It has been over a year since I have written an entry on this blog. I do have a couple of other outlets for my writing, which has kept me quite busy, and this last year has been filled with a myriad of strange surprises that have been difficult enough to keep up with. Amidst all of the craziness, my migraines have been my constant companion, though most of the year I have kept them relatively at bay - only a few a month, not too terribly severe, usually controllable with Imitrex - injections or oral tablets - in addition to my daily preventative (Topamax), of course.
Those who do not suffer from migraine or headaches usually look at me strangely when I tell them that "a few migraines a month is a good thing", but when chronic daily headaches is the alternative, I'll take those few and be "happy" about it.
I have always kept this blog in the back of my mind, but these last couple of months it has pushed its way back to the forefront just as my migraines have done the same. My migraines have started to run their cycle again, and yes, I do mean cycle. I believe that most everything in this life is cyclical and as my migraines regain strength in severity and frequency, I begin looking for a pattern.
My mother suffered from migraines all through my youth. I remember many days, coming home from school as a child only to find my mom curled up under a blanket in a dark room with one of her headaches. Being a headache-prone child myself, I would know to tip-toe through the house and make as little noise as possible. There were three of us kids and my sister and I were both recipients of my mother's migraines, my brother was spared and never had a single headache until he reached adulthood. I know... wow, huh?
As my mother aged, her headaches have virtually disappeared. Menopause perhaps? I am now in my late 40s and as I have entered the world of peri-menopause/menopause myself, I have seen a marked difference in my migraines so I can't help but think that to be the case.
Of course, here is the cyclical part that I was talking about. In adolescence, our hormones fluctuate wildly, just as they do during various times during our child-bearing years. As migrainers, we know that our migraines can be at their worst, or even their best, during these times. During menopause, our hormones are doing some pretty heavy-duty shifting as well. If there is a connection between hormones and migraines, doesn't it stand to reason that we can expect a change, during this time as well? And not necessarily just for the better? Is there really light at the end of the tunnel or in light of the steady stream of recent attacks, I can't help but wonder if I'm headed down a new road of managing triggers even tighter than usual? More on this soon! (I promise...)
A side note on brothers: My brother was two years older and for the most part, he was the typical aggravating older brother - noogies, indian burns, you name it... When he had his first headache, I believe he was in his late 20s. The very next day, he called me - to apologize. When I asked for what, he said for all of those years when I had my headaches and he didn't understand. ;-)
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