Stress is not my friend....

Stress and I ....we don't get along. I try to cope with stress but it doesn't seem to beat the beast that starts to pinch that area where my neck and shoulder meet. I try to relax it away. I refuse to let it keep me out of yoga. I try to get enough sleep. It still takes over and forces me to the medicine cabinet; that medicine cabinet that I detest.

The medicine cabinet translates to side effects. It means that I am sleepy and unable to focus...kind of like right now. I am not quite sure why people take these pills for recreation (addiction I do understand) - I hate them. They make me feel like I am not myself. That I am flat emotionally. It's the same reason I don't enjoy alcohol...I don't like feeling as if there is something that affects me mentally or emotionally.

So, here I sit feeling dopey and not wanting to move because it hurts. Stress equals migraines. Migraines equal pain. I am happy that these are few and far between now.

I challenge thee migraine

A little background.... I had my first migraine in 2000. I have no idea what triggered it but I do know that they have gotten progressively worse since that time. Mostly they come with my period but they also come with stress.

What I plan to do with this blog is memorialize what I have been through, what I am trying and how it is working. I want to share some of the research I have done through the web and through books, because quite honestly a lot of it is redundant and completely useless. I will keep this one short and add my history later (with experiences, etc). This first one is only meant to be the appetizer.

It was only within the last 2 years I have been seeking out what causes these devilish occurrences and how I can stop them. I have tried chiropractic treatment because the migraines start on my occipital nerve. I continued this until one treatment resulted in a 3 day flair up. So not bueno. After several trips to the emergency room and many shots of morphine with a chaser of phenergan (an anti-nausea medicine) I then tried prescription medication only; also known as "rescue medicine." I hate it. Did I mention that I hate it? They make me feel terribly blah, flat and totally unaffected. But, they work. I started with Imitrex (which did not work) and then tried Amerge (which works most of the time). More on the medical list later....

I then tried acupuncture, acupressure, aura cleansing massage and yoga. All of them worked a little. But, in the long run when my period came so did the migraine. (Although I do have to say is that when I am consistent with my yoga I do not have an asthma attack or need to use my inhalers.) So, now I am back to the doctor and have agreed to go on a preventative medicine called Topamax.

Topamax is an anti-seizure medication that has had a side effect of preventing migraines. I am clearly on a desperate trail. The side effects of Topamax are: dizziness, weight loss, forgetfulness, and it keeps getting better. Basically it effects some of your cognitive functions because it works on your brain. I have been on it for 3 days now and this is the first day that I do not feel totally in outer space. Mind you....I still feel pretty hazy but I am not asking my boyfriend "What??" everytime he speaks to me. Which has proven to be frustrating even for our pooch.

Anywho...my motive for this blog is due to a bullshit book I bought and returned on migraines. I wanted to lend a helping virtual hand to my fellow sufferers on what definitely not to spend your cash on.