Migraines
sarahmaryfearnley
Posts: 366 Member
I am a life long migraine sufferer. I have been very blessed recently and have not had one in more than a year, up until last Thurs. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned about migraines over the past 30 years through my own experiences and research I have done.
You are probably wondering why this is in the Food and Nutrition category. The number one trigger for most people is food. Food is also the most controllable trigger.
Let's start with some basic info about migraines. You might think a migraine is just a bad headache but they are totally different. Migraines generally follow 4 stages during an attack.
Stage 1: usually a few hours before pain, I actually feel really energized, like I'm almost buzzing, ready to take on whatever the day brings. I usually do not recognize this phase until it's too late, thinking damn! I totally should have seen that coming.
Stage 2: aura, which for me is visual but different people experience different things from tingles all over, auditory weird stuff, to paralasis. During this phase, the blood vessels are contracting.
Stage 3: actual pain that can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. During this phase the blood vessels are dialated causing pain. Most reactionary migraine medicine will try to reduce the dialation and therefor control pain. During this stage and Stage 2 nausea is common as well as vomiting and sensitivity to light, sound, and smells.
Stage 4: the post migraine. For several days I feel very drained and tired and just kinda foggy and numb all over. I think the post migraine is the most mis-interpreted part of the whole mess. I am still in the post migraine stage from the one I got on Thurs.
Migraines can be thought of as triggered by many different things but there's a threshold and one trigger in particular will not always cause them every time. Common triggers include: Sleep irregularity, TOM/hormone fluctuations, food, weather changes, and stress. Think of it like this. If it takes 100% to trigger a migraine, sleep irregularity might contribute 30%, food contributes 60%, and then the weather changes contributing the last 10% and you've got a migraine.
My big ones are in order food, sleep regularity, and then weather changes. So, when I used to eat a lot of crap and was generally stressed out, I would get one every time a cold front went through. Similarly, when I was in high school and ate a lot of crap, I would usually get one on the weekend after staying out all night Fri or Sat and then sleeping late on Sat or Sun. For me, I don't get them when I sleep too little; I get them when I sleep too much but it's different for everyone.
The best thing I can control is food. I haven't had one in over a year since making a huge effort towards diet and maintaining regular exercise as well as managing stress.
For most migraine sufferers (including me), the biggest food culprits are:
-aged proteins like in hard cheeses,
-nitrates/nitrites like in processed meats and cheeses,
-chinese spices (not just msg-all those chinese spices and I have no idea why),
-beer,
-dark liquors, and
-red wine.
It's important to remember that individuals will respond differently to different foods and because food is not the only trigger, it doesn't mean I never eat cheese. I eat it in moderation and in consideration with other triggers. A quick google search will bring up more common food triggers. Keeping a journal monitoring your foods, mood, weather, and migraine frequency will help determine what your triggers are. This is really easy to do in MFP since we are already tracking our food intake.
One last common misunderstanding is that a migraine is like a food allergy and the effects will be immediate. This is not true. Usually and I don't know why, a food trigger will result in a migraine up to 3-5 days after consuming the food. So the journal is really a key tool to be able to look back and analyze what you have eaten.
I hope this helps any other sufferers out there. I remember having my first true migraine when I was 8 years old and I know I had them prior to that because when I was very small, I would tell my mom I was having "garbage eyes" and didn't feel good. I called the aura "garbage eyes" because it was like I was looking through crumpled up alluminium foil.
Preventing is really the only way to go in my opinion. Reactionary prescription medicine does not work like on the tv commercials, where the mom suddenly feels like water skiing 20mins after taking the pills. They also have some unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects. Most prevention presciption medication has even more unpleasant and dangerous side effects. For those of us that truely suffer, I don't think it's a difficult decision to make. I would rather avoid the peperoni pizza and live a life without the constant threat of a migraine ruining my day.
You are probably wondering why this is in the Food and Nutrition category. The number one trigger for most people is food. Food is also the most controllable trigger.
Let's start with some basic info about migraines. You might think a migraine is just a bad headache but they are totally different. Migraines generally follow 4 stages during an attack.
