I heard this weekend that people who have migraines and have WLS that 57% of their migraines resolve after surgery .

Has anyone heard this statistic ? Or has anyone who has had migraines for most of their lives found that after surgery their migraines have either gotten less frequent or gone away all together ?

I have had migraines since I was 11 on average 2 days a week. Im on Topamax now to prevent them , off my meds I get them 3-5 times a week. I just for the life of me could not figure out why migraines , for someone who has had them most of their lives , why they would get better after something like lap band surgery ..... Granted it would be a HUGE Bonus . Any Thoughts ? input ?

thanks for your help .

Mindy

If your migraines are sensitive to estrogen, then for a while when you are losing weight, they might be bad. Your body stores excess estrogen in fat and as you lose it, the hormone swirls around, making it no fun.

I hadn't had more than a couple migraines a year for several years and then found myself having them more frequently due to this issue. They have since tapered back off again.

I guess the experience differs by the person. I can't see a big cause and effect other than maybe by eating better you reduce or eliminate food triggers?

I also suffered from migraines since childhood. I hardly ever get them anymore. Several years ago the doctor put me on Zoloft for PMDD and one of the amazing side affects was my migraines diminished by about I'd say 80% So I just keep taking it.

The only time I get them now is if I eat a food that triggers it. Most foods with Nitrates. Believe it or not the migraines I get from Nitrates are actually worse than any I experienced in my 20+ years of migraines. Now I know you can relate to me as you've had them for years. Imagine taking one of your bad migraines and multiplying it by say 8. I am not kidding. I went to the ER one time and they gave me morphine and it didn't even touch it!

Now none of this helps you post-surgically but I wanted to tell you about the Zoloft. It's been a lifesaver. Truly.

I just had my surgery last Tuesday so I don't really know if it will help or not.

I sure hope it does. Migraines just SUCK! They really do!

If your migraines are sensitive to estrogen, then for a while when you are losing weight, they might be bad. Your body stores excess estrogen in fat and as you lose it, the hormone swirls around, making it no fun.

I hadn't had more than a couple migraines a year for several years and then found myself having them more frequently due to this issue. They have since tapered back off again.

I guess the experience differs by the person. I can't see a big cause and effect other than maybe by eating better you reduce or eliminate food triggers?

My migraines are hormone related. Im not quite sure if they are specifically related or not . They do get much worse during my periods. I kind of except my migraines to become worse post op for a number of reasons. Anytime I change anything in my diet, life style ect my migraines get worse. So im going to try to up my topamax dose , probably double it ( im going to go talk to my doc first) and see if that might help . Also ive got to really look around for broth, Soups , im HIGHLY affected my MSG. I started to grab some bullion cubes tonight , and looked at the ingredients first , there it was MSG . CRAP. So I have to buy the pre made Organic . EXPENSIVE broths and soups for post op. I can all but guarantee the during the liquid stages Im going to probably have a constant migraine. Im not looking forward to it. I can suffer through it though .

I thought about the eating better might help as well. So even if it helps a little bit its is better. Thanks for your input I appreciate it .

Mindy

I also suffered from migraines since childhood. I hardly ever get them anymore. Several years ago the doctor put me on Zoloft for PMDD and one of the amazing side affects was my migraines diminished by about I'd say 80% So I just keep taking it.

The only time I get them now is if I eat a food that triggers it. Most foods with Nitrates. Believe it or not the migraines I get from Nitrates are actually worse than any I experienced in my 20+ years of migraines. Now I know you can relate to me as you've had them for years. Imagine taking one of your bad migraines and multiplying it by say 8. I am not kidding. I went to the ER one time and they gave me morphine and it didn't even touch it!

Now none of this helps you post-surgically but I wanted to tell you about the Zoloft. It's been a lifesaver. Truly.

I just had my surgery last Tuesday so I don't really know if it will help or not.

I sure hope it does. Migraines just SUCK! They really do!

Topamax has given me my life back as far as migraines go. it took me 11 yrs to find a preventative that worked. They cut my migraines from 4-5 a week to 2-3 a month. Im also on Wellbutrin for anxiety/depression due to migraines and it helps as well w/ migraines. I havent tried Zoloft though.

OH I Know what your talkikng about w/ migraines and Nitrates. If i have MSG zip me up and put me in a body bag. MSG is the WORST thing for me and migraines. I'll end up in the ER EVERY TIME . I also get cluster migraines. Migraines that last for WEEKS, every day . Nothing you do gets rid of them ... HORRIBLE. If you want feel free to IM Me or email me , i would love to keep in contact w/ you post op to see how you do w/ your migraines. I hope you do well. Thanks for your input .

Love

Mindy

I had only been getting two or three bad migranes a year before my surgery. Since my surgery a month ago I have been getting one to two a week. I'd be interested in reading about how this is associated with weight loss.

I had only been getting two or three bad migranes a year before my surgery. Since my surgery a month ago I have been getting one to two a week. I'd be interested in reading about how this is associated with weight loss.

The statistic I saw said 57% of migraine suffers resolve after WLS .

I have not seen or heard anything about them getting worse . YIKES i dont know if i can take that. Are you eating more foods w/ preservatives than prevoiously ? MSG is a huge trigger for me , the problem is MSG is hidden in a ton of names in foods. Are you drinking alot of Protein shakes ? whey protein has alot of MSG in it . What I would do is do a food diary for about a week and monitor your migraines along w/ your diet . See if there is a pattern.

Google " MSG Hidden names " Or Foods w/ MSG " and you might be surprised what it is in .

HTH

Mindy

Hi,

I too have suffered all my life with migraines and since I had surgery I have had 1 and it was not really a bad one. So I think I fall in the stats you mentioned.

Hi,

I too have suffered all my life with migraines and since I had surgery I have had 1 and it was not really a bad one. So I think I fall in the stats you mentioned.

That's interesting , I will have to ask my doc about this on thursday .

Thanks for your input

Mindy

I suffer with menstrual migraines, so I always get them right before my cycle, and usually on the last day. But since most migraines are never just caused by one thing, (ie hormonal changes), I too, have to be careful about what I eat...I have a big problem with yeast, and cannot eat certain baked foods, drink beer or red wine, and cannot tolerate any

artificial sweeteners, especially nutra sweet. I had the surgery back in December of 06, and my migraines have not lessened, and in fact, are just as debilitating as they ever were.

I've had bad migraines for the last 11 years or so, I'm talking they last for a couple weeks with no let up, and I have them 2 out of 4 weeks or more. I had the LB surgery and haven't had a full blown migraine since. No idea about the reason, but I thank God for the relief.