My Mysterious Chronic Daily Migraine

I have suffered from migraines off and on throughout my life. I never felt the need to see a doctor because a dose of over the counter (OTC) pain relievers would knock it out. But last summer I had this crazy headache, unlike anything I had ever experienced. It ended up turning into a chronic daily migraine that lasted for 6 weeks straight!

After many months of expensive tests, drugs, multiple doctors, and even surgery, we finally figured out the cause of the daily headaches and got it under control.

So I wanted to share my experience in a multi-part story.

Maybe it can help someone else dealing with a similar mysterious chronic daily migraine.

Very First Migraine

I had my first migraine when I was 9.

I didn’t know it was a migraine, but I can vividly remember laying in my bed crying hysterically and even vomiting from the intense, stabbing pain over my right eye.

My mom gave me Children’s Tylenol but that did nothing.

I was 9 when I experienced my very first migraine.

I didn’t really have any other symptoms besides a headache and the throwing up.

But after about 2 days of suffering from this, both of my eyes swelled up shut! That’s when my mom took me to the doctor who diagnosed me with a sinus/respiratory infection.

The doc sucked out my nose with a tiny vacuum and gave me a round of antibiotics. After about a week or two, I was back to normal.

Looking back, I was not even congested. I had just had the worst headache of my entire life and this one vivid memory.

My Typical Migraine Headaches

Ever since then, I would get headaches and migraines once every few months over the course of my life.

Fortunately, they are pretty mild and they don’t usually make me vomit or require me to stay in bed.

For me, a typical migraine feels like an intense sharp pain on one side of my head that would be exacerbated by bright light and noise.

I usually wake up with a migraine that comes and goes for 24 hours.

More often then not, I can tell when I’m going to have one because it starts when I wake up with it and lasts the entire day.

I can usually keep it at bay by taking some OTC Ibuprofen or Excedrin Migraine (which works great btw) at the first sign and then every few hours after that until it’s gone.

But they never lasted more than 3 days max.

The Night It Started

But this one night in early July 2018 around 3 am, I had a migraine headache unlike any I have ever felt before.

The pain was so intense, it woke me from a sound sleep.

I felt this incredible, stabbing pain on the top front right area of my head. It radiated to my cheeks, jaw, and even my gums!

I mean, this pain was soul crushing. From a level 1-10, this was a 10.

It literally felt like someone hit me with a bat!

So I quickly jumped out of bed and popped 2 Ibuprofen and after about 30 mins or so, the pain subsided enough that I could go back to sleep.

This migraine felt like I was hit in the head with a bat!

But it didn’t completely go away.

The pain was still there the rest of the week. But I was able to catch it before it could get really bad by alternating between Excedrin and Ibuprofen.

After having this headache for 5 days, I decided to post about it on Facebook and got some great advice from my friends.

Some things they suggested:

• Johnson & Johnson Vapor Bath
• Benadryl w/ Ibuprofen
• Meditation
• Himalayan Bath Salts
• Daith Piercing
• A vitamin cocktail containing B2, Magnesium, and CO Q10

I admit, that I wasn’t in a hurry to try any of these things since I expected the headaches to go away at any minute.

I mean, whoever heard of a migraine lasting 2 weeks, right?

Wrong!

Three Weeks of Chronic Daily Migraines

It was day 15 and the migraines were still happening daily.

Always in the exact same spot – top right just above my temple. My whole hand could cover the area.

I would wake up knowing it was there but never really sure if it was going to blast me or just sit there taunting me in the background.

Sure enough, by the time 2 pm rolled around, the headache would become unbearable while I was trying to work.

I was starting to believe there was a pattern.

This headache was still going after 3 weeks.

I was taking OTC pain meds every day now. But I have a history of ulcers so I really needed to cut back on the Ibuprofen.

During the 3rd week, I was also adding in acetaminophen (Tylenol) and alternating. But the Tylenol barely made a dent.