Stage 1: usually a few hours before pain, I actually feel really energized, like I'm almost buzzing, ready to take on whatever the day brings. I usually do not recognize this phase until it's too late, thinking damn! I totally should have seen that coming.
Stage 2: aura, which for me is visual but different people experience different things from tingles all over, auditory weird stuff, to paralasis. During this phase, the blood vessels are contracting.
Stage 3: actual pain that can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. During this phase the blood vessels are dialated causing pain. Most reactionary migraine medicine will try to reduce the dialation and therefor control pain. During this stage and Stage 2 nausea is common as well as vomiting and sensitivity to light, sound, and smells.
Stage 4: the post migraine. For several days I feel very drained and tired and just kinda foggy and numb all over. I think the post migraine is the most mis-interpreted part of the whole mess. I am still in the post migraine stage from the one I got on Thurs.
Migraines can be thought of as triggered by many different things but there's a threshold and one trigger in particular will not always cause them every time. Common triggers include: Sleep irregularity, TOM/hormone fluctuations, food, weather changes, and stress. Think of it like this. If it takes 100% to trigger a migraine, sleep irregularity might contribute 30%, food contributes 60%, and then the weather changes contributing the last 10% and you've got a migraine.
My big ones are in order food, sleep regularity, and then weather changes. So, when I used to eat a lot of crap and was generally stressed out, I would get one every time a cold front went through. Similarly, when I was in high school and ate a lot of crap, I would usually get one on the weekend after staying out all night Fri or Sat and then sleeping late on Sat or Sun. For me, I don't get them when I sleep too little; I get them when I sleep too much but it's different for everyone.
The best thing I can control is food. I haven't had one in over a year since making a huge effort towards diet and maintaining regular exercise as well as managing stress.
For most migraine sufferers (including me), the biggest food culprits are:
-aged proteins like in hard cheeses,
-nitrates/nitrites like in processed meats and cheeses,
-chinese spices (not just msg-all those chinese spices and I have no idea why),
-beer,
-dark liquors, and
-red wine.
It's important to remember that individuals will respond differently to different foods and because food is not the only trigger, it doesn't mean I never eat cheese. I eat it in moderation and in consideration with other triggers. A quick google search will bring up more common food triggers. Keeping a journal monitoring your foods, mood, weather, and migraine frequency will help determine what your triggers are. This is really easy to do in MFP since we are already tracking our food intake.
One last common misunderstanding is that a migraine is like a food allergy and the effects will be immediate. This is not true. Usually and I don't know why, a food trigger will result in a migraine up to 3-5 days after consuming the food. So the journal is really a key tool to be able to look back and analyze what you have eaten.
I hope this helps any other sufferers out there. I remember having my first true migraine when I was 8 years old and I know I had them prior to that because when I was very small, I would tell my mom I was having "garbage eyes" and didn't feel good. I called the aura "garbage eyes" because it was like I was looking through crumpled up alluminium foil.
Preventing is really the only way to go in my opinion. Reactionary prescription medicine does not work like on the tv commercials, where the mom suddenly feels like water skiing 20mins after taking the pills. They also have some unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects. Most prevention presciption medication has even more unpleasant and dangerous side effects. For those of us that truely suffer, I don't think it's a difficult decision to make. I would rather avoid the peperoni pizza and live a life without the constant threat of a migraine ruining my day.
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Replies
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I too have been a long time migraine sufferer. Have to say, once I made a lifestyle change I dont nearly suffer as much as I used to. I was at the point early last year where I was getting severe migraines somtimes 5-6 times a week depending on the weather. Now I get 1-2 a month (one today
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I think the biggest thing for me was the healthier eating and more importantly the hydration. I used to drink Coca-Cola like crazy, and haven't touched the stuff in months. I drink a ton of water/tea now and I attribute this to the drop in migraines.0 -
I'm sorry you have one today but I am very happy to hear that changing your diet has also helped you. I really resisted it for a long time, I guess I'm just stubborn but it has made a HUGE difference.0
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this is great info. I am a regular headache sufferer, but I don't think they qualify as migraines, but I have still heard that food can be one of the major culprits in headaches as well!0
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I have a friend that suffers from migraines and she quit diet coke and says she has not had a migraine since (about 4 months i think)0
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this is great info. I am a regular headache sufferer, but I don't think they qualify as migraines, but I have still heard that food can be one of the major culprits in headaches as well!
