The Beginning of My Headache Problem

Headaches have been a problem for me for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how old I was when they started, but they are a big issue in my life. One thing I remember is when I was 18 years old and at work, everyone started telling me that I complained of headaches a lot. They told me that it wasn’t normal to have headaches daily and I should go to the doctor. I’m glad I got their feedback because I thought I would just have to live with it. I went to a doctor and they said they thought it was tension headaches caused by stress. At the time I didn’t like that answer, because to me that meant that it was all mental and therefore invalid (I know now that headaches are valid no matter what caused them). So I turned to the good ole internet. I tried different things like a neti pot and going to a chiropractor. Those provided slight relief but not enough. Then I started learning about dietary headache triggers. I was actually consuming milkshakes on a daily basis at the time…. I was very depressed and it was a low time in my life! I learned that dairy can cause headaches in some people. I then cut out all sources of dairy, and wouldn’t you know it, it made my headaches go away!

Migraines and My Grandma’s Cure

I eventually started getting random headaches again. Taking magnesium seemed to help but that stopped working after about a year. I then began identifying some of my headaches as migraines at about 18 years old. I took over-the-counter medications, identified dietary triggers, used essential oils, and used ice to cool the pain. Some of these things work some of the time. Most of the time, they do not. Migraines are hereditary and unfortunately my grandma gets them and still does in her 80s. She swears by using an ice pack on the back of her neck, whenever I use that technique it provides some relief but doesn’t totally cure them. If you’re seeking a headache cure then try some of the cures listed below. Not all of these work for everyone every time, but sometimes a combination of them can work wonders.

Top 10 Migraine Triggers _{(American Migraine Foundation)}

1. Stress
2. Changes in or an irregular sleep schedule
3. Hormones
4. Caffeine and Alcohol
5. Changes in the weather
6. Diet
7. Dehydration
8. Light
9. Strong smells
10. Medication Overuse

This list includes many things that are out of our control but I believe narrowing down what triggers your migraine can make a world of a difference. Sometimes knowing why something is happening makes the pain more bearable. 

Current Headaches

I’ve been having a lot of headaches this Spring. I was tested for allergies a few years ago and they found that I had none of the 64 common allergens they tested. I was actually disappointed because I wanted to know the cause of my springtime headaches and sinus pressure. This spring I’ve been congested, headachey, tired, with pressure in my sinuses. To remedy this I’ve tried, Pseudoephedrine, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Excedrin, Sumatriptan, Naratriptan, Zyrtec, Nasal Rinse, Neo-Synephrine Nasal Spray, and was prescribed more Propranolol. The nasal spray sort of works sometimes, the pseudoephedrine sometimes works, and the Naratriptan works sometimes. Perhaps my body is still getting used to the dry air in Colorado, but I always got a lot of headaches in the spring and summer even when I lived in Iowa. And that’s a bummer because those are my favorite seasons! Luckily I have a good neurologist and they’re trying new things with me. I honestly hate taking all these medications. I would much rather find the cause and then eliminate it as much as possible. I also would love to find more natural cures…

Suffer Less By Changing Your Thoughts

Another thing I’ve tried for relief is to change my thoughts about the headaches. Something I’ve learned in therapy and through research for chronic pain, is that when we do things to avoid the pain, it can make it worse. Therefore we are supposed to allow ourselves to FEEL the pain. I know, it sounds crazy and it’s the last thing you want to do with physical and emotional pain. Studies have shown that when we soften up our thoughts around the pain, allow ourselves to feel it and “go into it”, the pain is significantly more bearable. I’m doing that with my headaches and while it’s not an instant miracle cure, it is helping me suffer less when I do have them.  

americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/top-10-migraine-triggers/