migraine diary

[Guest guest]

May I suggest to those suffering from migraines or any regular

headaches to keep a diary for at least a month. Write down

everything you eat, do, sleep, contacts, diseases, allergy attacks,

etc. Also, mark down the headaches and rate them from 1 thru 10. Now

after doing that, look for patterns. Look at the day of the

headache, and look 1 or 2 days before a headache. Also, look at the

days you don't have headaches and one or 2 days before - what is

different.

 

Weekends can be telling as often our rhythms, and what we eat, and

do, and contact with substances - such as sawdust from working in

the home hobby shop - is different than on regular work days.

 

I went most of my life until my late 30's, early 40's with

headaches/migraines. This was day in and day out. I went school with

them. I worked with them. I averaged at least 5 caffergot a day to

just control the edge. I know headaches. I went thru all the test

and all the doctors just shook their heads. This is no fault on

their part, because they just couldn't find anything. But with

starting a diary on my own, I saw a pattern. There were a few days

in a month that I did not have a headache. I couldn't see anything

on that day that made a difference. But, the day before I had

allergy attacks - sneezing, coughing, itch mouth and throat - and

nearly overdosed on antihistamines. Well the allergies were not

stopping the migraines, but the right dose of antihistamine did stop

the action of the headache the next day. I have not found an herbal,

homeopathic, alternative action to stop my allergies, so I have

stuck to 2 otc antihistamines (rotate monthly, thse are the old

style antihistamines, chlorpheniramine and meclizine) to control the

headaches and it makes all the difference in the world. Perfumes

from any source is my main problem. I work with the public (I am a

pharmacist - don't get out your stakes and crosses, I have studied

and recommend many alternative therapies to people coming in. Also I

am able to caution about interactions between the herbs and the

prescription meds that patients are taking. With the particular

pharmacy I am working in the problem has flared up again as the

amount of perfumes, lotions, etc people where and also what they try

on in the front of the store and walk back with the fumes on them.

When I worked on the Navajo reservation where such things were

rarely used - no problems at all. Also, have noticed that manmade

chemicals are bigger problems than any natural products.

 

So often allergies, hidden almost, are the culprit of many

headaches. But there can be other things. Chemical imbalances in the

brain and in the body.

 

But first get a feel for what is really happening and how often.

This is where the diary comes in. Notice any other symptoms every

day, these may be precursors to the headache and may point to what

is triggering the headaches.

 

Another note, that you may already know. Diesel fumes cause allergic

reactions to intensify. The fumes cause the body to react more

strongly to anything that one is allergic to.

 

Shirley in Utah