day 666

Yes, it’s true. Today, according to my very possibly inexact calculations, is Day 666 of the daily migraine.

I’m not going to get into a big long update here of all of the potential remedies we are continuing to try or what’s next on the list. I can tell you that what we have so far found not to work includes (but is not limited to) the following: Imitrex, Gabapentin, ibuprofen, Tylenol, caffeine, butterbur, hormones (birth control pills), medical marijuana, changes in sleep patterns, magnesium, HTP-5, acupuncture, dietary changes, massage, limited/no screen time, vitamin D, reiki, EFT, ferrous sulfate, and probably a good bit more that I can’t think of just now.

We have also during the not quite two years since this all started had the house tested for mold and our water supply tested for lead. I have traveled a few times—in part as an experiment in whether there are other home environmental factors at play—and have found no joy. I have additionally tried some more folksy things like really salty lemon juice (someone’s old home remedy), Sour Patch Kids (to “shock” the pain out of my system), and carrying around rose quartz in my pocket.

I am generally open to suggestions, though I know I can be prickly when the proffered remedies have nothing more but one or two anecdotes to back them up.

I was at least impressed and somewhat consoled by the candor of neurologist nurse practitioner I recently consulted. “Neurology is very much in its infancy,” she said, as we were both frustrated in trying to understand what’s causing all this pain. “The truth is we simply don’t know what we don’t know, and we’re still only beginning to figure out how things work.” So, basically, I’m not simply being difficult if my daily pain doesn’t respond positively to whatever new treatment or new diagnosis is being handed down; instead, the science just hasn’t caught up to my particular problem yet.

I cycle up and down in terms of how bad the migraine is each day, and I seem to be in a longer stretch of “not terribly bad, but still sometimes bad enough that I don’t leave the house,” and that’s rather a good thing because it has been decidedly worse. I’m still not able to work as quickly or nearly as much as I’d like, and I’m stubborn and keep re-learning what happens when I push too hard. But know that I do still continue to try, and that I’ll certainly make a big announcement if there’s a breakthrough—or even better, if the migraine simply goes away.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to meeting with my writing group this morning and some shared chocolate to commemorate a diabolical milestone.