My Monthly Migraines

Hi lovelies!! 🤍 It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve decided to finally start documenting my migraine journey — partly to hold myself accountable, partly to connect with others who get it, and mostly because I’m just so tired of living like this. I’ve dealt with hormonal migraines for over a decade now, and it’s time to really dig in, experiment, and (hopefully) find what actually helps.

Here’s where I’m starting: the full rundown of my migraine experience so far, what I’ve tried, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what I’m planning to do next.

I’ve been dealing with monthly hormonal migraines since 2012. They always come around the same time each month (like clockwork with my cycle), and I’ve seen so many doctors and specialists in different countries who have all told me that this is “normal.” UGH. HIGHLY DISAGREE!

When I get a migraine, it’s always behind my right eye. I feel this intense pressure on my right eyebrow that makes it hard to even keep my eyes open. It’s completely debilitating and often makes me violently vomit. The only things I can stomach during a migraine:

• Extreme Sour Patch Kids
• Strawberry lemonade (the more sour, the better)
• Potatoes (usually salt and vinegar chips or fries)

Coffee? Absolutely not. The thought of it makes my nausea worse.

Weirdly enough, sometimes the combo of Coca-Cola + Indian food helps. Don’t ask me why. I have no fridgin’ idea.

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Things I’ve Tried That Don’t Alleviate My Migraines 💀

• Acupuncture (did this for over a year, 3x a week… no luck)

• Chiropractor (1.5 years, twice a week)

• TCM meds

• RMT (except ONE in Taiwan who miraculously stopped a migraine in its tracks — my unicorn therapist)

• Hands in ice

• Ice/warm compress (minimal relief sometimes)

• Eating marshmallows

• Caffeine pills

• Foot soaks in hot water

• Essential oils (peppermint oil lovers, I hear you — still didn’t work for me 😭 but I do still love YL!)

• Kangen water (love it for other reasons, not migraines)

• Over-the-counter meds (I’m allergic to ibuprofen 🥲)

• Hormonal birth control (Mirena IUD)

• Ginger (tea, candy, compress, all of it — nope)

• Salt + citrus

• EFT tapping

• Havening

• Affirmations

• Binaural beats

• Hot showers

• Gua sha

• Cupping

• Org*sms (people swear by this one, but… didn’t help me lol)

• Supplements (CoQ10, Riboflavin B2, Butterbur, Magnesium Citrate, Iron, 5HTP, Algal oil, B Complex, B12 — still take most of these regularly!)

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Migraines have basically become my body’s stress response at this point. If I don’t sleep enough, push myself too hard, or feel emotionally overwhelmed, I’ll get hit with one.

Medication-wise, what currently works best for me is a mix of Sumatriptan + Indomethacin + Extra Strength Tylenol. The only downside? It takes around four hours to kick in, so I’m just suffering through that window in complete darkness, waiting for it to pass.

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Things I’m Not Interested In Trying For Migraines 🚫

• Botox

• Piercings

• Snorting hot pepper (??? no thank you)

• Smoking anything

• Weed (unless I cannot taste it AT ALL)

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Things I’m Excited to Try to Help Eliminate My Migraines 🌿

• Consistent bedtime + wake-up time

• Cutting out coffee (AHHHHHH!!!!! Send help)

• No electronics an hour before bed or first thing in the morning

• Actually drinking enough water (this one’s tough for me 😩)

• Reiki

• Somatic exercises

• Daily meditation

• Daily outdoor walks/exercise

• Reducing screen time + doomscrolling

• Electrolytes

• Greens powder

• Reducing endocrine disruptors (starting with 100% organic cotton underwear 👀)

• Mushrooms

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That’s where I’m at right now: years of trial and error, frustration, tiny wins, and lots of “why me?” moments. But I’m ready to take a new approach. I want to treat this like a full-body and lifestyle experiment, not just a cycle of symptom management.

A friend asked if I’m planning to introduce new things one by one, and honestly, this experiment is NOT a controlled one. HAHA. I’m simply trying to change my lifestyle as a whole and see if my migraines change for the better along with it. I’ll be sharing my wins, struggles, and all the messy middles.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for being here and for caring enough to read about my migraine chaos 😭🤍  Whether you’re someone who struggles with the same thing or you’re just curious, I hope sharing my process helps someone else feel a little less alone.

If anyone has other recommendations that I haven’t mentioned, please share! I’m open to unhinged answers!!!

Here’s to finally getting to the root of these migraines (and hopefully saying goodbye to them for good 🤞).