Mine are Depression and Migraines
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I'd like to know what your CHALLENGES in life are. As I was completely melting down last night (it took TWO Xanax to calm me down) I actually said out loud to my husband, "I think God has completely overestimated my ability to handle my life," obviously referring to the belief that He will never give us more than we can handle. What caused the meltdown? I have a history of travel anxiety, but it's not what you're thinking. I do okay when I'm the one traveling- no fear of flying, driving, etc. But I tend to freak out when my loved ones travel without me. When my parents started jet-setting to exotic places like Africa, China and Russia I'd lose my marbles about two days before they left and come back to reality when they came home. I never really knew exactly why I had this anxiety—I'm sure it was based in fear I would never see them again. Then a few years ago my dad died and my worst fear was realized- losing a family member. Since then I've been fine every time my mom travels. I thought I was done with that neurosis, but then Brayden left town on a road trip with a few friends and one of their dads. That's what started last night's tailspin. Lord, thank You for Xanax. I firmly believe that sometimes the answer to our prayers comes in the form of pharmaceuticals. When the chemicals are wonky sometimes only other chemicals will fix it. Don't get me wrong—I'm not advocating the daily/hourly use of pills to get through life. Only when they're called for, like last night.
So there's one of my challenges- dealing with depression and anxiety. I usually have that one under control. Migraines are my other challenge as most of my friends know. I've prayed a lot to be relieved of them and I've come to the conclusion that I have to work this one out myself, or with doctors at least. There's got to be a lesson in them somewhere, but at this point in my life I'm not sure what it is. Some days I think I have them so I'll appreciate the days I'm headache-free. Or maybe it's to keep me out of trouble—it's more difficult to do evil when you can't move your head, right? If you know someone who suffers from Migraines here are a few things I've learned from them:
1) As soon as you feel it coming on TAKE YOUR MEDICINE. Don't wait until you're blinded and ready to chop off your head.
2)Not all neurologists know about migraines. Find a headache specialist or pain clinic.
3)Many migraines are triggered by hormones. Women: Look into bio-identical progesterone. NOT the kind found in birth control.
4)Magnesium helps, but can give you diarrhea. But it has to be a chelate. Try Magnesium aspartate, gluconate, glycinate, stearate or citrate.
5)Pain medications can actually GIVE you a headache if you take it too often. It's called 'drug rebound.' So be sure you don't take a particular type of pain drug more than three times a week. Mix it up with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.
6)There are many different and new migraine drugs, so if you've tried Imitrex and it didn't work for you, try another migraine drug. One of them might work. But you'll need a headache specialist, so find one!
7)There are now prevention medications that work pretty well. Topamax worked great for me for about a year. It also has a weight loss side effect, which was no problem for me.
8)If all else fails, try botox injections. It only worked for a few weeks for me, but it works really well for a lot of people.
I hope this might help someone!
So there's one of my challenges- dealing with depression and anxiety. I usually have that one under control. Migraines are my other challenge as most of my friends know. I've prayed a lot to be relieved of them and I've come to the conclusion that I have to work this one out myself, or with doctors at least. There's got to be a lesson in them somewhere, but at this point in my life I'm not sure what it is. Some days I think I have them so I'll appreciate the days I'm headache-free. Or maybe it's to keep me out of trouble—it's more difficult to do evil when you can't move your head, right? If you know someone who suffers from Migraines here are a few things I've learned from them:
1) As soon as you feel it coming on TAKE YOUR MEDICINE. Don't wait until you're blinded and ready to chop off your head.
2)Not all neurologists know about migraines. Find a headache specialist or pain clinic.
3)Many migraines are triggered by hormones. Women: Look into bio-identical progesterone. NOT the kind found in birth control.
4)Magnesium helps, but can give you diarrhea. But it has to be a chelate. Try Magnesium aspartate, gluconate, glycinate, stearate or citrate.
5)Pain medications can actually GIVE you a headache if you take it too often. It's called 'drug rebound.' So be sure you don't take a particular type of pain drug more than three times a week. Mix it up with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.
6)There are many different and new migraine drugs, so if you've tried Imitrex and it didn't work for you, try another migraine drug. One of them might work. But you'll need a headache specialist, so find one!
7)There are now prevention medications that work pretty well. Topamax worked great for me for about a year. It also has a weight loss side effect, which was no problem for me.
8)If all else fails, try botox injections. It only worked for a few weeks for me, but it works really well for a lot of people.
I hope this might help someone!
1 comments:
I always get anxious when Eric leaves. I really struggle being without him, luckily he is not one of those guys who travels for business or I would probably need some of your pills.
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