When what has worked, stops working
Despair, frustration, depression, anger, confusion, hurt, sleeplessness, anxiety, feeling unheard…these are all the feels I have been feeling lately as these intense headaches, that I’ve been able to manage well since 2018, have started to make an unwelcomed appearance in my life again.
2018 was a pivotal, yet stressful sh*tshow of a year for a variety of reasons (some of which you can read here), but one memory that sticks the most is the week in July where I landed myself in the ER not once, but twice, with the most intense headaches I’d ever experienced. What else was “cool”, is that the amazing migraine cocktail they give you, well, that didn’t even put a dent into the throbbing, nausea, dizziness, and excruciating pain. I can still remember how tightly my jaw was clenched, how scared I was to move once I found even a modicum of relief, how I didn’t want to leave, but also didn’t want to stay, I just so desperately wanted relief. Eventually, they gave me haloperidol (an anti-psychotic), which took the edge off enough for me to go home and recommended that I follow up with a neurologist.
Saw the neurologist about a week later, all looked good (which was a great relief but also not comforting in the way I wanted). He gave me Imitrex to help stop the headache if I felt one coming on and a couple weeks later…I felt one coming on and…
Well, guess what…The imitrex did NOTHING…
except help me realize that these headaches, well, they maybe aren’t a traditional migraine. So, I started tracking them; when I would feel them starting, their peak, their decline and guess what ya’ll, they were happening consistently a few days RIGHT before my period. I talked with my GYN, and through bloodwork discovered that my progesterone levels dropped dramatically and significantly, contributing to these horrible headaches. I began taking plant-based progesterone supplements days 14-28 and TADA the headaches were gone…until…about 6 months ago when they started showing up right at the end of my period.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who has the capability to normalize a significant amount of discomfort as normal, so the first couple months, I just brushed off as random headaches…but they started increasing in intensity to the point where I started to lose at least a couple days out of the month.
WTF does not fully capture my reaction when I started to put 2 and 2 together.
Despair, frustration, depression, anger, confusion, hurt, sleeplessness, and anxiety all started creeping in in a MAJOR way because I AM A HEALTH COACH, I AM AWARE OF MY BODY, I AM CURIOUS, I AM EATING CLEAN, I BARELY DRINK COFFEE, I DON’T EAT GLUTEN AND DAIRY, I DRINK LOTS OF ALKALINE WATER, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!
When we’re faced with change, it is OK to not be ok, to feel frustrated, to not have the answers, to be pissed AF, and sad that what was working so well, stopped working. I’m sharing this journey because I think many of us go through some major health things and we don’t want to share because we don’t want to “burden others”, or don’t want sympathy, which then can make these major health things feel even more isolating, adding to stress levels which, as we know, we don’t need to be any higher in our lives. We need community, we need stories, we need to hear we aren’t alone and I want you to know that while yes, I am a Health Coach, my health is a journey just like everyone’s is. I am, however, really working to practice what I preach as it pertains to taking care of myself this time around (why is it so HARD?!)!
This brings me to what I want to share with you today.
When you aren’t feeling well, approach yourself the SAME WAY you’d approach your dearest friend if they were not feeling their best; with love, understanding, and action. My loves, while we do have time on this earth, our lives are not long enough to spend days, weeks, months and years feeling less than our best, less than we deserve. We were not created to suffer, we were created to thrive.
If any of this resonates or if you have any advice, I’d love the opportunity to talk with you! Shoot me an email, book a chat, and let me know what’s on your mind around this topic ❤️
April 5th, 2021: I’m currently working with a new care provider and going to complete the DUTCH TEST comprehensive panel to see what my hormones are up to, what adjustments can be made via supplementation while continuing to learn more ways to support my gut health through this CRAZY AMAZING advanced certification I’ve been working on. The connections are INSANE. Talk about perfect timing 😉
April 14th, 2021: I ordered an Everlywell Comprehensive Food Sensitivity test, did the finger pricking and popped everything in the mail. It was SUPER easy and I cannot wait to see what comes back. I discovered my gluten and dairy sensitivity through doing an elimination diet for 30 days almost 3 years ago, very curious to see what comes back!
April 26th, 2021: I just placed my Dutch Test in the mail and am so excited for my appointment with the Happy Hormone Cottage in the upcoming weeks. What is ironic, is that this cycle, I did not get a headache…which is also making me wonder how much is related to stress 🤔 Like, WHAT IF, my Everlywell Food sensitivity test and Dutch Test all come back normal?! With everything I’ve been learning about stress and our gut, there is definitely a part of me that deeply feels whatever is going on is partially (if not all) related to stress 😬What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever linked a significant health crisis back to stress? Drop me a line!
May 3rd, 2021: Headache has returned in the middle of my period, which allowed me to go get bloodwork done for comparison to a non-headache time in my cycle 🥳Very much looking forward to all these results and appointments to start rolling in and happening!
June 2021: Had my follow up to the DUTCH test with Dr. Blevins at the Happy Hormone Cottage and it was amazing. I felt heard, validated and guess what, everything looked great! I’m working with Dr. B to see if we can transition off of the progesterone supplements I’ve been taking to help with the migraines over the last couple years and use herbal supplementation to help support my body’s natural progesterone production. We have a follow up booked in September. Base point here…stay curious my friends and don’t give up on your body!
January 2022: What an interesting 6 months it has been! In addition to working my protocol from the Happy Hormone Cottage, I also started working with Paula Reed, my personal Health Coach, and Functional Diagnostic Practioner. We did some GI Mapping, and Hair Mineral Testing to get a bigger picture of my internal health, and the results were fascinating. I have been working on restoring my gut health, improving my immune system, and working to dissolve the calcium shell that developed around my cells, preventing key minerals from being used properly in my body! Another eye-opening realization, after 5 of my practitioners kept asking if I was stressed out, was that I didn’t realize how much stress I was carrying inside my body, because I always looked at stress as something external that was happening to me. With that being said, I’ve begun to get back to my regular, personal yoga practice, meditation, and other activities that help stress move through me, and not stay bottled up. To echo what I said in my June 2021 post, stay curious my friends, your body is in constant communication with us, and it is important pause, listen, and support yourself. If you are looking for resources, connections to practioners, or interested in finding out more about what it would be like to have a personal health + life coach to help you navigate and discover how great life can feel, send me an email, I’d love to hear from you and learn more about your experiences!
Lindsey is an encourager, optimist, health + life coach, and yoga teacher who helps caregivers live fuller, healthier, vibrant lives through exploring all aspects of their life and health while helping to cultivate simple, sustainable fun-size habits, so that they can continue to make a meaningful impact in themselves, their loved ones, and the world, for generations to come.
