From Migraine Sufferer to Migraine Free

I don’t remember my first one or how old I was, but I experienced so many of them from early teenage years through to high school. By college years, I had them “under control.” That basically means they had put me on enough meds that my body was coping. I thought I had them beat. I was WRONG!

Skip forward to August 2016. I was a newlywed wife and seemingly healthy until that fateful day. I had felt really tired for a couple days, but didn’t think much of it. I took a nap and remember waking up from it KNOWING that a migraine was starting. Things went downhill fast! I called my husband, Jared, who was on his way home from work 45 minutes away. I knew I needed help before then. I called my mom who grabbed my sister and come to get me. They literally had to help me walk to the van. My head was twitching and I couldn’t control it, my vision seemed like a tunnel and was so wonky I can’t explain it, nausea also hit hard along the way. Jared met up with us in a room at urgent care. The doctor there suggested that I take an ambulance to the ER. At the ER they shot me up with 4 different drugs, I couldn’t tell you what, but one made my mouth taste like metal! My body would calm and the migrain subside, but as soon as I could start to rest, the whole body tremors would kick in again. I remember the doctor telling my family that he didn’t know why that was still happening and didn’t know what to do. After 6 hours in medical facilities, I was went home with a prescription and told to rest. 

It took me days to recover my energy to any normal type level. My body temperature would drop randomly, I’d get dizzy so easily and randomly, my arms would randomly twitch or be shaky, my vision was so messed up that I couldn’t read or play piano for about a year. I experienced muscle pain all the time; I remember crying into a sink of soapy water because it literally hurt to do the dishes. Cooking meals or cleaning the house was a challenge and I hated it! I felt so low and like I was letting my new husband down in a terrible way since he would come home and have to help me or follow my directions to make dinner.

End of February 2017, I went to see chiropractor, Dr. Brain DeShields in Greenville, SC. (If you are near there, go see him!) His approach is much more gentle and targeted than typical chiropractic. It focuses on the atlas, which is the bone right at the top of the neck and base of the skull. Making sure that is aligned will help the entire body by opening up the communication pathways it needs to function. My life changed!

June 2017 we started learning about healthy and sustainable food habits. It was with the goal of Jared losing some weight, but it began to help my body as well. We cut out added sugars and stopped using it in foods we make at home. Don’t worry, we’ve found a yummy substitute! We don’t eat sad, I promise. We’ve also learned a ton since then, but that’s another story for another day.

July 2017 I went in to urgent care because I had a cold I couldn’t kick. (I’ve since learned how to support myself when that happens.) When the female doctor came in we got chatting about how I was feeling. I was still having all the whacky issues that I assumed were side effects from the massive migraine. She looked at me and asked, “Has anyone mentioned that it could be related to your birth control?” Nope! And that, my friend, was the problem. It had screwed up my hormonal balance causing the migraines to reappear and escalate. I had just come off my birth control a week or two prior to this visit because Jared and I wanted to start a family. Our fertility journey is an entirely different story that you can read here.

December 2017 we dipped our toe into the natural health world by getting a kit of “weird” essential oils. I was hesitant (picking up on the fact that I don’t like change?) to spend the money and take the risk. I was tired of things not working for me. This was different. This one step launched me into learning so much about nutrition, removing toxins from my home and life, and so much more!

So what about now? Well at the time I’m typing this out, it’s been 5 years and I’ve had 1, yes 1, migraine! The reason I had that one was because I had gone out to coffee with a friend (sugar), and Jared got my my favorite gluten free cookies (sugar) which I kept eating without a whole lot of self control. That experience has made me even more aware of when and how I consume sugar. 

I’ve removed every mainstream cleaner and personal care product from our home. I am aware of the ingredients in our food, I know what nutrients my body needs, I’ve balanced my hormones, my vision is normal again and I get to play piano almost every week in church in some capacity. I’m so thankful!

So what do I use daily?

These are the most specific things but there are tons more! If you want to know more, please reach out.