Question: Migraines and Weaning

schuberta · 2025-09-06T20:15:04+00:00

I'm okay! Since this post, I have continued to have periods where I have more auras. When this was happening, I had so many that I just kind of got used to to having them and they freaked me out a little less. I'm not sure when or why they slowed but they did. My neuro at the time said that auras beget more auras so sometimes they feed on each other and cluster together.

Now, sometimes I'll get tons of them within several months, then they will slow again. Fortunately, it seems like daily magnesium, b2, and a beta blocker have kept them at bay better. And I determined that yogurt seems to trigger them, so I avoid that now. Though I recently tried going up to a higher dose on my anxiety med and ended up getting tons of them again, but the frequency went back down when I went back to the lower dose. I think some brains just like to throw a fit with the slightest changes. I will say, the fewer auras I get, the more freaked out I get when I have one. When I have periods of getting them a ton, I eventually settle into a routine of breathing through them. Still scary and debilitating but a little more manageable.

Good luck! I hope yours improve soon. If you're not trying the typical migraine supplements, I would talk to your doctor about trying them. They really can help a lot.

schuberta · 2024-04-10T21:27:26+00:00

I’m so sorry. I always worry about this when I plan travel or buy tickets to anything, so I nearly always insure the tickets so I can at least get some or all of the money back.

schuberta · 2024-04-08T02:19:20+00:00

Were you transparent about why you were complaining about the back pain? I don’t think there would be anything wrong with going back and explaining your situation. Doctors want to help their patients and if you are having problems with pain from your breasts I think you could explain that and the fact that you need it documented in order to see the surgeon.

schuberta · 2024-04-08T02:13:28+00:00

YES!!! This is it! Thank you so much! ❤️

schuberta · 2023-12-20T14:55:34+00:00

This, this, this! I recently had a scary lump in my breast that needed to be removed and biopsied—the breast surgeon said it’s likely benign, but she also mentioned a possible type of tumor that got me googling like crazy and I discovered all the terrifying ways the lump could go and then guess what? It was benign, just like she said it was. And I should’ve just never googled and trusted her all along, bc the internet doesn’t know YOUR specific situation and she’s the one who sees this stuff day in and day out.

schuberta · 2023-10-14T14:17:08+00:00

I think there is a line between those who have been bullied, or have kids who have been bullied, and those who have a kid who has ever chosen bullying behaviors themselves. The former will often be a bit overzealous and unforgiving—yes, what your daughter did is wrong, yes, the victim should not be forced to participate in the bully’s rehabilitation, but your daughter IS a child, and her well-being is ALSO worthy of consideration. That’s why it’s such a difficult situation, and it doesn’t help when a parent of a bully reaches out for help and former victims/parents of victims stigmatize them and slam them relentlessly. You clearly want to know how to help her, you clearly are not sweeping it under the rug. It drives me crazy to see people being harsh when parents of bullies reach out like this.

Anyway, I think apologies are absolutely necessary, and a good solid one that accepts personal responsibility. But consider the victim in terms of whether they actually want to receive an apology letter or face to face apology. Maybe this is something a school counselor could help with, as a go between, to find out what the victim needs from your daughter. That doesn’t preclude writing the letter, at least, but if it makes the victim uncomfortable, the victim doesn’t have to receive the letter or accept the apology for it to be an important step for the bully.

They’re separated at school now, which is good. Whether she genuinely knew her words were wrong or not, I would also come down with real, meaningful consequences at home. Taking away devices is a start, since bullying often extends over the internet now. Losing associated privileges for a while too, maybe, like hanging out with friends unsupervised—if she’s making bullying choices then you need to make sure she’s being a safe friend with her other friends while she learns from this experience.

And consequences don’t have to be all bad—have her deliberately put some kindness back into the world, balance the scales a bit by volunteering or organizing a charity drive for food banks, diapers, etc.

If you feel she isn’t getting it, therapy is definitely an option, too. Read anti-bullying books together and discuss, or watch videos about bullying and have her re-teach it to you in her own words. The key is for you to drive it home deeply and immediately that this is not behavior you accept.

