Scheduling a Migraine

Migraines are the worst!  Sadly, those that suffer from migraines never suffer from the same symptoms. When a migraine comes on for me, I have severe light sensitivity, smell sensitivity, and sometimes severe nausea.  With this, I am in bed with no light and multiple ice packs on my neck and head sometimes for days.

Most of the jobs in my career have been very demanding that didn't allow for multiple days in bed.  Most of the time, just going home to lay down for awhile was out of the question.  With this, came the 'schedule' system that did me more harm then good.  Most migraine sufferers know that sometimes caffeine will hold off a migraine.  So, on those days that the daily headache was on the verge of progressing into something worse, I would down a coke and some advil or whatever I had on hand.  Yes, I said daily headache.  I can't tell you what it's like to not have a headache.  It's my normal...

Since the neurologist path didn't work with me, thankfully, I found a family physician that was willing to listen and work with me.  Having a doctor to actually listen was an amazing feeling.  I have learned that I respond severely to medications.  One neurologist put me on a migraine medicine that caused a cardiac reaction that put me in the ER.  When I followed up with that doctor, they told me that was a normal reaction and that I should continue the meds, as well as, take something else to 'calm' down the cardiac reaction. What?!  Needless to say, I never went back to that crazy one.

Working with the family physician to find something that provided relief and only put me down for a day or less was fabulous.  Even then, though, I would attempt to 'schedule' a day to be down.  The juggle of work, trying to manage a social life, and scheduling migraines has been exhausting.

The exhaustion of scheduling a migraine and the other symptoms that began to intensify have just been too much to handle.  Due to this, in the past 7 months I began exploring and (thanks to my mom) researching other ways to fight the migraines and symptoms that have became a normal part of my life.

Stay tuned for the migraine diet cocktail that I'm working on with the help of a dietician!

~Kasey