Busyness, Heat and Migraines...Oh, My!

Hello, my dear readers!

I know I haven't posted in over a week, and I apologize.  It has been very busy in my neck of the woods lately, and it is going to continue to be so through July.  I will still try to get my weekly post in, but forgive me if they are more like every week and a half. :)

Not only have things been crazy busy, but I have been dealing with some debilitating migraines recently.  I have had them in the past, but not like this.  Pain meds (I have either taken Advil, Excedrin Migraine or Meloxicam, normally with some coffee) have always worked if I took them within a half hour of the onset of the migraines...but not with the last 2 that I have had...that were only 3 days apart.

As I believe I have mentioned before, I have been keeping a food diary to see if I could pin down food triggers that have been aggravating my Fibromyalgia (extra pain, IBS symptoms, etc.), and in that I have recorded any headaches, etc.  The food diary has cemented that I do indeed have trouble with soy and processed foods, possibly gluten in excess (though that is not 100%), and that I have problems with too much grease/greasy foods or too much sugar/sugary foods...and it has also shown me that my headaches are becoming worse.

Let's backtrack a little.  Years ago, I got migraines often.  After I started on Levothyroxine for my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, the migraines improved to the point that I basically never got them more than once every few months, and only if I didn't eat right or if the weather was acting up, if I was sick, etc.

Since June 3, 2013, I have had 11 headaches, 6 of which were bad enough to take something for (I normally don't take anything unless they are headed towards migraine status, because generally coffee works for the mild ones).  Seven of the 11 headaches have been within the last 2 weeks...and 2 of those did not go away for several hours, though I took Meloxicam and had some coffee - a winning combo normally.  I am still feeling the effects of the last one that I had on Saturday, though there is no pain...Also a new thing for me.

I am also dealing with migraine aura at a level I never had before (and today's stormy weather which always gets to me is not helping, though I have avoided the headache pain today so far - YAY! :) ), including numbness near where the migraine was, "stupid hands" as I call it (where my hands don't want to grasp or function right, especially my right hand), blurred vision/blind-type spots (my eye feels like it is 1/2 closed when it is not) in my left eye (the last 2 migraines were just about my left eye about eyebrow level, near my nose), among other things.  It has been a bit concerning, but nothing that is not part of a typical migraine, though new to me.

Since the worst of the migraines came on after being outside in the heat for over an hour, I am thinking that this may be a new Fibromyalgia thing brought on by extreme heat, since a lot of the Fibromyalgia sufferers I know face migraines and extreme heat or cold can be a trigger.  Needless to say, I am not thrilled if this is the case.  Easy enough fix, just a disappointment. 

At any rate, I am hoping you will all pray with me about these things:

1. That I will know if and when to talk to the doctor about these headaches.  I don't want to panic, but I don't want to be neglectful of my health either.  I have told my hubby that if I have one more migraine, especially if it is within the next few days, or if this aura stuff doesn't let up soon, I am going to at least call the doctor, if not make an appointment.  Don't worry; if anything seems at all emergency, I will go to the ER if I must.  It is not there yet, and I'm praying it doesn't get there!
      
2. That I will have peace.  Freaking out and worrying are a bad combo for someone with Fibromyalgia and they just complicate things in general.  I know God is here, that He knows all about this, but it is so easy to forget when you're suffering.  Pray that I can rest in His peace.
       
3. If/when I do go in, that any tests will either be covered by slide fees or insurance or that we'll be able to afford them or be able to make payments, and that the doctor will know which tests (if any) to run and not run.  We are not wealthy people and doctor's bills and testing costs can get crazy quick.  We'll get the tests done that need to be done, but we'd really like to only pay for the necessary tests, if you know what I mean.  I'd really, also, rather not have 100 different tests done only to find out that 99 of them were unnecessary. :)  I think you know what I mean.
      
4. Please pray that if I am prescribed any medications that I can take them without issue, that we can avoid a narcotic-based pain med and that it will work.  I have a really hard time with strong medications.  They normally do more harm than good or make things worse.  Please pray that we can find one that works, if we need to go that route.
     
5. Please pray that the doctor will find the root cause so that we don't have to do a "band aid fix".  As I said, I'm ok with medication...If it's needed.  If we can figure out the cause of these migraines, we may be able to stop them.  If it is that they are indeed Fibromyalgia-related or in some way unavoidable at times (i.e. heat-triggered, weather-triggered, menstrual cycle triggered), then I'll take the medications that I need to take when I cannot avoid the stimuli that cause them.

Thank you!  Knowing that your thinking about and praying for me means so much!

How about you, dear reader?

Is there something you need prayer for?

Feel free to leave me a comment below or email me at any time.  My email is always open, and I'd love to be your prayer partner!

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)