Delayed Pain

A lovely facet of Fibromyalgia is the delayed pain experience. As you all know on Monday I did my Functional Capacity Evaluation for my LTD insurance company because they don't know what to do with me. Yesterday I was very tired but physically felt okay, not 100% but okay. Well, thinking the worst was over I went to bed thinking that the tiredness would be the worst of it. NOPE! I was very wrong!
I woke up this morning and my lower back, shoulders and hips were screaming in pain and very unhappy with me. UGH! I thought to myself, I forgot about delayed pain! Dagnabbit!
Well, now I should explain what delayed pain is. Delayed pain is what happens to people with Fibromyalgia who exert themselves one day but do not feel the results of the overexhertion until two days or more later!
So now I have to live in pain because of this testing and it is the insurance comapany's fault!!!! Thanks guys! I just adore feeling like I have the flu and basically feeling like crapola!
Ah! The quirks of Fibromyalgia!

Recouperation time!

Well it is the day after my eval and boy I can say that it was difficult. Honestly I did a little better than I thought, but I am not sure where I lie in the grand scheme of things. All together it took about 3 hours for the testing. Which wasn't too bad in the overall, but for someone with Fibromyalgia and chronic pain it is the test that never seems to end. Luckily there are stratigically placed 10 minute breaks.
Today I am paying for the testing. I am very tired and hurt.
As for what the evaluation will say and what my LTD company will do, I haven't the slightest. Now it is just hurry up and wait.

Functional Capacity Evaluation Day!

Well today is the day for my Long-Term Disability's attempt to get me off their payroll. I go in for my Functional Capacity Evaluation. Sigh! I feel like total shit and I have to do this for at least 4 hours this afternoon???? Are you kidding??? If you are like me, you had no clue what this eval was so I took a look online...thanks to google here is what I found out. Thanks to www.aota.org for the information.:


Functional Capacity Evaluation

What Is a FCE?
Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a systematic process of assessing an individual's physical capacities and functional abilities. The FCE matches human performance levels to the demands of a specific job or work activity or occupation. The FCE establishes the physical level of work an individual can perform. The FCE is useful in determining job placement, job accommodation, or return to work after injury or illness. FCEs can provide objective information regarding functional work ability in the determination of occupational disability status.

What Are the Purposes and Applications of the FCE?
The FCE is a significant tool that can be used to make objective and reliable assessments of the individual's condition. Its precise data format provides information that can be used in various contexts. The FCE may be used:

To determine the individual's ability to safely return to work full time or on modified duty
To determine if work restrictions, job modifications, or reasonable accommodations are necessary to prevent further injury
To determine the extent to which impairments exist, or the degree of physical disability for compensation purposes
To predict the potential ability to perform work following acute rehabilitation or a work-hardening/work-conditioning program

What Are the Components of FCE?
The functional capacity evaluation assesses the individual's flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, cardiovascular condition, and body mechanics. An effective FCE determines whether there is a match between the individual's functional capabilities, and the physical demands of work. Typically, an FCE focuses on a job goal rather than on individual aptitudes, interest, and temperaments. The individual's psychosocial behaviors are assessed in relation to appropriate worker traits. There are two types of FCE:

Baseline FCE -- An objective assessment of the individual's physical abilities to perform a variety of tasks related to the physical demands of work
Job specific FCE - An evaluation of the individual's physical abilities to function within the parameters of an identified job. The job specific FCE is based on critical physical demands of the essential functions of the job. Work simulation activities are often an integral component of the evaluation.
FCEs are done on an intensive one-to-one basis and range in length for 4 to 6 hours. The FCE may take place over two consecutive days.

Who Is Qualified to Perform an FCE?
The occupational therapy practitioner has the unique combination of skills and abilities necessary to assess the physiological, psychophysical, and biomechanical function of the individual engaged in occupation. Occupational therapists also have the observational skills, training, and experience to perform complex task analysis and assessment of environmental factors affecting work performance.

