First, I'm incredibly grateful for all those that kept me in their thoughts and prayers today. I feel so blessed to have such amazing loved ones / prayer warriors, and I know that it's only by God's grace that I made it through the fears and pain today (and every day!).
After some crazy-bad anxiety leading up to it, my first round of Botox went alright today. I'm so glad that Itook anti-anxiety meds beforehand. And, I listened to some advice from other that've had Botox done before - such as, being mindful to keep breathing, ask for short breaks as needed.
I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt, but I think part of it was that I was already ultra-sensitive because of dealing with a migraine during the treatment. The injections in the neck / shoulder areas were more painful than the others. The few (one, in particular) in my right shoulder were really bad. My right shoulder is the one I injured in my car accident and have had trouble with ever since... yowza!
Overall, I think it went as well, or better, than I expected.
I'm thankful that Jeremy was with me the whole time. He had some trouble with it and had to sit down about halfway through. I think he was taking some of my burden away from me and it got the best of him. He's alright, but it was harder for him than either of us anticipated.
They played some music of my choice, and God blessed me with songs that really helped me through:
After the treatment, my head felt heavy, yet light. It was weird. I've been having difficulty with my balance, so definitely glad Jeremy was here to help keep me from running or falling into things as much. I came home and slept for quite a while (probably 4-5 hours).
I still have the migraine I had when I got up this morning, but it doesn't seem to have gotten much worse, which is good. I'm starting to get tired again, so I'm going to head to bed (hopefully to get some more sleep).
I still have the migraine I had when I got up this morning, but it doesn't seem to have gotten much worse, which is good. I'm starting to get tired again, so I'm going to head to bed (hopefully to get some more sleep).
Again, thank you for all the prayers and support. We'll see how things go from here.
Yay! So glad you made it through ok. Praying you see quick relief.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Heather.
DeleteHi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking about you and wondering how you were doing. I hope your move into the house has not been to stressful and the excitement of it has overidden the stresses involved with moving.
I am hoping & praying for you that the Botox will improve your migraines greatly. Well the tough part is done for now, you SURVIVED...so time for the pain to leave your head!
Thank you, Mamie! You made me laugh about the hardest part being surviving the injections. LOL. I'm so afraid of needles, so that couldn't be more true for me. Take care, my friend.
DeleteCongrats on getting a house and YAY for trying something new. I hope Botox works for you. I've been wanting to try it for a while now, so thanks for blogging about your experience and being honest about the intensity of it. If I do try it, I'll be sure to bring my husband along for support.
ReplyDeleteSending prayers your way!
Heather, thank you for the excitement. I definitely recommend taking a supportive hubby. :-) Let me know, if/when you decide to give it a try.
DeleteI'm just catching up after a month or so of limited computer time - sorry to hear of your recent struggles.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy about your house! Yay!
I was away getting round 6 of Botox the same week you had yours. I really hope it provides some relief for you. Please know that you are in my prayers.
I'm seeing this blog for the first time via googling "chronic migraine". In case I'm unable to ever locate this blog again - remaining nameless. I'm a 58 yr old single female with 15-18 (on avg) migraine ea month for about 15 yrs. Take zomig that many times ea month even though I have high cholestrol which I also treat. Have tried too many preventive meds to count over these yrs (all classes) including 5 rounds of botox which costs thousands in copays. None worked. I manage to work somehow by taking zomig and using as little sick leave as possible. My neuro has given up on me and has recommended I go elsewhere. He's the 5th one I've been to and he's treated me about 15 yrs. He doesn't ask me to check in anymore, just refills my med. Have become very isolated due to migraine. Haven't been to church in years. That's the place with overwhelming perfume. Any ideas are aporeciated.....if I can locate this blog again. God bless you. Hope botox works for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so grateful that you found my blog and left a comment. I'm so sorry to hear that you struggle with chronic migraines, and have been for so long. I understand the isolation all too well.
DeleteI don't have any great pearls of wisdom. But, I would recommend trying to visit a headache specialist, which may or may not be a neurologist - please let me know, if you need some help finding one near you (just leave a comment and I can share some specific links, all protecting your identity). Here are some links that might be helpful: http://www.chronicmigrainewarrior.com/p/migraine-links.html.
Please feel free to subscribe to this blog: http://www.chronicmigrainewarrior.com/p/subscribe.html. You can subscribe via email, and an email will be sent to you, whenever the blog is updated. I do not sell, share, or do anything with your email address.
I wish you the best, and am here if you ever want to reach out (anonymously is fine by me).
Blessings!
