Friday, January 23, 2009

New Normal

I get headaches quite frequently. I think this is pretty common for parents. And more common for parents of kids with special needs. But I had headache issues way before Akila was born, way before I was married. I have been getting migraines since I was a teenager.

But they have been coming more often and staying longer. So I finally went to a headache Dr., also known as a Neurologist. They first made me go to "Headache School". It wasn't very helpful. But I had my appt. with the Dr. last week. It went really well. Here is what I learned, some of what I knew and some of what I didn't:

  • I (or all of us), shouldn't be taking Advil or Tylenol or a similar OTC drug, more than 4 times a month. Otherwise we get rebound headaches, even if we're taking them for achy muscles or things like that.
  • Caffeine intake should be under 100 mg per day.
  • Diet sodas and other things that contain Aspertaine are a no no.
  • Vitamin D deficiency is a huge issue for many health issues. My sister-in-law had started on Vit D last year and it has helped her immensely and she had shared this with me. I had started taking it, but was not very regular and was only taking 1,000 mg/day. The Dr. said I should probably be at 7,000-8,000 mg/day but should start with 5,000 mg. The only natural way to get Vit D is from sunlight which we get very little of in the winter. It is not in food.
  • I should also be taking 500 mg/day of Magnesium. I don't remember why. Ha.
  • Aleve is what he said to take for headaches, and to take 3-4 of them, not the 1 that the bottle says.
  • I have tried two migraine drugs and not had success. He prescribed one that is a nasal spray.
  • I should also be exercising 3-4 days a week. I of course knew this one. :)

The day I was there, I was on the 4th straight day of a minor nagging headache in the back of my skull. After I left, I took 3 Aleves and it was gone in an hour. First time I can ever remember a headache just leaving like that. Then, the next morning, I woke early with a big headache, the one I can tell has potential to turn into a full fledged migraine. I got up, used the nasal spray. I have to use it 15 minutes later, and 2 hours later. I also took 3 Aleve, as he had instructed me to do. By 11:00 am, the headache was totally gone. I was amazed.

And since last Friday, I have felt great, full of energy, and the chronic lower back pain that I almost always have, is barely noticeable. I am not sure yet if it is because of all the vitamins, and I have actually not had a diet coke in over a week, or if I am just having a good week. I hope it is all the changes, and that this is going to be the new normal. I'm ready for a new normal.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you've found some relief to the headaches! I'll be praying that this is the new normal! :)

~angie

Anonymous said...

That's awesome! Praise the Lord - I hope you continue to see improvements in this area!

Linda B said...

This is amazing! I hope you continue to improve. I have the exact same problems with headaches. I need to look into this stuff. Thanks for sharing!

the johnson crew said...

hey barb... i had a WICKED headache today and i thought of you. i used to get headaches regularly, but God has graciously been keeping me free from them for the past few years. (probably since i stopped working outside the home...) anyways, it probably has something to do with the HUGE box of sugar babies i had in the middle of the night while i was up with amos all night... no sleep and a TON of sugar!

i am so glad you are finding something that works to help your headaches. - i would LOVE to exercise with you if we could ever work something out.

hey, we got disappointing news on Amos' adoption today. his won't be finalized in march with the others... we are hopeful that it will go through eventually, but we have a long wait. (i blogged about it today if you want more details. i don't even understand it all.

miss you.

Tena said...

Hey Barb, Been thinking about you/this issue for the 5 days. I have had a migraine! I haven't had one this bad in 4 years and I actually had to go to the ER, it's better but not gone. So... I need the inside scoop!