Mid-August Migraine Log – Too Many Variables Edition

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mid-Augustlog

I started a new drug at the end of January – micronor – with the hopes that it would help with the increase in severe migraine attacks I get around my period. I then promptly had 3 periods in 2 months which then dropped off to a happier once every 4-6 weeks schedule. The frequency of Very Bad migraine attacks drops from 8 attacks in the 5 months before micronor to 3 Very Bad in the 5 months after (the initial micronor adjustment period). If I include the micronor adjustment period it’s a less dramatic reduction from 14 to 10. The frequency was very bad during March, when I had 2 very long periods, but seemed to go back to “normal” for the next few months.

Is micronor helping? Maybe, with severity, especially of the very worst attacks. It’s hard to tell because…

I started another drug, lisinopril, at the end of March. April is always a relatively good month for me migraine-wise (maybe something about the weather?). When May was pretty good too, I started to be hopeful. In June, the frequency spiked. I was still hanging onto hope for lisinopril though because the frequency of Moderate attacks was still on a steady decline. July wiped that out with 13 moderate migraines. August is on track to be a little better than July, but still not great.

Is lisinopril doing anything? Well, it’s definitely making me extra tired and fuzzy during what is usually my most productive time of day. Reducing the dose and playing around with the timing has helped with that, but not eliminated it. It is possibly contributing to a decline in moderate migraines and might be contributing to an overall increase in attacks. But it’s hard to tell because…

It’s hard to tell because I stopped taking wellbutrin in mid-May. Was wellbutrin supressing some of the attacks? Was wellbutrin causing more intense attacks? It’s hard to tell because….

I started taking magnesium citrate in mid-July. Could the magnesium be responsible for the July spike in Moderate attacks? Oh and what about lisinopril again?

Is any of the reduction in the severity of Very Bad and Kill Me attacks in the last year due to the drugs above, or is it all just increasing effects of the botox injections I’ve been getting since July 2015?

This is all overwhelming and confusing and difficult to detangle, especially given my emotional investment in the outcomes. But taking a step back two things are clear:

  1. The frequency of the worst attacks is better for the last year than it was in the previous year.
  2. The overall frequency of attacks has been consistently VERY HIGH since December.

Decreasing the intensity of pain during migraine attacks does improve my quality of life, but migraine isn’t just a headache and the effects of attacks with just mild pain generally prevent me from working and even leaving my house. I am desperate to decrease the frequency of my migraine attacks and I’m not really sure what to do.

I walked it, I walked it, I walk it.

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In That Year

And in that year my body was a pillar of smoke
and even his hands could not hold me.

And in that year my mind was an empty table
and he laid his thoughts down like dishes of plenty.

And in that year my heart was the old monument,
the folly, and no use could be found for it.

And in that year my tongue spoke the language
of insects and not even my father knew me.

And in that year I waited for the horses
but they only shifted their feet in the darkness.

And in that year I imagined a vain thing;
I believed that the world would come for me.

And in that year I gave up on all the things
I was promised and left myself to sadness.

And then that year lay down like a path
and I walked it, I walked it, I walk it.

From The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

 

Songs about migraine

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I think this is the only song I’ve ever heard that’s explicitly about migraine.

Not exactly my style, but it is poignant to see such an isolating experience reflected in someone else’s art.

Does anyone know of any other songs about migraine?

The best migraine sleep mask

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Light is almost unbearable during many of my migraines. Simultaneously, I can find pressure quite painful anywhere on my body but especially my head, especially if it’s uneven. Finding a good sleep mask took some time. Many are so flimsy they don’t block out enough light or are made for people who clearly have much bigger faces than I do. Elastic straps, even adjustable ones, dig into my scalp painfully and unevenly. I tried a ton before I found one that I really liked.

Sleep Master Deluxe Sleep MaskThis sleep mask works pretty well. The face covering is ginormous and it fits my nose bridge well, so it doesn’t let in light. The closure is a long velcro strip so it’s very adjustable and never digs in like elastic. The velcro strip is totally covered by the silky fabric so it doesn’t rasp against the pillow whenever you move or catch your hair. It’s wide all the way around so it doesn’t have edges that dig in. It doesn’t have any ridges or bumps – it’s very smooth feeling whether I’m sleeping on my back or my side. The material is soft and satiny, so it doesn’t feel abrasive or prickly when the allodynia gets bad.

A couple cons:

  1. It’s expensive af. I got it on sale for what I considered the exorbitant price of $45. Sometimes it’s listed on Amazon for nearly $100.
  2. It’s too warm. It traps heat against your face and head. I prefer to feel cool when I have a migraine, but this isn’t a dealbreaker for me because I’ve usually got an icepack on my face that compensates for the blanket effect.

I’d really like to try the Migra Cap – a hat which is combination sleep mask and icepack. It looks like the perfect combination of light blocking and head freezing I’m looking for during a migraine attack – and would prevent the careful and constant readjustment ice packs require.

While you’re waiting for the bus

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