Migraines and fitness

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pieceofvegancake
pieceofvegancake Posts: 12 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am Kathryn, 29 and from the UK.

I used to be healthy and active till I started getting migraines. They can last for long periods of time (had one that lasted 2 months once). A long with head pains I also get back pains, nose bleeds and dizziness. During and after an attack comes the heavy fatigue and nausea.
I am also sensitive to a lot of medications so anything I take tends to send me to sleep.
So for pretty much this year I have been inactive and all my hard work is gone and now I'm back to the start.
My family has a history of health issues where being over weight doesn't help so I'm determine to get back into my old routine.

If anyone has any tips to reduce or control migraines then please share. :).

Replies

  • ashbabe25
    ashbabe25 Posts: 173 Member
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    I find when my blood sugar is low I get horrible migraines, any kind of artificial sugar will trigger a migraine also.

    You have to pay attention to what you eat and how much. Start working out slowly and see if that helps. If you do too much too soon your body is going to tell you to slow down.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
    edited October 2017
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    ashbabe25 wrote: »
    I find when my blood sugar is low I get horrible migraines, any kind of artificial sugar will trigger a migraine also.

    You have to pay attention to what you eat and how much. Start working out slowly and see if that helps. If you do too much too soon your body is going to tell you to slow down.

    For some people diet isn't a factor. For some it is.

    I had awful migraines for nearly 30 years. I journalled every bite of food I took. We didn't find a causation. Mine were strictly tied to hormones/exercise/barometric pressure. Once I went through menopause they completely stopped: after 30 years of neurologists, endocrinologists, tens of thousands of dollars in prescription drugs. If I would have known it would stop with menopause I would have had a complete hysterectomy at age 25. They ruined my life for three decades. Lost jobs, lost relationships, depression.

    It's not always about food.

    I'm so glad that is behind me.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited October 2017
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    That sounds awful.
    Getting old seemed to be the most effective fix for me - does has some unwelcome side effects though! ;)

    Keep a "migraine diary" to try and spot your personal triggers - MFP logging covers the food aspect.
    Stress was a big factor for me, as was lack of sleep or changes in sleep patterns.
    Also dehydration and extreme exercise.
    I'm also sensitive to certain frequencies of flashing lights. Do they still have strobe lights in Discos? Are Discos still a thing? :smile:
    Neck tension also a factor.

    Finding a good Doctor who is prepared to invest time in trying a range of medications was key for me. Tried many varieties of treatment from beta blockers (didn't like the side effects) to the Triptan family of drugs (useless for me, like a magic bullet for my S-I-L). In the end a prophylactic medicine (Pizotifen) to reduce the occurrences was somewhat effective and an old fashioned drug (Migril - an ergotomine) was best for acute treatment for me.
  • sendtoharvey
    sendtoharvey Posts: 135 Member
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    lots of water and changing profession to avoid long hours staring at a screen under fluorescent lighting has been a huge relief of my migraines. down from 1-2 every few weeks to once every few months. mine are relatively debilitating, blurred vision for 1-2 hrs, need to stay down for 4-8 hrs, dull pain and pressure 24-48 hrs.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Have you talked to a doctor?
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
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    Hypothyroidism and hormones can play a huge part in migraines. See the links below.

    Ref:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311830/
    http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/thyroid-and-migraines/
    https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-triggers-and-co-morbidities-thyroid-disease-part-2/

    Hopefully your health care system can provide you access to a doctor that will listen to you and treat your symptoms, not your blood tests.

    Look for UK message boards on line (migraine, thyroid) that discuss which doctors are good at prescribing bio-identical thyroid and progesterone (prometrium) to see if that would help you.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Hypothyroidism and hormones can play a huge part in migraines. See the links below.

    Ref:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311830/
    http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/thyroid-and-migraines/
    https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-triggers-and-co-morbidities-thyroid-disease-part-2/

    Hopefully your health care system can provide you access to a doctor that will listen to you and treat your symptoms, not your blood tests.

    Look for UK message boards on line (migraine, thyroid) that discuss which doctors are good at prescribing bio-identical thyroid and progesterone (prometrium) to see if that would help you.

    Thanks for these links. As a lifelong migraine sufferer, and Hashimoto patient (with low body temp, I might add) all of them make sense to me.

    I only wish I had had this info 15 years ago when I was a active migraineur. Thank God for the internet, maybe fewer people will have life-altering debilitating pain. :)
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    No tips, just sympathy. I suffered through my early 20s before discovering I can't take hormonal birth control for another (but related) health issue around blood clotting factors. Quitting that helped immensely. I'd still get one migraine per month like clockwork based on my cycle but it was soooo much better than before. You've gotten some good advice already. Best of luck!
  • SweetPeasMom55
    SweetPeasMom55 Posts: 3,385 Member
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    Stress is one of my largest triggers along with not enough sleep and Xmas lights. Like mini disco except some people and stores are excessive and all that twinkle triggers also driving at night.
  • ross_b1
    ross_b1 Posts: 16 Member
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    I found a direct correlation between my calorie deficit diet and intensity of migraines. Which makes dieting annoyingly difficult for me haha.

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