Anybody get migraines from hours of editing?

[Fireball]

I experienced my first ocular migraine a year ago when I was taking photos as a guest at a wedding. My left eye went completely blurry a couple of times and then excruciating pain followed above it. I had it a few times after that and finally saw an ophthalmologist who diagnosed it as ocular migraines.

Hadn't had anymore problems until a few weeks ago when I started volunteering about 10 hours a week at our local animal shelter taking photos for their website. I shoot for about an hour or more and then set up my laptop and edit the photos on the spot (another hour or more) so they can instantly put them on their website. Now I'm experiencing the migraines again. In fact, it's like they're just sitting there in my left eye all the time ready to come on full force.

It's scaring me thinking I might not be able to shoot like I'd like for the rest of my life! Anyone else have problems and if so, what do you do about it?

[princer7]

It may just be the weather/season adding to it. I have had some killer migranes the past week or two. One of which knocked my off my feet all day even after taking meds.

[Fireball]

Wow, you think? It was this same time last year that I got my first one but with all the extra shooting and editing, I figured that is probably exacerbating it.

[ChrisTX]

I have had those all my life. I usually notice them coming on, because I'll lose peripheral vision, or I'll lose everything but peripheral vision. The vision problems only last 30 minutes or so. I used to get up to 10-12 a year, with headaches almost daily. I could have two migraines in a week, or I could go 6 months between them. They are so random.

I started taking Topamax a couple years ago, and I was on 200mg a day (which is quite a bit). I have since stopped taking it, but my headaches are few and far between, and I haven't had the migraine in almost two years. I stopped taking Topamax earlier this year, and my headaches have not yet returned, so I hope I'm now in the clear. There is a generic of topamax now called Topiramate. It's really expensive medication, and has some quirky initial side effects. Carbonated drinks will taste really funny for a while, but that went away for me.

Something else you can try is Relpax. They'll only prescribe a couple of those per month, and I still keep some in the car with me. When you feel the headache coming on, you take one of those immediately, and it will almost kill the headache. You'll get one, but nothing near as bad as the full migraine. This stuff makes you feel really weird for about 5-10 minutes, but it works. I have told people it makes me feel like I'm being buried alive, and there is a huge weight coming down on me.

These two medications have saved me, despite the screwy side effects, they are tolerable. Now, I just take excedrin for most headaches I get, but they're nothing like they used to be. The worst one I had put me in the hospital on the maximum amount of morphine the hospital was able to give me, and it didn't touch the pain one bit.

Good luck with it. It was a long battle for me, but I feel like I'm finally normal.

[Fireball]

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing Chris. I have been on Topamax before but used it for weight loss (really does the trick!) and yes, it does make things taste funny. It also made my fingers and toes feel tingly in the winter. I didn't have migraines when I took it years ago. May have to try that again. Besides, I could lose a few pounds.

[carrbowl]

I have migraines really bad. Sounds like the light might just be your trigger for migraines. Topamax is a great drug for preventing migraines. The good news is you can lose weight when you are on it...the bad news it, you will probably gain it back when you get off from it. They also prescribe it for seizures...actually that is the original use for topamax.

I would see a neurologist if I were you or at least start keeping track of them. They are also prescribing high blood pressure medications and anti depressants for migraines. These are preventitives...then there are the medications for when you get your migraines..like the relpax. I have been using that...lately I have been using treximet, which is basically relpax with naproxin in it. It is amazing all the different drugs they will give you for migraines....good luck and don't ignore them...the get to where they become "normal" ....or like rebound headaches...you get them so often you body thinks they are suppose to have them. That is something I just learned after having them everyday for two months...ugh!!!

[Fireball]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that Renae. Never thought about the light being a trigger. I'll talk to my doctor (my hubby) about those different meds and see what he says.

[carrbowl]

be careful about using a regular doctor...I was using mine because I was doing so well for a couple years. Then started having issues, he changed my meds. I started using a med he prescribed more and more...what if found out was the medicine is an old medication and is now know to cause rebound headaches... fiornal. So that was one of the reasons I couldn't get rid of mine.

[Tom]

I experienced my first ocular migraine a year ago when I was taking photos as a guest at a wedding.

You take photos as a guest? If they hired a photographer, I would consider that pretty rude to the hired photographer.

[Fireball]

I don't think that's the subject matter here Thomas. Besides the wedding was our pastor and everyone was taking pictures. I didn't sell them, didn't get out of my seat to take them and gave them a CD to do with as they please. I'm not a wedding photographer.

Why is it people have to pick apart non-photography questions and make them into something confrontational?

[diente]

Do you find yourself squeezing your teeth together (clenching) when you
are concentrating or focusing on a task?.....or while sleeping? Clenching and grinding your teeth are not the cause of migraines, but if you are susceptible to migraines, this increased muscle and nerve activity caused by clenching can certainly trigger this pain. A small plastic splint can help this in many cases by reducing the intensity of muscle contractions. It is hard to explain this briefly, but here are a couple of websites that go into great detail

NTI-TSS.com - The most effective FDA-approved method of migraine prevention - Home

This first one is more geared towards dentists and doctors.

HeadAchePrevention.com - Home

This one is written more for the general population or patients.

I'll try a simple explanation. When you clench your teeth, you contract jaw muscles that attach in your temple area. You can feel them bunch up when you do this. This can cause tension headaches, or trigger a migraine if you are susceptible to them, and you do this enough times. If you slide your teeth forward where only your front teeth touch, and then clench, you can get pain in the back of the head where the muscles attach. A small plastic splint or mouthguard is designed so you can't get your back teeth together......without contact, you can't contract the muscles. You wear this usually at night, but migraineurs sometime wear this during the day as well.

Many folks have had traditional mouthguards made, to protect the teeth from grinding......but the way they are designed to even out teeth contact, just makes one a more efficient clencher......it lets you clench with more intensity.

Anyway, sorry for such a long post. Check out the websites if you are interested in this.....there is a lot of info there. One of the great benefits if the splint works for a particular person, is that one can really cut down on the amount of medication taken in the management of pain.

Paul