1. < Chronic Pain

Hi, I'm Sherry. Migraines for 15 yrs & now - curly hair

Posted by nanny1950 @nanny1950, Aug 19, 2021

Hello. My name is Sherry, and I am a new member looking for some answers. I’m a 71 year old great-grandmother who has suffered from chronic migraines with auras since 2006. I was a late migraine starter at 56, but my headache patterns and symptoms have always been consistent with medical and patient reports…. until about 6 months ago. That’s when I realized that the straight-as-a-stick hair I was born with, had suddenly begun to get curly??!! SAY WHAT?? Not all of my hair, just the right side – my migraine side!
Trust me! This is not a joke. I attached some pictures so you can see I'm serious. I’m really interested in finding out if there is anyone else out there with this strange side effect. I’ve spent roughly 2 weeks going through lots of migraine posts but couldn’t find anything close to this. Other than ice packs and heating pads, there's nothing else I can think of that I have applied to only one side of my head that could have caused such a strange result. (If I knew what it was, I’d bottle it and get rich quick!)
When I have a migraine, the right side of my face swells, my right eye almost swells shut, and the hole right side of my head literally gets hot. I can never get a good reading on the top of my head due to my hair, but I have actually gotten 0.9 of a degree difference between my right and left cheeks. I have at least 5 severe migraines a week with auras and hangover migraines in between. I’m lucky to have 2 or 3 days a month without one and actually feel good.
I would love to hear from anyone who can shed some light on this crazy situation. Once again, this really is legit. I’ve already had 3 doctors laugh at me until I showed them the pictures and watched their mouths drop open!
Would love some help, please and Thank You!!

(The pictures were taken after I showered, towel dried my hair, combed it out straight and left it to dry on it's own. BTW, they're mirror-images.)

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nanny1950 | @nanny1950 | Aug 24, 2021
In reply to @suzanne2 "@nanny1950 I also have migraines.but thankfully less severe than 5 years ago. I guess I can..." + (show)
@suzanne2

@nanny1950 I also have migraines.but thankfully less severe than 5 years ago. I guess I can thank Michigan Head Pain Clinic, in Ann Arbor for that they put me on a preventive medicine daily that does help control the number and severity of migraines that I now get. I am definitely affected by changes in weather and stress being my biggest triggers. Summer weather changes affect me more than any time of year.I have not noticed the hair changes that you have. It is not quite as thick and heavy as it used to be but texture wise it behaves the same. I have been hospitalized for migraines by MHP and given different medications for prevention and treatment along with Behavioral therapy. First time was for a month on the unit, second time for 2 weeks. If anyone has migraines that have not been successfully treated I would suggest checking out MHP Clinic. People come there from all over the world. I used to get migraines almost daily and they are now down to 1 to 2 a week in Summer and less often in Winter.

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Hello, Suzanne. It's good to hear that you have lowered your migraines to 1 to 2 a week. That must certainly be a blessing for you. I don't seem to be affected by weather changes as much as you are, but a cold, windy day without anything around my neck and head will get me every time. I will definitely check into the MHP and give it some consideration.

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ZeeGee | @fourof5zs | Aug 24, 2021
In reply to @kenc "My hair is gone in the middle. :)" + (show)
@kenc

My hair is gone in the middle. 🙂

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@kenc
My husband has hair loss in what would be called a friars cap. I guess the crown area another way to put it. He cut his hair down to 1/4 inch or so a couple of weeks ago. He wants it to grow our a bit more in front. His step dad used to have a horrible comb-over… and my mom-in-law she started cutting it where it looked pretty good. I am not blessed with the talent of handling the shears. 😁

At my lower crown I have some thinner hair from scarring from my childhood. I was about 8 years old and my sis 5. I had pushed her around the yard on my bike a few rounds and then told her it was my turn. She threw a conniption… a hissy fit… some kind of fit 😡 and picked up the kick stand that had fallen off my brother's peddle motorcycle and whacked me on the head with the kickstand. I had to have a several stitches. I felt sorry for my sis when she got that little spanking she got.

ZeeGee

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ZeeGee | @fourof5zs | Aug 24, 2021
In reply to @nanny1950 "Hi, ZeeGee, Thanks so much for your interest and your input & suggestions. And you've made..." + (show)
@nanny1950

