Two weeks came around, I showed up for the appointment and was almost immediately brought into the exam room. The doctor showed up literally a minute later. To bad the Endocrinologists can’t be that efficient, am I right?

I started asking questions of the doctor about Botox and how it works. His answers all made sense, but then I wanted to ask him how this all translates to using Botox for Migraine treatment. This is only my opinion based on my discussion with this doctor, this is what I learned… Botox treatments do NOT help with Migraine treatment, except maybe as a placebo. Botox might help muscular headaches, because Botox works by relaxing muscle contractions. Migraines are vascular. When I asked him directly how a toxin that works on muscles can also work on the vascular system, he suggested I might be right, but he wanted to refer me to a neurologist who specializes in Botox treatment for Migraines.

I haven’t gone to see this doctor because his office visit is $650 and doesn’t include any Botox if we were to agree it might be helpful. That would most likely run $200 to $400 extra.

In my opinion, based on this experience and other reading I have done, the thought that Botox will help with Migraine treatment is incorrect. Most likely the “Migraine” sufferers are most likely experiencing muscular tension headaches and not Migraines. We all know people who think they get Migraines, but really it’s just a headache.

What’s your opinion? Leave me a comment and I’ll respond.

When I got up, I still had the Migraine but I was thinking positively and seemed to be in a chipper state of mind. That mood lasted for a few hours, I didn’t notice anything changing, except when my roommate arrived home… Everything went downhill from there, for the remainder of the day. I was agitated, annoyed, and in general couldn’t stand to be around him or anyone else for that matter.

I had to ask myself, would I have been in the same bad mood if I hadn’t been around anyone that day? Was it really just the introduction of another person in my space that caused the, what seemed to me, a very sudden change in my mood.

I’m usually a very quiet person, so it isn’t normal for me to be rude or annoyed by a person. Today however, it just seemed like my head was dictating my mood without any way for me to control it. Let me know what you typically experience with moods during your Migraine episodes.

So I am going to try to find a better dental plan, with a different dentist to see if something can be resolved. I just found a great website that will search for dental plans and dental supplemental insurance in your specific zip code, the website is DentalPlans.com — it seems to be a great place to start looking for an affordable dental care plan. I resolve this year to get to the bottom of how dental pain and migraines are related.

I don’t take any Migraine prescription medication, just over the counter Excedrine Migraine — that’s a whole other story I’ll write about later. I do have two other prescriptions for my Pituitary Prolactin Macro Adenoma. One of these prescriptions is typically around $250 for 30 days supply. The second is now down to approximately $150 (from $250+) for 8 pills which is a months supply.

My previous insurances usually required me to pay a $30 co-pay for each, but the self-employed plan requires me to pay 75% of the retail price, they pick up 25%.

The Pituitary condition requires that I have blood tests, which is one way they can determine if the medication is keeping the tumor in check. Late last year I went to a new Endocrinologist after being asked to leave the Endo that I had been seeing for about 5 years. They required that I get an MRI every year in order to be one of their patients. This new Endo talked to me for about 45 minutes, possibly an hour which is great. Then the doctor got the paperwork ready for me to go to the lab to get blood tests I’m supposed to have about every 6 months (according to some doctors) and I had my blood drawn.

I ended up getting the bill from both the doctor and the lab and was shocked. The doctor visit was approximately $320 while the blood tests were approximately $680. My insurance ended up paying a tiny portion of these bills and I was stuck with the majority of it. Whereas when I had the good insurance plans I would have paid an office visit co-pay of possibly $20.

Same thing with an MRI, I would typically pay a $50 co-pay per MRI on the good insurance plan. I’m afraid to think what an MRI would cost under my current insurance coverage! My former Endo was at a large University hospital complex, so they had their own MRI equipment. When I was a patient I asked how much the MRI would cost without insurance and they stated it would be a little over two thousand dollars per MRI. With my current insurance I think I’ll look around for a “cheap” MRI provider.

I wanted to bring up my experience with health insurance because I think I have seen both the good and bad insurances and through that experience I feel I can be objective.

I am very concerned with the current plan that the U.S. Congress and President Obama have in the works. I can only imagine it will either be really good for someone with my conditions or really bad. Currently most Endocrinologists with extensive Pituitary experience have a 30 to 60 day scheduling backlog. My biggest concern if these specialists are no longer able to get enough money out of their craft, they will either quit and do something more lucrative or else only accept patients that pay for things without the nationwide health care plan. This happened in a lot of small rural towns with medicare many years ago. I was doing computer consulting work and many clients were doctors and medical supply companies. I had conversations with several of these doctors who said they dropped all medicare patients because they were being financially drained by the low payments from the government — this was over 10 years ago.

I really would like to know how the government thinks they will keep this from happening with their new plan… Maybe at the point of a gun? Just food for thought.

I can only imagine. It must be a great feeling.

I know people that have never even had a headache or a Migraine, let alone an Ocular Migraine or a Cluster Headache. Then one day they get a typical, run of the mill headaches and they can’t believe some of us have this pain or more so frequently. Oh what it must feel like!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want anyone to have to go through that pain, but don’t you some days just hope some overly confident and cocky doctor gets one? Me too.

I have some auras, but primarily I have distubances in vision that can manifest as darkening of my vision, like a blanket being pulled over my eyes. The symptoms can also include trouble focusing, along with the typical spots or bright lights than many Migraine sufferers report.

As you have experienced, these visual distubances can be annoying and interfere with work and home life. Even though these auras can be short lived, they can make you stop and relax for a while until your vision clears.

Damn those complicated Migraines. As always, if you have any concerns with your health, go see your doctor today.

1. Relpax (Eletriptan) - This fast and lasting pain relief prescription medicine that is given by your doctor has been reported to give you relief within 2 hours. This seems like a lot of time to wait, but it works better than the 4-6 hours before relief of other medications. With Relpax, you can get relief from you migraine headaches and be more active in your life.

2. Inderal (Propranolol) - This is a beta-blocker that helps reduce the occurrence of migraines. This prescription is not for everyone because of the allergic reaction one might get. Your doctor will have all the information and side effects for taking this prescription medicine. No one likes to be in pain. By taking Inderal, you might possibly reduce the occurrence of migraines.

3. Axert (Almotriptan Malate) - is a migraine medicine that is for the acute migraine. Many people find that their Migraines go away completely after they take Almotriptan. Other people find that their Migraines are much less painful, and that they are able to go back to their normal activities even though their Migraines are not completely gone.

These are just a few of the many prescription drugs currently on the market that can help you manage your migraines better. With advancements in Migraine medications and technologies occuring constantly, make sure you never give up the hope that some day you may be free from the pain. In any event, you need to consult your primary care physician or Migraine specialist immediately. You never know if that migraine of yours is a bigger problem until you have seen a doctor who is a migraine specialist. Speaking from experience, I would strongly recommend seeking out not just any doctor, but a doctor who is a practicing migraine specialist. If you have a heart problem would you go to your primary care physician or a cardiac specialist? Get the right help, right now!

There are studies to determine if the headaches that many people suffer from are really migraines. The primary treatment to combat this epidemic is the use of prescription drugs. Doctors and Scientists work tirelessly to trying to find the best treatment for people with chronic migraine headaches. While scientists are working on the next prescription drug, others have found many natural remedies that have been doing a good job in reducing the occurrence of migraine headaches. These migraine medications typically provide migraine relief, not a migraine cure. With migraine statistics climbing, there is a fear that many more will suffer from migraine headaches before a true migraine cures can be found. Migraine pain is something no one should have to live with. Many advancements have been made with migraine treatments, but none have provided the be all end all solution to curing migraine headaches.