Finally Free

After 15 months of nearly daily migraines, I am free of nearly all headaches. I had lived in the nightmare for so long that I hardly could hope it would ever end. It ended suddenly and I'm not certain why. I have had migraines occasionally since I was a teen, more often during the most stressful periods of my life. My most certain trigger is heat. Summer is just plain scary. If I get too warm, I am sure to have one. I carry a spray bottle with me everywhere. They became daily when I was forced to endure a horrible, 10 hour car ride, through the desert, without air conditioning. The headache was blasting full on while I had to drive. Once I got there I was able to cool off, but the headache just never stopped. First I counted days, then weeks, then months. I tried almost everything I could, having no insurance and little money, my options were limited. Now I have medical and have RX but it didn't seem to make much difference for awhile. Sometimes stopping them, but they always came right back. I think now it does, but the need rarely comes up. I keep filling the RX and hoarding them, in case I ever go back into that hell. I was very lucky that all my employers were kind and supportive. I had no choice but to keep working through them financially. So....it is possible that the Ketogenic diet could be what broke the cycle, but I am not on it now and they haven't returned. It has been 2 months, not long, but I am grateful every day. I had not had a headache for 2 days prior to going on the diet, so it is possible that they had already stopped, out of the blue before the diet. It could be there was a food I didn't eat while on the diet that was a trigger, since I have never done an elimination diet, I don't know. I was only on it a few weeks when I had an injury and couldn't function in the kitchen. I haven't returned to it and my headaches haven't returned, so the evidence is spotty. I would recommend trying it if you have done everything else. This website has been a life saver. I have literally been suicidal from this. Hearing that other people lived with it was a huge surprise to me and hearing all the other people and different things to try kept me hopeful. I live in fear that mine could return at any time, of course. This time of pain has changed me as a person. I had to give up activities that were a big part of my identity. I had to think differently about who I am and what is worth my time. Time without headaches is more precious. Good luck to us all. Stephanie