Slowly emerging from sleep. Christmas morning is here. Some migraines still shock me, and this is one. I have taken medicine, and I’ve placed ice all over my head and neck.
Analyzing the migraine that is Christmas morning… it’s like an irate parasite climbing up the left of my spinal cord, into the very center of my brain… reaching out through my right temple and left occipital.
This Christmas migraine is colors and sparks and electricity and fire. And my neck is so tender and sore from the weight of my enraged brain.
This is an all-body experience… Every part of my body is aching, wounded, and in pain.
Dear Christmas Migraine, please release me.
8:00-10:00 AM, but I still have hope I can turn this holiday with family into something worthy of celebrating.
I had my first migraine at age 6 at a day camp and was episodic for many years. My mother actually diagnosed me – she was a migrainuer herself and saw all the symptoms I presented: sensitivity to light and sound, I was pale and sick and couldn’t move without terrible throbbing head pain. The day camp was very loud and crowded, and I was probably hungry and anxious. I became chronic about 10+ years ago in my 30’s and have done so much research and testing to become a Migraine Jedi.
The most critical part of migraine is preventing yourself from going chronic – the number one reason people become chronic is from inadequate migraine treatment. It’s shockingly simple. Inadequate migraine treatment.
The first and most important step I STRONGLY recommend is downloading a migraine app on your phone immediately. It allows you to track your migraines, their start/stop, weather info, food info, and most importantly, it can help identify your triggers. Avoiding migraine triggers is key. Also, a migraine app (such as Migraine Buddy) will be invaluable for you to share with your physician. Data data data! Incredibly powerful and helpful.
My triggers were hormones, stress, letdown AFTER stress, and any fluctuations in weather: barometric shifts, too much sun, too much wind, changes in pollen, changes in altitude, etc. Once you’ve established data in your migraine app, the next huge component is PREVENTION. There are several simple things that have a lot of scientific data and are easy to implement. Of course, following a good meal and sleep schedule. But also: MAGNESIUM 400-500 mg daily (I recommend taking at nighttime because it can make you sleepy). Also, RIBOFLAVIN and CoQ10. Two herbs have good results, too: Feverfew and Butterbur. Next, if those aren’t helpful enough (and often it’s not); it’s time to move to good medical care. An excellent place to start is:
But often, for young women, simply getting on birth control can make a major improvement if your migraines are related to hormones. It’s truly amazing.
Moving to medications: There are several first tier meds for migraine prevention: cardiac meds (atenolol, nadolol, propranolol, verapamil), antiseuzure meds (topamax, zonisimide), antidepression meds (amitriptyline). They’ve found that some of these meds work off-label for migraine prevention. But they are not necessarily the greatest. Some doctors will even skip them since there have been other better medications developed now.
Personally, I’ve found incredible help from Botox for Chronic Migraine. It’s been used with great success for over 20 years. It often takes a while for insurance approval. And you’ll need to allow 3 full treatments (9 months) to evaluate its helpfulness. I receive 30-40 subcutaneous injections immobilizing my muscles in my forehead, temples, occipitals, neck, traps, and jaw.
There are also a bunch of anti-CGRP meds that hit the market in 2018, and I’ve been able to test them. Some are once a month injectables like Aimovig, Ajovy, Emgality. There are migraineurs called “super responders,” who have been able to almost completely eliminate migraine from their life with these injectables. But personally, I’ve had the best luck with Nurtec (oral CGRP) taken every other day. CGRPs are also used as abortive meds. And I’m going to talk about them after prevention. Another important diagnostic for migraine is to make sure there is no anatomical reason for your increase in migraine. For me, my “cause” is hereditary. My mother, father, grandparents, and brother all got migraine. So it was no surprise that I suffered (although none of them became chronic). If there is no hereditary component and your migraines have started out of the blue, or you have a NEW migraine symptom: a full neuro workup is in order. An MRI with and without contrast and other tests, if deemed necessary.
Next step: ABORTIVES. This is critical. You’ll need to be able to treat your migraine appropriately and AGGRESSIVELY. A full glass of water or gatorade, ibuprofen 600-800mg and rest may be all you need. However, ALL medications have a possibility of causing MOH (medication overuse headache) or REBOUND. Even ibuprofen taken too often can cause MOH or rebound. So if youre having frequent migraine, you’re going to need other options to treat: the TRIPTANS, developed in the 1990s (imitrex, maxalt, zomig, frovo, and more – they can be administered orally, injection, nose spray and more). Also, CGRPs (Ubrevly – Serena Williams is spokeperson lol, Nurtec, Reyvow – these are orals). So, if you are chronic (15 or more migraine events per month x3 months), you’re going to need to circulate through these options to avoid MOH. Another secret weapon can be an antiemetic like phenergen – which not only helps with nausea and vomiting with migraine, but it also has some evidence of pain relief. Also, some doctors may prescribe a mild muscle relaxant such as tizanidine… which can help interrupt the clenching and tension involved with migraine – helping break the pain cycle. Lastly, I need to address MOH, rebound, and status migrainosis… migraine events have 3-4 stages: 1) prodrome, 2) aura (only 1/3 of migraineurs have aura, I never have), 3) headache, and 4) postdrome.
