Booze Again?

Kind of. Not entirely.

I've been experimenting a little bit when it comes to drinking. I know there must be some pattern that triggers my migraines related to alcohol, but I haven't quite figured it out yet.

In the past, I've been able to drink and drink with no problem at all. Not even a hangover in the morning. Then, over the past couple years, I started to develop an issue where I'd feel a migraine coming within an hour of the first sip, and I'd wake up in my death bed the next morning. And this was more than just a simple "hangover" - I would be in severe pain, extra dehydrated, and vehemently ill for the majority of a day.

So I quit drinking. Period.

And it hasn't been awesome.

I'm not saying I want to go out and get plastered every weekend again - I got that out of my system my first year at a university (also likely why my liver seems to be fighting back at me now). But I'd like to be able to go out with friends and get a drink once in a while without the fear of a migraine ruining a pleasant evening.

I recently got back from vacation in Key West (which was a blast), and there was a lot of alcohol consumption going on around me. Key West is less about the beach and more about the bar life, and my parents, brother, and boyfriend were able to nurse beers throughout most of the week without an issue, so I thought, "Why not? Let's give it a shot."

I hydrated as best I could throughout each day, and ordered maybe one or two drinks throughout dinner and the evening. The first night I tried this went swimmingly: I ordered a mojito with our Cuban dinner, and then another one at a bar we stopped at, drinking waters in between. No noticeable issues - not even the next morning!

The next night, we went on a pub crawl where we were given a ticket at each of the 5 bars we visited. This ticket allowed us one free specialty drink, beer, mixed drink, etc. The speciality drinks, because they were recommended to the crawl patrons, were expected orders and watered down. We had eaten before we got to the crawl, and I was careful to only sip on the drinks (generally didn't finish them), and watered myself between each one.

No good, no good at all. I left the night early with a migraine, and felt funky (but not actually sick) most of the night. That was the last time I tried drinking on the trip.

Last night, back in chilly MN, my boyfriend and I went out with a friend to do some catching up. I'd been drinking water and juice throughout most of the day, so I thought I'd give it another shot. We ordered an appetizer and I ordered a glass of white zin to go with. I noticed my alcohol tolerance has gone done over the past couple years (I was super buzzed for a bit), and a slight wine headache, but no actual migraine that required treating.

So a pattern that seems to be worth following so far:

• Eat before and while drinking
• Drink lots of water before, during, and after
• Sip slowly, not too much all at once
• Don't drink (even if it's small amounts) two days in a row?
• I never drink on a day I've already taken Imitrex - it doesn't even sound pleasant

These seem like really basic things that everyone should follow, regardless of issues with alcohol or not, but they are extra important for people with migraines triggered by alcohol. I'm not sure this is foolproof (likely not), but I'm going to keep giving it a shot (especially considering St. Patty's Day is right around the corner).

What kind of things do you do to prevent alcohol-related migraines?

Post-Vacay Blues

Ugggh. I think my brain is telling me I should've stayed in Key West.

Our last morning in Key West, I woke up completely headache free for the first time in months. Our first morning back home (despite how depressing it was to wake up in dreary Minnesota), I was again headache free. Two whole days without the aid of any kind of pain reliever. I haven't pulled that off in years.

And I felt good. Proud that I had beaten a major obstacle. A sense of better health and healing, whether it was true or not.

Then Saturday morning happened.

It wasn't that bad. I let it slide. Blamed it on bad hydration practices or too many bad foods the day before.

Sunday came. Slightly worse. But Saturday had been a long day. And PMS was on the rise.

Today. Migraine all day - until I finally caved and took Imitrex, anyway. Hard telling what the cause may be.

I may never beat morning headaches, but I have to beat the daily Excedrin. It's killing me - mentally and physically.

If it's a caffeine withdrawal, I can do that. I don't mind having a cup of coffee or tea first thing every morning. I'm also looking into more topical relief, like the use of essential oils. Hopefully, they are affordable and worth it.

Maybe it is a climate thing. Hopefully, I can move somewhere warm soon and put this all behind me. Let my liver heal up a little bit.

Maybe I'll just go be a hermit, selling seashells in Key West. Who's with me? :)

Until then, I'll just keep plugging away...

Any suggestions and support would be greatly appreciated :)

Hangovers

"Hangovers" are a big reason why I don't drink very often, although I don't think what you could call what I suffer from a hangover. If I drink a couple drinks over too short of a time, I wake up with debilitating migraines; if I drink too much over the span of the evening, I wake up with debilitating migraines and vomiting all day. Sometimes I get a migraine just within an hour of the first sip. I've always assumed this has something to do with my liver, and that it may be damaged after years of medication usage. But maybe my body has just learned to react to alcohol this way as I get older.

Then again, maybe I'm just not doing it right. This slideshow says I'm not the only one who may be unsafe when drinking, and maybe it's just all about hydrating better, and that's been my problem all along.

I'd like to be able to drink occasionally without the fear of feeling like death in the morning, and I'd like to go to a going-away party for a co-worker tomorrow. Maybe food before hand and more water is all it will take.

What are your hangover tricks? After looking at the slideshow, have you found if they're a safe and effective remedy all?

Constant Fatigue

While I realize that a constant feeling of fatigue is often a symptom of (guys close your eyes) PMS, but uggggghhhhh. It is sooo irritating. My brain is in a constant fog and I just don't function the way I should. Point in case: I just got distracted by the TV for 10 minutes halfway through the last sentence... and again just now.

Sometimes, you can't really seem to do much about the fatigue. No time for a nap, caffeine has done all it can do (or made things worse), what's left?

After doing a little research, I think I've come up with a list of fool-proof fatigue-fighters that can be tried anytime of day:

• Hydrate - drink water regularly throughout the day
• Do stretches and take walks every few hours to air out your brain
• Eat several small meals throughout the day (rather than three large ones) to avoid major lull periods in between meals
• Snack on foods like fruit, yogurt, whole-wheat bagels with cheese or peanut butter, and eggs to get an energy boost
• 20 minute power naps (these work magical wonders)
• Find something to laugh at for a few minutes - it'll perk you up and make you pay attention to something :)
• If you must have caffeine, choose green tea over coffee or pop. It has a little caffeine, but also lots of antioxidants 
• Pull on your hair. Gently. This can encourage a little more blood flow into your skull and brain

And here's a fun fact (but not really): If you're having issues with fatigue for an extended period of time, get checked for a UTI. In some cases, fatigue can be the only sign of an urinary tract infection.

So, that's my list, but what I have I missed? What do you do to fight that midday fatigue?