Who Should Be Referred for an FCE?
Individual who has achieved maximum medical improvement but continues to have issues related to re-injury and return to work.
Individual who needs quantification of their physical capacities for determination of disability status.
Individuals who need their function quantified prior to vocational job search and/or return to work
Individuals who require quantification of their physical function for medical legal reasons.

Where is FCE Provided?
FCE is typically performed in a structured, controlled environment that involves directly measuring and observing the work as he or she performs specific work and functional activities.
Free standing facilities
Industry (at the job site)
Outpatient rehabilitation facilities
Hospital rehabilitation departments

Who Pays for the FCE?
Worker's compensation insurance plans
Self-insured plans
Individual insurance plans
State and/or local agencies
Managed care plans
Private pay

Who Can Refer for the FCE?
Physicians
Rehabilitation personnel/Case managers
Insurance representatives
Employers/human resource agency personnel/risk managers
Attorneys

Revised by Work Programs SIS, May 1998
Rannell Dahl, Frank Armstrong, Melanie Ellexson, Barbara Larson

I just hope I survive this day!!!!

Migraine, Migraine, Migraine....AGAIN!

Yes, another migraine....when will they end!?!
This time it is a rebound headache from the medication they gave me for sedation at the colonoscopy. I have had a headache ever since the procedure and with Tropical Storm Beryl heading in my direction, the change in barometric pressure is causing tons of pain. I am also not sure when the pain will end...I hope today!

The Infamous Colonoscopy Prep!!!

Well tomorrow I have a lovely colonoscopy to go to. While the actual procedure is not a big deal, regardless of what people say. The worst part in my opinion, is the prep.
First you have to stop all anti-inflamatories 4 days before the procedure. For someone with chronic pain issues like myself, that is just torture! I have been in constant pain in one area or another for 3 days now. The nights are the worst! On top of that a fibroflare has come upon me. For those who are not familiar with what a fibroflare is, it is according to the Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofacial Pain Syndrome by Devin Starlanyl, a time of high intensity pain and grief, an overwhelming episode of pain in your trigger and tender points that can either creep up on you or hit suddenly with all the subtlety of a barreling express train. Flare, like a flash-fire, is all consuming. Good explaination!
Well the above is just a precursor to today, the day before the procedure, which is by far, the WORST thing I have ever had to go through. For those who have had a colonoscopy, you know what I mean. Since Friday, I have been on what is called a Low Residue Diet. Basically it is hospital food...blah! Today is a clear liquid diet day along with a forced chemical flushing of the system if you know what I mean! Or what I call pure torture! I understand the reasoning behind the process, but couldn't doctors make the medications and side-effects a little more body friendly???

Laundry Day and the process of preparation

For most people, laundry day is just another chore that people go through each week or every few days. For me, laundry day is a well planned, well thought out machine.
I have to gauge how heavy the laundry is, how to get it to the car without hurting myself, how to get it out of the car the same way. I am sure it must boggle the mind of those who don't have to think about the little things that I put so much thought into laundry. But that is the life I have to live in order to keep me as pain free as possible. I also have the same process for taking out the garbage to the dumpster, making the bed and doing dishes.
This is the life of a Chronic Painer that no one understands. I would compare this thinking to having a brand new baby. All the preparation that has to go into what used to be a simple operation, like going to the grocery store....or going anywhere for that matter! I totally sympathize with brand new parents and what they have to go through. Ironically, people in general understand this height of preparedness but not what CPers have to do to accomplish the same. Its a shame that it has to be that way.
This is the reason this blog exists to present the side of the CPer and to make everyone aware that people with invisible illnesses deserve respect similar to those who have obvious illnesses.

Trigger Points on the Body

I talk constantly about my Trigger Point Injections or TPIs so I thought I would post a picture of common areas on the back where trigger points exist.


Thank you www.ultimatewatermassage.com for the diagram.

The Mythology (and reality) of Chronic Pain

Thanks to about.com's Chronic Pain newsletter for the link(www.cssa-inc.org) to this article.