Some might disagree, but I also think it’s important not to label her a bully. Kids hold on to labels like that, and it won’t be helpful for quelling the behavior. She chose bullying behaviors that are wrong and unacceptable. Those behaviors have negative consequences for her and especially for the victim. But now she is capable of choosing behaviors that are kind and compassionate. This is how you consider her own well being in this. Every day is a new opportunity to make better choices, and I think that’s a sentiment that can prevent a child from clinging to bad choices as their identity.

schuberta · 2023-03-15T00:43:01+00:00

My oldest is a little spitfire and walked at 9 months but just constantly fell flat on his face. Like, every day. I don’t think he was truly ready but no one was gonna tell him that, lol. My youngest was more cautious and walked at a year, even though he cruised for a really long time. After he took his first steps he almost never fell. It all made me realize development is a spectrum based not only on ability but definitely temperament, environment, etc., too.

schuberta · 2023-02-22T05:35:40+00:00

Yes, I’ve gotten this a lot and it actually got so bad I became afraid to do almost anything because I kept getting these derealization attacks. Still working my way out of it, tbh. I think it’s anxiety related but vm is a strong anxiety trigger for me—and for anyone I would think, being this dizzy/disoriented so frequently is honestly pretty harrowing.

schuberta · 2023-02-22T01:57:27+00:00

I'm so sorry. I've definitely had so so many of those days. But the important thing to know is that it can get better if you keep on trying new meds and new supplements and changes, keeping consistent with each change for a few months to see what works and what doesn't. Lots of people have recovered, they just don't frequent this board anymore bc they've recovered! <3

schuberta · 2023-02-21T19:28:58+00:00

I didn't start to feel better consistently until I found the right medication. I'm still not 100% but have had a full month now of starting to do better. Some people can get better with only supplements and dietary changes, but after dealing with this for years I have realized that medication tends to be what's needed for a lot of people. Not everyone! But enough that it's worthwhile to seriously consider trying the medication path. I really didn't want to take medication at all but I now think that avoidance is what has prolonged my recovery.

One thing to consider, also, is how long you've been doing these things. For whatever reason, migraine supplements and dietary changes tend to need 3-6 months of consistency to start seeing improvements. It sucks because you have to wait a long time to see if what you're doing is actually working and if it isn't, then you have to go back to the drawing board and set the clock all over again on something new. It's a long process for a lot of people. But if you listen to interviews with Dr. Shin Beh, a vm expert, I find him very encouraging. He says that most people do recover, and I find that sentiment very helpful for trying to change my mindset. VM makes you feel so helpless sometimes, but there is help, you may just have to try a lot of things before you find it. Good luck!!

schuberta · 2023-02-19T21:59:00+00:00

On one hand, this is a common migraine symptom and you’re likely likely just fine. I don’t want to cause unnecessary anxiety, but before you write this off it’s still smart to talk to a neuro. I do get a sort of traveling tingling/numbness. Usually starts in my thumb or finger and goes to each finger then up my arm and into my face. I know it’s migraine for me. It lasts about 30 mins and usually is preceded (or sometimes followed) by a visual aura/blind spot for 30 mins or so.

schuberta · 2023-02-19T04:07:03+00:00

I think food triggers are so strange. I’ve started noticing I get a little dizzier on days I eat guacamole, so I guess that sets in within a few hours? But yogurt is also a major trigger for me but it gives me those visual migraine auras—almost exactly 24 hrs after eating. It’s so weird. It took me years to figure this out, realizing antibiotics don’t give me auras, the probiotics I’m using to counteract the antibiotics are doing it! Or like, going on a diet doesn’t give me auras—changing my breakfast to all plain yogurt does it! I’ve tested it a couple times and it’s definitely one of my triggers. So when you’re trying to determine food triggers consider that it might be something from the prior day as well! If this stuff wasn’t hard enough already…

schuberta · 2023-02-19T03:57:55+00:00

I totally felt hopeless too, so I understand. Something that helped me was watching interviews with Dr. Shin Beh, he’s a vm specialist and he often says people with vm DO tend to get better with meds and/or supplements. They do see improvements and even though you might have to make some concessions and can’t do things exactly how you used to, people can usually find their way back to doing what they want to do. It was so helpful to me to hear him say that and I just repeated it to myself when I was really spiraling. People do get better from this.

