Migraines changed my life.
Moving to New Zealand changed my life a lot. Some changes were expected because of moving to a new country. The status quo changes inevitably. And telling the truth, I like it.
My migraines started when I was still in the army. They changed my lifestyle profoundly. My world became silent, with very little joy in living. My husband and son had to adapt to my new me.
It usually starts with a headache. My neck gets stiff, and I feel the tension in my TMJ (temporomandibular). Sometimes, I can fight with over-the-counter painkillers, but the migraines often win and stay from 4 hours to 3 days.
I frequently have an aura, like a flash of light and weird visual patterns. The pain is throbbing, like pulsing. Usually, it is only on the left side of the head, right behind my eye. I get susceptible to noise and light. I experience nausea and blurry vision.
The aftermath feels like I went to war; I feel tired, drained, weak, and still sensitive to noise.
They were so intense I would go to the hospital constantly. Then, after being discharged and in the care of VA, I did several treatments with medication, aromatherapy, massage, Botox, acupuncture, chiropractor, changed diet- Migraine and Diet | American Migraine Foundation, increased my water intake, practiced more relaxation, name it – I did it.
Then, my neurologist changes to a more preventive treatment regimen to reduce the severity and frequency of my attacks. He advised me to take an injection to prevent migraines. It’s a drug called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors. Amazing results. Slowly, I introduced music to life again, laughed with my guys, and enjoyed my life. Managing my mental health and still living a healthy life. – Always Live Loud
New Zealand does not have my medication… I succumb to my dark world once again. I have high pain tolerance and try to apply all my knowledge to cope with my pain, but it’s not been easy.
Migraine is a chronic disease, and to treat it, the person who has it must understand it.
So, it will have less frequent posts, even because I do not travel with migraines. I will see a Kiwi neurologist, and let’s hope New Zealand has something that can help me write many more blogs.
Stay tuned…
[Getting a migraine] was like there was a monster that would show up in your house whenever it felt like it, and there was nothing you could do about it.
Whoopi Goldberg