I am so thankful to have the friends and family that I have.  I am not sure I would have made it through the madness and pain without all of their love and support.  Once people know you have an illness lots of them will reach out to you with tips, ideas, and suggestions for what might help.  I never turn away a possible solution.

Now that I have been following my Migraine Plan for 11 months most of my friends are familiar with the fact that my diet has some limitations.  I will admit that at first it was difficult for me to remember all of the foods I was to avoid.  It didn't take long though, and the affect was almost immediate--within a week.   So, I don't expect my friends and family to retain the list of foods on my Migraine Plan.  And now I am about to sell out a good friend just for the sake of a laugh.  Last week I received the following text from my friend Tammy and you can tell how excited she is to share with me this simple little snack she found on pinterest:

These are sliced bananas that are stuck together with peanut butter and greek yogurt.  FYI...I can't do bananas, nuts or nut butters, or yogurts.







Tammy is telling me how yummy they are frozen.


I respond laughing at her well intended text.  Unfortunately healthy is not always good for this migrainuer.

The yogurt is a problem, but not because it is dairy.








I do think my kids would love these and I don't make my kids follow my plan.

I would give up all these things to not have a migraine.

So far, my Migraine Plan is working!


**Please also know that I love this friend dearly and she knows I am selling her out today.

This weekend we celebrated Winter/Spring birthdays with my husband's side of the family.  This was a brunch to get his brothers and their family along with his grandfather and his parents together in honor of the birthdays that fall between November and June.  Present were seven adults and five children (children's ages are four to 16 years old).  My mother-in-law was struggling a little to accommodate our migraine-free and gluten free diets.  I highly applaud her willingness to accomodate us.  My mother-in-law was the host of this festive occasion.  Let me say, she did a fantastic job preparing and offering migraine-free and gluten-free options. 

Here was the menu:
Scrambled eggs with American cheese and red bell peppers on  a bed of spinach-- migraine friendly and gluten-free
A ham-- which I declined due to the possibility of nitrates and nitrites.
Rolls-- migraine friendly because they weren't freshly baked, but not gluten-free
A bowl of grapes, blackberries, and blueberries-- migraine friendly and gluten-free 

I brought a desert that was both migraine friendly and gluten-free:

Here are the ingredients:
As you can see they are all pronounceable
xanthan gum is an ingredient in a lot of gluten-free baked goods that basically holds them together.

I simply followed package instructions adding eggs and oil (I used olive oil).
I baked for about 40 minutes.
Pictured is the end result.




I received the comment "I wouldn't know these were gluten-free".


Both my children ate all of theirs with a little ice cream.

So, I am calling it a success!

Snow, ice, and thunderstorms all in the last few days...drastic changes in weather use to make me brace myself for an impending headache.  However, as the months pass without incident (migraine) my confidence is growing in my Migraine Plan.  Here in the past week we went from sunny and 60 to a beautiful snowfall to freezing rain to thunderstorms.  Here I sit migraine-free (can I have a hallelujah please).  Part of the construction of my Migraine Plan follows the rule of controlling the things I can, because I can't control things I can't control.  Seems simple enough, and believe me in the state of chronic migraine I felt that I had no control and that this migrainous state had taken control of my body.  I feel that by eliminating enough of my controllable triggers (diet and medications) and by maintaining consistency in my sleeping, exercising, eating, and hydrating I am able to keep my body from tripping itself into a migraine.
 
There is a lot of information out there about weather changes and migraines...and still some varying thoughts on exact causes.  It's thought that possibly the changes in barometric pressure trigger barometric receptors in our bodies to cause changes in our blood vessels (dilation and or constriction).  So far in this paragraph I have used the word "changes" three times (now four).  What I know about migraineurs is that our bodies are extremely sensitive to changes (five).  My body doesn't like change in my sleep pattern, change in my blood sugar,  change in my hydration level, or change in my hormones.  I can attempt to control my sleep, blood sugar, and hydration.  Hormones along with the weather are a little more difficult to control. 

Many offer remedies for weather-related headaches like:
taking a triptan when you know that the weather is about to change (I quit taking these as part of my plan)
increasing your daily preventive medication (I don't take a daily preventive medication)
buying a humidifier and opening windows (an attempt to have control over air pressure and humidity)

I will let you all know when I figure out how to control the weather, but until then I will eat my gluten-free oatmeal with blueberries and help my children build snowmen when it snows:)

This is delicious by the way...
Just some steel cut oats, brown sugar, blueberries and a little milk for me.

I was recently contacted by a mom with a young son who suffers from migraines.  I don't have a child that suffers from migraines (only I have been blessed by these headaches thus far) but I do have a child with allergies to wheat, rye, and oats.  So, knowing how helpful changing my diet was for my ailment, he and I went gluten-free together in efforts to  have an impact on his health.   I pack a lunch for him daily and provide gluten-free snacks for him to take to school.  Recently, I discovered he has been eating breakfast at school as well.  My son is a loving and strong-willed child with a definite mind of his own.  Unfortunately, at times he is under the incorrect assumption that he is wiser than me.  He tells on himself when he eats the delicious breakfast pizza at school or when he can't resist the brownie his friend brought to school.  I know how difficult it is to try to control someone elses diet...it seems nearly impossible.  I continue packing the gluten-free lunches and snacks in hopes that my efforts aren't in vain.  One of the hardest things about keeping young boys on a special diet is that they eat all the time.  My son is always hungry and always snacking.  So, finding options to have around the house that he can snack on and that adhere to his diet can be difficult.  And to be completely honest, its hard for me to find  snacks that fit into my Migraine Plan as well. 