Bankruptcies Of The Heart:
Secondary Losses From Disabling Chronic Pain


Summary of paper presented by Marcia E. Bedard, PhD, at the 1998 Society for Disability Studies Annual Meeting


My current research, which I have summarized here, is focused on the theory of "secondary gain" as it applies to chronic illness, and specifically chronic pain. The basic idea behind this theory is that chronic pain is psychological and persists only because the person suffering from it enjoys one or more "rewards" that accrue from their pain. These so-called "rewards" may be emotional, such as sympathy – or monetary, such as disability payments. Either type of "gain," is said to reinforce the pain, causing partial or complete disability. Although this concept originated with Freud decades ago it has never been rigorously examined. Given the prevalence with which it is applied to persons disabled by chronic pain though, we must question its validity until it has been scientifically proven to hold true. In the interim, we need to take into account the numerous "secondary losses" brought about by chronic pain as well.

For more than 30 years now, the majority of psychologists have been shifting their emphasis toward treating chronic pain as a perceptual and psychological phenomenon rather than a true medical problem. One of the major theorists in this field was Wilmer Fordyce, who developed an influential social-learning model of chronic pain based on behavioralism about 20 years ago. Fordyce believed that pain is behavior designed to protect oneself or solicit aid and that pain increases, i.e., this behavior is strengthened, when followed by desirable consequences. Unlike many of his predecessors who believed chronic pain was purely psychogenic in origin, Fordyce believed that all pain began as acute pain from actual tissue injury and under normal conditions, the injury healed in a certain period of time. However, Fordyce argued that if pain persisted beyond the normal healing time in an environment with secondary gains, the pain would become chronic. He gave as examples of secondary gains, or "desirable consequences" of pain the following factors that he believed reinforced pain and disability.


The Four Most Commonly Referenced Secondary Gains

The myth is that persons disabled by chronic pain generally enjoy:

1) attention and sympathy from family, friends, and physicians
2) release from task responsibilities at home and at work
3) narcotic medications presumed to induce constant euphoria
4) monetary compensation which approximates actual wages

The Four Least Commonly Recognized Secondary Losses

The reality is that persons disabled by chronic pain generally endure:

1) anger/trivialization/rejection by family, friends, and physicians
2) complicated/frustrating tasks dealing with new bureaucracies
3) agonizing pain without medication; unpleasant side effects with medication
4) denial of disability benefits to which they are legally entitled


My thesis is this: not only is psychogenic chronic pain rare, but more importantly, few people disabled by chronic pain regularly receive secondary gains. My evidence for this assertion comes from several sources: literature cited in the paper I presented at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS); information about personal experiences sent to me by hundreds of chronic pain patients, as well as physicians and psychologists who specialize in treating chronic pain via numerous Internet lists I subscribe to and websites I monitor; and finally, my own experience over the past six years as a chronic pain patient.

Attention and sympathy from family, friends, and physicians is, sadly, in short supply for chronic pain patients. The wide range of family problems experienced by these patients include, but are not limited to: guilt over not being able to carry one's fair share of domestic tasks; anger at family members who deny the reality and/or severity of the patient's pain; frustration because the pain is so great it makes playing with one's children or sexual intimacy with one's partner torturous or impossible; and anxiety about the financial strain that stems inevitably from disabling chronic pain. Given that nearly every book or magazine dealing with chronic pain has a section on coping with these and other family problems, it is apparent that family attention and sympathy are not as abundant as we are led to believe by secondary gain theorists. We must also not forget that many chronic pain patients have no family, or none nearby, or their families deny or trivialize their pain and disability. Denial, trivialization, and eventual abandonment are also common reactions of friends or co-workers. The loss of former friends is another emotionally painful aspect of disabling chronic pain.

Attention and sympathy from physicians may be absent at the outset for chronic pain patients, but if not, it generally wanes as the patient fails to respond to one after another medical interventions, leaving most doctors feeling frustrated and helpless. Patients with incurable, irreversible, and progressive conditions, such as degenerative disk and joint disease, may have a difficult time even finding a doctor who will take them as a patient. Consequently, many chronic pain patients are literally "fired" by their treating physicians a year or so after numerous painful and invasive treatments have been tried and failed, and left on their own to try and find another doctor. Unless such patients are able to find a physician who can actually help them control their pain, they are forced to live an unbelievably miserable existence that all too frequently ends in suicide.

