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Migraine - Blog Posts
anyone else ever wish they could lie down harder? Like, I'm already horizontal, but I need more horizontal. I need to be absorbed by the floor. I think that would fix me
hi, i want to share stuff about my life with chronic migraine and other health struggles. i'm still in the process of getting diagnosed for the latter, but strongly suspect that it's mecfs. a few weeks ago my condition got worse and i feel very isolated so here i am.
Having a migraine during a tech rehearsal is legitimately the worst thing ever.
Backstage is busy and chaotic, then you go onstage and the lights are so blinding it feel like you're getting stabbed in the head with a dagger.
Tired but the migraine meds my castmate shared with me earlier had caffeine so I'm still awake. At least the migraine isn't as bad anymore. Better to be awake from caffeine than awake from pain.
common myths about migraines (AKA if you get headaches regularly, please seek treatment for migraines)
"i don't have migraines because while i get them several times a week, it's only when i am hungry or dehydrated."
those are probably migraines. thirst, hunger, sleep disturbances, or any disruption to routine are common migraine triggers.
"my headaches are specifically barometric related, i get them when the weather/altitude changes."
those are probably migraines. barometric pressure is a common migraine trigger.
"i get headaches all the time but ibuprofen gets rid of them so they can't be migraines."
that's not true. ibuprofen works great at relieving migraine pain for many people.
"my consistent headaches are tension headaches. i feel them originate in my neck/shoulders."
those are probably migraines. muscle tension is a common migraine trigger.
if you are regularly getting headaches (once a week or more), you are likely getting migraines. in fact, a good rule of thumb if you're consistently getting headaches is to treat them as migraines until you can rule out migraines. that's how common "chronic headache = migraine" actually is.
migraines are a neurological disorder wherein pain is one symptom. pain is often the MAIN symptom, and the most noticeable symptom, which can make diagnosis tricky. other symptoms of migraine include:
fatigue
nausea/vomiting
digestive issues
visual disturbances (auras)
sensitivity to light and/or sound
mood changes
brain fog/cognitive changes
ringing in the ears
dizziness/vertigo
numbness/weakness on one side of the body
this list is NOT complete, but is a starting point. i really like the comparison to a hangover. if you generally feel hungover when you get a headache (without having consumed alcohol), that's a classic migraine presentation.
so many people suffer from migraine and don't even know it, so they aren't able to advocate for themselves to get treatment. there are great new migraine treatments on the market! if you're able, please seek treatment for your migraines. a better quality of life is possible.
waking up with the same migraine you thought you could “sleep off” has gotta be some kind of torture
Me: Ugh, man, I feel awful. But not like sick. Like a little depressed maybe? So tired… I want to do something, but my eyeballs may fall out of my head if I do. My left ear hurts, too. Am I getting an ear infection?
My migraine, putting on brass knuckles: Yeah, probably an ear infection.
migraines suck.
wdym your head hurts much you feel like someone is drilling a hole in your eye.
I feel like half my body needs to be soaked in ice while the other half covered in heating pads…just the issues of chronic pain ⋋_⋌
Okay I’m currently furious that migraines are often so blindly easy to treat and I had to find this out myself at the age of 26 when I’ve been to a neurologist since I was 11 lol so I’m about to teach you two neat and fast little tricks to deal with pain!
The first is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, or the SCM muscle.
This big red section is responsible for pain around the eye, cheekbone, and jaw, as well as some temple pain. Literally all you have to do is angle your head down a little, angle it away from the side that hurts, and then you can gently pinch and rub that muscle. I find it best to start at the bottom and travel upwards. The relief is so immediate! You can increase pressure as you feel comfortable doing so.
Here is a short and easy video showing this in action
The second is a fast and easy stretch that soothes your vagus nerve, which is the nerve responsible for calming you down. The vagus nerve, for those unfamiliar, is stimulated by deep breathing such as yawning, sighing, singing, or taking a deep breath to calm your anger in a tense situation.
You can stretch this out by sitting up as straight as possible (this does not have to be perfect to work) and interlacing your fingers. Put your hands on the back of your head with your thumbs going down the sides of your neck and, while keeping your face forward, look all the way to one side with just your eyes. Hold that until you feel the urge to breathe deeply or yawn, or until you can tell there’s a change. Then do the same thing on the other side. When you put your arms down, you should clearly be able to turn your head farther in both directions. If the first session doesn’t get rid of your migraine, rest and repeat as many times as necessary. I even get a little fancy with it and roll my eyes up and down along the outer edge sometimes to stretch as much as I can.
If you need a visual here’s a good video on it. I know some of the language they use seems questionable but this is real and simple science and should not be discarded because it’s been adopted by the trendy wellness crowd!
I seriously cannot believe I didn’t hear a word of this from any doctor in my life. Additionally, if you get frequent recurring migraines, you may want to see a dietician. Migraines can be caused by foods containing histamines, lectin, etc. and can also be caused by high blood pressure in specific situations such as exercise, stress, and even sex.
If any of this information helps you I’d love to hear it btw! It’s so so fast and easy to do. Good luck!
Sometimes I would prefer to feel nothing ever again than be in pain and other times I would rather gnaw my fingers off than feel nothing.
