Time to face the music. In the dark. Quietly.

[lynthia]

So, I guess it turns out that I'm a person who gets migraines. I don't really know why, but I've fought off that "label" for many, many years. One migraine a year doesn't mean I "get migraines," it just... means I had one. That one time. Total fluke

Comments

[tersa]

Migraine triggers are different for everyone. (Oh, hey, neat, the Mayo Clinic has a list of common ones--reputable source

[lynthia]

That is actually a very handy list. I thought I only got the hormone-triggered kind, but I'm getting them off-cycle now so there must be some new factor weighing in.

I really worry about the caffeine thing. I know I drink too much, but I don't know if it's TOO too much. If I happen to skip a day somehow, I don't get the usual caffeine headache. Maybe one day isn't long enough for it to kick in? And the too much thing, oy. No idea how to tell if that happens. I should probably start a log or something. It might be eye-opening to see how many calories I'm consuming in Pepsi anyway. :)

[tersa]

Haha, your icon. :)

They could still be hormone-triggered, but women's hormones change over time and especially after having a child. It may be that it is contributing, even 'off-cycle'.

If I happen to skip a day somehow, I don't get the usual caffeine headache. Maybe one day isn't long enough for it to kick in?

Everyone's different--maybe? For me, it's same day, but there was a time a while back I gave up caffeine for Lent and had a perpetual headache for 3-4 days while I detoxed. It may be your withdrawl symptoms take longer to kick in.

I should probably start a log or something. It might be eye-opening to see how many calories I'm consuming in Pepsi anyway. :)

lol

It couldn't hurt. It might be there's something else triggering it that would turn up in the log.

(Oh, right, I was going to mention: tamago's been blogging the last few years about her own migraine issues, and I think some of her triggers are certain scents or food allergies. She has to do the 'doctor with lots of caffeine' route.)

[cyranocyrano]

What Tersa has said here covers a lot of what I would say in my experience as somebody who has found that he gets migraines more often in Michigan. (But possibly less severe. I haven't thrown up or gone blind yet here.)
My mother found that citrus or cheese would trigger hers.

With a child, it's less of an option, but my most effective treatment was (flip a coin, maybe some caffeine) to retreat to my bed and pull the covers over my head, literally. Minimise sensory input. Rhythmic deep breathing, meditation and relaxation. I haven't tried any of the fancy schmancy migraine medications because they weren't around when I started getting migraines and I just haven't tried to get a doctor to prescribe them. I tell myself I don't get them often enough to bother.