The second most common secondary gain is release from task responsibilities at home and work. It may be that those living with spouses or significant others are relieved from some or all of their domestic chores some or all of the time, but I question whether this is perceived as a "reward" by most persons disabled by chronic pain. In my own experience and research, the guilt of watching loved ones at home and colleagues at work become overburdened by these extra tasks is hardly rewarding and takes a heavy toll on one's self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Furthermore, as time goes by, resentment toward the disabled person generally increases among those picking up the slack, increasing interpersonal friction. Any release from former task responsibilities is also offset by the increase in new task responsibilities on becoming disabled. There are numerous forms to be filled out and reports to be completed for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), leaves of absence and state disability insurance (SDI). If the chronic pain resulted from a work-related illness or injury, there is the bureaucratic morass of worker's compensation to navigate. And if the disability lasts six months or more, there is the process of applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The amount of paperwork and reports varies, but in my own case, which was relatively simple, there were hundreds of pages of forms and reports I had to submit over the two years it took just to get my SSDI approved, and that was with the help of an attorney. This, however, was nothing compared to what I went through with my group long-term disability (LTD) insurance. The forms, reports, and correspondence on that claim fills an entire drawer of my filing cabinet, and that claim is still unsettled.

Narcotic medications are the third most commonly referenced secondary gain. The fact that they are considered a gain at all is telling – it is obviously presumed that they induce euphoria, yet any pain patient who has taken them regularly will tell you that not only do they do nothing but take away the pain so one feels relatively normal for awhile, they also have extremely unpleasant side effects. Yet although 34 million Americans suffer from chronic pain and most are significantly disabled by it, only a small minority receive any type of narcotic medications for pain relief and these are usually inadequate to relieve the pain – a situation which frequently leads to suicide or requests for physician-assisted suicide. The irony here is that in many cases these are the only medications that will allow the patient to return to part-time or full-time work.

The fourth commonly referenced secondary gain is the supposed monetary compensation which approximates actual wages that persons disabled by chronic pain receive. If this fallacy were not so tragic, it would be laughable, because of all the secondary losses emanating from disabling chronic pain, the economic losses are utterly devastating. Even if one is fortunate enough to have medical insurance, there are numerous expenses detailed in my paper that are not covered by any type of insurance, nor are they even tax-deductible. So where did the idea come from that work-disabled persons "have it made" financially? I think it is because there are ostensibly four different types of "safety nets" when one becomes disabled: state disability insurance (SDI), worker's compensation (WC), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and group or private long-term disability (LTD) insurance. LTD insurance is a type of coverage which very few people have - primarily highly-paid professionals – yet this is the only kind of insurance benefit that ever approximates one's pre-disability income, generally paying half to two-thirds of the claimant's lost income as benefits. However, if the disability is from chronic pain, more often than not the claim for any type of benefits will be disputed and, in too many cases, denied, leaving the disabled person to face bankruptcy, poverty, and eventually homelessness unless one is exceptionally lucky. So common is it for persons disabled by chronic pain to be denied benefits to which they are legally entitled that numerous lists and websites have been established on the Internet solely for the purpose of providing information and support to those claimants wrongfully denied. To describe this situation as scandalous is an understatement, yet millions of American workers have been lulled into false security believing that if they should have the misfortune of becoming disabled, these safety nets will be there to cushion them from the full brunt of economic loss.

