At work, we have a catered lunch meeting each Wednesday. This week there was yummy hummus, I wasn't thinking completely and I accidentally some hummus! Hummus contains garbanzo beans and that darn list has 'beans' on it. Why be so general? I guess I can take that as all beans though if they don't specify. So after the lunch, I realized what I did, and thought 'hot damn!'. A couple hours later, a migraine, or as I like to call it now, a miggy, started to appear. (If it has a cuter name, will it be less painful?) Then again today, about mid day, another miggy appeared. I hit both of those bozo's with some Immy (new name for Imitrex) and they flew away. So I guess I kind of know now about the hummus.
Just found out, garbanzo is a legume as opposed to a bean. But so is a peanut and it's on the list.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Two thumbs down - Chocolate
I hate chocolate. I had to abort mission on the non dairy chocolate ice cream. I took a couple bites and it was just meh. Weird I tell you! It was made with coconut milk instead of regular milk. I couldn't hang. I realized that any chocolate made me feel so gross and migrainey that I don't think I can do it again. This may be a lot of huff and puff but right now it feels not worth it.
Since the dairy free chocolate ice cream was a no show, I decided to munch on some other chocolate goodies. I have these dark chocolate, to die for, acai berry type chews from Costco that have been hiding in my cupboard for a while. I sneak a peek at them each time I feed my cat but I haven't had a taste in a long while. So I ate a handful of these and the next day, I had a migraine attack early morning. Imitrex time. I think I'm done with the chocolate test.
I wonder if I should wait a week in between adding the items just to make sure that if I follow the mother list to a T, that I won't get the migraine.
Since the dairy free chocolate ice cream was a no show, I decided to munch on some other chocolate goodies. I have these dark chocolate, to die for, acai berry type chews from Costco that have been hiding in my cupboard for a while. I sneak a peek at them each time I feed my cat but I haven't had a taste in a long while. So I ate a handful of these and the next day, I had a migraine attack early morning. Imitrex time. I think I'm done with the chocolate test.
I wonder if I should wait a week in between adding the items just to make sure that if I follow the mother list to a T, that I won't get the migraine.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sleepy Mojito
Chocolate Haagen Dazs ice cream was a disaster. I think. I felt funny in the morning after eating it so I resorted to taking an Imitrex. Later in the night, I started feeling a migraine coming on again. Now here is where it gets tricky. I was also pretty tired and I shared a mojito with a friend. (be careful you don't suck up some mint leaves through your straw, it's gross!) Could either of these factors be part of the cause of the later migraine? I don't know but when I finally got home around 1am, I decided to take one advil first to see how I felt. Then, as I started dozing off, I realized that my pain was pretty bad and I didn't want to be woken up continually through the night from the pain and discomfort. I took an Imitrex and sleep soundly.
Again this morning I don't feel that great, is it still the after effects of the initial chocolate ice cream? I don't know but I intend to continue to do my experimenting this entire week before kicking it out or adding it to my diet.
Oh chocolate gods, please agree to work with me and not against. Chocolate, I want you in my life forever. I will always love you.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Aftermath
It's the next morning and I woke up fine, but now I am feeling a little different, perhaps an 'aura' is coming on. I need to wait a little while longer to see if it requires an Imitrex. I'll eat something and work out and see how I feel.
On another note, I neglected to take a lactaid pill with the ice cream last night and needless to say, I experienced some effects of lactose intolerance... and by 'some' I mean a lot. I'm still paying this morning. Next time, I won't forget. And, there will be a next time, on Sunday I'll try another chocolate ice cream made with soy or coconut milk, I forget which one.
