I have been diagnosed with migraines as of Tuesday January 15, 2008. While I waited for my mother to pick up the medication, the doctor at the Emergency Room prescribed Zomig, I went on WebMD and tried to see as to the kind of migraines I suffered from.
I see diamond-shaped purple light before the severe pain hits. That's defined as an Aura. The news got worse from there. People aged 45 and over that have these kind of migraines suffer from some form of heart desease and stroke. The veins in the neck and head constrict reducing blood flow causing pain, nausea, weakness, and could cause a stroke or heart attack.
Luckily, I am under age 45 and do not, at this time, have any heart desease related symptoms. But, I could still suffer from a stress induced stroke that is, if the migraines aren't food related. I've only been nauseous when trying to eat chocolate cake and soda or tea with caffeine in it. I've never gotten migraines from "leaded coffee"--coffee with caffeine either.
Stress must be reduced if I don't want another migraine or stroke. Right before Bible Study, my oven went out. The heating coil fizzed and sparked just as I was about to put two trays of homemade cinnamon sugar biscuits in. Maintenance never showed that afternoon, so I had to fry them. It was disgraceful. I didn't even serve them to my group. They came Monday to replace the coil. I called a friend's mother to tell her my oven was working again. She didn't want to alarm me, but my Primary Doctor has cancer and that he is closing his clinic in Hennrietta, Texas. His son has been running that clinic for more than two years. I'm in Wichita Falls, so that wouldn't affect me anyway. She "just wanted to let me know" so that if I called my primary and he wasn't there I would know why. If he weren't able to practice medicine and had to retire due to health reasons, his patients would be notified by letter. That's basic protocol. I was fussing about this when my migraine hit Tuesday.
I had to play referee during Bible Study for the third time, which I didn't like. My oven was broken and maintenance didn't show up till Monday. Then the mess with my friend's mother and her story about my primary doctor having cancer. She swore the information came "from the horses mouth" which I took to mean my doctor, not a patient who sees my doctor, which is what she told me. I confronted both my friend in Bible Study and her mother for causing problems and blurting things out about my primary doctor like that.
Zomig will cost me $211.00 after my deduction from Medicare, $285 without. There is no generic for this so I made an appointment to see a doctor acting on my primary's behalf to get something less taxing on the wallet. My medicare card was at least 10 years old. The new numbers start with a 5. If I didn't have a Medicare RX card with a group number, I would have had to pay $285. I never really used medicare RX because I always bought generic meds. The story about my primary having cancer is true. I'm beginning to understand the plight of the elderly and their quest for better prescription drug coverage under Medicare and I'm not even elderly yet.