On Headaches, Heartaches, and Cures.

Okay, so I just added the ‘heartaches’ to be dramatic. I admit it.

On headaches: I’ve told you you I’m off sugar. I haven’t told you why. And there’s a reason behind this–a very compelling reason for me, which honestly, has added up through the years. But I thought it time to disclose my objective, and my reason. This post started out as a list for me, to keep track of what I was trying, and how it helped-or didn’t. But, as nervous as I am to actually post about all of this, I know there are others out there who have problems like this, just like me. And if this list, my trials, reasoning and everything else, can help you at all, I’d like to do that.

My object: To get rid of my headaches. You see, I get headaches. . . a lot. I get headaches almost every day, and I have for 4+ years, as far as Mum and I can remember. In fact, I can’t remember the last day I haven’t had a headache. I know. Not normal. You don’t have to tell me; I’ve heard it before.

My reasoning: I don’t tell many people about my headaches, simply because they usually start acting differently; asking me whenever they see me if I have a headache (and the answer is always yes, therefore making them more nervous and asking all the more), or, as soon as I tell them, they start trying to explain to me how it isn’t normal. Trust me. I know. But here’s the truth, folks: It’s not your normal, but unfortunately, it is mine. Another thing people do is try to help me–this, I appreciate (or I try to), though usually I’ve also heard it-or tried it-before. The most common ‘cures’, are thus: Go to the doctor (this comes right after ‘that’s not normal’); go to the chiropractor; go off sugar; exercise; go gluten free. Most of the time, the ‘cures’ I either scoff at, or have tried–to no avail (sometimes both), or, sometimes, they make sense and add it to the list. And this is why I usually don’t explain my malady. If I do mention it, I merely say, “Oh, I get a lot of headaches”; I don’t explain exactly how many, or how often.

But I am sick and tired of having headaches, day in, day out, and these last few weeks, rather than putting up with them, ignoring them (I’ve gotten pretty good at both), and trying half-heartedly, or not at all, to figure out why this is my normal, we’ve started a full-out war on them. Here’s what I’ve tried, and am trying, so far:

Sugar-free: I’ve been sugar free for 4 weeks now. No change. We’ve ruled this one out for me. This was my brother’s fix for his migraines, but he knew within a few days-not a few months. But for now, I’m still staying away from, if not totally off, sugar. It’s healthier (sigh), and I’ve gotten (slightly) used to checking everything for sugar, and if it helps me figure out what is my problem, I won’t complain. Much. Typically in my family, if you have a health problem, try going off sugar first off. Chances are, it’ll be the fix. No luck this time, it seems.

Chiro: Yes, I am going to the chiropractor. Bethie started working as a chiropractor’s assistant this summer, and told me I really needed to come in; I did, and I actually like chiro visits now (yeah, I know Eva; you told me, and you’re right). I can’t tell if they help my headaches, but it’s a long-term fix, so even if it isn’t helping yet that might just mean I haven’t been going long enough.

Cardio Plus: The chiropractor put me on some nutritional supplement pills for my heart. I’ve been on them 5 weeks now, out of 12. So far, no change. But he said my heart’s stronger (though still not as strong as it needs to be), so who knows what the last 7 weeks may bring?

Chlorophyll: My sister-in-law told us that in High School she got a lot of headaches, had her blood tested, and was lacking iron. She took Chlorophyll, and that helped her headaches stop. As Mum explained it to me (or rather, as I understood it–two completely different things), I’m basically eating plant food. Yay. I’ve been on my plant food 2-3 times daily for a week, and I’m giving it a couple more weeks before I say this one wasn’t the right ‘cure’ for me.

Tai Chi + Exercise: I’ve been doing Tai Chi and exercising (this workout routine, plus this Tai Chi) every day ever since I got back from my trip (alternating before that), and while it feels good and I know it’s good for me in any case, I haven’t noticed any change in my headaches. I’ll keep doing it even after I figure out my headaches, though. (I really wanted to add ‘if I ever do’ there, but I resisted. I will figure it out, eventually.)

Amber: I have an amber necklace, and I wear it all the time. I can’t tell you if it helps, for I’ve found no indication that it does. But it doesn’t hurt. My cello teacher explained to me how they were supposed to help (though I don’t remember now) when I saw her wearing one, and so I went and got one. It’s pretty beautiful, too. I’ve been wearing it for–2 months? Maybe more. I choose to believe it helps.

Juice Fast: I’ve been drinking homemade juice a lot (lots of veggies, a little fruit), but I haven’t actually done a juice fast, though I’ve considered it. If the Chlorophyll doesn’t work (we’re assuming right now that the Chlorophyll will be the fix), then this will probably be my next step.

Doctor: Last resort. Whenever I think about going to the doctor, ‘The Point of No Return’ starts playing in my head. Weird. Anyway, if nothing on the list above works, we’ll go to the doctor. But the Doc is my complete, final, last resort. The experiences we’re had with doctors in our area tend to be all about finding ‘the right drug’ for you; not so much the cause. We want to figure out what’s the matter with me and eliminate it–not just treat the pain, as wonderful as treating the pain sounds. And in order to eliminate whatever it is that is causing these headaches every day, before we’re going to the Doc, I’ve been trying the things above–especially ones I know there’s a history of problems with in my family, like sugar, and adding things, like Tai Chi–and that way, when and if I do go to the doctor, I can tell him I’ve tried this, that, and so on. I’m just praying I’ll figure out what’s wrong with me before I need to have the Doc tell me.

All in all, I don’t like these headaches, but I can thank them for one thing: they’ve forced me live a more healthy lifestyle. Now I exercise and do Tai Chi every day, go to the chiropractor, eat much less sugar, am aware of the sugar in everything (seriously. It’s crazy), and because of the Chlorophyll, I tend to brush my teeth 3-4 times a day, so that they won’t turn green. As little as I like the reason behind all these changes, they are changes for the better. I feel stronger and healthier, and this has made me face some new challenges (see: being sugar-free; et al.) and now, if we could just actually find the cause of these headaches, that might be nice too.

So there you go. The story behind my being off sugar and. . . everything else! Now, it’s alright; I’ve told you the whole story. Go ahead and say it: “It’s not normal”. Have any other suggestions for me? Send ’em my way. I’m happy to entertain a few more crazy ideas, as if mine aren’t crazy enough!

Or have you suffered from something similar? Do you know how ‘normal’ isn’t always what it seems like it should be? Shoot me a note! I’d love to hear of your experiences, or what’s worked best for you.