May 24th

Headache...missed church and Sunday dinner. Had an allergic reaction to trail mix, I think, didn't sleep much. Bummer day.

Caleb came home with a headache last night. He was very sensitive to light. I gave him 250 mg of Tylenol and an ice pack. I felt really bad for him.

May 23rd

Tylenol worked and we made it through the day.
I don't have enough energy for all I need to do,
So I have to pick and choose.
This week, my work outs took the back burner.
I definitley feel the loss from it.
Exercise is very healthy for my head.

May 17th

Tylenol at church to get through it.
Head-ache hangovers are killing me here.

May 16th

IBprofen again.
Cant stand feeling headachy.

Sydney and I rode 5 miles on the bike, ran 1.2 miles and did today's Crossfit.
I HAVE to stay ahead of this headache.
I need a clear head for church tomorrow.

May 15th

IBprofen and groutchy.
Surprised it didn't go full blown.

May 14th

IBprofen. Yuck.

May 13th

A bummer day for a headache.....our anniversary.
Out of meds, except the kind that knocks me out.
Groggily watched Lost.
IBprofen finally killed it in the end, after many hours.

0 progress towards my goal.
Nice headache hangover as a parting gift today.

May 5th

I debated keeping this journal publicly. I would rather keep it privately, but there are many mom's who deal with the daily drama of migraine headaches.

Today was a good day....
I met part of my goal.

This is the Goal:

No more than 2 migraines a month, lasting less than 2 hours.

This morning, I woke up early to work out with Dan. While putting on my shoes downstairs, I looked up to notice I could only see half of the object in front of me. It's called an Aura. It lasts approximately 15 minutes, during which time, I don't feel pain. Within 45 minutes, I will have a pounding headache.

Dan is all too familiar with it. He quickly got me some protein (Cliff bar), and a bottle of water. This was a repeat from yesterday. The difference is that yesterday, I woke up with a headache, but the Cliff bar, water and tylenol kept it back pretty well.

A sure sign of a true migraine is an Aura. Today I found the last Maxalt dose I had. The very worst part of having a migraine is searching for my medicine. I can never remember where I keep it or if I have any left. And migraine medicine comes in the most child proof containers on the planet. I inevitably have to get one of the kids to open the package for me.

Insurance companies allow 6 pills a month. Most people don't have 6 headaches in their lifetime. Many migraine moms have 8 in a month....or it might take 2 doses to stop the attack. So we ration our meds and many times suffer through more headaches than is really tolerable.

Migraine triggers:

Food: Chocolate, anything with preservatives or additives, MSG (a biggy)....this list can be huge.
Stress: Crying
Dehydration: easily avoided
Fasting: makes fast Sunday a real challenge
Irregular sleep: Did I mention I haven't slept through the night in 12 years?

*The triggers are numerous. You could write a book about them.

Migraine Prevention

Exercise: 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week
Eating right: Eating naked

And then there are days, that despite your best effort, a headache comes anyway.

What Helps During an Attack

Protein, Protein and Protein (if you can keep it down)
Water - a glass every hour
Dark room - Some times.....many hours or days alone.

Poor Dan, this morning he took his shower, and I walked into the room and almost threw up. I couldn't stand the smell of his deodorant and aftershave. I waited for him down stairs in a well-ventilated room.

This headache lasted less than 2 hours. I keep the hang-over from it all day. What a bonus :)

A good liver-cleanse dose, tons of water and a long run will hopefully flush the medicine out more quickly.