Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Migraines

A while back I posted about my son's reluctance to try a medication prescribed by his neurologist to prevent his migraines. My son read about all the possible side effects, didn't like what he read, and neither did I. This is another "problem" with his intelligence. He reads too much, thinks too much, expects answers to his questions, and will try to find answers on his own when he doesn't get them from the experts who are supposed to have the answers. He knows even doctors can make mistakes. I don't think there was ever a time when he thought adults were infallible. I used to think this was a good thing but didn't realize it would make it difficult for him to trust doctors and avoid having "white coat anxiety."

We went back to the neurologist and told him we didn't feel comfortable trying this medication and asked if there was anything else he could try. The neurologist told us he could try MigreLief, a non-prescription dietary supplement that helps some people with migraines. Like the Amitriptyline the doctor first prescribed it can take about four weeks for it to work, but my son said he started to get a headache yesterday and he said it wasn't as painful and didn't last as long. He had been taking MigreLief twice a day for only three days. I so hope this really works because when there are frequent weather changes he ends up with almost daily migraines and the neurologist told us if he takes Ibuprofen every day that can cause other problems.

When he has a migraine he doesn't want to do anything except lie down in a quiet room and try to get through the pain. I understand this because I get them too. He can't do math, practice piano, do his co-op homework, work out to improve muscle strength, and wear the scoliosis brace that causes even more pain. We work around pain every day. I suppose it is a time management problem/executive function problem like the neuropsychologist said it was, in a way. When we have a migraine it most definitely affects our executive functioning. We work around that also. I think his executive functioning is better than average when he doesn't have a migraine so he will learn to compensate for that also.

If he were not also gifted and able to learn so quickly when he is not in pain he would fall behind. Because he is gifted he is learning that he can produce A+ work in his writing composition class in spite of his "disorder of written expression" and "learning disability."

My mother had horrible migraines.

About twice a year, it got so bad, that I'd call my Uncle (MD & Psych) who would come get her and she would get a demerol shot at the nearest ER. It was horrifying to see someone so strong laid so low.

One thing that helped her was self-hypnosis. She worked with an expert in it and got pretty good. She was able to ward off most of the migraines before they started and coped much better with the bad ones. It also gave her some power over the situation so she feared the migraines much less. I also know that she used it to deal with the end stages of ALS.

Another area to look at are some of the Eastern awareness disciplines. The ability of the Bhuddist, Hindu and Zen Monks to control their bodies and minds is backed by hard data. There might be a temple in your area. My mother did a lot of reading in Zen in her later years.

As far as getting work done, one thing I experimented with when I worked a manual job in college was to come up with a list of things that I needed to work on for my math or literature classes and then work on the problems in my mind while doing my job which was totally manual. I was able to zone out of the real world and make a lot of progress. I got to where I could sit down and write it all out when I got home.

A few years later, I hurt myself really bad and was laid up for a few days. I reconnected with this zoning out skill and came to enjoy being alone with the pain. I suppose it is a form of self-hypnosis.