Through intensive study, it’s been determined the time of a migraine stages 1-4 last 12-72 hours. IF YOUR MIGRAINE IS LASTING LONGER, it is probable you are in status migrainosis. This is NOT your fault. It happens. A lot. If you are in SM, it is important to involve and get treatment from your physician. Simple solutions to interrupting and ending SM are steroids: your doctor can prescribe a steroid dose pack. More intensive treatments are infusions: like magnesium, depakote, steroid, torodol (actually, these can be quite effective! And there are actually infusion centers located everywhere that offer IV drips – some for hangover lol, but they also have a “migraine cocktail”) Quite honestly, the worst option for SM is going to an ER or ED. They are just not equipped to deal with migraine… these retail drip centers are better!
But your physician can also order infusions (either in office or an infusion center) for you, which would be covered by insurance. Personally, I do very well with a steroid dose pack and then complete rest. Because TIME and switching to meds like phenergen (instead of pain meds and migraine meds – which I STOP taking altogether) is the most tried and true way to END a lengthy migraine event.
Lastly, I want to touch on non medicine migraine treatments! My freezer is FULL of icepacks! My favorite is the Headache Hat from Amazon.
Wrapping my migraine head in ice is so helpful for me. Some people prefer heat. Some people use a chiropractor for adjustments. (They only cause me migraine) But I am helped by medical massage. Some people use accupunture. I didn’t have much success. Applying cranial pressure can help migraine as well – if a family member can help with that, that’s great! https://www.verywellhealth.com/craniosacral-therapy-for-migraines-
It’s like a tens unit for your head. Very safe and helpful. But it’s not cheap and not covered by insurance. Cefaly does have a money back guarantee, which is awesome. Another device I’ve tried is Relivion. https://www.relivion.com/
Also expensive and not covered by insurance. Sigh. Another device with awesome data for episodic migraine improvement is Nerivio! https://nerivio.com/
Basically, Migraine sucks sucks sucks. But there is SO much to do proactively and preventively to control the neurologic disorder. I have only touched the surface of information! 🙂
You will hear (from well-intentioned friends and family) about daith piercings, kale smoothies, CBD and essential oils, and other mystical “migraine cures,” which I don’t completely discount. But anything claiming a “cure” for a neurological disorder that HAS NO CURE… make sure to take that advice with a grain of salt.💜
Example of annoying and unhelpful migraine advice meme
Know one thing – the most important thing – YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and there is HELP out there and people who understand your struggle. Getting to know as much about your neurological disorder as possible is the BEST road to success. Episodic migraine is acceptable. Going chronic should be avoided at all costs.
Please please let me know how else I can help. Migraine Advocacy is one of my greatest life’s passions.❤️
Migraineurs who are selected and have the opportunity to attend… an amazing experience awaits: Education on SO many levels and aspects, sample treatments, community, validation, opportunity to try new therapies and learn about stigma and advocacy, and most of all – fellowship, understanding, acceptance and love. 💜❤💜
It is mind-blowing what a HUGE NEED there is for Retreat Migraine. But it’s more than a “need”… it’s like a NECESSITY… like oxygen is for life. And it’s only THREE DAYS.
When I was first diagnosed with Chronic Migraine in 2007/8, I didn’t understand the magnitude. I knew only one person in the world who had frequent migraines. My doctors all tried to help (except my first neurologist who discharged me from her care, saying there was nothing more she could do for me), but they either withheld information or simply were unaware of 75% of the unusual and upsetting symptoms I’d face frequently and they didn’t communicate the concept that CHRONIC means it never goes away and your life and body are forever changed. They also made me feel freakish… like I was the only person in the world who had Chronic Migraine so frequently and didn’t respond to treatments. I can not explain the ALONENESS I felt those first several years. 2007-2014. So utterly ALONE…in a world surrounded by good friends and loving family. As I failed my children daily, they were nothing but nurturing and understanding about my health decline. My husband ALWAYS believed me, and we bumbled and stumbled around our entrance of the CHRONIC LIFE … trying to learn together … trying to understand what exactly was happening. 20 medications I have trialed. 8 holistic supplements. 6 medical areas of specialists. 13 Eastern and Western treatments. Special diets, juices, powders, capsules, herbs, shakes, and more. The pricetag on all this would blow your mind right out of its skull. But there is such a desperation to find some wellness, that everyone selling something can snag you hook, line, and sinker. They claim they can cure you. They wanna help cure you. Pure intentions. They don’t have a clue how they’re taking advantage of a desperate person. And they don’t truly understand this chronic genetic neurological disorder. And they certainly have not lived it 24/7, 365 x 12 years in my shoes. And each failure, I blamed myself… something I must have done wrong – somehow I did it wrong. The PAIN and symptoms were absolutely HORRIBLE. The pretending to be okay was beyond EXHAUSTING, but the Aloneness – that was what would kill me. I had everything in the world but was completely bereft and alone. Have you ever despaired so bad you thought you’d just cease breathing? Just be sad enough and a complete failure … and just not be able to take another breath. I was poison and if I touched anyone, my poison might spread to them. I cared too much about others to poison them. Utterly alone.
Through a quirky, well-intentioned accident, someone on social media understood my circumstances and placed me in a Facebook support group. And one Saturday morning, my life was saved as I awoke to find post after post in my feed from other Chronic Migraineurs. It took me weeks to understand that what I was seeing was true: there were hundreds of others living the same life as me. Hundreds. I wasn’t actually a “freak,” and I certainly wasn’t alone! Since then, I’ve made leaps and bounds in my comprehension and educations… I’ve found my advocacy voice, and I know how to self care. I’ve relearned words… like “resting” and “recovering” is not synonymous with the bad word “lazy,” for example. I would do all in my power and shout from across the world to save others from that Aloneness, to save others from feeling like freaks.
mybeautifulmigraine 