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...A blog about living a life migraine-free

email me: [email protected]

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Abdominal Migraines

3/18/2013

7 Comments

 
Have you ever heard of an abdominal migraine?

When I was in my 20s and early 30s I suffered from severe abdominal pain and cramping that would last for hours at a time.  During these painful intestinal aches it was all I could do to go about my normal business.  Along with the stomach pain I felt washed out, pale, tired and sickly.  All I wanted to do during the pain was to seek a dark quiet bedroom and rest in the fetal position. When I sought care for this paroxysmal pain in my 20's I was diagnosed with irritable bowel and put on a prescription drug called Midrin.  Needless, to say the Midrin didn't stop the attacks and eventually over time and with a change in work environment (switching from night shift to day shift in nursing) the painful episodes stopped.  They returned in my early 30's. After dealing with them for a lengthy period of time I sought out a gastroenterologist. I was scoped and tested and worked up for everything from  lactose intolerance to crohn's disease.  Eventually the GI specialist gave up and told me they couldn't find anything wrong with me.  In my mid to late 30's these abdominal migraines converted into a "typical migraine".  For me the typical migraine is unilateral severe head-throbbing pain with sensitivity to light and sound accompanied by eventual vomiting.  When I started having 12 day long migraines where I couldn't stand without vomiting, I picked up a book called the "The Migraine Brain" by Carolyn Bernstien in an attempt to better understand my illness.  In that book is a chapter entitled "Kinds of Migraines".  That was the first time I had ever heard of an abdominal migraine and I immediately had an "ah-ha moment". 

Abdominal migraines are often misdiagnosed (as you can see by my experience).  Diagnostically, the Abdomial Migraine usually occurs in children and isn't diagnosed until a "typical migraine" appears in their history.  The requirements for diagnosis are at least five attacks of abdominal pain lasting 1 to 72 hours unsuccessfully treated.  The abdominal pain is midline, around the belly button (that is my technical term) or poorly localized.  The pain can be dull with a moderate to severe intensity.  The pain is accompanied by things like anorexia (who wants to eat when your belly hurts all the time?), nausea, vomiting, pallor.  The pain can't be attributed to any other disorder.  The abdominal migraine is a sudden episode of intense, acute periumbilical pain that lasts more than one hour.  It has intervening periods of health.  The pain interferes with normal activities and is associated with anorexia, nausea, vomiting, headache, photophobia, and pallor.  There is no evidence of an inflammatory, anatomic, metabolic, or neoplastic (cancerous) processes that explain the subject's symptoms.  The diagnosis is established by history, which includes the above symptoms with wellness between episodes and no alternative causes, and a family history of migraine among relatives.

I am hopeful that using my Migraine Plan will also relieve the pain of those experiencing abdominal migraines.

This blog is dedicated to Lynet and her son.  This migrainuer is so hopeful for you both!


 
7 Comments
Lynet Mortensen
3/18/2013 11:19:07 am

Maren - It was such a pleasure and a blessing meeting you! Aaron and I could not be more grateful to you. I have printed out copies of your "avoid" list and we are making changes. I will definitely keep you posted! Thank you again for shedding light on this mysterious and frustrating illness. My son and I can't thank you enough! Lynet

Reply
Maren link
4/29/2013 04:39:53 am

Lynet,

I just thought you might check out the below link:
It was posted today. I hope all it well.
Maren
http://migraine.com/blog/your-childs-stomach-hurts-is-it-a-migraine/

Reply
Maren link
3/19/2013 04:40:32 am

Lynet, Please keep me posted with regards to Aaron's health. I am so hopeful for the both of you! Take Care, Maren

Reply
Lynet
3/22/2013 08:23:03 am

Maren - I wanted to let you know I used your blog post (above) to help advocate for Aaron at school. His teachers have been so wonderfully supportive of his condition/absences. They approached the counselor FOR ME and asked that she reach out to me for a 504 plan (this allows accommodations for people with chronic illnesses). In addition to evidence of his diagnosis from his MD, I emailed them all a copy of your blog post about abdominal migraines. It really helped them to understand! Thank you, thank you, thank you again for helping me understand what my son is suffering through and for helping me (through the migraine messenger) to advocate for him. You are such a blessing! :)

Reply
Maren link
3/22/2013 10:31:12 am

I am so happy this was helpful in some way to you all. Hearing your feedback means the world to me as the sole purpose is to help those still suffering. Again, in my most ideal world I would love for my plan to work for Aaron and get him back out on the Lacrosse field and into the classroom. Thanks so much for the update. Keep me in the loop with his progress...I am prayerful:)

lynet mortensee
3/18/2016 05:19:30 pm

Maren -

I wanted to give you an update on Aaron - and to thank you again! He is doing amazingly well. He is graduating from high school this year. Aaron will be attending the University of Georgia this fall and plans to double major in Science and Classical Languages. UGA recruited him, gave him an academic scholarship (renewable for 4 years) in addition to the Zell Miller Scholarship he had already earned through the state of Georgia, and invited him to participate in their highly competitive Honors Program. Through this program Aaron will have access to smaller class sizes, preferential scheduling, mentoring from distinguished professors, and specialized research and study abroad opportunities. We are very proud of him and incredibly thankful to YOU for helping us get him healthy. Thank you again for sharing your experience and wisdom with our family. It has made a world of difference. :)

Reply
Lynet Mortensen
3/18/2016 05:24:48 pm

Maren - My name has not changed. I just spelled it incorrectly on my post. Your site looks wonderful, btw. I love the pictures of your beautiful family.

Reply



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    Maren

    A recovering chronic migraineur attempting to globally eliminate headaches via a website and possibly, one blog post at a time.

    contact me: [email protected]

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