In summary, divorce, loss of career, financial ruin, homelessness, loss of friendships and social life, loss of physical mobility, the severe stress of protracted litigation, and in some cases physical disfigurement are just a few of the kinds of secondary losses commonly incurred by persons disabled by chronic pain. Obviously it is impossible to place a price tag on any one of these tragic losses. So the concept of secondary gain is put forward instead, turning the truth – the reality of the disabled person's existence – upside down. This is, in my estimation, nothing short of institutional moral larceny: a victim-blaming ploy that serves primarily to justify the reprehensible actions of insurance companies, opposing attorneys, and many of the private, county, state, and federal bureaucracies purporting to "assist" persons with disabilities. Secondary gain, or any other concept built on myths and stereotypes which contribute to ongoing discrimination against persons disabled by chronic pain needs to be exposed for what it is – unconscionable in a democratic society.

What is desperately needed at this point in time is a massive public education campaign regarding the enormous losses, tangible and intangible, that accompany disabling chronic pain including, but not limited to, bankruptcies of the heart.


Copyright © 1998 by Marcia E. Bedard, Ph.D., Women's Studies Program, California State University at Fresno

The Fear of Chronic Anxiety

Well after fighting for independence from my anxiety and panic disorder, one day has me back in that to almost square one.
One of those things is my previous post. The fear of leaving my home because of possible PIs from my long-term disability insurance company has my agoraphobia alive and kicking after I fought so hard to take control of it. It makes me angry and these people! Thanks alot guys! Like I haven't been through enough in my short life!
The second thing that has brought panic back to my life is something rather strange. About 4 years ago I was working at a company and 3 people made my life a living hell. It got so bad I was constantly shaking and throwing up at work on a regular basis. Because of these people, my agoraphobia and anxiety issues began. Well turn the clock to Tuesday. My husband asks me if I worked with a certain person. I really had to think about it because I have moved on and blocked these people from my mind. Well, it seems one of the BIG 3 has just been hired at my husband's company. How the information came about was they were talking about people who they used to work with who called out a lot. My husband mentioned a person and the new guy asks if it is me, while laughing as if I was a standing joke. He said no but that is my wife so I would shut your fuckin' mouth. Needless to say it did exactly that.
Now that is all fine and good but I wish he wouldn't have told me about the incident because my physical symptoms of my anxiety are back. The hard time swollowing, the lump in my throat that won't go away. The headache, the shaking, being unable to sleep well.
So between the two incidents in one day I am now a walking mess. Just as I was starting to feel better from my facet injections and getting ready to start exercising again.

How Long-term Disability Insurance Company Can Make Life A Living Hell!

Just yesterday I got a call informing me that I have an appointment with an occupational therapist for a Functional Capacity Evaluation. I call this trying very hard to kick me off long-term disability. I have been collecting since 2002 and this year has been the worst!
Every year, I have to have a review of my status and fill out a form as to how my year has been. This year I thought it would be the same, fill out the form, get my re-up letter back, get a check for the next 12 months. NOT this year!
They have been hounding my doctors for months for information that they have already been asked about. For example, my pain managment doc has had three different psychologists call his office and ask him the same questions and he answers them the same way each time. My regular doc has been called and interviewed just as many times and was even misquoted in a letter that was going to be sent to the insurance company. Luckily he got a copy of the letter before it was sent and made them remove the erroneous information and quote him correctly.
It is quite obvious they are trying to find a way to kick me off my LTD benefits. I mean it has taken them over 6 months to really fight this.
I am on 12 medications daily just to get through each day. I see a therapist once a month, a pain management doc every two weeks for different types of depo-medrol shots from facet injecions to lumbar epidurals to trigger point injections and my GP more often than most people. Not to mention the other doctors I see for various reasons. For me, being ill is a full time job.
Being under the scrutiny of this insurance company is making me panicky and paranoid. I feel like they have me under surveillance to make sure I do what I have told them. I have to go to get my meds refilled today and I am afraid to go. I am trying to loose weight and have been going to the gym. But now I am afraid to do that in case of the PI that may be watching. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I am afraid to leave my apartment. It's enough to drive a person insane!