Here are some snacks I have available in my pantry/refridgerater that are both gluten-free and migraine-friendly:

Applesauce on the go!
Be careful as this same brand makes a apple/strawberry flavor that has banana in it.

obviously they appropriately named it AppleApple.
I always read ingredients...this is pretty small but it says: Apples and Apple juice concentrate

These are yummy by themselves or with a little cream cheese spread on them. 
No aged cheese with these please.  I stick to American or cream cheese only.

Seeds are ok...nuts are not.
Also, this brand makes a very similar "original" gluten-free cracker that
contains Tamari soy sauce.  So, I make sure I am label-reading.

These are freeze-dried fruits and vegetables made by the Target brand, Archer Farms.

My son prefers the strawberries to the green peas. 

Ingredients: Green Peas.
He will eat the peas. He is an eater, and sometimes eaters can't be
choosers.

Ingredients: strawberries

A good bag of chips. 

Some "baked" chips I avoid because of all the crazy unpronounceable ingredients. 
These are good.

There are lots of chips that I can eat that aren't baked as well. 
 
My main rule for chips is to avoid flavored chips with the exception of salt, pepper and vinegar. 

Ingredients: Potatoes (thank goodness:), Safflower and /or Sunflower oil, Sea Salt

I saved my favorite for last...sweet and salty delicious popcorn.
I even catch my husband snacking on this one.

Here they even tell me I am going to love these ingredients, and they are right!
Popcorn, Sunflower Oil, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt.
Thanks Angies!

And I always know that I can reach in the fridge and grab some fruit as well.

This blog post is dedicated to Jill and her son.  May you both get some relief!

Back before I began my Migraine Plan I would notice that I would get migraines after eating tomato sauces.  It took me awhile to put the correlation together between the red sauces and my headaches. I heard that gluten could cause these headaches.  I went on a gluten-free diet and continued eating the red sauce and I still had problems with my migraines.  Red spaghetti has potentially a slew of triggers depending on it's recipe (onion, onion powder, and many additives if store bought). Along this migraine path I have been  walking I have heard many a tale about tomatoes being a problem for people.  Tomatoes are often left off of the list for foods to avoid if you have migraines.  I love tomatoes...especially the little grape tomatoes (yum yum yum). There are differing opinions on whether or not tomatoes should be avoided. Now, I will try explain why I avoid them or at least their sauce and juice.

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate.  Glutamate is an amino acid, found in all foods with protein.  Glutamate is found naturally in many foods we eat.  Our bodies don't recognize the difference between naturally occurring  glutamate  and that which is added to foods in the form of MSG.  From our bodies perspective, the glutamate present in a tomato is the same as the MSG added to foods. To put the amount of glutamate in a tomato and it's juice (or sauce) in perspective for you, here are some foods and their corresponding glutamate content:

Roquefort cheese 1280 mg/100g
Parmesan cheese 1200 mg/100g
Soy Sauce 1090 mg/100g
Walnuts 658mg/100g
***Fresh tomato juice 260 mg/100g
Grape juice 258 mg/100g
Peas 200 mg/100g
Mushrooms 180 mg/100g
Broccoli 176 mg/100g
***Tomatoes 140 mg/100g
Oysters 137 mg/100g
Corn 130 mg/100g
Potatoes 102 mg/100g
Chicken 44 mg/100g
Fish (Mackerel) 36 mg/100g
Beef 33 mg/100g
Eggs 23 mg/100g
Cow's Milk 2 mg/100g

So, I think my problem with tomatoes is that when I consume them, I eat a bunch of them...not just a slice.   Since I am not often drinking mushroom juice (gross thought...I know) or broccoli juice (not quite as gross of a thought), the limited content I consume even though it may be a generous vegetable serving is not enough to trigger a headache.  I have been known to eat a entire bowl of those yummy grape tomatoes and who doesn't like a nice big bowl of spaghetti?  Apparently my migraine brain doesn't!

Because Pizza is a problem due to it's sauce, cheese, and freshly baked crust (as well as potential nitrates and nitrites in pepperoni etc.) I make my own delicious pizza with some migraine modifications.

I use a pesto base for the sauce by putting some basil, oregano, garlic cloves, salt,  pepper, and olive oil in a food processor and pulsing them all up until it's a consistency I like.

I sauté up some red bell peppers and shallots (remember no onion for me) because I prefer these on the softer side.

I then get my packaged gluten-free crust and smother it in pesto and top with the sautéed bell peppers and shallots.

