Monday, February 18, 2013

The Migraine Diaries


 In  my 30's I could always tell when my period was going to start by the horrible migraine I got the day before.  Just one more little f--- you from mother nature for being a woman.  My doctor said it was normal and caused by hormones. I accepted that answer, didn't bother to explore the whys and what fors about it because I was too busy. 

When I turned 50 I began having migraines almost everyday.  Working through a migraine is no fun. Making sure to take my migraine pills, and having them stashed everywhere I went became my number 1 priority.  Let me not bore you with the details of tearing my  house apart like a crack addict searching for a pill when I ran out.  Taking a pill too late usually resulted in laying flat on my back in a dark room for hours in between bouts of vomiting and praying for death.  My favorite medicine, Maxalt, was doled out at 9 pills a month by the pharmaceutical company.  I once asked the pharmacist why I was allotted so few pills, and he told me that people who have more than 9 migraines a month should seek medical attention... 

My doctor experimented with different  medications to help prevent the migraines from incapacitating me, even though the medicine itself was often just as debilitating.  I spent days in a foggy cloud and felt like I had a terminal illness. My doctor was happy to prescribe every experimental drug out there, but what she didn't do was help me figure out what was causing the migraines.  I was mystified that she didn't run any tests.  At one point I even joked that I obviously didn't have a brain tumor because I probably would have been dead by now.

I tried acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga to cure myself from migraines.  I was so desperate that I even let an acupuncturist poke holes all over my head to help the blood flow.  As she dabbed at the blood, she showed me the rag and told me the dark blood meant it was old and bad.  

I began to notice that certain foods were making the migraines worse.  I tried to keep a diary and it soon  became clear that when I ate foods with MSG or high sodium content I began to feel a migraine within an hour after eating the food.   Considering the American diet is chock full of sodium and MSG this was not good news.  I stopped going out to eat, but even at home it was hit and miss as to what foods set off the migraines.  

I discovered Dr. Fuhrman through a co-worker who told me she was on a diet where she could eat fruit and beans all day.  This really didn't sound appealing to me as I didn't eat a lot of beans and was pretty convinced that I could never give up meat because I craved it all the time.  She gave me a copy of Dr. Fuhrman's diet plan, and I promised I would look at it. I didn't pick it up again for a few months and only out of desperation did I begin to seriously consider making drastic changes to my diet.  

I was scheduled for a colonoscopy and had to take that horrible concoction the day before to clean out my system.  Migraine symptoms began a few hours afterwards.  I was afraid to take my medicine because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to. By the time I was seen for the procedure the next morning, my migraine was in full force and I could barely talk.  The nurse told me the medicine they gave me would help the migraine. Of course it didn't.  When I woke up after the colonscopy I began vomiting all over the post op area.  The doctor gave me a pill but I promptly threw it up.  It took me hours to recover from the migraine and I swore I was never going to go through that again.

I read Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live, which has a section on migraines and began to make some changes to my diet. I read labels on food, and cleaned out  my pantry.  It was hard to change my diet, and convince my family and friends that I really was a vegetarian and that chicken wasn't a vegetable.  I had developed so many allergies to processed food that I wasn't sure what I could eat so I had to start over from scratch.  I combed the internet for recipes and information about nutrition and natural foods.  

Making myself food everyday has become a full time job.  Finding stores that carry natural food involves shopping several times a week. I miss salt. I miss coffee.  Surprisingly I don't miss meat.  I am hit and miss with the things I cook. Some are great and some are total flops.  I feel bad when people don't eat what I cook because I love cooking.  I don't miss the 31 pounds I lost or not having migraines for months.  My husband has lost 40 pounds as a result of the diet changes.  I bought a vitamix and make fresh veggie drinks everyday.

The recipes I post here are mostly ones I have found online.  I am taking baby steps towards creating my own recipes that taste good.  I enjoy cooking more than restaurant food and when I go over to people's houses to eat, I often bring a dish with me just so I know I have something I can eat.  I have a lot more to learn about nutrition and eating healthy but I am enjoying the journey.

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