What Ails Me... Migraines - Simply Happenstance

A couple of months ago, I hit a new low

{which is one of the reasons I finally headed back to the doctor after years of not going}.

Husby was at work for a 48-hr shift and I was home with my four little ones.

I had a migraine that was so bad…

that my oldest son {age 8} had to make ego waffles for his siblings for dinner

{so embarrassing to admit}….

I found myself running to the toilet to vomit…

I was sure that this was going to be it…

the time that my brain would finally cease and I would die of a brain aneurism or something

{however unrealistic that actually may be}.

My 6 year old, plagued with a look of helplessness and fear, came running…

asking if I was ok.

He took it upon himself to get me a hair tie.

Later that night, after the pain lessened to a point I could tolerate…

my oldest son took me to the prayer box in my bedroom…

with tears in his eyes, he showed me a handwritten letter on a small piece of paper….

a prayer to God,

asking Him to make his mommy feel better.

I was completely overwhelmed and brought to tears with the sheer sweetness of his heart….

that his initial instinct was to pray.

I was crushed,

at the same time…

thinking about the affects this would have on my children….

seeing their mommy so frequently sick with migraines.

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

So… as you can see, I’m at the end of my rope…

I hate to complain, especially on our blog,

but I am 100% certain that I’m not the only one out there experiencing this

{in fact, one of my best friends in life suffers from this same issue}.

I have chronic daily headaches and several migraines a month….

several.

I have had two in the last week,

in addition to daily headaches that just don’t seem to go away at this point.

They are debilitating and unfortunately stand in the way of me being my best.

I have had headaches for as long as I can remember…

even as a small child.

I have seen every specialist you can imagine…

we even went as far as cutting off several inches of my long hair

{as a teenager}

because one doctor thought my heavy hair was the culprit!

At the age of 16, I decided I was DONE with medications and doctor’s appointments.

I stopped going at that point.

I haven’t taken a prescription migraine medicine since then…

until early this week,

when I finally broke down {out of utter desperation} and took a dose of Imitrex.

It didn’t help.

In fact, I swear I felt worse.

Perhaps I didn’t give it a fair chance…

but I’m just not a pill person.

I don’t like feeling out of control…

which is one of the reasons I don’t drink alcohol.

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

There are a few things I have learned about my headaches…..

First I have a few really bad habits….

like staying up until 12 or 1 am most nights,

{blogging hasn’t helped that any — in fact, it’s nearly midnight as I write this!},

not drinking enough water and eating too much sugar

{my vice when the kids go to bed}….

A few other triggers:

the sun,

going too long between meals,

tension,

stress,

hormones…

{hello hormones — nothing alleviates those migraines},

and food intolerances and/or allergies.

A few years back I had a basic blood test done to see if I had any food allergies.

It tested for the 30 most common.

The results came back that I had 8 mild allergies of the 30 tested and 1 moderate

{which was eggs}.

I have found that eggs are a huge trigger.

I have experimented with a vegan diet in the past….

but I’ve strayed the past several months.

Research suggests that one of the main causes

of migraines happens to be food allergies.

In an attempt to figure it out on your own, without testing,

you can experiment with an elimination diet

{although I suggest consulting with your personal physician first}.

I think this is my next step

{and then maybe acupuncture… a whole separate post}….

A necessity for my wellbeing and that of my family.

An elimination diet isn’t just good for headache sufferers…

it also has proven benefits for people suffering from:

Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Psoriasis,

Arthritis, Asthma, Eczema,

IBS, GERD, Anxiety, Constipation/Diarrhea,

Sinus Problems, Weight Loss/ Weight Gain and Infertility.

Here are the basics of an Elimination Diet {taken from WebMD:

The elimination diet involves removing specific foods or ingredients from your diet because you and your doctor think they may be causing allergy symptoms. Common allergy-causing foods include milk, eggs, nuts, wheat, and soy. Your doctor will supervise this diet over a few weeks. There are usually several steps to this diet.

1. Stop eating suspicious foods.

During this time, you will need to:

Carefully read food labels and ask how foods are prepared at restaurants so you can be sure to avoid possible triggers.
Keep a food diary to record the foods you are eating.

If you remove a certain food and the allergy symptoms go away while following this diet, your doctor can usually confirm that that food may be the cause of your problems.

While on this diet, make sure you eat other foods that provide the same nutrients as those you’re avoiding. (For example, try tofu-based foods instead of dairy products.) A dietitian can help you plan meals.

2. Slowly add back in suspicious foods, one at a time.

After eliminating or taking foods out of your diet, your doctor will ask you to gradually reintroduce into your diet the foods you were avoiding. You’ll add them one at a time over time. This process helps link allergy symptoms to specific foods.

Carefully record any allergy symptoms that you get as you add each food back in. If symptoms return after eating a food, your doctor can usually confirm that this is a trigger.

3. Last, you will be asked to once again to stop eating the foods (one at a time) that you and your doctor think are causing your allergy symptoms. The list should be smaller this time. The goal is to see if the symptoms clear up for good.

{Image Via: Somebody Heal Me}

>>> Dr. Oz’s Comprehensive Elimination Diet Guidelines <<<

FOODS TO INCLUDE FOODS TO EXCLUDE

Fruits: whole fruits, unsweetened, frozen or water-packed, canned fruits & diluted juices	Oranges & orange juice

Dairy substitutes: rice, and nut milks such as almond milk & coconut milk	Dairy & eggs: milk, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, frozen yogurt, non-dairy creamers

Non-gluten grains and starch: brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca buckwheat, potato flour	Grains: wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, triticale, oats (although certified gluten-free oats would be OK)

Animal protein: fresh or water-packed fish, wild game, lamb, duck, organic chicken & turkey	Pork, beef/veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters, shellfish

Vegetable protein: split peas, lentils, & legumes	Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods; tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, textured vegetable protein)

Nuts and seeds: walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, & sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, nut butters such as almond or tarini	Peanuts and peanut butter

Vegetables: all raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced or roasted vegetables	Corn, creamed vegetables

Oils: cold pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, canola, pumpkin	Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise, & spreads

Drinks: filtered or distilled water, decaffeinated herbal teas, seltzer or mineral water	Alcohol, coffee & other caffeinated beverages, soda pop or soft drinks

Sweeteners: brown rice syrup, agate nectar, stevia, fruit sweetener, blackstrap molasses	Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice
Condiments: vinegar, all spices, including salt, pepper, basil, carob, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, turmeric	Chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, & other condiments