I wonder if the list has any order?!
So another of the main perimenopause symptoms that I get are headaches. I think that I know when I get them and then my body does a u-turn and changes it . . . what is that all about?! I log when I get them on my WomanLog app.
Unfortunately they regularly turn into migraines and as a result I am unable to go to work. At one time I thought that I was losing a day a month but the reality is more likely one day in every three months; still not good.
I like this picture as it really does sum up a migraine; for those that get them, no-one gets migraines the same as others. Well that's my experience!
I have to catch mine early by taking ibuprofen and a paracetamol, aspirin and caffeine tablet, together! If I do then I can almost definitely make it into work but I have been known to not last the day. If I don't, well that's a different story!
When I went to the doctor in April, with my list of symptoms, my migraines were at the top of the list. I have been known to have headaches for three to four consecutive days; the worst recently being a five day stretch.
The doctor gave me a prescription for some 'magic' pills; I only get six per prescription so I use them sparingly. So sparingly, in fact, that the first time I should have taken one I was 'frightened' to do so! I have no rational explanation for why I didn't take a pill prescribed by the doctor but let's just say I was worried by what effect it might have on me. Stupid eh?!
I should take one pill the moment I feel the migraine coming on; I get eye ache, that's when I know that I am getting a migraine. I can then take another two hours later. Having got over the initial worry I gave in and can confirm that, for me, they work! What usually happens is that I take the first one and then sleep. I wake up just around the two hour mark and the take the next one and, usually, sleep again! Sleeping works; the problem with 'normal' pain relief is that I really struggle to get to sleep. The only problem that I have been aware of with these pills is that after the sleep I generally feel 'great' for a couple of hours, think that I am a superwoman and do things I shouldn't, then I 'crash'! I possibly need to learn!
The 'magic' pills haven't always worked, in fact I had the worst migraine that I've had in about nine months approximately six weeks ago. If I take both of the 'magic' pills I am not allowed to take any more of them for twenty-four hours. I have not taken any of my 'normal' pills when I have used the 'magic' ones but with this migraine I had to as nothing else was working. I will say that the 'edge' had been taken off by the doctor's pills but taking my regular ones helped finally get rid of it.
I would say that I have questioned why it was so bad on that particular day and I have come to the conclusion that it may have something to do with what I'd eaten that week. If you haven't read my post, Routines . . ., then please do! I have to say that I had fresh bread and cheese three days before and on the day before I got the migraine! After a discussion with my mum, she said that my dad had very bad migraines in his forties and that he had cut cheese out of his diet almost completely and that the migraines had effectively disappeared (maybe dad was going through some perimenopausal symptoms to be in tune with mum?!).
I am trying to manage my symptoms naturally and food is on my list of things to look at. When my birds have flown the nest and I have all this time on my hands (!) I am going to sit and read two cookbooks that I have bought; Eat.Nourish.Glow. by Amelia Freer and Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward. Both of these advocate going sugar and gluten free. I am going to read them, decide if it's something that I can and want to do and go from there. I'll keep you posted on that one!
