I am a Migraine sufferer and I have been for many years. In the past, I had what I called the "Mullet Migraine." This type of Migraine started behind my eyes, went up over my head and down to my shoulders. They were typically caused by stress and being on the computer for long periods of time. I handled them with medication, a healthy diet, and exercise.
However, in February 2020, I started to have daily Migraines which were much different than I was used to. I was dizzy and my eyes struggled to focus. It was like I was living my life constantly on a tire swing. The pain was in a triangle from my eyes to my nose. I also had nerve pain from the inside of my eyebrow into my forehead. The pain was so severe that I could no longer drive and always had to be lying down on the couch. This made being a Stay-At-Home Momma very difficult. My children's laughter was killing my head.
Because my husband's late wife passed away with a brain tumor, my husband insisted on me getting an MRI. I ended up having 2 done and they were both normal. I visited just about every doctor I could think of: General, ENT, OBGYN, and even a Neurologist. I tried other approaches such as: Massage, Chiropractic Care, and Foot Zoning. I tried Essential Oils and other topical creams. NOTHING HELPED!
Each doctor I saw put me on a different medication. I think by the time I met with the Neurologist, I had been on at least 7 different medications, none of which helped. The Neurologist (which was very expensive) put me on a very strong seizure medication. I did not like it from the beginning. It made me so tired and it didn't help with the migraines at all, other than knocking me out. I reported back to the Nurse that I didn't like the medication and that I would like to be taken off of it. I was told to keep trying and keep increasing the dosage every 7 days. When I reached 400mg of that stuff, it changed my thought processes. I thought everyone was out to get me and thought that my husband hated my guts. When I had a "clear" moment, I told my husband that he was in charge of making all medical decisions for me because I could no longer trust myself to make good decisions. FINALLY, the doctor weaned me off of the medication.
The Neurologist told me that the next plan of action was to do monthly injections as a preventive measure, but first I needed to try this new medication to satisfy the insurance company. That's right, the insurance company was telling the Neurologist what I needed to do! I was told that all I had to do was try it, tell them I didn't like it, and then I could move onto the monthly injections!
I sat down with my husband and we had a long talk about what we should do next. We decided to say NO to ALL of it! No to the new medication! No to the Monthly Injections! No to any further visits with the Neurologist!
That is where my Journey started! I subscribed to several Nutrition and Wellness Podcasts. I filled my online cart with TONS of Nutrition and Wellness Books. I took MY Health into MY OWN HANDS!
I have given my diet a makeover. I removed White Flour completely from everything that I eat and I have replaced it with Whole Wheat Flour. I eat more fruits and vegetables. I take my supplements. I am currently working on unprocessing my diet.
I've created a Morning Routine that I am proud of! I do my morning movement everyday. I meditate everyday. I write down what I am grateful for everyday. I do this all by getting up an hour earlier than my kids.
I am working hard to understand how my gut health affects my brain. This is actually becoming a fascination of mine.
I am applying what I am learning.
I went from having migraines and symptoms of Migraines EVERY.SINGLE.DAY to having 1-2 a month!
If you struggle with Migraines or just your Health in general, follow me. I am ready to share what I am learning with YOU! You CAN feel better!
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SIDE NOTE:
No I am not a doctor or a nurse. I am just patient the medical system failed.
I have learned that you can say to doctors, "I would like to research the side affects of this medication before trying it." I have learned that you can tell doctors, "I do not feel comfortable taking this medication. Is there another option?" I have learned that I am in charge of what goes into my body, not doctors.
Now, I am not saying that doctors are bad! So, please don't get that idea. I know that if I had a brain tumor, the Neurologist would have absolutely been able to help! I know, that for me, there is no other place I would have a baby, other than a hospital. I know that doctors and nurses provided life-saving medical care to my middle child as an infant. For all of this, I am truly grateful for the knowledge and care of Doctors and Nurses!
However, I wish the medical system would look at Health & Wellness as a whole. I wish they would dig into our stress levels, our eating patterns, how much sleep we are getting, and our exercise habits. I wish they would get to the root of our problems rather than treating the symptoms with medication.
From my research and from my own experience, most Health issues can be solved by handing our stress in a positive way, eating more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, taking control of our sleep, and moving our bodies!
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