Hi, ZeeGee,
Thanks so much for your interest and your input & suggestions. And you've made perfect sense. Of course, my hair has naturally changed with age, but it has always been silky baby fine and super straight. Yes, it has thinned some, especially at the right temple. The biggest change (aside from the curls) is that it used to be very oily. I could not go a single day without washing my hair. Now I can go one, sometimes two days without washing it. But I blame the past 25 years of coloring my hair, blow dry & curling iron for that change. I always use a good volumizing shampoo and conditioner and also a leave in anti-frizz conditioner. Root lifter, hair spray & that's it.
I do take a multivitamin, Omega-3, and several other supplements my doctors have recommended. My primary care physician does bloodwork on me twice a year and she keeps a really good eye on everything.
Don't really know much about my DNA. My father left when I was 8 and I've never seen him again. My mother and all my brothers had straight hair, much thicker than mine. Grandma's was long, silky, straight and snow white. She wore it braided and wrapped around her head, Swedish style.
To answer your question about the MRI - YES! In the past 15 years, I've had 2 CT scans and 3 MRI's. Prior to the onset of my migraines, which began a few days before my birthday in Jan 2006, I had already had 2 sinus surgeries. From the time I was in high school, catching a cold automatically meant a sinus infection. And you're right! Migraines and sinus headaches are totally different. It wasn't until I was 42 that I finally went to an ENT who said he could fix me up with surgery. And he DID! For 8 years I could breath through my nose, rarely a cold and not a single sinus infection or headache. So when I started having them again, I was knocking at his door and I had my second surgery in 1998. Don't get me wrong - the surgery itself is agonizing for the first few days. But after 2 weeks, your good to go and it's totally worth it.
My first migraine started at work on a Friday afternoon and lasted all weekend. I went to my primary doctor Monday morning and she sent me for my first MRI and then sent me to a neurologist. He put me on Lyrica for a month, which didn't help at all. Then he said the MRI showed I had sinus problems. I knew these headaches were not sinus. I had lived most of my life with sinus headaches and this was nothing like it. But he insisted that I go back to my ENT. So, in 2006, I had my 3rd sinus surgery which did absolutely nothing except make me suffer for 2 weeks along with the migraines. Needless to say, I never went back to that neurologist. But, I still don't have any sinus problems! I have also had a dental exam for TMJ, a biopsy done on my temporal artery for temporal arteritis, a spinal tap, a complete nerve study on my upper right side, a sleep study (no sleep apnea), 2 sessions of physical therapy (one for 9 months and the other for 4 months) and a few others I can't recall at the moment.
It's amazing how little I actually knew about migraines until about a year ago when I started reading articles I found on line about them. In particular, I found the ones from WebMD to be very informative, not too technical or too long, and limited to a particular aspect of migraines. It wasn't long before I signed up for WebMD.com and requested their weekly Migraine Newsletter (they have them on all sorts of issues and diseases). It seems I learn something new each week and it amazes me how much of it falls right in line with my experiences. I highly recommend it. Your doctor is absolutely right about the complexity of migraines. It's a very misunderstood disease, even by the people who have it.
I'm glad to hear that you are getting some relief from your nausea with the Relief Band. I don't have a lot of nausea for extended periods. Usually just short periods, generally as auras before a migraine. Severe nausea and vomiting will be during the migraine. I sure could have used one of those when I was a kid. I suffered terribly from motion sickness, even in a car. I outgrew most of it, but I still have to be very careful about what I do. Can't read in a car or turn around to get something out of the back seat. Can't ride anything that goes round and round at an amusement park. Also suffer from vertigo.
I must go now. The migraine that has been nagging at me all day is really getting serious now.
Sherry

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@nanny1950

I am taking antihistamines and may not be comprehending correctly… grass pollen season 🤧 I have had a headache today.. hurts behind my ear too. It seems to be due to the mastoid.. had a head MRI that confirmed. .. which my ENT doctor does not seem to be concerned about. I think time for a different ENT dr… with covid increasing again that may be awhile off.

Have you had recent MRI or CT scan? Could you be having ischemic attacks?

I say this because of my experience with my mama. She passed away on this date last year at age 92. She often had migraines. While living with me. I noticed that she had the ischemic/mini-stroke symptoms which are same as a stroke, but don't last long. A migraine came often with them. Always on her left side which strokes had presented. Light bothering her, vision disturbance. I could have taken her to ER about 4 times a week. She could not have an MRI because of an implant of a pain stimulator. ..these attacks do not show up on a CT scan and sometimes not on an MRI. They would not have done any treatment.. just a CT scan, blood work and make sure she was not dehydrated. I would only take her when more symptoms presented weakness on one side and speech… she would sound like baby babbling. Sometimes her face would appear swollen some on her left side and her eye tear up… and her nose would run profusely.

I am glad you mentioned the dental exam. TMJ can give you a doozy headache too.

I found the article Amanda mentioned interesting.. a new one to look into.

The sacroiliac joint.. and most any portion of the spine can contribute to headaches too… especially neck area.

I have had a lot of abdominal problems and had several upper abdominal surgeries. I have a difficult time absorbing nutrients. Before and for awhile after the last 3 surgeries.. I have had 5… I did not absorb vitamin d at all. The doctor put me on high dose of vitamin d3. I started having migraine type headaches and my body hurt worse than the flu. I told my doctor only thing new was the vitamin. So I stopped it and the headaches and pain stopped. I started taking a chewable vitamin with vitamin d in it after last surgery in 2015 and after a few months added a 400 iu of vitamin d. My vitamin d is within range now, but on lower end.

With all the weigh loss from the stomach problem I no longer needed a statin for my high triglycerides. Ah… more pain disappeared… so take heed of your medication side effects.

I hope you find a solution.
ZeeGee

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