The first time I got a life stopping migraine was after the birth of my son. In my past, my only migraine experience involved self indulgence and recklessness tied to drinking with friends, no water, hardly enough food and way too late of a night, all which were my own doing. I had never fully comprehended what people meant when they said they randomly got migraines and were too ill to get out of bed. I had headaches, but it was rare and they certainly didn’t slow me down. My pain had always stemmed from endometriosis and scoliosis, so when I began to get migraines as a new mom, the pain hit me hard.

For those who are not sure if they have had a migraine or what the difference is between that in a headache, here is how I would describe a migraine:

Head feels like it is in an industrial vice grip clamp that someone randomly turns then stops

Head also feels like someone is occasionally stabbing you in the head, most often on one side through the eye

Head also feels like a balloon about to explode

Loss of vision as things become blurry or hazy

Seeing spots or light trails

Feeling extreme fatigue

Loss of appetite

Nausea

Vomiting

Difficulty concentrating

Difficulty driving because your sense of perception is off

Memory problems

Difficulty carrying on normal activities necessary for life

Trouble sleeping

Sensitivity to noise

Sensitivity to light

Irritability

Depression

Anger

In my case, the migraines took off after my son’s birth and now 9 years still plague me so much that some months I’ve spent half the month on some level of migraine purgatory. One day I could be fine, then boom in the middle of the night my head will start to throb and I lay there pressing the right hand side of my head and eye as if I can press away the pain. The brutal squeezing yet exploding pain makes it impossible to sleep (lack of sleep is also a trigger). I want to drink water because dehydration is a trigger, but often can’t keep water down due to the extreme nausea. I want to get things done to just shake it off, but can barely stand or focus without feeling like I’m about to hurt myself falling. The pain isn’t the biggest issue, it is allllll the things I need to get done as a parent and working mom that require me to be functional that is the biggest issue. I simply can’t afford to be sick and leave my son to fend for himself. We already know parenting is a challenge, single parenting even more so, and being accountable to a boss with limited sick time at the company an even bigger worry. There is no time to be sick as a mom!

The natural step was to get help. Go to the doctors and get some answers. I was not prepared for how much the medical world would fail me. I went to three neurologists, went to Mayo Clinic, had two MRI’s (not cheap even with great insurance), consulted with physicians for other possible health related issues and came up empty. The top culprit was supposed to be birth control pills, but when I stopped taking them, the migraines persisted. The doctors would love to prescribe me all sorts of drugs, but often they can render you unable to drive, stay awake and cause even more brain fog. The pain medications can also diminish in effectiveness over time as your tolerance increases, and then can cause more migraines when you stop.

Faced with these Health Issues and very little relief, here is what I have found that has helped me the most.

The top 8 Migraine Triggers to Monitor:

Sleep

Stress

Sugar

Water

Vitamins- CoQ10 and Magnesium

Caffeine

Movement

Diet/Fake Ingredients

When you start monitoring these 8 triggers, you will have the best chance at minimizing your migraines. They are all closely connected and often when you get off track on one trigger, it can lead to issues with the others. For example, you feel stressed, then you can’t sleep due to the anxiety. You compensate with coffee and sugar, then don’t make time to exercise or bother to drink water. You are faced with not so great food options being on the go, and end up eating fast food with preservatives, artificial colors, and forget to take your vitamins. You are okay at first, but if this pattern keeps up, your body protests with a Migraine.

What to do:

Making sleep a priority is essential. If you have trouble sleeping, take some melatonin and get some lavender oil to smell which helps with relaxing. Make a plan to start your morning with water first without waking yourself up with sugar and coffee. Drink water with your supplements to ensure you don’t forget. Give yourself 15-20 minutes to do some light exercises, take a walk or do some stretching. A great move is rolling your head down towards the floor and letting your head and arms hang loosely which stretches your back and neck, and helps with blood flow. Eliminate fake dyes and fake sugars from your diet, especially diet soda as that can immediately result in a migraine. Keep ginger or peppermint tea on hand to help with nausea as well as chamomile, which is anti-inflammatory. Make daily movement a part of your lifestyle. Focus on eating as many natural foods as possible without preservatives and additives. When you get on solid routine keeping the above triggers on track, it will then help you manage your stress levels because you will be practicing self-care, which enables you to tackle problems in a calmer state of mind.