass for her aneurysm.

I WONDER
IF
THERE'S A CONNECTION

I don't do drugs, I barely take medication if I can help it, I'm 37, I don't drink but once or twice a month because of the migraines, I vape maybe 1-2 times a month. I'm overweight but that's not a risk factor, and I'm active.

And I don't have hypertension because I don't eat fried shit, suppress my rage, and drink alcohol like the rest of my family does.

Also very low sodium diet. ;.;

I think the reason this pisses me off so much is my family ignores all health problems, mental or otherwise, until they become CATASTROFUCKS, and then they thinks all health problems are catastrofucks

and they don't listen to me when I say X is an issue, until someone else also determines they have X

See: Autism, ADHD, C-PTSD, chronic migraines, Vitamin D deficiency.

everything is hypertension or aneurysm!

or walk it off asshole

uuuuuuugh

that's so frustrating, I'm sorry

but I'm glad your doc visit was positive at least

thank you

He's a very good pcp, I'm lucky he was able to see me

...your cousin. I'm just shaking my head in bewilderment.

This is the same cousin who didn't believe my mother was what she was until she experienced the same treatment from her parents.

And didn't believe I had autism until her daughter showed signs.

I love her. She was a good kid. But she's selfish, small-minded, and she's not bright.

ahah the inevitable "have you tried CBD oil?"

/explains it's not the CBD in CBD that's treating anything for anyone

Epidiolex is used for epilepsy and is FDA-approved but like

my migraines aren't going to vacate because of hemp juice, babe

THC has been used for decades to treat glaucoma, though. I fully believe once it's legalized, it might have treatment value for people who experience ocular migraines.

(But also no it didn't do anything when I tried it out of desperation. The CBD I mean.)

but lmao this is like her mom telling me my autism is caused by plastics

and to treat it with herbal extracts

my neurodivergence is not caused by plastic leeching into the water supply, it's just a mental variation that is exacerbated by a shitty society with secret rules for interaction

and licking some Doterra eyedroppers is not going to make it go away

meanwhile someone actually did let me know there have been a lot of reports from the east coast, including herself, that people are experiencing higher and worse migraines than normal because of -gasp- the air quality changes from the fires, and from the rapid changes in barometric pressure.

which are indeed things that trigger my migraines

...for fuck’s sake. super goddamn sucks that every time migraines hit or you try to talk about anything health related, you get hit with a renewed dose of your family being invalidating you, imposing ideas that have nothing to do with you, just replaying years of not listening. fuck, i’m sorry.

last fucking thing you need when you’re trying to just goddamn deal with your shit and talk about it on true terms and your terms

^ see above, all the reasons I didn't tell anyone I was going to an emergency appointment / urgent care

fucking. understandable :c

man i’m sorry; this shit sucks on every level, migraine and its continued inflictions and having to deal with doctor even if pcp is solid and the extra frustration of ‘why the fuck even.’ and i hug you very much

Update even Mike says it could be an aneurysm and I want to throw something.

Because sure. It could be.

But it’s not a fucking aneurysm, and people insisting it is means I might have to contend with a doctor wanting to look for zebras instead of horses

And I need migraine treatment

Mike was saying it in a hypothetical context

But he was like you did say this is the worst one you’ve had for five years and it did go on for days and days and I’m just
Yeah. Because I was catching them all with zolmitriptan before they got bad, and instead of catching this one I went out to dinner with you, you dingbat

And it went on for days and days because it became a rebound migraine with regular intervals of pain and non pain attack, and I didn’t go to the doctor on day three like I should have.

I am Both Arnold Schwarzenegger shouting it’s not a tumor and Ron swanson in Home Depot in this horrific situation

I know more than you

.......jesus christ :c
not really a time for hypotheticals
and you’ve got a solid hold on why it was so bad, like
shit, i’m sorry

I feel like trash but at least I have a Blixa and an Ollie with me in bed

cuddle with the good sons best sons 💜