On another note, I neglected to take a lactaid pill with the ice cream last night and needless to say, I experienced some effects of lactose intolerance... and by 'some' I mean a lot. I'm still paying this morning. Next time, I won't forget. And, there will be a next time, on Sunday I'll try another chocolate ice cream made with soy or coconut milk, I forget which one.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Chocolate!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
My diet/plan
So, almost two weeks ago, I cut out many foods from my diet. I followed the list found here, http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/triggers-29502-5.html, this is the mother load list. It has been pretty easy for me thus far, I drink 2% milk with cereal in the morning, (I have a whole foods down the street from me so it's conveniently located, but not so convenient for my wallet.) An alternative that I like in the morning is bran muffins or scrambled eggs with vegetables such as mushrooms and asparagus (my faves) or sometimes I just have some hard/soft boiled eggs and green tea. I found this great bread 
that does not contain yeast, it's from Pacific Bakery http://pacificbakery.com/faqs/#yeastfree and it is very good. I've been bringing lunch to work each day, a turkey sandwich, some type of vegetable and water. For dinner I make a salad, mixed baby greens, chicken, goat cheese, with a balsamic vinaigrette. Now I know vinegar is on the list but somehow this is working for me.
Here is my plan, each week I will add one item from the list to my diet and see if it triggers a migraine. Friday will be my official two week-versary with no migraines/being on this diet. Since I am starved for the endorphin release and tastey, chocolatey, goodness, I, of course, want my first item to be chocolate. The problem is, I think I already know that chocolate is a trigger, but I just really, really don't want it to be. So, Friday night after work I will get a pint of Chocolate Haagen Daz ice cream and also a pint of some soy chocolate ice cream, (just in case it is the whole milk that is the trigger). I will wait until Sunday to have the soy version because according to the site with the giant food trigger list, you can eat a food item and up to 48 hours later it can still trigger a migraine. I also have some dark chocolate candy that I can experiment with. I highly anticipate that if a migraine will come, it will come Saturday morning as sort of a chocolate hang over.
that does not contain yeast, it's from Pacific Bakery http://pacificbakery.com/faqs/#yeastfree and it is very good. I've been bringing lunch to work each day, a turkey sandwich, some type of vegetable and water. For dinner I make a salad, mixed baby greens, chicken, goat cheese, with a balsamic vinaigrette. Now I know vinegar is on the list but somehow this is working for me.
Here is my plan, each week I will add one item from the list to my diet and see if it triggers a migraine. Friday will be my official two week-versary with no migraines/being on this diet. Since I am starved for the endorphin release and tastey, chocolatey, goodness, I, of course, want my first item to be chocolate. The problem is, I think I already know that chocolate is a trigger, but I just really, really don't want it to be. So, Friday night after work I will get a pint of Chocolate Haagen Daz ice cream and also a pint of some soy chocolate ice cream, (just in case it is the whole milk that is the trigger). I will wait until Sunday to have the soy version because according to the site with the giant food trigger list, you can eat a food item and up to 48 hours later it can still trigger a migraine. I also have some dark chocolate candy that I can experiment with. I highly anticipate that if a migraine will come, it will come Saturday morning as sort of a chocolate hang over.
Monday, September 20, 2010
My migraines and me
I am a migraine sufferer. This is my blog. I am on a journey to try to find healthy alternatives to common medications and medicines for my migraines. I have had migraines as far back as I can remember. I recall being a tiny little girl and crying in my bed because I didn't understand the pain or how to express it to my mother, it's fine, don't fret, I just cried myself to sleep and somehow the pain was gone when I awoke. I was officially diagnosed when I was 14 years old. I tried several different medications over the next years, some didn't work, some worked for a while, and sometimes I didn't have medical insurance so I was without any medication. Those are the times when I just suffer through them while at work or class and would finally get home, lay down, and try to sleep.
