Up until now I couldn’t really put any foods down as triggers for me, apart from coke and sweets making me a little jittery. Anyway last week was half term and I started the week off very irritable for no apparent reason (the predome that Buccholz talks about maybe?), my dizziness and balance as usual very off but managed a trip to the tip and walk round the shops on the Monday. Treated myself to a big fat Burger King in the afternoon followed by cakes and lots of chocolate, not just a little piece but big bars. Didn’t feel any ill effects on Tuesday so continued with the chocolate and cake and also had a take away pizza. By Wednesday I thought ‘see foods don’t affect me at all’ and continued with yet more chocolate and cake and a kfc. Thursday I ate McDonalds and lots of chocolate and lots of coke with even more McDonalds on the Friday. I attempted another trip to the tip but after the first bag I threw in the skip, WHAM, felt like someone had drained the life out of my body. So incredibly drained. I managed to get home yet spent the rest of day lay in bed (still sat up as I can’t lie down). My head felt like cotton wool and it touching the pillow made the room spin. By Saturday I had a full blown migraine but no aura (maybe the pizotifen I take stopped that bit) I felt sick was very dizzy, head so heavy and my eyes felt so dry that I wanted to close them. I spent most of Sunday sleeping. Struggled into work yesterday and today. Head is clearing but the balance is still as bad.
So now I can recognise the stages of migraine, obviously started with my irritability and food cravings which I gave into big time!! I daren’t get on the scales and presumably the food I ate set it all off into full blown migraine.
Does anyone reckon my symptoms on Friday and weekend were coincidental or do you think the food are definite triggers??
I would say the junk foods were definately triggers, i have noticed too that i can get away with eating the wrong things at the time or even for a day or so but a few days later the swaying and other extra symptoms just hit me bad (i always feel off balance 24/7)
It’s almost as if the ‘toxins’ build up in my system and then get too high? Some people get an instant reaction but not everybody does.
It’s best to stick to the diet as much as you can, white chocolate is ok if you want choccie (as long as it has no flavourings etc)
Angdunc, it took me ages to know for sure that eating the wrong things took up to four days to cause me problems. When I say ages,I tested the theory for a year or so because there are always so many variables at work I wanted to be sure. But it kept happening, again and again, sometimes even when I’d forgotten about it all, which was good really because it showed it wasn’t a self fulfilling prophecy because I was expecting it to happen.
And when I eat the wrong foods (for me) AND go round the shops, do chores etc (as you did) then it’s like a double, even triple, whammy MAV effect. I know I’ve said this till folk must be bored of hearing it but it always catches up with me.
So it sounds like food triggers to me from what you’ve described, plus of course you made it worse by overdoing things, but to be sure I think you need a few more repeat performances! Not suggesting you do as you did deliberately of course but perhaps next time you have occasion to let the diet slip a bit just be tuned in to what happens over the next few days. You might see a pattern. Or not.
angdunc
The ‘prodome’ phase before the migraine headache occurs is well documented. Have always had bad migraine headaches but took years for me to recognise that one of the pointers that it was about to happen - maybe even a couple of days later- was that I was suddenly starving! Also learnt the hard way that the best foods to eat were the low GI ones & plenty of protein. Seems to take away that sugar craving. Not so much fun as the burger & choc bars! So seems to be a combination of the ‘prodome’ phase & triggers setting off a bad one.
You have often commented that you have to sleep sitting up because of the dizziness - I’m trying to do that at the moment but can’t seem to work out how without getting a really bad stiff neck.
Barb
Yes Missmoss looks like I definitely filled my jug up too much!! Lesson learnt I can say. Its at least proved the point to me and maybe I will start eating healthily and take the migraine diet seriously now.
Deethedizzy, I think I will just try and avoid chocolate altogether, I can never just have a little bit. Time to overhaul my diet I say!!
Barb, yes I have been sleeping sat up now since November 2011 and even after all this time when I close my eyes and rest head on pillow I spin round and faint. Initially my head was upright and I had to push a cushion under my chin to stop me falling forwards. I have since progressed to three very soft pillows behind my back that mould to me with another big soft cushion for my head which I mould round my head before trying to sleep so my head doesn’t fall sideways. Initially I had a pillow under my bottom too to stop me slipping down but I have managed to get rid of that one. Its quite a performance getting into bed. I bought a lovely soft blanket to wrap round my arms as they get bit cold when you sat up. Some mornings I wake up spinning because I have slipped down the bed and are flat out. I also have slept with the light on since that time too. Being in the dark makes the spinning seem worse. I am scared that I will always sleep like this and I do worry about dvt’s. Thing is I go dizzy sat up anyway but I feel in more control that if I was lay down. How come you sleeping sat up?
Thanks for your help - when MAV first hit I was the same - dizzy whenever I lay down but gradually, with the meds that is much better. I have developed a bad cough after catching a virus from an o/seas visitor. Had a course of anti-biotic which helped but not cleared up. It’s much worse when lying flat so will try your method. Don’t know how you have coped with sitting up at night for so long - it would be hard to get a really good night’s sleep, I think.
Barb
and presumably the food I ate set it all off into full blown migraine.