Jamie - I did sign up for your blog and I'm so excited to find a Christian who also shares chronic migraine (not happy it's happening to you...but you're also a follower of Christ). I will try the link when I'm at the computer rather than my phone (not able to view by clicking it). I so hope botox will help you. I tried 5 times but the only advantage was fewer forehead wrinkes. :o) In desperation, I decided to try a chiropractor who offered acupuncture too and took off work today for the app. I walked into the office to find it filled with scented burning candles. I had to rush out and call to cancel & explain. Tonight I purchased 100 mg vitamin B-2 which I'll take 4 a day. The only thing I think I haven't tried as preventive. I take so many vitamins & supplements....what's one more? I'm single and only go to work then home due to migraines. So this blog communication is a God send. I live in the Oklahoma City area. If you can recommend a headache specialist I'd be interested. I actually joined Angies List this morning to locate the chiropractor. Perhaps God arranged things so I didn't follow through? Not comfortable with that type care but I'm desperately grasping for help. Thanks for any suggestions!
DeleteAwesome, Luann. It's nice to meet a fellow Christian migraine warrior.
DeleteMay I ask why you tried Botox 5 times, if you weren't getting any relief? That seems like a lot of times to try it, if it's not helping. Just curious. But, yay for reduced wrinkles! ;-)
Yikes about the scented candles! I hate that, especially because you can't see that it's going to smell so strongly, and then it just punches you in the face. I have not tried acupuncture yet, but have considered it a lot over the years.
I'm currently taking Migravent that has Butterbur, Magnesium, CoQ10, and B2 (Riboflavin). I don't think it's helping as a preventive, but I'm giving it a shot.
What do you do for work, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm so glad that God led you to my blog, and I truly hope that you find comfort, peace, understanding, and hope.
I actually live in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. I know some headache doctors down here, but not sure how many there are in Oklahoma. I actually lived in Tulsa from 2009-11, but I continued to make the trip back down to Dallas to see my headache doctor.
At the top of my blog, there are two links: Migraine Resources and Headache Specialists. There are links there that you might find helpful (the latter can be used to locate a doctor near you). Please let me know if you have trouble accessing the pages and links.
Do you happen to use Facebook? There are some private (i.e., secret) groups for migraineurs (and a couple specifically for Christian migraineurs) that have been a Godsend for me. There are some great communities, where you can seek advice, share experiences, help others, and grow with one another in hope through the trials of life with chronic pain. Let me know, if you're interested, and I'll help you get to them. :-)
Hello Jamie - I would like to connect with migraine groups on facebook if you will point me their direction. Your question about work...I'm a Quality Management Specialist and Auditor. I have responsibility for guiding a large org in quality management and conduct audits now and then. I work alone in an office where I can close the door and dim the lights a bit to help me deal with migraine while working. I'm just starting today, taking 400 mg B-2 ea day as recommended by someone for prevention. Looked up info that says it can take up to 3 months but can reduce frequency. Butterbur and Feverfew both hurt my stomach but I take CoQ10, 400 mg Magnesium, super strength Krill Oil as preventives......that obviousy don't work. My neuro suggested another Dr in Fort Worth a couple yrs ago but refused to tell me the treatment method used by that Dr. All my neuro would say is that he wasn't comfortable using "that" method! My neuro specializes in migraine and says he cannot help me. But needless to say I did not pursue the Dr in FW. I hope the huge quantity of B-2 works.
DeleteJamie - the reason I tried 31 botox injections 5 different times is hoping each would be "the one that works". Desperate people will do almost anything to relieve pain. They did lesson the severity of migraine somewhat but not the frequency. I have tried biofeedback in addition to multiple antidepressants, anticonvulsants, blood pressure meds, flexeril and low dose anti anxiety meds to try to prevent them. Nothing has worked to date.
DeleteLuann, search for me (Jamie Valendy) on Facebook and shoot me a message. I can invite you to the different groups that way.
DeleteMy father and husband each work in the quality field. I'm glad you're in an environment that you can control at least to some extent.
I wonder what doctor it was and why your doctor didn't feel comfortable with his method. It still wouldn't be a bad idea to seek another opinion, with whatever doctor you decide.
I understand being desperate for relief... all too well. I've tried sooo many different treatments, as well. I just try to keep taking one little step at a time, and hope that something will help me to have a better quality of life... while living life the best I can at each moment.
Jamie - I'm unable to locate you on FB via name provided in your last post. I tried multiple times. I get "not found". Can you give me the name of your favorite migraine support group instead and I'll search for that? Thanks for reaching out! God's blessings are amazing!
DeleteI don't know why you wouldn't be able to find me. Hmmm. Several of the groups are by invitation only, since they're private groups. Hmmm... You can message with your Facebook name, and I can just delete it (instead of posting it to the blog). Then, I can find you. Otherwise, let me try to figure out how else we can get you connected to the groups...
DeleteJamie - wondering if you had benefit from the botox? If so, in what way? I hope it worked better for you! After taking 400 mg vitamin B-2 for six weeks, I had only 10 migraines in the month of October. Although that's still way too many, it's about a 50% reduction in frequency for me. I pray it continues to help. Please share your experience from the botox. God bless you sister sufferer!
ReplyDeleteLuann, thanks for the reminder that I haven't updated about my Botox experience. Let me put together a blog post to answer that. :)
DeleteWow! What great relief you're getting. That's excellent news! I hope it continues improving for you. Dancing with joy for you, dear.