Definately, I think they can be food related. I have also found yoga to help with prevention. Not calorie-burning yoga, just easy going hatha type yoga.
A really great instructor recommended doing inversions regularly (everyday if you can). You don't have to do head stands
shoulder stands are good or even just downward dog. When I suffered a lot, I would do a few sun salutations with downward dog everyday and it did help. 0 -
I hate the migraine hangover! I've removed all my triggers I can, am left with one major one I can't easily fix - hormones. I get one migraine a month, like clockwork. Unfortunately hormonal therapy is off limits for me, so I just have to live with it :grumble:0
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Being a freuent sufferer Ive found that exercising intesenely most days seems to have resultd n a decreas
Ever noticd that after there gone and the pains completely gone ( the drained effect too) your always starving ?0 -
This is a great post. I can relate to all that is written. One thing that wasn't mention that always triggers a migraine for me is eating anything with red food coloring.0
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I hate the migraine hangover! I've removed all my triggers I can, am left with one major one I can't easily fix - hormones. I get one migraine a month, like clockwork. Unfortunately hormonal therapy is off limits for me, so I just have to live with it :grumble:
Ditto, mine are hormonal and there's no a lot you can do about that if you don't want to start taking some serious hormone altering drugs.
Thankfully I don't get one EVERY month, but several times a year, around a week before my period....bam. I don't think any one who's never had a migraine really understands how completley debilatating they are...not just during but after as well, you feel like your a different person and are constantly 'on edge' waiting for it to come back.0 -
Thank for the post...I suffer from severe headaches and migraines. I have a severe headache at least 4-5 times a week and suffer from a migraine at least 2-3 times a month. Sometimes I don't think I'll ever stop having so many headaches. TOM and stress are my main triggers. None of the preventative medications that the doctors have tried me on seem to help. I'm going to be mindful of some of the other triggers that others have listed.0
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I'm also a migraine sufferer. My trigger was exercise. My aura is visual also. I went in to my doctor years ago and asked for help because I need to exercise, obviously. I've been on a daily medication that helps reduce the incidence of migraines and now I hardly ever get them... Maybe twice a year... and its usually because I missed a few doses of my meds. I'm feeling really grateful that they aren't weather/hormone/food related. I think it would have taken me much longer to figure out the trigger...0
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Just to add to your list of causes.... I recently discovered that chiropractic issues can trigger migraines. If you gain or lose a significant amount of weight, sometimes your vertebrae can get out of alignment a bit (or so I've been told). I suppose that is from carrying yourself differently or something. Another thing is stress. For me, a large amount of stress keeps me tense, which made some seriously uncomfortable neck and shoulder problems.
I've had migraines that would pop up every 3 to 5 days and last from 1/2 a day to 2 days, even with the Toradol shots. After seeing a chiropractor, I found out my neck was seriously messed up. So far, they've worked on it a few times and I have only had 2 migraines and 2 headaches in the past 3 weeks and those didn't last nearly as long as they did before!
So, I guess I'm just saying that sometimes migraines can be caused from factors other than food.0 -
Wow! :bigsmile: Awesome post. I too have had migraines for years, recently having them as much as 3 times a week. I have also noticed that too much sleep is a trigger. I am hoping since joining MFP that I will be able to eliminate food triggers, if that is the culprit. Unfortunately for me, I think my biggest problem is that I am in need of having my neck adjusted, but scared to see a chiropractor for fear of "cracking something" the wrong way or ending up with permanent injuries. :sad: I also have a visual aura at times, where I see wavy lines and can't focus. This usually lasts about 30 mins, then the migraine starts. Am also glad that several people have addressed the migraine hangover.... I thought it was just me. I would hate for anyone to have to endure a migraine, but thankful there are other people who understand
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I hate the migraine hangover! I've removed all my triggers I can, am left with one major one I can't easily fix - hormones. I get one migraine a month, like clockwork. Unfortunately hormonal therapy is off limits for me, so I just have to live with it :grumble:
Ditto, mine are hormonal and there's no a lot you can do about that if you don't want to start taking some serious hormone altering drugs.