Still recovering day 4

I am still recovering from my facet injections. I am taking this slowly and it seems to be working out. Every once in a while I get zaps in my backside, my hip or my toes. Sometimes one toe or another goes numb. So that means its working I guess. The injection sites are still painful to pressure, so driving is down to a minimum. I am taking my anti-inflamatories like I should and it is the only thing that seems to help....especially the Lodine. It makes me sleepy but where am I going today?
I tried working out on Friday and did the treadmill very gently. That seemed to work. I also was careful doing laundry yesterday. Taking a little bit at a time is doing the trick. I don't feel like such a slug.

Still recovering

Normally on Fridays I do laundry and I had planned to do just that today, but my left foot went numb last night so no go on that plan. While I don't feel as I got a swift kick in the backside today, I think lifting laundry and going to the laundromat is a bit ambitious today. I do have a couple of errands to do but that is just some driving to go to the bank and pick up my meds.
So its a short update but at least it is one.

The Day After

As you can see by the time of this post, I had a rough night.
Considering what the Facet Injection does, it went as expected. According to my husband I am a little bruised in the injection area, which makes sense from the pressure and pain I felt laying on the table yesterday. I feel like my backside and hip has been in a fight, but overall I am okay. I've delt with worse pain.
Right now I am waiting for my pain medication to kick in so I can go back to sleep for a little while. I woke up about 3 or so and started getting uncomfortable laying down, so I have been up and down for about 1 and 1/2 hours just trying to be comfortable. I decided to get out of bed so that my husband could keep sleeping since he has to work later today. Since I don't work, I can afford to loose rest now and sleep later.
Well that is all for the update on day 1 of my recovery....hopefully I will be well enough for laundry tomorrow.
Until then!

Today is the day!!!!!

Well I had posted but for some reason my post got blown away!
Anyway, today is the day of my first facet injection. I am a little nervous since this is my first one and I don't exactly know what to expect.
I am also worried about what will happen if these don't work. What will be my next step? I am also worried about the after effects over the next couple of days.
I know I need these injections. I am tired of waking up in the middle of the night in extreme pain.
Ah well....just another day in the life of a CPer AKA Chronic Painer.

Migraine headaches

Ah the pain of a migraine headache....I have been living with it for two days now. For those of you who do not know the pain of a migraine, take the worst headache you ever had, times it by 2, combine it with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will make it go away!!!!
I have been living with an ice pack on my left temple (where I always get my headaches) through the night. Its been tons of fun. Unfortunately they are part of the Fibromyalgia and Rosacea, both of which I have....fun huh?
Well here are some details about migrianes thanks to the website www.familydoctor.org.

Migraine Headaches: Ways to Deal With the Pain

What causes migraine headaches?
Migraine headaches seem to be caused in part by changes in the level of a body chemical called serotonin. Serotonin plays many roles in the body, and it can have an effect on the blood vessels. When serotonin levels are high, blood vessels constrict (shrink). When serotonin levels fall, the blood vessels dilate (swell). This swelling can cause pain or other problems.

Many things can affect the level of serotonin in your body, including your level of blood sugar, certain foods and changes in your estrogen level if you're a woman.

What does a migraine feel like?
The pain of a migraine headache can be intense. It can get in the way of your daily activities. Migraines aren't the same in all people. Possible symptoms of migraines are listed in the box below.

You may also have a "premonition" several hours to a day before your headache starts. Premonitions are feelings you get that can signal a migraine is coming. These feelings can include intense energy, fatigue, food cravings and mood changes.


Possible symptoms of migraines
Intense throbbing or dull aching pain on one side of your head or both sides.
Nausea or vomiting
Changes in how you see, including blurred vision or blind spots
Being bothered by light, noise or odors
Feeling tired and/or confused
Stopped-up nose
Feeling cold or sweaty
Stiff or tender neck
Light-headedness
Tender scalp

Are there different kinds of migraine headaches?
Yes. The most common are classic migraine and common migraine.

Classic migraines start with a warning sign, called an aura. The aura often involves changes in the way you see. You may see flashing lights and colors. You may temporarily lose some of your vision, such as your side vision.

You may also feel a strange prickly or burning sensation, or have muscle weakness on one side of your body. You may have trouble communicating. You may also feel depressed, irritable and restless.

Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes. Auras may occur before or after your head pain, and sometimes the pain and aura overlap, or the pain never occurs. The head pain of classic migraines may occur on one side of your head or on both sides.

Common migraines don't start with an aura. Common migraines may start more slowly than classic migraines, last longer and interfere more with daily activities. The pain of common migraines may be on only one side of your head.

How long do migraines usually last?
Migraines may last from 4 to 72 hours. They may happen only once or twice a year, or as often as daily. Women are more likely to have migraines than men.

What things may set off a migraine?
Certain things that can set off migraines in some people include the following:

Strong or unusual odors, bright lights or loud noises
Changes in weather or altitude
Being tired, stressed or depressed or the let-down after a stressful event
Changes in sleeping patterns or sleeping time
Certain foods (see the list below), especially those that contain tyramine, sodium nitrate or phenylalanine
Missing meals or fasting
Menstrual periods, birth control pills or hormones
Intense physical activity, including sexual activity

Foods that may trigger migraines
Aged, canned, cured or processed meat, including bologna, game, ham, herring, hot dogs, pepperoni and sausage
Aged cheese
Alcoholic beverages, especially red wine
Aspartame
Avocados
Beans, including pole, broad, lima, Italian, navy, pinto and garbanzo
Brewer's yeast, including fresh yeast coffee cake, donuts and sourdough bread
Caffeine (in excess)
Canned soup or bouillon cubes
Chocolate, cocoa and carob
Cultured dairy products, such as buttermilk and sour cream
Figs
Lentils
Meat tenderizer
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Nuts and peanut butter
Onions, except small amounts for flavoring
Papaya
Passion fruit
Pea pods
Pickled, preserved or marinated foods, such as olives and pickles, and some snack foods
Raisins
Red plums
Sauerkraut
Seasoned salt
Snow peas
Soy sauce

How are migraines treated?
There are 2 types of migraine treatments. Some treatments are used to relieve the headache pain. Most of these treatments should be started as soon as you think you're getting a migraine. The other type includes treatments that are used to prevent headaches before they occur.

Can nonprescription medicines help relieve the pain?
Yes. Nonprescription medicines can help migraine pain. They include aspirin, acetaminophen (one brand name: Tylenol), an acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine combination (one brand name: Excedrin Migraine), ibuprofen (one brand name: Motrin), naproxen (brand name: Aleve), and ketoprofen (brand name: Orudis KT).


What about prescription medicines?
People with more severe pain may need prescription medicine. A medicine called ergotamine (brand name: Ergostat) can be effective alone or combined with other medicines. Dihydroergotamine (brand names: Migranal, D.H.E. 45) is related to ergotamine and can be helpful.
Other prescription medicines for migraines include sumatriptan (brand name: Imitrex), zolmitriptan (brand name: Zomig), naratriptan (brand name: Amerge) rizatriptan (brand name: Maxalt), almotriptan (brand name: Axert), eletriptan (brand name: Relpax) and frovatriptan (brand name: Frova).
If the pain won't go away, stronger medicine may be needed, such as a narcotic (brand name: Stadol nasal spray) or medicines that contain a barbiturate. These medicines can be habit-forming and should be used cautiously.

Can medicine help prevent migraines?
Yes. Medicine to prevent migraines may be helpful if your headaches happen more than twice a month or if your headaches make it hard for you to work and function. Examples of medicines used to prevent migraines include propranolol (brand name: Inderal), timolol (brand name: Blocadren), divalproex (brand name: Depakote) and some antidepressants.

What else can I do to prevent migraines?
Try to avoid foods or other things that seem to cause migraines for you. Get plenty of sleep. Try to relax and reduce the stress in your life.


Tips on reducing the pain
Lie down in a dark, quiet room.
Put a cold compress or rag over your forehead.
Massage your scalp using a lot of pressure.
Put pressure on your temples.

Source
American Academy of Family Physicians

I hope this information helps someone out there! So far the migraine pain has taken a break but I still feel the little niggle in my head.
Have a great 4th everyone!