Why your migraines may be related to fibromyalgia

I've had a migraine/headache for 6 days straight. Today was so bad I couldn't concentrate on what I was saying. I'm not even sure I knew WHAT I was saying because of the pain. I even mixed up two people's names and felt really dumb afterwards. Anyone got a migraine cure? :) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People with fibromyalgia have many more symptoms than pain everywhere on the body...flu-like achiness and "point" pains. They also have pain in the head, frequently.Whether you have had migraines before you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia or after, migraine headaches and fibromyalgia seem to go hand in hand. So, not only do those of us with pain everywhere else, also have to deal with some pretty extreme and painful migraines.

Studies show that about 75% of fibromyalgia sufferers also suffer from migraine headaches. Most migraine sufferers who also have fibromyalgia can "sense" a migraine headache coming on. It's called an Aura and if there is a headache coming on, the person may get a strong sense of it.

“The ‘migraine brain’ is just more sensitive to various stimuli,” says Morris Levin, MD, a pain management specialist and co-director of the Head- ache Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, N.H. A dog barking? A strong odor? A change in weather? “They are the first ones to notice it,” he says.

It seems like I almost always have at least some pressure in my head, if not a full blown migraine. I have had several CT scans done because my doctor needed to rule out any physical condition such as a tumor. All CT scans have been negative...so, my doctor believes that the migraines are directly related to my fibromyalgia. (I still haven't been tested for MS, even though my doctor suggests it...I am scared). 

People with MS can also suffer with migraines. MS sufferers can also have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia has many secondary symptoms...and secondary conditions. This makes it more complicated to diagnose.

Is there a certain Aura any of you get when you feel a headache coming on? How often do you get them?

 I get about 3-6 a month, depending on my stress level...the higher the stress, the more migraines I get...