Thankfully I don't get one EVERY month, but several times a year, around a week before my period....bam. I don't think any one who's never had a migraine really understands how completley debilatating they are...not just during but after as well, you feel like your a different person and are constantly 'on edge' waiting for it to come back.
I hate knowing 'that' time is approaching. I would almost rather they were random, so I wouldn't have dread them. Maxalt has been very helpful for me, but getting my doctor to prescribe it was a pain! She would talk about how expensive it is and give me a sample, which I was afraid to use until it was too late because I didn't want to waste it! I finally showed her it was listed on my rx coverage formulary and got her to prescribe it. It breaks down to $1 per dose - best dollars I'll ever spend!0 -
I quit smoking in August of 2011 after nearly fifteen years of smoking off/on. I started getting terrible migraines after that for the first time ever. I didn't even know what they were until someone from work told me they were probably migraines. Thankfully they have subsided, but I think nicotine and caffeine withdrawl can be triggers as well.0
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I was diagnosed with Migraines when I was 15...had them very frequently as a teenager and into my 20's...they are more infrequent now but I do still get a ton of headaches. Not Migraine type just back-of-the-head achy....
Food and hormones have always been a big trigger - like vinegar was always a big one for me...nitrate related foods too....what I really hate is the post-headache period...the left-over pain after the migraine.totally agree with OP-the most mis-understood and frankly I feel one of the worst parts of the migraine.....
I was on a daily med to avoid migraines (Topamax) but it only helped at the original dosage prescribed for about a month and a half and I wasn't happy with the daily med and already having to up dosage so I told my doc no more....:grumble:0 -
Thank You for posting this!
I am 27 years old and just became a migraine suffer and I must say it was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life and that is what lead me to MFP. I don't reply to threads often but decided to reply to this one because I read someones post about going to a chiropractor and wanted to share what happened to me and not to scare you as I know different things help different people. After I had my son I was getting frequent head aches and since I had been going to a chiropractor for years prior I decided to go and get "adjusted" and since then it has taken 9 months to get my life back to manageable. While I was there she "adjusted" my neck and then the next day I started to get a lot of neck pain and get these weird episodes where my neck would go completely stiff and and it was like electricity was going through my spine, it was really weird. Then one morning I woke up to go to the washroom and by the time I got there my whole right side leg was numb and Im not taking about pins and needles it was cannot feel or move it numb! My the time I reached my husband in the bedroom my whole right side was completely numb including my tongue which made my not be able to speak clearly, my hand had formed a claw and I was unable to straighten it, my hearing was like I was in a bubble and I could not keep a normal conversation because I would just forget my words, I didn't even remember my own name! Not knowing that much about them, I immediately thought I was having a stroke. After about an hour at the hospital that's when the migraine struck and stayed for about an hour with extreme vomiting Every second day like clock work for the next 2 weeks this same thing would happen to me and they diagnosed me with Migraines with stroke like symptoms and put me on an anti depressant called amitriptyline and I haven't had one in 2 months but the medication is ironically making me depressed I decided I was going to straighten up my eating habits and then try to come off the medication but I am soooo scared to do that. That was the worst 2 weeks of my life. Sorry it was so long but hopefully my story can help someone make the right choice for them and maybe someone went through something simular? 0 -
Being a freuent sufferer Ive found that exercising intesenely most days seems to have resultd n a decreas
Ever noticd that after there gone and the pains completely gone ( the drained effect too) your always starving ?
Yes I do feel hungry during the hangover and it's a little like when you are getting over the flu. Hungry but for simple, bland type foods.
