osseI was diagnosed with migraines at the age of fourteen after experiencing an intense headache immediately following a dizzy spell. Even before that I remember suffering from headaches throughout my childhood. In fact, my family still calls them “headygaches” because I couldn’t even pronounce the word when I first started to complain about them.
By the time I was in my early twenties I was having at least one migraine per week and daily headaches to boot. I have seen so many doctors and been prescribed so many different types of medications that I can’t even remember the names of them all. It’s just kind of a blur at this point. I have even tried vitamin B supplements, biofeedback therapy, acupuncture (short-lived due to pregnancy) and manual adjustments from a chiropractor (ouch! that one landed me in the ER with one of the worst migraines to date).
To sum it all up, I’ve pretty much tried it all. It makes me a little sick to think about all of the money I’ve spent trying to live a life free of headaches. Or, at least, mostly free. Unfortunately, relief never came. The medications may have masked my pain for a few hours, but they certainly did not prevent it from returning. And further, how much internal damage was I doing popping all those pills?!
I can’t tell you how much work/school/life in general that I have missed out on because of the headaches. What makes it worse is the lack of sympathy migraneurs (fancy, right?) often receive from those around them. Luckily, my family and friends have always been incredibly supportive. But I know that they probably get sick of hearing me complain because I get sick of myself! And as far as work goes, I can’t even begin to explain the stress I have gone through with that. Let’s just say that people in the past have not always been very understanding. And I may or may not have had to take a leave of absence during my pregnancy (when the migraines worsened) to protect my job.
Well, all of that just to tell you that I think I may have found my answer. A co-worker suggested insisted that I go to her chiropractor because he “saved” her life. She, too, suffered from migraines for years without any medical relief. Thinking back on my previous experience with the chiropractor that landed me in the ER, I initially resisted. Later she explained that her guy didn’t do manual adjustments for migraines. Instead, he uses the Atlas Orthogonal Technique. Please don’t ask me to explain it. All I know is that it’s a funny looking machine and after they take x-rays of your spine they determine exactly where your alignment is off and then correct it using the machine. It’s extremely quick and painless and you feel like a bobble head when it’s all over. Then they give you a gorgeous necklace to wear for the next two hours:
Yeah, I gave in and decided to give it a shot. I had my adjustment over a week ago and so far, so good. I’ve had a couple of minor headaches and only one that had me popping extra-strength Tylenol. Didn’t even warrant my good prescription-strength pills. I’m feeling pretty positive about this ends up being my cure.
Fingers crossed!
