Since I was in high school, I started having terrible headaches. In the beginning, I’m sure my mother thought I was feigning my headaches to get out of doing housework. When they first started, the headaches would pretty much cripple me. There was nothing I could do except lay in a dark room with a bag of ice on my head and pray the pain would stop soon. I remember my mother coming into my room one day and found me laying silently crying into my pillow. That started the parade of doctors into my life. As a child I was never given a clear diagnosis. One doctor said maybe you need glasses. I did and I got glasses, but the headaches didn’t stop. The next doctor suggested I had sinus problems. I did and I got medication for it, but the headaches didn’t stop. The next doctor couldn’t even guess at it and suggested I have an MRI. My early nineties insurance wouldn’t pay for it and I was afraid of what they would find.
Over the years, I learned to live through the pain. In college, I learned to function through it all. I still went to class. I still went to parties. I still went to my work study job on campus. I even went to football games, all while functioning through my headaches.
As an adult, I sought out the help of an allergy doctor. I found out I’m allergic to a litany of things, but it still didn’t help with the headaches. When I told the allergy doctor I thought I was developing a food allergy, he responded negatively. So I found another doctor. She was great. She started off her session in prayer and asked God to guide her in helping to find the problems that were affecting my life. She never she could fully resolve my problems but she did help me to realize that I couldn’t live my life with restrictions. I would always have environmental factors that would cause me to sneeze and wheeze and whatnot, but I couldn’t let that keep me from living.
It wasn’t until I was traveling and needed to see a new allergy doctor that I was led down a different path. After describing my issues to the allergist, she asked me, “Have you ever seen a Neurologist?”. Of course I hadn’t. I hadn’t thought my issue was serious enough for that. I was living through my pain for so long that it not occurred to me to seek a higher level specialist. The allergist suggested I may have food-induced migraines.
I took her recommendation and sought out the care of a neurologist and today I can say that I am a migraine sufferer. I am still learning what foods cause me the problems, but that my friends is another post for another day.
Take care and eat well.