I like that term migraine hangover and have not heard it before. Hangover is an excellent way to describe it. Sometimes I will have a couple of drinks to, take the edge off so to speak. I won't get drunk but it just helps me feel more relaxed and sipping a beer or some wine will settle my tummy down too.0 -
When I was in my early 20s my Dr. put me on Sibelium (generic name = Flunarizine) and that did help. It's a daily Rx that is a selective calcium entry blocker and was recommended as an alternative to the beta blockers that I was too scared to take.
It's a really old medicine, been around for ever and produced in the UK. I got it when I lived in Canada but have never been able to get it in the USA.
The benefits were awesome and it was cheap comparitively but it can cause fatigue, depression, and weight gain all of which I experienced and is part of the reason I am on MFP.
I started taking it before I began really looking at triggers and have been off it for about 2 years now. I feel I am lucky to have triggers that I can control (somewhat).0 -
I found out after years of suffering that sleep regularity was one of my biggest triggers. After I quit my retail hours job I felt a LOT better.
There are a bazillion medications out there, both preventative and for treating the migraine when you already have it. Some are more effective than others and everyone is different.
Hormones are also a factor. I tried taking birth control pills continuously so that I didn't have a period. It seemed to help, but it also made me sluggish, tired, and hungry.
Food doesn't have a strong effect on me unless I'm sugared up or suffering from caffeine withdrawal. Whenever I feel buzzed from sugar or caffeine, there is always a crash afterward, and there is a good chance that the crash involves pain.0 -
Fellow migraine sufferer here! Caffeine seems to be a trigger for me. But, the biggest thing is gluten. I am either severely gluten intolerant or have Celiacs and even the tiniest cross contamination will land me in bed with a migraine. It's gotten better - but most recently I discovered that caffeine is also triggering them. This sucks!0
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I have had migraines for over 30 years, since I was about 12. I have many triggers, some I can control and some I can't. My main triggers are food (cheese, chocolate, caffeine, nitrates, preservatives, red wine, artificial sweeteners), changes in the weather, the heat, bright lights, strong perfume, and hormonal changes. As a preventative, I take blood pressure medication and seizure medications. I take Fioricet when I first get a headache and Maxalt for migraines. I also have the hangover where I have a dull headache for 1-2 days after a migraine. I have been doing much better since I am eating better and have started exercising regularly. I just started relaxing yoga last week so I am hoping that will help as well. I think people who do not have migraines don't understand how dibilitating they can be.
Tammy0 -
I think people who do not have migraines don't understand how dibilitating they can be.
I completely agree that people that do not have them do not understand how dibilitating they can be as up until last year I was one of those people. I gets frustrating sometimes so Im so glad to talk to people that understand!0 -
For those with "hormone" triggers talk to your Doc about low dose prozac. It can be a big help in decreasing the frequency and if you are Peri-menopausal it can help smooth the symptoms with out "hormone therapy"0
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Just to throw in my two cents.... I used to have a constant low-grade headache 24/7 in addition to weekly migraines and tension headaches. A neurologist put me on Topomax a year ago and I have only had 3 headaches in the last year. I literally had to get used to the feeling of NOT having a headache. The side effects are minimal, sometimes Ill get tingly fingers or toes like they fell asleep, oh and WEIGHT LOSS (boo hoo lol). I lost 9lbs in the first 2 weeks I was on it but nothing after that.0
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I've had migraines at least several times a month since I was about 12. Cashews and other nuts used to be a trigger, along with TOM. When I had the hole in my heart repaired and my pulmonary vein rerouted last year, my cardiologist said he was very interested to see how my migraines would be after surgery because I guess there are studies that show that migraines are eliminated with the repair.
Well, for six weeks following my surgery, I had the worst migraines of my life every minute of every day and that is saying a lot. I was on large doses of pain meds just so I could get out of bed. I kept thinking that if this was a permanent thing then I wouldn't be able to go on. In August, about six weeks after surgery, they were gone. I haven't had one since and I eat cashews at least a few times a week now with no problems.
I'm not saying everyone who has migraines has a hole in their heart, but if there is someone having unexplained symptoms or if the migraines are gradually getting worse/more intense (happened to me over a 1 year period before the defect was found) then a consultation with a cardiologist might be something to consider.0
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