When I was about 22 I tried Imitrex, this was a miracle pill for me. It worked every time and without fail. So, as long as I had insurance and didn't suffer from a migraine more than 9 times a month, I was in the clear. A few years later, I did some research online and found a list of food items that may be triggers for migraine sufferers. I hated this list, it had many items I loved on it. Bananas, peanut butter, meats with nitrites and nitrates, pickles, chocolate (I had just discovered my love for dark chocolate), and wine. Now, I was a full time college student living in Phoenix and on my own. Most of these foods provided quick eats on my way out the door and/or tasty snacks when I was busy studying or doing homework. I don't think I took this list very seriously. I stopped eating bananas. I'm pretty sure that was it. No, I take it back, I also started to shop at Whole Paycheck/Foods for some nice lunch meats without nitrites and nitrates. Needless to say, I continued getting migraines and the severe hot summers only aggravated them, those endless blazing months seemed like years.
Cut to the present. After several months of many, many migraines (about 5 a week), I decide to try to do something different about it. I mention it to my doctor but she doesn't say much about it. I look up that list again and follow it for a month, more strictly this time but not much changes. I do more research and find a different list online. The mother of all lists, it was unabashedly comprehensive and unforgiving. It consisted of many food items I live on and love. Some are incredible snacks, some are foods I grew up on and can not imagine living a life without. Things I eat on a daily basis are on this list. This is depressing. I talk, nay, I plead with a co-worker, "What will I do? How can I live like this? What will I eat? Does this mean I die?" All of these questions swirl through my head and through my fingers to the Reuters instant messaging system. He reassures me he will help and we will get through this together, we decide he will become my 'life coach'. He quickly sends me recipes and ideas (following the list guidelines) to eat for an entire week, breakfast through dinner for seven days, if I can survive. I am now well into my second week of being migraine free and I am over the moon ecstatic. It's like a different life, when I think about it, I can not believe that this might work. More than half my life, I have been suffering with these. They are a part of my life. Something that I have learned how to deal with and live with for so long. I am so excited to see if this will actually work for the long haul. I won't put all my eggs in this basket but I feel that if I follow the exact diet I have been for the last two weeks, I can live without migraines.
When I was about 22 I tried Imitrex, this was a miracle pill for me. It worked every time and without fail. So, as long as I had insurance and didn't suffer from a migraine more than 9 times a month, I was in the clear. A few years later, I did some research online and found a list of food items that may be triggers for migraine sufferers. I hated this list, it had many items I loved on it. Bananas, peanut butter, meats with nitrites and nitrates, pickles, chocolate (I had just discovered my love for dark chocolate), and wine. Now, I was a full time college student living in Phoenix and on my own. Most of these foods provided quick eats on my way out the door and/or tasty snacks when I was busy studying or doing homework. I don't think I took this list very seriously. I stopped eating bananas. I'm pretty sure that was it. No, I take it back, I also started to shop at Whole Paycheck/Foods for some nice lunch meats without nitrites and nitrates. Needless to say, I continued getting migraines and the severe hot summers only aggravated them, those endless blazing months seemed like years.
Cut to the present. After several months of many, many migraines (about 5 a week), I decide to try to do something different about it. I mention it to my doctor but she doesn't say much about it. I look up that list again and follow it for a month, more strictly this time but not much changes. I do more research and find a different list online. The mother of all lists, it was unabashedly comprehensive and unforgiving. It consisted of many food items I live on and love. Some are incredible snacks, some are foods I grew up on and can not imagine living a life without. Things I eat on a daily basis are on this list. This is depressing. I talk, nay, I plead with a co-worker, "What will I do? How can I live like this? What will I eat? Does this mean I die?" All of these questions swirl through my head and through my fingers to the Reuters instant messaging system. He reassures me he will help and we will get through this together, we decide he will become my 'life coach'. He quickly sends me recipes and ideas (following the list guidelines) to eat for an entire week, breakfast through dinner for seven days, if I can survive. I am now well into my second week of being migraine free and I am over the moon ecstatic. It's like a different life, when I think about it, I can not believe that this might work. More than half my life, I have been suffering with these. They are a part of my life. Something that I have learned how to deal with and live with for so long. I am so excited to see if this will actually work for the long haul. I won't put all my eggs in this basket but I feel that if I follow the exact diet I have been for the last two weeks, I can live without migraines.
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