OB -- your money

My garden guru is besieged with letters from people begging his permission to waste money on things he has been saying don't work.  In some cases he's been saying it for decades.  In some cases, the thing actually causes problems instead of solving them.
Enter a book on migraines that you pay $10 plus shipping for.
People, I got all this information for free right about the time I started getting migraines.
It's on WebMD and also the Mayo site.
But I guess some people think that Mayo posts false information when they don't get paid for it.
Here it is free.
1.  Bookmark the Accuweather website for your town.  It has a Migraine tab. 
2.  Keep a diary and mark the first day when Accuweather issues a migraine warning.  When that day arrives, record whether you had a migraine.
3.  Also record what you eat.  Go back and find all the days you had a migraine and see if there's a common food item on all those days.
4.  Also record how much sleep you got.  See my insomnia page for tricks on how to increase your sleep to 7 1/2 hrs in 24.
5.  Also record how much exercise you got.  Exercise may be the one thing that puts you over the top as far as getting enough sleep.  It also helps relieve stress.
6.  Record stresses you had, like being late to work or getting chewed out by the boss or even just having an argument with somebody.

If you're still in the dark, look at all your meds. 
Vasodilators may have to go -- that includes Rogaine and generic minoxidil. 
Herbals -- if your doctor hasn't reviewed these and passed them as OK, talk about it NOW.  They may be interfering with other meds.
Acetaminophen may have to go -- The important thing about acetaminophen is that it's hidden in lots of OTC stuff you wouldn't think of looking at if you get migraines.
Aspirin and other NSAIDs may have to go.  DON'T do this if you're on aspirin for blood clotting until you talk to your doctor.  But if it's causing migraines, since migraines are a sign of increased stroke risk, you and  your doctor need to rethink using aspirin to prevent heart attacks.
Triptans -- for migraine can worsen your health if you are a heart patient.  Your doctor might not know this; the finding only dates back to 2011.  (WebMD)
Anti-depressants -- this is another new result, from 2013.  If you have been taking these for some condition other than depression, they might be involved in your migraines. (Science Daily)  The interesting thing about depression is that exercise, eating right, getting your sleep, and finding a non-drug way of dealing with depression, are all effective and inexpensive compared to drugs.

I know my triggers and I deal with them as best I can.  I have had aura about 6 times in the last 12 months and a real migraine about twice.  I used to get them every month until I got rid of low-dose hormone therapy for  menopause -- which triggered INSOMNIA.  It took about two years to figure things out.  Be patient.  It can get better and so can you..
© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights Reserved