Living with Migraines

Welcome. I have been a migraineur (a person dealing with migraines) for over twenty years, starting around age 13, and I started keeping a migraine journal back in February of 2002. I have tried many things to get them under control and continue to seek ways to manage them. I’ve tried Imitrex and Maxalt, atenolol, depakote, toridol, ultracet, ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol), Excedrine, massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture and homeopathy, to name a few things. I’ve been to two neurologists, as well as several general practitioners.

My migraines tend to be hormonal and related to my cycles, although changes in pressure (weather) and stress are also big triggers for me. I’ve found that staying very well-hydrated and getting regular (and enough) sleep help a great deal, as does eating regularly. I suspect that too much sugar and too much caffeine are also triggers for me.

My current proactive measures include getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night, keeping well-hydrated, limiting coffee to a cup or two in the morning, having a mid-morning snack of either a smoothie or a protein bar, limiting dairy, limiting breads and other similar carbs and exercising daily (mostly walking).

This is my migraine blog. I hope you’ll find it interesting and helpful. In addition to my own thoughts, I’ll post links to articles I find that are relevant to the study and management of migraines.

Thank you for stopping by. If you are also affected by migraines, I hope you’ll leave a comment for me. The more we can support each other, the better.

(You can read entries from my old migraine journal, too.)