June is “Migraine awareness month! And being that I haven't given a Chiari update for a while, I figured that maybe the end of June might be the time. This is kinda a “woe is me” post, but not to make you feel bad for me, but just because migraines SUCK!
With a lot of Awareness Months, they use the month to spread awareness of early signs of detection, how and where to get screened, and to raise funds for the cause. With migraine awareness there isn't really that push (other than to maybe raise money for research but I don't have a favorite fund so I’m not going to even go into that) so, I think I am going to use this month (or this blog post) to help others understand that people with migraines are people. I live a life, well sometimes. I have a favorite food, ice cream (actually it’s donuts). I have a job, well for 9 months in the year… and take every sick day I am offered because of migraines.
To be diagnosed with Chronic Migraine, you must have:
1. Headache (tension-type and/or migraine) on ≥15 days per month for at least 3 months
2. Occurring in a patient who has had at least five attacks fulfilling criteria for migraine without aura
3. On ≥8 days per month for at least 3 months, headache has fulfilled criteria for pain and associated symptoms of migraine without aura (Criteria a and b below) or was treated and relieved by triptan(s) or ergot before the expected development of symptoms listed in Criteria a and b.
1. Has at least two of the following:
1. Unilateral location
2. Pulsating quality
3. Moderate or severe pain intensity
4. Aggravation by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity
2. Has at least one of the following:
1. Nausea and/or vomiting
2. Photophobia and phonophobia
4. No medication overuse and not attributed to another causative disorder
I wake up every morning with a headache. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I refuse to get out of bed. When I do get up I typically have the headache for most of the day and at least 15 days a month I cannot do anything (cleaning, cooking/eating, socializing) all day because of the pain.
I am lucky because most (but not all) of my migraines come with auras. Aura’s are warning signs that you are about to be debilitated for the next 4 hours to, well, my longest migraine attack in the last 12 months was 3 doctor visits and 5 DAYS long. My aura’s include:
- what I call “the orbies”, little balls of flashing light that just hang out for a while (like when you look at a picture and there are unexplained light balls in random spots in the photo, but mine are all sorts of colors).
- Tingling fingers and toes, on my left side
- EXTREME nausea.
When I get an aura I immediately take a “migraine saver”, which is an acute medication, and then an anti-nausea medication. I have 2 savers and 2 nausea medicines that I choose from depending on what time of day it is and if I can sleep or not. That being said my body no longer responds to my night saver- which is NO GOOD!
I have a lot of migraine triggers that have taken all my life to discover. I have found these triggers, because it is something I also loved but had to give up. Lack of sleep, overworking and elevated heart rates (take that! Exercise is bad for me), and a lot of foods. Bananas,which I love. Broccoli, kale, and avocados. Chicken apple sausages, and all other processed meats for that matter, as well as yeast and oranges. I was picky enough before being asked to keep a food log and migraine log. All of my food should be super fresh, because even leftovers is a trigger, and if I am trying to avoid headaches, I have to really watch what I eat and read labels.
Before I wanted to become a mama, I was able to take a preventive medication. That, my friend, was a life saver. I don't think I appreciated the preventative medications until I stopped taking them. The side effects such as dry mouth, metal taste in my mouth, and restless legs are totally worth it to me now. Now, with trying to become pregnant, I sometimes wonder if being a mama and waiting while trying is worth the wait. 2 to 6 migraines a week really doesn’t seem to be, but I’m sure it will be. On a plus side, we did find that during my brief pregnancy, my migraines were completely gone!
I’m a firm believer in, “A migraine’s a migraine not matter how small”, so I think if you have had a migraine you understand my pain, just not an understanding of how long it lasts. When I have a migraine, the only food I can keep down is ice cream (I’m not complaining at all), and sleep about 20 hours a day. In that I totally think I win. I am awake/not nestled in a cold dark room with no sound for about an hour at a time and eat ice cream. Hashtag: WIN. If you are a migraine sufferer, give it a try.
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