My story...

Ok, so this is what's happened to me so far. Any advice on what could be triggers, (other than the obvious) or what could happen next would be gratefully received!!!

In about 2007 I started getting migraines, but rather infrequently. I didn't really know what they were at the time other than I had to go to bed and rest for a day. As time went by the became much more frequent and then by the start of 2011 I decided to record when they started and how long they lasted... So,

180211 9 – 4
260311 9 – 1
140411 10 – 12
190511 10.30

At this point I was fed up with them. It was every five weeks (sometimes every 2) and I had to go straight home (home is near where I work) and take the rst of the day off. I decided to stop eating cheese, as I love cheese and eat quite a bit of it. So from 190511 I had no chees until Christmas, and then after that I just had a tiny amount every so often. Then comes the next migraine.

070212 9.30

So I think that it's got to be cheese that's the trigger. So as hard as it is I decide to stop eating cheese totally. Actually when it comes to migraines I don't mind what I have to give up, as the migraines are so horrible!

070512 15.00
060812 9.30

So I'm still gettting migraines, pretty much every three months even with having no cheese at all. So I have a look at my diet and realise that chocolate is something that I also excess in. I LOVE chocolate. Anyway, I HATE migraines more than I LOVE chocolate so I decide to stop eating any chocolate! That was VERY VERY VERY difficult as I've eaten chocolate all my life, but since then I not had a migraine at all. That's 5 months and counting. At Christmas I did have a small amount of chocolate, but that's all.

Is my type of migraine definitely triggered by dairy? Or is that just a stupid question to ask?

I get the flashing lights, feeling sick, throwing up, sleeping in a dark room and getting better within 6 hours, but feeling groggy for a day or two.

Cheers for the help.

RAGE

you are fortunate to have been able to figure out two possible triggers, so far. and it isn't necessarily the dairy part of cheese; it might be the fermentation, or various chemical agents used in the making.

triggers are very complex mechanisms. it takes most of us years and years to figure them out, and even then, it's not an exact science. sometimes, a tiny bit of something is ok, and a tiny bit of something else is ok, but the two things together puts us over the edge into migraine hell.

yes, that's what it is, hell. at least on this forum, everyone "gets it" as to how life-altering these monsters can be. yet, we are a great source of ideas, info, and support. so keep reading and searching for older conversations here, and you will likely be far more informed than the average doctor.

no one truly understands the mechanism of migraine, though there are 7 drugs which help many of us. these are the ONLY drugs developed specifically for migraine. personally, i could not have gotten this far in my life without them. (the triptans). they are something to consider when all lifestyle and other obvious or not-so-obvious changes don't help enough.

dianne

You should also try eliminating artificial food colorings (red #40, yellow #5, color added, or artificial color), or sodium nitrite (in processed meats, ham, and bacon), or MSG (in all junk food pretty much). These things are known to trigger migraines in people who get them. Even if you still get migraines, these ingredients may make them more painful. You should also start to look for a neurologist as they can help you with medication.

Thanks for the posts. It's interesting reading everyone's threads and posts about their own migraines and how they cope with them. Reading the others I realise that I am rather fortunate to only get them very infrequently and that stopping eating certain foods seems to help quite a bit.

I don't know alot, but one thing I do know is that migraines are horrid!

RAGE