Life Change

Photo from weheartit

As you all know, migraines change your life, both for good and bad. Mostly bad, but over the last few years I have learned to, for example, say "no", thanks to my migraines. Recently, I made a big life change which falls under the good category. 

I've worked in public relations the last four years. I have a bachelor's degree in PR and worked at a fun and energetic agency. During the last four years, however, my headaches and migraines have taken over my life to the point where I realized that my body (physical and emotional) was deteriorating, and I think a lot of it had to do with the high level of stress that goes with a PR job. I've been doing therapy for a year to help me manage this stress, but my body was not dealing with it. So, in December, I quit my job.

A change of scenery seems to be what I needed. I'm still active - in fact, I'm now a full-time graphic design student at the local community college (and I'm doing some occasional contract work for the agency). I should be able to get an associate's degree in about a year and a half. I've always been artsy, and I'm loving my classes! Two out of the five I'm taking are online, so I'm able to be at home a lot more where it's peaceful and relaxing.

Now don't get me wrong: I still have headaches and migraines. But the nearly every day of head pain has lately been every other day or so, and my anxiety and IBS have gotten better. This is a big improvement (so big, in fact, that I've been scared to blog about it because I don't want to jinx myself)! 

Also, I don't want to say definitively that quitting my job and becoming a student is the main reason for this relief because I don't know that for sure. I'm doing lots of other things that could be helping, including:

• I still have my TMJ mouth guard, and I'm slowly cutting back the hours I have to wear it. Maybe the mouth guard and/or cutting back on the hours (down to wearing it 14 hours per day now) is helping.
• I'm on my third cycle of taking Progesterone (bioidentical hormone) pills day 22 through the end of each cycle. I'm almost certain this is a big factor in my improvement.
• My diet has been really good lately. Because I'm home more, I've been eating out less and cooking mostly from scratch, and mostly organic foods (especially meat and dairy because of the whole hormone thing).
• I've been exercising more. 
• My preacher is aware of my struggle and even used me (without naming me) as an example in a sermon after I told her I'd been questioning God about the pain and at the same time wanting to turn it into a positive to help others going through it. I firmly believe that her prayers and those of church members are helping. 

Whatever is helping, I'll take it! I'm still going to seek additional treatment; in fact, now that I have different insurance (through my wonderful husband who is supportive yet a little freaked out about me not working full time haha), I may have a better chance of getting approved for things such as Botox.

I'm so happy to be writing a positive update on here! There really is hope, as I've said all along! :)