It has been over six weeks since I quit drinking caffeinated and decaffeinated beverages. I do still eat a little chocolate and get some caffeine that way, but my doctor said that was ok. Thank goodness for a little chocolate! I am happy to report that after six weeks of giving up my favorite coffees and soft drinks, it is getting easier. I am sure that I have gone through the worst part. I have struggled to find an enjoyable warm beverage, but I have recently found a caffeine free tea that is pretty good.
My next appointment with my Migraine specialist is in less than a month. I will receive my third set of Botox injections. I am already looking forward to it. I hope to see more improvement! I can definitely tell that since Botox, my neck and shoulder pain is less frequent and my Migraines are less severe. I actually have days where my Migraine will get better without escalating to the level of being debilitating. That is always a good thing! I still do have pain/discomfort in my head every day. But some days it really is minimal. I’m almost afraid to type that, but it is true. And I want to share my progress.
One thing I am still struggling with is how to track my Migraines. The doctor I am currently seeing does not require me to turn in a Migraine calendar like my previous doctor did. He just has me fill out a questionnaire at the beginning of my visit that comes up with some sort of score that shows him how I am doing compared to the last visit. I just started my list of questions for my next Migraine specialist appointment. First on the list is help in tracking my Migraines so I can better see progress.
Second on this list is to discuss a referral to an oral surgeon who specializes in TMJ. My dentist wrote a referral for me, but quite frankly I just don’t like it. In his referral letter he states, “The patient is a “headache” patient and is managed with medication under the care of a neurologist.” Does anyone else have a problem with that sentence? I didn’t tell my dentist that I have “headaches.” I told him I have chronic Migraines… See the difference there? He also states that he is referring me “for evaluation and treatment, as necessary, for her facial (TMJ?) pain.” He is the one who diagnosed me with TMJ, but now that diagnosis has a question mark. I just don’t get it. I have decided to take this referral letter (along with the x-ray that my dentist made) to my Migraine specialist. I want him to send a referral along with this one. I don’t want to go see another specialist based on a referral that states that I am a “headache” patient. Geez!
I have come to terms with two things about Migraines just recently. One is that “Migraine is a genetic neurological disease.” Two is that stress plays a role in my Migraines. According to Teri Robert, “stress doesn’t actually trigger a Migraine, but it makes us more susceptible to our triggers.” She goes on to explain that it's not the stress itself that triggers Migraines, but "the things we do or don't do during stressful times." Examples are skipping meals, not sleeping well, drinking too much caffeine, and not drinking enough and becoming dehydrated. (Check out the podcast Is Stress a Migraine Trigger?) After hearing many, many people ask me if my Migraines are from stress or better yet did stress “cause” my Migraines, I started to be quite defensive when the subject of stress came up. It seems that most people were implying that I just needed to relax and my Migraines would go away. Well, I now know that is simply not the case. I have come to understand, however, that stress management is a HUGE roll in my Migraine management. I am still coming to terms as to what this really means for me. How do I, on a daily basis, keep my stress level down? I don’t have all the answers. It is a struggle, but I know that I need to work on it and it will be an ongoing process.
