This summer, I started having horrible headaches. They would last for a whole day – or more. I thought it was the worst sinus infection in the world, and I just couldn’t get rid of it. I spent most of June in a fog caused either by an internal banging in my head, or from a ridiculous amount of Tylenol Sinus.
Then the Tylenol Sinus stopped working. Then I started getting sick to my stomach with my headaches. I saw my doctor, and much to my surprise, I did not have a brain tumor. I joke but… a few hours of foggy-minded Google searching and I cam really work myself up into a terrifying self-diagnosis.
As it turned out, I had been getting migraines. My doctor suggested three things:
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes, every day. Not five days a week. Not six days a week. Every day.
- Try eliminating certain foods to see if there are triggers.
- If all else fails, take some very strong medication.
I got another migraine before I could even test numbers one and two, so I took the medication. It knocked me out for a few hours, but it worked. I was very excited as I moved into the fall, armed with exercise and the medication as a back up. I still haven’t found any food triggers, but I’m working on it. I went for five whole weeks without a headache, and thought I had found a cure!
But no. My headaches tend to cluster, so I rarely just get one and move on. It isn’t really practical for me to be asleep for three days straight, so I needed to find other ways to cope with a migraine. It’s all trial and error, and suggestions from fellow sufferers.
- Benadryl. Isn’t that weird? But two Benadryl don’t incapacitate me as much as the migraine medication does, and often work just as well.
- Ice packs. Many people who get migraines can feel it in their necks first, as do I. If I can lie down for a while with an ice pack on the back of my neck (and maybe toss back a few Benadryl) I can sometimes cut the headache off before it starts.
- Icy Hot patches (the kind for muscle soreness). I just recently started using these, and since they are some sort of chemical they last longer than an ice pack. They stick to your skin, so if you fall asleep and roll over, the icy hot goodness goes along with you.
- Not eating. I don’t mean ever, but once a headache starts I stop eating and drinking anything. It sounds crazy, but it really has helped with the nausea.
If you get migraines, I hope my ‘research’ has helped. Do you have something to add? I’ll try anything!
Migraine cures Work For Me!
