Oh, for a slice of pizza......

Since moving to Florida, our amount of eating out has seriously decreased and I am not really sure why.  I enjoy cooking meals at home and many of days I enjoy not having to leave the house.  But for some odd reason over the last couple of weeks, I have been craving a Hawaiian Style Pizza, you know what I am talking about....Canadian bacon/ham and pineapple......only thing is that no one in my family cares for it, in fact, my friend Judith is the only one that will ever splurge on one with me.  Well.......after a visit today with a neurologist, it looks like I am going to have to wait a very long time before I even (if I do then) consider having a slice of Hawaiian Style Pizza or even a slice of Pepperoni pizza.  


Many of my fellow readers/friends, know that I battle with migraines, ALOT (up to 4 a week some weeks) and I have for several years now.  I have truly learned to deal with them and I have let them control my life instead of me controlling them, which I wonder if this is truly possible, though I am told that it is.  Since our move last year, I have put off and postponed seeing a neurologists here, I think I am developing a fear of doctors  ( I know that there is a phobia word for this but I do not care to Google it right now).  I have paid visits to the Urgent Care and on my several trips to Ky, I have paid visits to my neurologist there and he has taken care of me. 


When I went in for my yearly check up last week, my doctor questioned me amount my migraines and felt like they could be somehow related to my estrogen levels.....Great I thought this may be a simple fix that a lot of doctors have overlooked.  He said that taking estrogen orally can cause a fluctuation in the levels that my body is receiving (which by the way for those who do not know, I have no ovaries....FYI, I am not taking estrogen for the fun of it.).  Needless to say, he switched me to a patch that will help keep my levels constant.  My simple prayer was let this work and I was reassured by my doctor that this will either work immediately or there will not be a change.  Also, my doctor did refer me to a neurologist. one that he would see, if that's to make me feel better, however the earliest appointment was the end of May.


Five days passed by and not one migraine, I did not feel great but I had not one migraine, which in reality, I have went up to a week without migraines before so I should not have gotten my hopes up but I did.    On the sixth day, it happened...... a migraine...... on the seventh day, I received a call for the neurologist's office asking if I would like to come in on Wednesday, there was a cancellation, PRAISE GOD!.......then on the eighth day (the day of my appointment) another migraine.

Here's my outcome from the doctors visit a.......

THE THREE STEP PLAN
1. Proper sleep
2. Diet
3. change in my Medication
Step one, is easy compared to the others, I need to not stay up late scrapbooking!

Step two, is going to be a challenge, that is where my pizza comes into play, I knew I should have splurged last week on my Hawaiian Style pizza.  You see for this plan to work I need to go on a Low Tyramine headache Diet, which basically means most every food group has a limit.  Like that sandwich that I love to order at Steak and Shake, I can forget it, 4 of the 5 ingredients I can not have.  I have a two page chart that list the items, allowed, use with caution and avoid.  Oh and pizza.....well mozzarella, pepperoni, bacon, and ham, all are on my list of things not to have.  NO to pickles, olives, nuts, anything with MSG, anything with nitrates or nitrites added, soy products,aged cheese, pizza, canned soups, certain fruits and the list goes on......

Step three, is going to be or should I say can be a nightmare for the next 4 to 6 weeks.  Since my migraines are so frequent, my body has absorbed a lot of migraine medicines, which can aid in a rebound effect on my migraines, meaning that ........ well, its almost like I am adding fuel to the fire.  Which is really hard to explain.  So step three and my doctor said that this should HELP, is to stop taking my migraine medications at the onset of a migraine, which has happened.  He wants me to stop everything except for the daily preventives for the migraines. He has placed me on steroids for a week, which should help with any onset of migraines.  The key, is he has added an additional migraine preventative and over time get my body back responsive to the migraine medications.  Which means that I could possibly live the next several weeks in bed with a migraine. 

GAME PLAN....... is to make it where I only  have 1 to 5 max a month!! He did tell me that I will always have migraines but hopefully I can take control of them.   

How do I feel......very overwhelmed!  I need prayers!  I am tired of suffering with the migraines and I am sure that my family is tired of me suffering, even though they know the routine.  I am already exhausted thinking about everything that I need to take control of NOW.  Not gradually, NOW!  My head is pounding from the migraine that I have now had since Wednesday morning, I am nausea, wide awake and my mind is not slowing down.  I've already broken step one, I should be asleep however if I can't take anything to ease the pain then I can't sleep.  Lord, I pray that this works!!  Please say a prayer for me and I am sorry for everyone whom I have bored with this post.