Migraines And Why I Have Them

On September 13, 2011 I checked into the hospital to be induced to have my second baby, Kole. I was so excited! All was going well and my doctor came in to tell me I could have an epidural. He was speaking my love language, and I said SIGN ME UP. At this time Kyle was asked to leave the room...by me. Maybe it was because of the way he ran to the bathroom to throw up as I had a large needle going into my spine with our first child. I don't know, just maybe.








So husband is out in the hall and I am getting an epidural with a very sweet doctor and nurse. The nurse stood in front of me and made me feel comfortable and still. I noticed it was taking a very hard time and the doctor seemed a little nervous. FINALLY he finished and said wellllll I have a little bad news. (Not good words to say to a Fanny Pack Mom who is ALWAYS a nervous wreck.)








He explained to me that the epidural was fine and should work, but we had a problem. The needle had cut thru my spinal sac and could very well be causing a spinal fluid leak. He said we wouldn't know until symptoms set in and that would take about 24 hours. So Kyle comes back in the room to my panic attack. I calmed down though because they dr and nurses explained that it does happen sometimes and can be treated with caffeine, fluids, rest, and worst case scenario a blood patch in my spine. So that afternoon I had my precious baby boy and was lucky to have an easy delivery. I was up and feeling good and thought all was well and that I would go home the next day. I woke up the next morning and my neck felt really sore. I tried to get a different pillow and make myself comfortable. Then it was time to take a shower and I lasted about 1 minute standing up before I was having the worst pain of my life. I have had kidney stones, given birth to two children, and nothing compared to this. It was a pain in my neck that felt extremely tight and like it was pulling my entire brain down. It climbed from the base of my neck all the way to my forehead and temples. I got back into bed as fast as possible and laying down to away the extremeness of the headache, but didn't completely heal the pain. Soon doctors come into my room and were telling me I needed to stay down as flat as possible even taking away a pillow. They cranked up IV fluids and started administering caffeine and pain medicine.








Nothing was helping.






So after 48 hours of trying this they gave me a blood patch (they take a large amount of blood out of your arm and inject it into your spine--It is supposed to "patch" a tear) laying in my hospital bed. I felt a little better and they sent me home. This was on a Friday. I still couldn't sit upright. By that night I was in extreme pain again and couldn't function. I called emergency after hour lines and explained what was going on. They said the blood patch should've helped and to keep taking the caffeine and pain meds. I was falling apart and couldn't function. I had a two year old and newborn and couldn't function. I remember my friend, Marcy, coming over to my house and watching me try to walk to the bathroom and being in shock. I could not function. I was even trying to just crawl and it wasn't helping. Finally I spoke with a doctor and he told me to come straight back to the hospital Monday morning for another blood patch. I hardly made it to the car and thru the hour long car ride. I got there and went in for the second blood patch. Then they sat me up and the pain was still there and still extreme. I was hysterical at this point crying and crying. They started administering meds upon meds and had me immediately admitted into the hospital set up with a Neurosurgeon. I was so scared and just wanted to be home taking care of my babies. The neurosurgeon ordered MRI of my brain and back. The MRI of my back showed the cut that was causing the fluid leak and the MRI of my brain showed several small blood clots caused from the pulling of the brain due to the lack of spinal fluid. The Neurosurgeon said I needed to stay completely flat for a few days before we even tried anything else to try to heal the brain. I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. I did fight and got to keep my newborn baby in bed with me. Bless his baby heart, he just laid right beside me and would nurse. I had to had to hand him off to someone when he needed a new diaper. Krews would
come visit me and by the grace of God didn't seem affected by it. I felt like the worst mom ever not being able to be up like normal. I had never even left Krews overnight until the day I had Kole.








After a few days, the Neurosurgeon decided to try one last blood patch. Every single blood patch I had hurt, but this one was the worst. My back was so sore from labor, an epidural which injured it, and three blood patches. And again....it didn't work. I was so upset. He decided I needed to stay on bed rest for at least another week in the hospital. I constantly had doctors in my room...Neurologists and  anesthesiologists (every single one in the hospital.) The Neurosurgeon had only seen one other similar case and basically the lady just "dealt with it" over time. It was very frustrating. There was an option for a lumbar drain, that was eventually ruled to be a bad option. There was also an option to have surgery and sew up the tear but it was a risky spinal surgery that I was just not willing to have.




The doctor who had performed the epidural had been out of town the day after I delivered up until maybe day 5 in the hospital. He slowly walked into my room humbled and quiet. He simply said he was so sorry and couldn't believe what happened to me. He was sincere and it was written all over his face. He was a sweet man and NO doctor wants something like this to happen to their patient.




After almost two weeks, I was to the point that I could tolerate sitting up in short increments with medication. I went home to more bed rest. I gradually got back into my routine, but have never really been the same. These "migraines" are something I deal with constantly. Sometimes I struggle worse that other times. For instance, for the last two weeks I have had terrible problems with it. I have tried so many different medications but with the nature of this preventative migraine medications just haven't really helped. I basically am left to treat symptoms to try to live a normal life. I also have a "caffeine routine" because the caffeine really helps me. I supplement this with plenty of water because hydration helps.








If you have migraines or any type of debilitating headaches, I truly feel bad for you. No one understands the pain. I get upset because I have had people seem annoyed when I cannot attend things or have to go lay down. They just don't understand.  Part of it is I do a really good job of hiding it and not drawing attention to myself, because I don't want it to rule my life and keep me down. I try my best to live with these horrible headache issues and that is just the best I can do!