My personal story on how I dealt with chronic migraine…
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According to a systematic analysis on disabilities made for the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2020, available on the Lancet, approximately 15% of people worldwide are affected by migraine, and only about 1 to 2.2% suffer from chronic migraine. I’m part of this last demographic. For years, I battled chronic migraines. The symptoms were so painful and debilitating that it greatly hindered my daily activities and took its toll on every aspect of my life, from school to work, to social interactions in general. It started when I was 17 and would last for 17 long painful years until I could live free from it. Here’s my journey through migraine, what I tried, what worked, what didn’t, and how I finally found a way to get rid of this condition. Hope it can help some of you out there who are also, sadly, part of this demographic.
How I first handled chronic migraines, or my life of pharmacotherapy.
When migraine first started, it was mainly localized to the left and came quite regularly. I couldn’t go to school, or if I was already there when a migraine started, I had to leave class to throw up and lie down. I usually took over the counter medications, such as acetaminophene (in the form of Doliprane pills). It worked at first, but soon enough it started to have no effects anymore. I had to switch to a stronger form of medicine: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). I took Tiaprofenic Acid (the drug was called Surgam). I thought it was a life changer, because it worked pretty well at first. But it was a short-lived relief.
After having my wisdom teeth removed, as a doctor suggested the origin of my predicament could well have been lying in my jaws, which was eventually not, I had to switch to some even stronger medicines. By that time, my whole life was impacted: my taste, smell, hearing and sight were impaired some way or another, either by the strong medicines I was taking or by the outbreaks of migraines. I studied, worked, suffered, vomited, kept on working, took more pills, and the cycle seemed everlasting. One migraine was replaced by another one. I knew I had to change something fast.
Treating chronic migraines the traditional and natural ways.
After a few years of suffering, and a few teeth removed for nothing, I switched to a natural way to cope with chronic migraines. I started yoga, but if I felt better generally speaking, it did little for my migraines. As medicine became inefficient, I tried coca-cola. I remembered my mom giving my siblings and I a cold stirred coke when we were feeling sick. Surprisingly, it worked well for a few years, and I dealt with my migraines this way, even though I knew that chugging down sodas was bad for my health. I didn’t like doing that to my body, but the pain was so excruciating that I was willing to do anything to feel better.
When this uncommon method stopped having any positive effect, I tried apples, but for little results. I then went and saw a naturopath, who gave me things, but again, I couldn’t really notice any difference. I might have stopped naturopathy too early for it to really work on me. I don’t know.
Acupuncture and Chinese traditional medicine was next. It changed the usual pattern of the outbreaks. They were shorter, though not less intense. It stopped having any effect after about 6 months, so I ditched that too and tried some natural herbs… By that time, I generally had migraine for 6 days a week, and this pattern remained for a few months before I decided to turn to homeopathy.
What about the triggers?
Of course, I tried to find a specific trigger so I could avoid or at least reduce the frequencies of migraines while changing my habits. I couldn’t. Stress, fatigue, type of foods… I struggled to isolate any or even a combination of some. Migraine struck me regardless of stress, fatigue, or any one trigger in particular. I may well have been sensitive to all of them, for all I know!
Here is a list of the most common triggers, all of which I tried to monitor in my journey through migraines:
- Stress
- Food (caffeine, alcohol, phenylalanine…)
- Sensory stimulus (smell, bright lights…)
- Exercice
- Fatigue, lack of sleep, jet lags
- Hormones
- Weather conditions
- Medication overuse
If you seek more informations about triggers, turn to the Association of Migraine Disorders.
Discovering homeopathy to treat chronic migraines.
I was always sceptical about homeopathy. People used to tell me to try it out, even back when I was only a teenager. But to me, homeopathy was but tiny bits of sugar in a fancy looking tube, and nothing more. Certainly not a trustworthy medicine. At least, this is what I was led to believe.
Well, after 16 years of struggle, I decided to give it a go anyway. After all, nothing really worked anymore. I went to see a certified homeopath. My first visit cost me 125 dollars. The remedies were included. I then had two follow up appointments for 75 dollars each, remedies still included. I then consulted him once every 2 or 3 months. I was amazed at how thorough the treatments could be. I could get rid of other lingering health problems too.
The whole process took about a year, during which I only took medicine maybe 10 times. I had to take homeopathy one or two times, then wait a few weeks to monitor the changes and how my whole body responded to it. Then another remedy and wait another few weeks, and so on. So the treatment in itself was light, and it certainly was a relief after having taken so much pills in the past.
The best part? I could continue sessions on the phone, 5 for 75 dollars. And it really worked. At long last I could kiss chronic migraines goodby for good!
Today, I’m still free of migraine outbreaks… 17 years and counting, and it was all thanks to homeopathy. It worked for me, and I believe it’s definitely worth a try. My only regret is not giving it a shot earlier!
Again, this post is not meant to promote a treatment over another, it is merely an overview of my personal struggle with chronic migraines. If homeopathy worked for me, it might not work for you. In any case, you should always seek the advice of accredited homeopaths, physicists and doctors depending on what treatments you are trying.
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