Thank you all, fellow sufferers, for your well wishes, good advice, and comaraderie. I am better today though I was awakened by stabbing pains in my trapezius muscles. Residue from the headache and associated tension, I'm sure. I still have that haunted, drained post-migraine look about my eyes. Ugh. Yesterday the headache moved on and I was able to think and function better. The previous two days are a blur. I know I had several triggers this time around. I let myself get dehydrated, I'm stressed, I was premenstrual and I'm perimenopausal (as well as the oldest living menstruating woman on the planet). I never had migraines until I was in my 40s and during a particularly awful period in my marriage and work life I suffered from both cluster headaches and migraines, often together or in the same week. Imitrex saved my life back then but since the end of my marriage I have been nearly migraine free. I guess I need to pay more attention to avoiding triggers. I'd rather not have to go back on Imitrex again. As Lpink mentions, it is quite expensive and I do not have prescription coverage. I missed the signs that this was a migraine coming on. I had joint and muscle pain for a couple of days before for reasons that mystify me. Could barely move. (I seem to have some fibromyalgia symptoms from time to time where my shoulders, hips, knees, and elbows hurt.) Then the headache. I rarely get the aural stuff or if I do, it is slight. I do get nauseous and light sensitive. Water, check. I loaded up on fluids as soon as I realized I was getting a headache and was also awfully thirsty. Caffeine, check. I doubled up on my morning brew yesterday. I'm a one cupper so I had two. Massage, check. My son rubbed my shoulders, it was wonderful while he did it! Nap, check. No MSG, I don't recall anything that might have had MSG but I tend to avoid it anyway. It makes me feel strange. No red wine, I'm a white wine drinker as a rule but I'll keep this in mind. Tiger Balm, I'll be visiting the Asian market soon. Hot pack, check. I wrapped my neck in one of those things you heat in the microwave. Heat helps me. It relaxes the tension a bit. I did some self hand massage, which I find helps. Thanks for the links, Lpink. I swear by acupuncture for some other problems I've had, I'll give it try for this. The problem is that when I am in the midst of a migraine, driving to a clinic and sitting in a waiting room is the last thing I want to do. Alexa, tell your DH you needs LOTS of massaging and TLC. Terri, I'm interested in the tea you used. What was it?

Hello all, I cant get enough of reading these blogs maybe looking for relief. Had my last period in November 2012 , started to get weakness in my legs and knee pains. I felt sharp shooting pains through my legs etc. Hot flushes for a few seconds. Sleep not too good. My body is tired just doesn't feel right . I had xrays on my knees, back some problems there but nothing to explain this great pain. Sciatic nerve problem too. Getting up out of bed standing on my legs is painful. There is an ache there all the time all day, mostly my legs from the knees down. I don't know what to do anymore.. I have read the whole blog and wrote down the names of a lot of the remedies that everyone has mentioned. But am really sick of taking supplements which I have been doing for years. I do Aqua gym 3 times a week, but with a foam belt on and in the deep so there is no pressure on my legs. I feel great in the water and the pain is less. I did a Doppler exam too thinking it might be because of Varicose veins..nothing there too to cause the pain. Just wanted to say my say..and share this with all of you and tell you all..I know exactly how you are feeling!! Its stinks... I'm 53 now was feeling 21 now feeling 70.

I stumbled on this topic and was so glad to see that I am not the only one who has struggled with this. I have been having issues for the past 3 years. My periods stopped almost exactly 2 years ago. I had gotten so bad in the past 6 months that I could not walk when I got out of bed in the morning and could barely walk after sitting for longer than 10 minutes. I finally found a combination of things that have been working for me. I hope it may help somebody else! I admit that my diet has been terrible. I've had a bad case of the "busys" and I have relied heavily on the "bag and box" convenience approach. I read that people who eat a lot of fast/convenience food have magnesium and potassium deficiencies--which affect muscles. I began eating a banana--sometimes with peanut butter for breakfast. I eat baked potatoes (with all the good stuff; even then it 's better for me than fast food!). I concentrated on getting food with real nutrients; particularly potassium. You can google and find lots of options. I began taking a magnesium supplement. I only take about 1/2 the therapeutic dose. Do some research and find out which formulations are best absorbed to avoid diarrhea. I found out that artificial sweeteners can have an affect on nerves over time. (I recalled working with a client in my past job who turned to drinking Listerine as a source of alcohol. It permanently damaged the muscles in his legs.) I have been a HEAVY diet coke drinker for decades. I limit the diet soda to one or two small bottles per week and I began drinking water. Lots of it. I bought a compact fold-up exercise bike so that I could get in non-weight bearing exercise. The treadmill just seemed to aggravate things, especially my foot that had begun swelling. The bike allows me to work my legs--releasing lactic acid build-up that can lead to tightness--without causing new problems. A rowing machine might work too. I do at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes breaking it up into two or three sessions. I like the bike because it is totally silent and I can stop for brief breaks. I watch TV while riding. (I've read that deep tissue massage is also excellent in releasing lactic acid build-up, but I haven't tried it.) I began taking vitamin D3 for muscles and bones. I began taking Krill oil to help with inflammation--and it's just plain good for the human body. On mornings when I am still feeling pretty tight by 9:00am or so, I take 600mg ibuprofen. Previously, this did nothing to help. Now, it makes all the difference. I can feel it within an hour and one dose is all I need for all day. It took about 6 weeks, but the difference has been amazing. My stiffness is not totally gone, but it is remarkably lower!!! I can stand up and loosen up in a few seconds.

jlc - I'm relieved that you've made an appointment with a physiatrist at an orthopedic office. I'm not sure how old you are or what other physical conditions may be involved but it's important to discover the nature of your back pain which may involve xRays and/or an MRI. I've been dealing with this for about 15 years - successfully I should add! I had trouble sitting for long periods and if I walked far there were times I would get a spasm in my thigh. The pain would often wake me up at night and Advil and a heating pad weren't very effective. My neighbor is a chiropractor and noticed that I had a little trouble getting up from a chair and that I didn't have normal range of motion in my head and neck when we spoke. He offered to see me in his office the following week. Later that night I mentioned it to DH who nixed the chiropractor and said it was time I saw a specialist recommended I see a neurosurgeon who works in the same medical building. After xRays and MRI's of my cervical and lumbar spine I discovered that I had severe degenerative disc disease (which isn't really a disease) - bulging discs, herniated discs, spinal stenosis and mild scoliosis. 15 years ago the treatment was 3 injections into the joint ( both hip and neck) spaced a week apart. I had them done under local anesthetic because then I could drive home. It took a few days but the pain subsided in both areas. The neurosurgeon advised that I lose weight and exercise. Since I already had surgery on one knee and knew that both knees would need replacement at some time he suggested water aerobics and walking. He also cautioned me about manipulative treatments since it could exacerbate my back problems. Those treatments worked for many years but I have returned for additional ones over the years. Now the treatment is only one injection into the joint. I also thought I had carpal tunnel syndrome - I would wake up many times during the night with numbness and tingling in my fingers and have to drop them over the side of the bed to get it to stop. But it turned out to be caused by the disc problems in my neck and while it hasn't completely disappeared it has been significantly reduced. December 8 isn't too far off and with any luck they'll have a cancelation and see you sooner. Good luck.