Posted by Judi Mosley (207.175.140.251) on September 07, 1999 at 05:29:27:
I've haven't posted for a while, due to the fact that I'm back on Elavil, and feel like I'm talking to everyone through a plate glass window!! I'm managing to get through the day, but I have to talk my way through it, and have to have a sleep around mid-day!! Anyway, let me get to the point...as some of you read, my beast laid down, for 5 days a few weeks back...and then reared it's ugly head, without warning. It was a bad one, almost sending me to the ER....the following week, the same thing happened. I just thought it was the CH keeping to a pattern. This week, same thing, chronic pain, with imitrex only lasting four hours, and then back to a 10. I was totally wiped out. While laying in bed, I started to think about the pattern of the "almost an ER job", and they were all within 4hrs of eating at a new Thai restaurant in town, plus at another "well known chain" restaurant. I went to the two places concerned, and BOTH confirmed that they used MSG liberally. Each time after eating, the pain hit violently, and stayed. The problem with MSG is that a lot of places won't admit to using it, but I bet you all my Imitrex injectables, this is a problem for a lot of us?? Has anyone else had the same experience, wwith eating in certain restaurants. The problem is, you can't see the stuff, and can't really taste it, but it's a nasty, nasty, item. I can't believe it took me so long to work it out, because for me, it's the thing that is the "nightmare headache" trigger.
I looked back through several weeks archives, and could only find a couple of fairly recent posts, with no much info. Sorry if it's all been hashed out before....I just can't believe that it was sort of staring me in the face, and I just didn't make the connection. Elavil now has my headaches down to one or two every other day, which is a blessing. Would be interested to hear other peoples ideas on MSG/restaurants. Judi