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Finding my Triggers

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 12/29/2009 5:19 PM (GMT -7)
Does anyone have any practical advice about finding triggers. Sites like webmd.com say you should keep a journal recording everything. But if I include everything that they describe as a possible trigger and keep the thing for like 3 months as they recommend, I will have about 3000 pieces of information to sort through. Uh, how's that going to work? Has anyone actually kept a journal and succeeded in getting good information out of it? Or is this one of those bits of advice that people like to give but which don't really work if you try to do it?
Posted 12/29/2009 6:50 PM (GMT -7)
i know a bit about journaling "triggers"...it dose work. I just journal down when a negitvie emotion "tiggers" me to eat let's say...i journial the pain level i feel. Its intresting because it almost like a stop and think technique for me. I am very new here, today i just was lead here by a friend. I hope this is how you respond, but more importantly I hope this helps in some way. Im just a girl learning daily, how to be responsible for myself and my pain. And pay it forward as I go along.
Posted 12/31/2009 3:29 PM (GMT -7)
I have started using mymigrainejournal.com, which is an online site supposed to help you zero in on your migraine triggers. I get an email every day with a link that pulls up a questionnaire that asks me about headaches, wine, chocolate, etc--they offer you to pick from a whole list of questions when you sign up. After you use it for a while, the site does some kind of fancy statistics on the results and provides you reports about triggers--although I have only seen their sample report so far.

There are also some much simpler migraine journal tools here: http://www.migrainesupport.com

Michaele
Posted 1/8/2010 4:58 PM (GMT -7)
Hello, I'm new. I've had migraines since my early thirties. I'm 57 now. I have daily migraines. Currently I'm on Topomax and Maxalt which has cut the migraines down to about 6 to 8 migraines a month. For fifteen years I used alternative therapies until the migraines began occurring daily. Then I gave in and started taking prescription drugs. I can honestly say that I which I was back on alternative therapies due to the unpleasant side effects of the prescription drugs. I have done a great deal of research and have discovered that migraines are a complex disease that literally take over major systems in our body e.g. vascular, nervous, digestion, lymphatic. Food sensitivities play a major role and should be included on the trigger list:
dairy
nuts
wheat
potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams
tomatoes
sugar
corn
eggs
bananas
soy
skipping meals
alcohol, chocolate
Also rainy weather, altitude changes, windy weather--hope this helps lucia luigi
Posted 1/8/2010 5:14 PM (GMT -7)
It's Lucia again. Forgot about addressing how to find triggers. You're right about keeping a journal. That's your best bet as everyone is different. My triggers will not necessarily be your triggers, etc. Besides my food trigger list, here are some of my triggers to keep in mind to see if they affect you:
loud noises and/or music
bright lights esp. flashing
weather and altitude changes
dehydration
too much exercise, too little exercise
arthritis in the neck, jaw (TMJ)
head injuries - concussions, etc.
crying, sudden alarm or prolonged anxiety
scarey movies or really intense movies
emotional conflicts w/people, friends, anger, fear, tension stress is a big one
sex
hormonal imbalance
nightmares
colds, sinus infections
spicey foods

And you'll probably discover some of your own as you journa. Also one or two triggers won't necessarly set one off. Sometimes it takes three or more. Depends on how well I've been doing staying away from my food triggers. Again, hope this helps.

Lucia Luigi
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