People, something incredible has happened: I may have accidentally found out the cause of my worsening migraines!!

First things first, though

I went to see my doctor.  I told him I needed help with my migraines.  They're always in the same place.  There's no aura, just sensitivity to funny smells.  The last one was so bad I thought it was going to kill me.

He said I should take soluble paracetamol always, as tablets take too long to work.  He said he would also give me some wafers that I should put under my tongue.  Sorry, I don't know what they're called, as the pharmacist was out of stock and I need to go back and collect them on Monday.  

He said in the event of migraine, I should go home, pop the wafer under my tongue, take the soluble paracetamol and go to bed, with the curtains drawn.  He said I should not move around during a migraine, as the blood should not be 'forced' up to my head during the pain phase, horizontal is the best position to be in.  

He said the wafer's are very expensive.

Now to the really weird stuff

Because the threat of another migraine (in 3 weeks time) and the memory of the last horrendous episode, I'm trying like crazy to work out what my personal 'triggers' are?

I didn't think I had any, apart from being pre-menstual in combination with ongoing stress??

Well, I was having a little think, and I finally remembered that something VERY STRANGE had happened last time, but it was not immediately before the headache, it was around 3 days beforehand.

I was having breakfast and was about to rush out, when I started to think about what I needed to get foodwise, in regards to shopping after work.  I remember that as I was doing this, I was idly playing with the skin along my eyebrow.  Then, what I did was to think about my migraine and how my eye socket is always so painful during an attack, and as I did this, I pulled the skin that your eyebrow is part of and pinched it lightly.  On so doing, I winced with a sharp pain that rose very quickly up my head and kind of popped in the region where my migraines always are.

I thought no more of it.  Then last night, as I was reviewing what the doctor had said to me, and what I would do next month, I decided to research some more, about migraine.  I searched on general eye problems and then specifically 'eyebrow sensitivity'.

I came across this forum: Ears, Nose & Throat Messageboards

This poor person's symptoms are virtually exactly the same as mine and if you look down the page, you'll see one of the contributors has posted some extremely helpful advice.    

From there I searched on: Trochleitis 

Where I read a great entry in Wikipedia.  On that page, it lists a test that you can do to check if you have this condition.  Basically, you look in all four directions, whilst holding your head straight and still.  Needless to say I failed the test!  I'm unable to look to my right, or rather, as I do so, I experience EXCRUCIATING pain going right up to the seat of my migraine.  The whole experience left me petrified.  I sat there for about 5 minutes thinking oh no, am I going to get a King Kong of a migraine now?

I waited and waited, but Thankfully nothing happened.  Obviously, I realise that because I'm not particularly stressed at the present time and my oestrogen and serotonin levels are protecting me, all should remain well but I'll have to wait and see (?).

Unfortunately, they don't know why or how this condition starts, but it has links with rheumatoid arthritis.  Which is very worrying, but they're linked 'sometimes', and not 'all the time'.  (In fact its quite rare, but linked all the same.)  

So I've discussed it with DH and we're going to pay for me to get checked out.  I'll start with the GP.

Its going to be difficult to talk to my GP about this condition, if he hasn't heard of it, as its so rare.  I think my approach will be to have another migraine, write down on here exactly what happens, then go to him with a print out.  Convince him that my eye is at fault, not in an optical sense but in a connective tissue spasm kind of thing.

Failing that, I could just go to hospital and ham-up my symptoms??  By that I mean, hopefully meet someone in the accident & emergency department that HAS heard of the diagnosis?

Comments on New Equipment

Apart from that, my neck massager has arrived.  On the law of averages, I thought perhaps the item (listed at the side here) might not be appropriate or robust enough to cope with my requirements.  I tried it out today and I think its actually quite good, really.  You can only  use it for 15 minutes at a time, as it will get too hot otherwise.  It does make a little noise but the massage action is very relaxing.  The calming effects lasted more than 2 hours, so I can see in a situation where I use it before I go to sleep, it will probably be quite a good thing to have.  It wasn't cheap, but it also didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Dietary Changes

With all this material I've been reading about dietary triggers, I decided to cut down on caffeine and chocolate - as well as, of course, alcohol.  The funny thing about alcohol is that if you mix it with carbonated water, the effects of the alcohol reach your brain quicker.  Perhaps I ought to do that with these soluble paracetamol tablets the doctor has given me??