***Trigger warning! Talk of suicidal thoughts. ***
When I was only 4 years old I was diagnosed with chronic migraines.
They are very heriditary on my father’s side of the family.
I remember being just a young kid and begging my mom to use and ax to split my head open because the pain was so bad. The aura light would blind me, the nausea would make me so sick at times.
My sister would pick on me for “always being sick”. I HATED it. I HATED missing out on school, on friends, and fun, all because I would have a migraine.
I would sometimes get SO excited for Santa on Christmas Eve that I would end up giving myself a migraine and missing out on the whole next day.
Migraines are the worst.
Over the years we would figure out what would cause them. Caffeine is a BIG NO and I haven’t drank any since I was 12. If I do, I’ll be throwing up within an hour.
Wine, another big NO.
PMS was never helpful.
The weather even factored in. My mom used to say she could tell if we were going to get a big storm by my migraines. It was true and still is.
I also saw a lot of different Neurologists throughout the years. Some were very nice, some not. One guy I refused to ever go to again because all he did while he talked AT me was look at my chest! (Yeah, I was larger than average by the time I was an adult, but still, the pig!)
No matter who the Doctor was, all they did was try a new medication. Imitrex, Maxalt, blaa blaa blaa…… They would work for so long then stop.
When I was 19 my headaches started getting worse. Besides the migraines I was having headaches daily. I was desperate and taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen like it was Tic-tac’s every day. (Not knowing that would actually cause rebound headaches, just making things worse.)
My new Neurologist was very nice. She explained that taking those over-the-counter meds would cause more harm than help. She was the 1st Dr. to suggest doing an MRI to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on.
So on my 20th birthday I had an MRI done. She was great about going over it with me and it all looked great. A healthy brain. yay! She also prescribed me Nortriptyline. Taken every night as a preventative.
I won’t lie; this did help. Within 3 days I was down from constant daily headaches to 1 or 2 a day. It just improved from there.
I still would get migraines with my period, or big weather changes, or lack of sleep, etc. Still, a huge improvement!
Life goes on and when Paul and I decided to start a family, I had to wean myself off of my migraine prevention. After I had my 1st baby, Garrett, my migraines were SO much better! Almost gone! No more medications needed! YAY!
When my 2nd born, Janina, was around 4 years old, my migraines started returning. I knew it was too good to last! I was stubborn now and refused to go back on prescription medications.
Then a friend of the family stopped in with a gift. She gave me a sample bottle of DoTerra Peppermint essential oil. She showed me how to use it. Rubbing two drops in the palms of my hands, then inhailing deeply with my hands cupped over my nose and mouth.
This worked! I was now officially introduced to the world of essential oils and I loved it!
I managed to keep my migraines completely under control with just Peppermint and Frankincense essential oil. For years!
Once I experienced my Traumatic Brain Injury though, my migraines became out of control. Essential Oils were not helping. Nothing was. Besides the constant head pain and nausea, the migraines, and the rest of the PCS symptoms I was experiencing, I became so depressed it soon seemed to me that death would be the only way to escape this unimaginable pain.
Paul doesn’t even know how often this came up in my head. That poor guy was stressed to the max trying what he could to take care of me.
I thought of death often. I won’t lie. I pictured it, I dreamt of it. There were days I just fantasied about it, just being free. I would call my Neurologists office in tears. I would call the suicide helpline several times also along the way. Very sad to say that when I did try and reach out for help, there was none to be had. At least, none that we could afford. I was told by Bellin that the psych center won’t let me make an appointment for help unless I FAIL several medications first.
So, I was referred to the county which I did ask them for someone to talk to for help. I filled out all the paperwork they needed and was told someone could contact me within the next three months. Apparently, they’re overbooked because they never called.
Imagine being so depressed, thinking your family would be better off not having to take care of your sorry ass, that life would be easier for them. Then actually trying to find someone professional to talk to for help because of these suicidal thoughts and feelings, then being turned away or ignored!
People wonder why suicide rates are so high! Gee I wonder!
(Defiantly not my proudest moments, but I’m being real people.)
My neurologist retired and the new N.P. who took over was very nice, but I have to be honest. I didn’t feel heard. I’m pretty sure she didn’t even read my chart before seeing me because she didn’t even know I had multiple Concussions! After almost a year of her giving my new medications, talking me into going onto Botox, then on Qulipta to try and help my migraines. I asked her about actually FIXING the problem from my PCS and she looked at me confused and said, “Oh,, did we ever talk about you having a concussion? I guess I didn’t know that.”
She was treating me for just migraines this whole time! I left there more than furious, and cried my whole drive home.
But, all of this didn’t make my depression worse. Well maybe it did, but mostly, it pissed me off. I am still so pissed at this fucked up system! This was the moment I felt that I needed to save myself because Doctors just are not helping.
NO ONE ELSE WAS GOING TO HELP ME.
THIS is when I began desperately searching for others like me. Other Post Concussion Syndrome patients. Support groups. Somewhere where I could actually meet people in person, talk, and see what others do for help. What I found, sucked. There were three support groups held close enough for me to drive to. When I called each of them. They all had shut down because of Covid and never reopened. I even tried to start one up myself, with no luck.
Then…. Then I finally found the Post Concussion Support group on Facebook. Granted it’s not in person, but it’s something! Made up of 14,000+ members from all over the world! All ready to share what works, or didn’t work, for them. This group, is where my tables turn.
I am NOT lying when I tell you that I learned more information in just 3 or 4 months of being in this group compared to 4 years of care through my Neurologists office.
Which is also where I learned that even just one green salad a day can help prevent migraines.
My issue is, yes, I love salads, but, keeping fresh greens fresh and available DAILY is a challenge for me. Especially with my memory becoming worse and worse.
I needed to look into this more and find a solution that would fit me best.
Which is when I found,,,, COUNTRY FARMS SUPER GREENS.
These “Super Greens” are made by the Country Farms company in New Jersey. They are USDA Organic and contain 50 different super foods. Fruits, Vegetables, Super Greens, Mushrooms & Probiotics. (I also learned how great Chaga and Lions Main mushrooms are for a person too! This has both along with 8 other varities!)
Just one scoop each day. Which I mix into a smoothy for my breakfast. Simple, Fast, Delicious.
I made the commitment to this daily change, after 4 months my migraines were reduced enough that I felt confident enough to stop the Qulipta and the Botox! I was SO thankful for this because as soon as they started me on Qulipta I was told I then HAD to have my liver checked on a regular basis because liver damage was common while on it! (Which after just 4 months on the Qulipta I had high Liver numbers showing that this drug was already damaging my liver! grrrr) I QUIT!
I quit the Prescriptions of Botox and Qulipta and my migraines still stayed in better control. JUST by this Super Greens added to my daily diet!
I am in no way saying they cured me. I do still get migraines; I still have PCS/TBI. I’m far from cured and most likely never will be after this long. But this was a big step in the right direction for me to stay off of prescription drugs that did me more harm than good.
I call that a win.
I’ll forever be thankful to this company!
Paul even started taking them daily. He prefers their chocolate flavor; I prefer the natural.
I am also going to share a link to them on Amazon. Where I usually end up ordering them. They are a fantastic low price which also makes it so much easier for me to keep up taking it daily. Plus, they often go on sale (Which is when I stock up) and today they are on sale for over $5.00 off!
If you or anyone you know suffer from migraines. Please, tell them to try this. It’s a great supplement and it can’t hurt to at least give it a try for a few months to see.
Next time I’ll tell you how I managed to get off of the daily migraine preventative medication, Nortriptyline.
Take care of yourselves.
*Hugs*
Grab a tea or coffee and tell us what you think.