Then I was reading about rebound headaches so I wasn’t sure if it was a migraine or a rebound.

For f*ck sake! It was nerve-wracking.

I started keeping a migraine diary to see if I could identify any triggers, but there was nothing that stood out to me. I still haven’t figured it out.

The First Doctor Visit

By this time, I was really scared and knew it was time to see the doctor.

Plus now I was experiencing blurry vision and bouts of vertigo as well.

I felt like I was on a boat all the time.

The doc diagnosed me with migraines and prescribed 9 pills of Imitrex (Sumatriptan) 100mg and told me to take it if I felt one coming on.

The thing is, I never really knew if it was going to turn into a migraine until it was too late.

Plus there were only 9 pills, so I did not want to take them unless it was an emergency.

Unfortunately, I learned my lesson.

The doc diagnosed me with migraines and prescribed Imitrex

The next massive migraine attack occurred around twilight that Saturday.

It started with the familiar twinge as they always do.

I tried to wait it out for a bit without taking anything and as soon as it reached a level 5, I took two Tylenol – which did nothing.

Within minutes it turned into a level 10.

Not only was it in the same damn spot on my head, but that crazy pain was back – behind my eye, my cheeks, and my gums.

I felt like I was seeing stars!

I just assumed that when the pain got to that point, it must simply affect all the nerves on that side of the face.

On top of that, the vertigo was also hitting me hardcore at the same time.

What was with this crazy vertigo?

So I took my first ever dose of Imitrex and waited in agony for it to kick in but it never did. I waited too long.

All I could do was lay in bed in the dark with an ice pack on my head for the next 4 hours.

The panic set in because this pain would not let up. Should I go to the ER or something?

I finally said f*ck it and took two Ibuprofen and only then did I get some relief.

I was just thankful it happened while I was home.

Headaches Every Day for a Month

By the 4th week the pain was milder but the headache was still always there.

However, I was in a constant state of fear that at any time, it was going to turn into a major migraine.

I had almost finished up the entire prescription of Imitrex in less than 2 weeks – no bueno. They only give you 9 pills for a reason.

And of course, like a dumbass I was Googling all day: migraines with vertigo, cluster headaches, signs of a brain tumor, chronic daily migraines etc.

Smart, right?

I was convinced that I had a tumor since it was always in the same spot on my head.

And then I started having anxiety attacks.

I was in a constant fog living in a daily state of anxiety.

These panic attacks were no joke. My heart was skipping, the room was spinning, and I had blurry double vision.

I felt like I was in a constant fog every day.

I even kept a paper bag nearby at all times in case I started hyperventilating.

Through my “research” I learned that anxiety, vertigo, and headaches could also be a sign of a magnesium deficiency, so that week I started taking 400mg of Magnesium daily.

What could it hurt right?

Time to See A Specialist

The Imitrex was not helping. And this made me think that I might not actually be having migraines.

A nagging voice inside me was making me think that maybe this is another sinus infection.

I wasn’t experiencing any congestion but vertigo is often a sign of an inner ear disorder.

The inner ears are related to the sinuses, right?

So I called the doc again and told him the prescription wasn’t working and I also told him about my suspicions.

But he ruled it out since I didn’t have any other symptoms and did not have a recent cold or anything.

The pills the doc prescribed weren’t working. Was I REALLY having migraines?

He advised me to go see a Neurologist before we try any other medications. I agreed.

Plus I was hoping the neurologist could just address everything including the dizziness, vision issues, and the anxiety.

For peace of mind, I really wanted them to take an MRI or cat scan or something, but I was also terrified.

Not only was I scared to find out if I had a tumor, but I was also afraid of the MRI itself because I’m claustrophobic.

But if it turns out to just be a sinus infection, we can all just look back at this and have a good laugh.

Part II & Part III

Have you experienced a migraine before? What do you usually do for your headaches? 

Leave me a comment!