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Desperate: need doctor to treat migraine Desperate: need doctor to treat migraine
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Staying Healthy on the Road Medical info, e.g. malaria, vaccinations, travel medical tips, medical insurance, where to find a doctor.
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  #1  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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Desperate: need doctor to treat migraine
Hi all,

This is a desperate plea for help. I have suffered from migraines for over 25 years. Their frequency has increased gradually and I now have an attack about every 3 days. I have reached the limit of medication I'm allowed to take.

Normally, I would seek a doctor who I would visit maybe once a month to get some treatment program going. The problem is that finding such a doctor is difficult even when living somewhere. But: we are travelling, so I can't establish a long-term relationship with a doctor in the usual sense.

We are in Penang, about to cross to Indonesia, a proper third-world country. I'm considering abandoning our trip, if I can't get treatment.



What I need is a doctor who can continue to advise me via email. I know this sounds ridiculous. But, the only physical contact I ever had was to have my blood pressure taken, which is always normal. The rest is just talking, then taking a prescription to the chemist.

Can anybody help me, so we don't have to abandon our trip?

Regards,
Peter.
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  #2  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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I can't help with your specific request I'm afraid only offer some advice which may or may not be of use to you.

For a very long time Mrs jethro suffered from very bad tension headaches that at their worse could not be alievated with over the counter pain killers, even those containing codene. She then visited a sports injury therapist (part physio, part massause, part personal trainer) for treatment to a back injury. Low and behold the therapist took one look at her and said you suffer from tension headaches your neck muscles look like an old rope. By applying gentre pressure to Mrs J's neck she brought on a stabbing headache and then with some gentle massage she took it away again again. Upshot was after a set of deep massage sessions to neck/shoulders/back no more headaches. A streching routing and occasional massage sessions continue to keep them away.

I know that migranes are completely different to headaches but I think that a deep neck/shoulder/back massage might help in case you have some tension issue that is increasing the frequency of your attacks.

Hope you find some relief soon
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Old 3 Apr 2009
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Thanks for sharing that success story and I'm very happy that this worked for your wife. I've been in a similar situation and had my neck 'fixed'. Made no difference... Migraines seem to come from a wiring fault in the brain, similar to epilepsy. At least that's my theory.

Cheers,
Peter.
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  #4  
Old 3 Apr 2009
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Beddhist

There are two medical people who regularly post on the Thorn Tree, 'Nutraxfornerves' and 'Qwovadis' ... I've had some excellent advice from them & Nutrax in particular is a gem looking up websites & nearby specialists for people online; she's also excellent in giving medical advice

Health - Thorn Tree travel forum - Lonely Planet

Put a post up on there ... don't give up hope!

Kira
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Old 3 Apr 2009
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Thanks Kira, I'm going there right now.

Cheers,
Peter.
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Old 3 Apr 2009
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I have had migraine most of my life.

I can feel a slight stiffness in my neck for a while before the attack starts, if I can cancel the neck-problem the attack will not come (this is not stress related). At this level it normally helps with Kataflam.

If it doesn’t work (seldom) I can often cure it with Imigran nose-spray (not the tablets, tablets normally don’t work under an attack)

If it goes too far (probably your level) I visit I visit a chiropractor who is a migraine-specialist, but it’s not that easy when traveling. Sometimes she has to use anesthesia to solve it.

As Jethro suggests deep massage might work and I would have tried it first, do it multiple times.
There is another trick I have tried when traveling, but it’s not completely safe and should be avoided.
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