I then stick it in my preheated oven on 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes I get out my Organic American Cheese, pretend that is Parmesan for a moment, and then crumble it onto the top of my pizza.

Then, I put it back in the oven for about 2 minutes.  I pull it out, slice it up, and then I eat it.  It's migraine pizza heaven:)

"It can't be my diet."  This is exactly what I thought when I originally heard about all of the food triggers that are associated with migraines.  I had been eating all those foods in my past and hadn't had problems before.  Although when asked to recall if I had ever had migraines in the past at the Mayo Clinic.  I did recall having had a few headaches in my early 20's where I ended up eventually vomiting from the pain, but the migraine probably lasted only 5 or so hours and I ended up sleeping them off.  The migraines I had in my 30's were much different.  I experienced a 12 day long migraine, where every time I got out of bed and on my feet to walk I would vomit.  This migraine triggered my visit to the Houston Headache Clinic.  At the Houston Headache Clinic I was given a list of foods to avoid.  The diet alone at that point did not alter the frequency and severity of the pain.  Prior to visiting The Houston Headache Clinic I was drinking caffeine, using Excedrin Migraine, taking triptans too frequently, and I was on hormonal contrecptives.  When I left Houston Headache Clinic I was on a new regimen of drugs including a antidepressant, antiseizure medication, antipsychotic.  So, basically I just added more medication and chemicals into the already crazy little migrainous internal environment I had created in my body.  Needless to say,  the diet had no chance.  These drugs left me crazed and sleepless (just adding sleep deprivation as another trigger  to my migraine life).  I eventually threw out that diet due to its lack of effect, as well as the crazy and sleep-depriving drugs I was taking.  And there I was, back to my old triptan and caffeine cycle.

Today I rely on my diet as very important part of my Migraine Plan to keep my migraine-free, but it is not the end all.  I had to take a look at all potential triggers and get my internal environment as free from all of them as possible, and that included the medications I was taking as well as the regularity of my sleeping, eating, and hydrating.

Besides my regular consumption of caffeine, there were numerous trigger foods that I consumed daily.  These trigger foods I am speaking of now are considered healthy by most, but to me and my migraines they were toxic.  I love my fruits!  I usually had raisins or some other dried fruit, a banana, orange juice or a clementine all before noon and then I would inevitably be eating tomatoes or something seasoned with lemons and limes at lunch.  I believe these triggers are cumulative and the more I had the more likely to have a migraine.  These days I stick to blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries on my breakfast cereal and pick an apple, pear, or grapes to snack on.  I had no idea I was poisoning myself with these yummy citrus fruits!  I do miss them, but I don't miss the headaches.

I don't know if you believe in miracles, but now that I have been migraine-free for 11 months I do.  The weekend I started my Migraine Plan I was in the midst of a migraine.  The fact that I was in a state of chronic migraine meant that I was almost always having a headache.   You know the one's that are unilateral, pounding, and debilitating.  I cheated on my plan almost immediately taking a triptan (I had eliminated them because they cause rebound headaches) and giving up all my will-power on just day two of  my plan.  However, it didn't take long before my plan had an effect.  It took about 3 days of adhering to the dietary eliminations and trying to stay away from all of my triptans (I had quite the stockpile of various prescriptions to get me through my life)  before I noticed a difference.   I got through those first few days alternating Advil and Tylenol and icing my head.  I looked really good with my blue sports-designed ice pack holder wrapped around my head...just ask my husband and kids.  Actually, they were quite used to this look as I used it frequently over my years with migraines. It was commonplace for mommy to be wearing the ridiculous ice-packed headband.  Little did I know this would be the last time I would wear my silly ice contraption for a very long time...Thank You God, it's a miracle!!!

I will admit the dietary eliminations were difficult to master.  I made quite a few errors along the way and most of them were accidental.  Like the day I went out for sushi and completely forgot not to dip my roll in the soy sauce.  Yep, that was a day I had to dose several times with Aleve.  Miraculously though, the Aleve works now!  At first the diet seemed so restrictive.  I joke a lot with my friends when they offer me wine, chocolate, or aged cheese that I am "DEBBIE DOWNER"  unable to partake in their yummy snacks.  The irony is that I have never been HAPPIER.  There is no DOWNER about not having a headache and I turn away their devilish delights happily knowing I don't have headaches.  I wish to share this ability to live migraine-free with everyone.

I still have days that I use Aleve and Tylenol to get through life and those days are few and  quite predictable (sleep deprivation and my menstrual cycle can be a problem for me).   Knowing this, I manage my lifestyle accordingly.  Regularity and schedules are key aspects of my plan.  I need regular sleep, regular exercise,  and a regular eating schedule.  I need certain things in my life that help me keep stress low and make me happy.   If I am going to have vodka (the only alcohol that I now drink) I make sure that I am drinking water as well.  Over time my Migraine Plan has become part of my life and is quite routine.  I live it everyday and I am happier and a healthier person as a result.

I plan to use this blog to explain what I do to keep migraine-free.  I will post migraine-friendly recipes and respond to frequently asked questions.  I hope by sharing these things others will learn to develop their own plan and experience their own miracle.