Hi Laura -
I'm sorry to hear that the migraines are so frequent for you. I hope that you find relief quickly and on a more permanent basis.
I'm fortunate to only have had meningitis once, but that was enough. It was in 2005 - I was diagnosed correctly by a local hospital, then sent home. In less than 12 hours, I was in the ER of a major hospital, and little did I know that my journey was only beginning.
I was fortunate that the ER, after once again correctly diagnosing me (and questioning why the other hospital had sent me home), called for the on-call neurologist. I think that this has been one of the aspects of my experience that probably saved, well, perhaps my life, and certainly me from having to undergo more "experimental" treatment from a physician unfamiliar with the diagnosis. I also found that there was an amazing number of possible after effects that were not discussed by the hospital, and that there wasn't a whole lot of information available about these possibilities.
The first being the migraines. We have found (my neurologist and I), through trial and error of seizure meds, neuralgia meds, etc., that I respond best to meds for peripheral pain (i.e. Lyrica) on a daily basis, and when the breakthrough migraines come, hit them quickly with OTC ANSAIDS, or non-narcotic Rx pain meds, or steriods, or, if nothing else, hit the narcotics. I find that with diet and careful monitoring of stress, activity, and heat, I can stay away from the narcotics most of the time. There is, of course, the rare occasion that I end up in the ER, reminding them not to give narcotics, but a specific combination of steriods, Benadryl, and sometimes Phenergan. After a couple of hours of IV treatment, I can usually go home, sleep, and wake migraine-free. However, it took us almost 4 years to figure out the "right" combination for me.
The second is the "memory issues." You just never know when they are going to hit - I find that the things that just seem to disappear are events from prior to 2005 - nothing incredibly important, but enough to be frustrating. I also lose words when speaking (or typing!).
The third is all the other crazy health issues that "pop up" after meningitis - circulation problems, immunodeficiency problems, and some other just seemingly random, but creative, health issues.
Though I guess it sounds like I really haven't gotten too far in the past 4+ years, it just takes trial and error. I found that my neurologist ended up being my best resource, referring me to other specialists as needed. My primary physician really wasn't equipped to treat meningitis to begin with, and just tried different pain meds, while trying to avoid the possible pitfalls of over use of narcotics.
I hope that you find relief.....I think a neurologist is the best direction. Just make sure that they are well-qualified, have treated meningitis before, and are open to ideas. My neurologist actually sent me to an acupuncturist (new experience), and it worked to help get some of the headaches that didn't blossom into migraines under control. Unfortunately, it tends to be expensive, and I had to go 3 times weekly for a couple of weeks until I dropped back to weekly, but I learned alot and it really helped.
Good luck,
Laurel
--- On Tue, 9/15/09, ljguenther@... <ljguenther@...> wrote:
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