From Darkened Rooms Part Three

Well, I finally have an answer as to why I'm having these debilitating headaches, or at least what they are.

They've been coming with a trend of lessening frequency over the last three months, thank goodness, but I'm still having them regularly. They're intense, excruciatingly painful, and I've found no relief from the pain.

I saw a neurologist, and he said my symptoms are classic for migraines. That surprised me because I had assumptions about migraines that made me believe that these couldn't be migraines, but apparently I was wrong.

He can't stop me from getting them, but he can give me relief when I get them, which is fantastic. He also gave me tips to help me decrease the frequency, and I've been working toward implementing those (the number one being no daily caffeine, which has to be done slowly to avoid more headaches).

I got a prescription for a migraine relief medication, and I can't explain how happy I was to pick that up at the pharmacy.

On Monday, just under two weeks ago, I got my first chance to use it. A migraine hit, and I took a pill.

Dear God, it was the single most painful experience I've had in a long time.

The pill actually caused me more pain on top of the migraine, and while it cured the headache, the side effects from the pill stuck around for almost two hours.

I'd rather have the migraine, thank you very much.

I called my doctor and asked for something else. Two days later, I had a new prescription. I had a chance to use it this last Monday, just under a week ago. Lord, it was heaven. Migraine gone, no side effects. I was a happy woman.

While the first medication was miserable to take, these two medications are the only things that have offered me pain relief for my migraines. I'm happy I can finally have relief and not be stuck in the dark for hours and hours.

I've also downloaded an app for tracking my migraines, the triggers, any relief I've tried, and medications I take. I've only tracked one migraine with it so far, but I'll keep using it, and hopefully I can figure out these things more. I think I also need to do a food journal to see if I have some sort of food trigger. I do know that too much bright light can trigger a migraine, so I have to limit the amount of sunshine I get, which really sucks.

But, while there's no cure for migraines, I have an answer and I have relief. That's a huge step forward.

I'll take it.

Photo Credit Kristin Hardwick