Migraines
25 May 2011
I haven't had a migraine since I don't know when. When I was in middle school and high school I used to get them frequently. Debilitating. It starts with impaired vision. Like blurry, shiny, sparkling lights. Next comes the headache. So painful I don't want to move. Next comes a stomach ache that persists for about a day and causes vomiting. Then I'm dehydrated and tired for about a day or two. Usually the impaired vision is gone before the stomach ache starts.
Sounds fun, right? If you get migraines, you know what I'm talking about. I asked a doctor about it once, and he told me I was lucky to get the impaired vision because it was a sign that a migraine was coming. Not everyone gets this information of things to come.
But I haven't had one in a really long time. The last time I can remember getting one is over five years ago when I was working landscaping with Jonathan. We went to a job and I had to sit in the truck for about half an hour while I waited for the impaired vision to go away. Sometimes if I close my eyes during the impaired vision part it won't continue to the other stages. It didn't continue that time.
In high school I would sometimes drink a Coca-Cola to make it go away. I'm not sure why that worked, but it did. No other soft drink would do it, so I don't think it was the caffeine. Unless maybe Coca-Cola has a different type of caffeine. The best remedy is to take a nap. Or at least to lie down and close my eyes, since sometimes I'm not tired when it starts.
Yesterday morning, I got the impaired vision. Sometimes I can look beyond the blurry, flashing lights and even forget that they're there. It works best in a dark room. So for the last twenty-four hours I've been seeing the lights, and then ignoring them, and then seeing them again. I took a nap yesterday, which didn't help. And I slept for nine hours last night, but the lights are still there. I don't remember them ever lasting more than a day.
So of course, I'm wondering if my vegan diet has left me deficient in some vitamin or mineral that would have prevented this. I'm thinking Vitamin B12, because I know that has to do with brain stuff and the nervous system. I also know that I haven't been doing a good job of taking the pill as frequently as I should.
So I took a pill today. The pill I take contains eight times the B12 RDA, so I've been taking it every two or three days. I think I'll start taking it every day for a little while and see what that does for me.
Does anyone else have any ideas? How do you deal with migraines? Do you think it's the B12?
I think I'll go back to bed. If you see any typos in the post, remember that I can't see very well right now. I probably shouldn't be looking at a computer screen at all.
