If you know me, you know how exciting this is! Some of you may recall I posted an Instagram picture about a month ago describing how I had been to the doctor and hopefully with some diet changes and supplements, my migraines would go away or at least become less frequent.
Well I cannot tell you how much feedback I got on that post! So many people reached out to me, stating that they suffered from migraines too and wanted to know what the doctor suggested for me so that they may try it too.
Well, now I haven’t had one in a month! I’ve had one since my doctors visit. (I started counting after) But it was short, and my symptoms subsided after just about an hour, which the doctor said might happen, and I haven’t had one since then. So, I decided to make a post about what I did to get healthy so that everyone who reached out to me earlier could know all my tips and tricks! And maybe they can start feeling better too.
I suffer from migraines with auras, which is a tad less common than just a regular migraine headache. It means, in addition to the headache, I lose my vision, slur my words, get nauseous, and my hands and face go numb. It truly keeps me from leading a normal life. I have gotten migraines since I was about 13, but only 3 or 4 a year. For some reason, after the wedding, I was getting 1 or 2 a week! There are many reasons as to why I could’ve started getting them after the wedding. I started taking a new medication, I moved into a new environment, and my diet was really bad! I was so good in the six months leading up to the wedding, I wanted to look my best on my big day so I was eating really clean and working out! By the time the wedding was over I went a little nuts. Lots of pizza, pasta, chips, you name it. It was probably a big shock to my system!
Eventually, the migraines really started interfering with work! I was constantly asking people to cover for me when I got a migraine at the last minute. Once, no one was able to cover my shift and Kurtis had to come to work with me to help me. (Luckily I have awesome bosses who are cool with stuff like this!) So, I knew something had to be done. So I went to the doctor.
Before I continue you should know he is an alternative medicine doctor. So I’m not on some sort of prescribed medication with weird side effects. That’s the last thing I want. (I tend to be anti-medication, unless it’s absolutely necessary, in which case go for it, by all means) Basically after running some tests, he concluded that I had a food sensitivity to dairy, my dopamine levels were high, and my saratonin levels were low (Or possibly vice versa) so I needed to stay away from dairy and take supplements to get my system back on track. If you suffer from frequent migraines they can almost always be triggered by a certain food. Track what foods you eat and see if there’s a common denominator on the days you get migraine headaches and then cut that food from your diet!
So, in addition to staying away from dairy and taking the supplements, I did some research on my own as to what causes migraines and cut out everything that could be a possible trigger. My whole daily routine has to do with preventing migraines, but so far everything is working for me!
1. I have a cup of tea every morning to ensure there is caffeine in my system.
2. I always have a water bottle with me. I’ve always been good about drinking enough water, but its essential now more than ever that I stay hydrated. Dehydration has been known to cause migraines.
3. I steer clear of dark alcohols (red wine, etc.)
4. And bacon. (*sob*)
5. Every time the weather is nice I open all my windows and air my house out to get rid of any toxins or allergens in the air that could be possible triggers.
6. My mom and I also changed the filters in the heater to ensure clean air.
7. I eat a relatively clean diet. Lots of protein and veggies. I’ve found that when I have an upset stomach, I tend to have migraines, and I tend to have an upset stomach when I’m not eating well.
8. I try to be active everyday. Some days I do a serious workout, other days I just walk my dog. As long as I’m moving.
9. I try not to stress out. If I’m running around too much, I stop and take a breath. I have lots of anxiety when it comes to my migraines. I’m constantly reading signage to make sure my vision isn’t blurry, and scratching my hands to make sure they aren’t numb. After a few weeks went by without one, I’ve calmed down a little, and it’s no longer at the front of my mind which has helped a lot.
10. This is gonna sound lame but when I watch movies and there’s a part with a LOT of action or flashing colors…I close my eyes. Same goes for anything that has to do with a strobe light. Nope. Can’t do it.
11. I went off a certain hormonal medicine I was taking (sorry, it’s so awkward I can’t even say it.) WebMD says that excessive estrogen is a known trigger.
I hope this helps all of you that reached out to me a few weeks ago! I have my one-month check up with my doctor tomorrow and I’m so very excited to go and give him my positive feedback! You have no idea how great its been not getting migraines so frequently. Kurtis is pretty happy too now that our lives are going back to normal. If anyone needs any advice on how to deal with a condition like this, please feel free to contact me!
UPDATE: Today, (4/1) I had my first migraine in over a month! And it wasn’t bad. The spottiness in my vision still caused me to be unable to drive to work so I had to stay home, but it only lasted a little over an hour and I had very little symptoms. Hope to continue on this path!