3 ~ Mountainous rewards – Part 1 ~

Stepping back into time ⏱
At the age of 13 in the year 2009 I encountered my first migraine attack that lasted a period of 2 days. Life continued normal thereafter until a week in 2011 came where I had the common fever, flu.

As I stood up to go to the bathroom I felt dizzy, saw everything going black & fell backwards hitting against the wooden floor.

Since then chronic migraines became an ongoing vicious cycle.. Each attack lasting a full 2 days & sometimes ongoing pain on a lower level for a couple of days.

Having a week pass me by without any type of head pain is the greatest blessing
Winter is synonymous with low immune resistance, infections & flu. During the winter of 2012 fever came up.. Again while in the bathroom i felt dizzy & blacked out.. this time I fell backwards but hit against the bathroom wall impacting on my upper cervical, tearing some ligaments in the shoulder..

At that stage I was in the third term of final year studies ✏📚✒📖 Everything came to a standstill & I missed one month’s work unable to write due to the torn ligaments which required a lengthy healing period.

After skipping 4 days of college due to pain, I decided to go in & listen to lessons. When rest or early leave for home was needed the teachers understood & gave permission.

However the real test came examination time – to study one month’s workload where my mind was barely functional even though I was physically present. Oath taken it’s only prayers that assisted me in memorising those notes & completing final year attaining a position i always maintained.
Being blessed with a good memory is a bounty of the Almighty & nothing to boast about because it is given by him & can be taken away whenever he wishes ( god forbid )

This is now where the effects of migraines come in… It causes changes to occur within the brain; forgetfulness became a major issue in my life.

Mom would always tell my siblings if you convey a message via Kay don’t expect me to recieve it 🙈 now they know that very well 😂😂
According to a few neurologists I’ve been to, migraines are genetic or commonly occur with no major cause found.

MRI scans done on me were clear but according to a chiropractor those 2 falls most likely brought it on.
I tried most of the alternative therapies & medicines I could lay my hands on but unfortunately nothing took them away completely or provided relief besides the following:
1) Avoiding triggers:

Chocolate, egg, yellow cheese, spinach, oranges, MSG, artificial colorants & some preservatives. There are also triggers beyond our control such as weather changes, PMS & stressful events…

2) Maintaining a disciplined daily routine:

Not skipping breakfast is very important, eating on time, sleeping & awakening the same time every day which is obviously not always possible. When sleeping times are not adhered to, migraines spiral out of control.
3) A highly qualified reflexologist ( Musa Bahaadur ) who’s treatment consisted of 3 sessions once every 6 weeks, after completing those sessions the migraines disappeared only to reappear after 6 months.. come what may, stress, shock, lack of sleep – I did not experience one during those 6 months…

He put me for a short period on Alkaline powder by A.Vogel & that assisted tremendously as well. Unfortunately by the time the migraines reappeared he had moved abroad to practice.
4) Chiropractic treatment ( by Dr Yasser Motala, Dr Mihaad Seedat & Dr Hemant Parbhoo ) assisted for short periods like a matter of 2 weeks, then relapsing requiring continuous follow ups…

I continued with it until i could no longer lay down flat for upper cervical adjustments due to left sided heart failure. Adjustments could not be done on the upper chest area due to multiple heart conditions mainly coronary artery spasms ( angina ).
5) Maxalt etc would not agree causing an increase in angina pain..

Currently the only alternative medicine that works magic in relieving my neuropathic & migraine pain is Dollarom – a blend of aromatherapy oils ingested & cannabis oil also known as medical marijuana ( prescribed by a qualified aromatherapist Aadilah Skotnicky )

Cannabis has noticeably lessened the frequency of migraine attacks, all thanks to nature which grants healing without any side effects provided it is prescribed correctly!!!
6) In the latest consultation with Dr Ozayr Saleh Ameen ( Neurologist ) he suggested I take fever few – a herb that works excellent for migraines.
*** Incase you wondering why is there a need to mention everyone’s names?? It is because I wish to give due recognition & credit to the medical personnel who believe, understand, support & assist me making the walk along this path a lot more easier.

Living with migraines is not easy. It is debilitating & disabling. One day is equivalent to quadriplegia.

– South African, Cape Town based Neurologist.

It was for this reason I resigned from a passionate teaching career of 3 years.. One I loved most! The fact that I could not lead an example of being present & punctual in class while trying to instill the importance of it in pupils would not work.. it would be unfair, injustice & an act of betrayal towards the role entrusted to me.

So I resigned placing full reliance in the Almightys plan that there would be a new future ahead in store.

“We plan, he plans,. & He is the best of planners.”

Little did I know what would occur 3 months later…..

(Kindly take note the descriptions below are placed to illustrate the descriptions of migraine pain, not as complaints)

Imagine someone taking a couple of hammers 🔨 hitting them onto your head continuously… Imagine someone drilling into your head.. Imagine someone stabbing knives into your head while trying to cut out your eye..

The next time you see me wearing dark sunglasses 😎 when there’s no sun, its not because I’m trying to look cool or be fashionable, it’s because I’m experiencing a migraine or trying to avoid bright lights which trigger them.

The next time you see me shouting my 17 nephews & nieces to talk softer or play further out in the garden away from my bedroom, its not because I’m acting like a grandmother before time 😅 but experiencing a sensory overload.

The next time you see me puking with the smell of food, its not because the food has an unpleasant smell, rather due to migraine effects.

---

The next time you see me banging my head on the floor, its not because I’m gone insane, rather trying to knock out the pain.

---

The next time you see me in a state of total silence in a pitch black room, its not because I’m sad or in depression but can no longer push functioning through.

---

The next time you see me with a migraine please don’t say “I also have a headache” because both are not the same!! I will gladly take a headache in place of a migraine.

---

The next time you see me popping a pain killer please don’t start rambling on about the side effects because I know them already..

I’m aware you do it out of concern but you should also be aware I try my best not taking it, so if I do I’m desperate for relief.

---

The next time you see me smiling normally please be aware of the pain hidden within.. I can be experiencing pre or post migraine effects.
A migraine does not simply end with a full stop. It takes a while to recover after an attack.. Feelings of exhaustion, lethargy, slow function are after effect symptoms.

Please do not be judgemental regarding the manner someone behaves.. you might not even be aware they’re experiencing a migraine as people still need to “live lives” & work to earn a living… Kindness & understanding will not cost anything.
In my shoes it is no easy task for parents to watch their child suffering one migraine upon another apart from the other illnesses.. but I am extremely grateful the frequency has now lessened with cannabis oil & ongoing chiro treatments to relieve muscle spasms.

Every migraine that feels like a mountain crushing the head, reserves mountainous rewards stored for the patience exercised during these types of pain…