Bipolar and Migraines

Since the age of twelve, I have been experiencing painful migraine headaches. I’m pretty sure that at the time, my parents just chalked it up to the braces on my teeth. It seems completely valid to me now. I just knew that I took a lot of Excedrin.

The older I got, the worse the headaches were. At the age of nineteen, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I spent a lot of time wondering if there could be a connection. Now, at the age of forty-five, I’m certain there’s a connection. Upon my research for this article, I stumbled on some interesting articles. *“The connection between migraines and bipolar is so strong that over one-third of people living with bipolar suffer from migraines.”

I think my migraines are typical. Everything is either too bright or too loud. Not to mention the various smells that can trigger it. I can’t take scents like burning wood, cigarettes, bonfires, burning leaves, along with many perfume scents make me instantly feel like I want to vomit. That explains why I’ve been using the same body spray for more than twenty years. It’s the only one that doesn’t cause a negative reaction.

I’ve missed out on some very important events in my life due to migraines. I harbor a lot of guilt because of that fact. As far as treatment, I’ve tried many. None of them seem to work out for more than a few months, if at all. I vomit nearly every time now, and the pain will travel from one side of my head to the other. I have thrown up more in the last ten years of my life than in the entire rest of my life.

Thanks to migraines, many people no longer like me, or they’re pissed off because I missed an important event. I wish I could make people understand how a migraine feels, just once.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been exploring food allergies. I

have a gluten allergy, and I was doing so great with it, but I’ve never been very good at taking care of myself. Gluten only knocks me on my butt when it feels like it. It’s not a 100% of the time situation, and when it does, I guess I start getting delusions of grandeur and keep eating it until I’m officially sick.

I’m writing this blog because I want people to gain some understanding of what I go through on a regular basis. I’m not faking, and I’m tired of being told that it’s all in my head. YES! It is…that’s the whole point! I live in constant fear that something is going to set me off. Of course, I have superhero scent abilities. I can smell anything, and most of the times, it’s not good. That leads immediately to a headache.

For now, I think I’ll go back to eating right and exercising because this headache every single day thing just isn’t working out for me.

*Source – Treatment Center of America