Cancer and migraine

During cancer one of the hardest things for me was suffering from hideous, untreatable migraines. I was desperate to find a solution and spent thousands on private specialists that simply couldn't help. After my first chemo, the agonizing migraine I got lasted nearly two weeks. Although not as severe, I continued to suffer right until my fourth chemo. After that I had a wonderful break of over two months. The migraines are back now to their pre-cancer levels, which my acupuncturist attributes to the return of my normal hormonal functions, but I've learnt a lot about how to manage them during cancer. Firstly, ask for the Ondansetron to be taken out of the FEC mix - if you're prone to migraines, this will exacerbate them. Begin having acupuncture before your first chemo to give your body chance to get used to it. I also think that this helps with your digestion, meaning that you can take the medication without being sick. Speak to your GP in advance about medication that can be injected rather than taken by mouth. When you're being sick all the time, it's harder for your body to digest your normal tablets. And take magnesium, 1000 mg a day if you can. (Check with your oncologist first, but mine was fine with it). A combination of magnesium and B12 seemed to really settle things down for me. Finally, avoid wearing a wig for too long. For me, ten minutes would be enough to trigger a killer migraine. It's tough experiencing cancer and migraine - a challenging combination, but bear with it, and all being well, you will manage them a lot better than I did.

Amanda 

Me on a bad day