ITCHING to do stuff. ANYTHING lemme cook or clean or write or sew or draw anything please im so bored
reminder that productivity doesnt equal worth because i am forgetting this at the moment
im on day 39 of a migraine, hospital have given up on me, makes it hard to not give up on myself.
really struggling with this atm.
ive lost all the strength i fought so hard for the past two years. it doesnt seem fair that it can all be taken away so fast.
im exhausted. trying is exhausting.
disabled consistency prt. 2 prt. 1 here (u dont need to read it to understand this post)
what happens to consistency, to habits, when you have a dynamic disability?
i want us to understand the differences between having a consistent body and having an ever changing one. sometimes you could be so healthy you are working/studying, exercising a few times a week, socialising, and independently caring for yourself. but other times.. you’re bedbound? can’t even shower and brush your teeth twice a day? can’t keep up with texting your friends or social media? what habit is surviving that.
you work so hard to build habits and follow routines you and your doctors have set, and then you achieve it, but then it all gets taken away in a flare-up. you wonder what the point is. its a constant vicious cycle. even abled people know its hard to build habits. it takes time. and you might not have that time.
for abled people, theres no time limit on building a habit. they might have a goal in mind of when they want to achieve it, but theres no actual clock ticking in the background.
for me, and for other dynamically disabled people, we are on a time crunch. you may not be aware of it, but you are. it’s always a race to get things done while you can, build those habits and routines and get consistent and get your life together while you can. because even if you’re not thinking it, you are living on a countdown until your next flare-up. until the next crash, the next time you lose all your progress.
and that cycle, is exhausting. it’s like building a sandcastle right on the shore. you build it and you get to revel in it for a second. then it’s gone. there may be a little bump in the sand where your hard work had just stood, but essentially, you are starting from scratch. while the abled people are up the beach a few metres and their sand is perfectly wet and perfectly dry and the waves never reach it.
then those same people, tell you to just keep building. “eventually you’ll get there!” “keep trying!” “habits take time!” they say. but how? there will always be another wave.
understanding this difference in experience is so important if you want to understand why you can’t just tell a disabled person to form habits or be consistent and expect results.
guys what wards do young people go to, im always the only young adult in my wards, im clearly missing out on the cool areas 😔😔
ah yes the fun of will i surprise the doctor with a personal relief method they havent heard of yet 😇
im being referred to multiple new specialists and being put on multiple new medications im so exhausted and im sick of not getting any answers and only short term relief
gave up on home care and went to hospital on day 15 😭
on day 5 of a migraine get me out of here
on day 5 of a migraine get me out of here
Disability Pride Month
Bad Batch Edition: Hunter
Green - Sensory Disability
This may come as a surprise to you because Hunter doesn’t have an impairment of his senses - on the contrary they are enhanced.
I hc that this is a blessing and a curse. Take the sense of smell for example. You can close your eyes and cover your ears but you HAVE to breath so you can’t avoid getting all those scents in your nose (or mouth), especially when your senses are enhanced. We know that Hunter can sense electromagnetic fields - this is also something he probably can’t shut off. And I‘m sure the show only scraped at the very surface of Hunter’s abilities. It must be very exhausting to deal with the magnitude of different sensory inputs all the time and we don’t know if his brain can keep up with his sensory abilities, filter them properly and make sense of all the inputs he’s getting. That’s why I listed him among the sensory disability. To me Hunter is a #1 candidate for migraines.
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Okay I’m currently furious that migraines are often so blindly easy to treat and I had to find this out myself at the age of 26 when I’ve been to a neurologist since I was 11 lol so I’m about to teach you two neat and fast little tricks to deal with pain!
The first is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, or the SCM muscle.
This big red section is responsible for pain around the eye, cheekbone, and jaw, as well as some temple pain. Literally all you have to do is angle your head down a little, angle it away from the side that hurts, and then you can gently pinch and rub that muscle. I find it best to start at the bottom and travel upwards. The relief is so immediate! You can increase pressure as you feel comfortable doing so.
Here is a short and easy video showing this in action
The second is a fast and easy stretch that soothes your vagus nerve, which is the nerve responsible for calming you down. The vagus nerve, for those unfamiliar, is stimulated by deep breathing such as yawning, sighing, singing, or taking a deep breath to calm your anger in a tense situation.
You can stretch this out by sitting up as straight as possible (this does not have to be perfect to work) and interlacing your fingers. Put your hands on the back of your head with your thumbs going down the sides of your neck and, while keeping your face forward, look all the way to one side with just your eyes. Hold that until you feel the urge to breathe deeply or yawn, or until you can tell there’s a change. Then do the same thing on the other side. When you put your arms down, you should clearly be able to turn your head farther in both directions. If the first session doesn’t get rid of your migraine, rest and repeat as many times as necessary. I even get a little fancy with it and roll my eyes up and down along the outer edge sometimes to stretch as much as I can.
If you need a visual here’s a good video on it. I know some of the language they use seems questionable but this is real and simple science and should not be discarded because it’s been adopted by the trendy wellness crowd!
I seriously cannot believe I didn’t hear a word of this from any doctor in my life. Additionally, if you get frequent recurring migraines, you may want to see a dietician. Migraines can be caused by foods containing histamines, lectin, etc. and can also be caused by high blood pressure in specific situations such as exercise, stress, and even sex.
If any of this information helps you I’d love to hear it btw! It’s so so fast and easy to do. Good luck!