Long time, lots going on

So since we last chatted in June. We have a lot to catch up on...

I started in with the Keto hormone changes that you hear so much about, which resulted in horrible headaches that start with my period and then progress quickly into a migraine and then every afternoon is a 8/10 on the pain scale and last for up to 2 weeks. Have you ever had a Hormone driven migraine? HOLY COW! THEY ARE DIFFERENT! This includes waking up with a 5/10 headache and as the day progresses getting worse, more burning, throbbing and pain, sensitivity to light, sound, and lots of nausea. I have worked with 2 doctors now both have suggested estrogen gel as soon as the headache starts before my period, along with migraine medicine like Maxalt. The problem is, that this only works some of the time and not all of the time. So Since June, I had an episode of a 2 week long headache/migraine that was followed by a nasty infection probably upper respiratory infection which lasted another 2 weeks. So the start of my vacation was just peachy being sick for a month. I powered through all that on my own mostly. Fast forward to now, and I had another 2 week long headache/migraine at Christmas. The estrogen gel did not do anything to stop it or even slow it down. Maxalt and the other medication I was prescribed don't even touch these headaches, so by now I have a new primary care physician who is wonderful, but even she says this is as far as she can go to treat my headaches. I needed to see a neurologist. So I thankfully have a wonderful neuro doc in Houston that I have not seen in may years. I was able to get an appointment with him in late January. Sad to say that as we went through the usual questions about my headaches, I realized that I have actually been suffering from some level of headaches for years and almost daily. The good news is, he prescribed several new medications for me. One of them a monthly shot called Emgality. I was able to take 2 shots in the office and immediately by the end of the day was feeling some relief. WOW. Now I am in a fight with insurance to approve the medication for me. Insurance says they require documentation for "pre-approval" so I have been reaching out to the doctors office to make sure they submit that information.

So the unfortunate side effect of these headaches has been that I gave up doing keto months ago hoping that would help get the headaches under control quickly, but that did not work... so I am now just scared to death that getting back on keto will make them even worse then they already are currently. Have you ever had a 2 week long migraine? Do you have any idea what that is like? When nothing works? You cant Asprin, Alieve, Excedrin or any other NSAIDS, and the prescription migraine medicine doesn't even knock it back by 2%. In the end it takes about 3 days worth of anti-anxiety medication + Benadryl + Maxalt + sleep + water + magnesium + omega supplements to finally get some relief. Accupuncture and/or chiropractic treatments help a lot too. In my case at Christmas I was able to go see one of my fav old chiropractors who was so nice to open up his clinic on a Sunday for me. He worked on me for over an hour and a half! It was not cheap, but at that point was worth every penny to get some relief and to be able to try to enjoy the holiday with my family.

So this is where I am currently at:
Weight: 260
Keto Status: off the wagon
Plans: to get these headaches under control, then get back on keto

That is all I have for right now. I have so much more to talk about. I feel so guilty for not keeping up with keto, for not trying harder. But the fear of the headaches has been so great and no one, I mean NO ONE who does keto has any idea what this has been like for me. My headache history started long before keto, and for many years it was under control. It was never driven by my hormones before, but now they are and that makes it so much worse and so the fear of the headaches has taken a huge toll on me and I dont know how to get past this brick wall.

Please send me any positive vibes and prayers... mostly for the strength and motivation to get back on track. My mood these past few months has been terrible for a lot of reasons, this is one of the big ones. Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support.

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