Headaches

There are about a million reasons why I love Kaiser and today just added one more. A couple weeks ago my allergist diagnosed me with migraines. I've had these headaches since college and they've always been attributed to my allergies. Recently, it's gotten to the point that I've been taking way too much Excedrin migraine... and my liver isn't going to be thanking me if I continue down that path. I went back in to the allergist to see if there was anything he could do to help my "sinus headaches" (since a lot of the pain is just under my eye, right where my sinuses are). As it turns out, this is a very common misdiagnosis... migraines can actually cause sinus pain and a stuffy nose, much like a sinus headache. However, my allergist informed me, most people with sinus headaches don't get nauseous and have to go lay in bed for eight hours until they are better.

He prescribed me a migraine medicine to take at the onset of the headache and then recommended I take one of Kaiser's migraine classes. I figured it couldn't hurt so I enrolled. The class was taught my a neurologist and a nurse practitioner who covered everything from what migraines are (and the 4 different stages) to what the triggers could potentially be (they vary from person to person). Then the neurologist went around the room and chatted with each one of us about our specific headaches and some steps we could take to prevent them.

Obviously, figuring out my triggers (and avoiding them) is a big prevention step. The other part that really intrigued me is acupuncture and something they call "biofeedback". That's basically relaxing and pain management strategies. I can definitely use some help in the stress management department, so I'm really excited to see what techniques they have to offer!

The other thing that made this class so great was that everything was done with the whole group (there were eight of us). So we all got to hear what caused some people's headaches, what's been working and what hasn't. It was really nice to be with a group of people who GOT it... and who didn't think you "just had a little headache". About six of the other people mentioned that they thought the weather might be causing some of their headaches - which the neurologist confirmed... barometric changes in pressure can trigger migraines! See, I'm not crazy!

I'm really happy with the class and excited to get my referrals... I'm willing to try the biofeedback and acupuncture to see if they work... anything that can help me relax and destress is good on just about every level!