Migraines and Sinus polyps

[loopy951]

My husband had been an asthmatic since he was 2 years old. Since moving to another state he has not suffered asthma but has since suffered debilitating migraine which can leave him washed out and with a tender head for up to 7 days after.
His Doctor has treated him with many preventative medicines and cures, none of which have worked.
He recently went 363 days without a migraine, but then suffered 2 within 2 weeks.
His last CT scan showed that he had a polyp in his sinuses.
This morning he woke with what he described as a sinus headache, in other words it was behind his sinuses instead of the pain he usually suffers with migraine?
We have been treating him with antihistamines and low dose aspirin, so therefore if sinus related, could he have built up an immunity to the drug?
Can anybody please tell me if his problem could be the polyp? and what can we do about it. He is beside himself with worry and does not sleep more than between 4 and 5 hours per night. HELP!!!

[marileew]

Migraines can often feel like sinus headaches, and even have symptoms such as nasal congestion, sinus pain, or even a runny nose... but they are still migraines.

Although, in your husband's case, the CT scan showed that he had a polyp in his sinuses and nasal polyps can cause sinus infection which can cause headache, a polyp can also cause pain on their own without infection... like headache pain. If he experiences any bleeding from his sinuses I would suggest taking him back to the doctor or hospital, because then the polyp situation could maybe be serious if there was pain and bleeding. Otherwise, I would suggest taking him back to the doctor for a regular appointment as soon as you can get one in order to discuss the possibility of a sinus infection or pain caused by the polyp... he might need an antibiotic if he has a sinus infection or he might need steroids to shrink the polyp or even surgery to remove the polyp if it is causing the pain.

If it is a migraine, then it would be good taking him back to the doctor too to get another type of medication as his current treatment plan for the migraines do not seem to be working. Sometimes you just have to be tough with the doctors if the medication isn't working... and, if the pain ever gets really severe and he can't handle it or if it ever lasts for 3 days straight with absolutely no relief at all then I would really suggest taking him to the hospital. They can give him an IV at the hospital and sometimes getting medication by IV works better with really hard to treat migraines than taking medication by tablet. Sometimes an injection of sumatriptan, and an IV of Metoclopramide + normal saline fluids can stop a migraine that is difficult to treat at home, or sometimes they give DHE (a type of strong ergot based migraine pain killer) ... and if that doesn't work, then the hospital can usually add an ever stronger pain killer by IV to the mix like an opiate, but usually they will save that until after they've tried everything else... and that can sometimes sort of "reset the system" and stop the pain cycle. Anyway... that is what I would do if I was in your husband's situation.

[loopy951]

Thank you so much for your insight into my husbands migraines.
Unfortunately he has tried every known preventative and cure known to man. They work for a short while then have no effect whatsoever.
'We visited our Doctor yesterday afternoon and she has prescribed Nasonex for him.
I am praying that this will help as I seriously think the migraines and polyp are connected.
He was a severe asthmatic for the first 32yrs of his life, but since moving to another state he hasn't had one single attack. He is also a snorer lol. (many sleepless nights for me).
Even stranger is the fact that he was migraine free for nearly a year, spring to spring which of course is the worst time of year for anyone with allergies.
Once again thank you and please if you have any other thoughts I would love to hear them.
loopy951

[hava]

To to get relief from headache/migraine naturally, the full pranayam exercises are described below.
This works gradually, so allow time (1 week upto 16 weeks) and concentrate fully on the breathing. Avoid cold drinks and drink warm water.

Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after 1 minute.
Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for upto 15 minutes twice a day. Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.

Anulom Vilom -  Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep breaths into the lungs.

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 15 times

After the pain has eased, increase kapalbhati to 30 minutes twice a day and the polyp will disappear within 6 months.Continue the pranayam for rest of life to stay healthy.