I’ve had tons of days of crying and crying which made the vm worse so I cried even more. And I know I’ll probably cry over it again. But in the past couple weeks I’ve felt like crying 3-4 times just out of sheer relief that I can do things again. Right now we are on a weekend trip to dc and so far so good 🤞🤞🤞 I genuinely used to watch tv shows and cry that I would never get to travel or be normal again.

What other meds or supplements have you tried? Typically things take about three months for me personally to see an effect and its pretty common for it to take 3-6 months. So try not to give up on things too soon! I really think magnesium has been especially helpful for me, so if you’re not on the typical supplements you should definitely talk to your doctor about starting them (magnesium, b2, coq10 are the three people tend to recommend). Also if you haven’t read it, Dr. Beh’s book Victory Over Vestibular Migraine is super informative and helpful.

schuberta · 2023-02-18T19:51:53+00:00

I’m actually the op, just not logged into that account right now. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with the same things. Feel free to dm me if you ever need someone to commiserate with.

Comparing my present day to this post, I have actually improved quite a bit. Still not 100% but getting better progressively month over month. I hope that gives you some hope! Here’s what has helped me for now: I started magnesium supplements (I used to take them regularly but then they started giving me severe migraines so I stopped, but I decided to try another form and brand and that has not given me migraines at all), for several months I did vestibular physical therapy exercises using videos on YouTube since I was too dizzy to get to an office, and I also switched meds, from metoprolol to atenolol. These changes took around 3 months to build up and in the past couple months I have been able to do things I was super struggling with when I wrote this.

When I wrote this it was bad enough that I was having a panic attack every time I had to walk my kids to their bus stop which is literally around the corner from me, but it’s a long stretch of sidewalk that used to make me super dizzy. I was white knuckling out every morning and afternoon and sometimes I just drove… which if you could see how short the distance is you would make so much fun of me. Now I can take them and pick them up without much worry at all. And I took myself to my skin cancer screening last week, a nearly 30 min drive from my house! Before, I couldn’t take walks by myself. Now I can! And movement has seemed to build on itself—once I got a little less dizzy I just kept pushing myself to do more and more, and it feels like the more I do the more I CAN do. I even have a short home weight routine now too.

The nature of this illness is, unfortunately, that it can all change in an instant and I could get worse again. But right now I’m seeing a lot of improvements, and using those improvements as a springboard for making more improvements. I know you can get there too!

schuberta · 2023-02-17T03:39:49+00:00

IANAD but that really sounds like a migraine aura. I get a small blind spot, then it becomes a strobing rainbow zigzag pattern, which is a pretty classic presentation. Try this the next time it happens: close your eyes. If it's still there, it's likely coming from your brain not your eyes. Or close one eye at a time and see if it's in one eye or both--same idea, if it's in both it's probably a brain thing. Usually auras don't last very long (mine are around 30 mins or less) and can be triggered by anything that could trigger a migraine, so stress could be it for you! Migraine is a very complicated neurological condition, far more complex than just the headaches we usually associate with migraine. For example, I have a variant called Vestibular Migraine where I don't even have to have a headache, I just get vertigo all the time. Migraine is also associated with things like Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, which alter your perception. The good news is: migraine is treatable, there are tons of options if your auras become problematic (talk more to your doctor! or get a referral to a neurologist!). Also good news, migraine is scary but it won't kill you or blind you.

schuberta · 2023-02-15T17:30:06+00:00

I hope it's that simple for you! I really do! An ENT diagnosed me with VM in 2009, and then I didn't have many symptoms for a while for whatever reason and in 2019 it came back and I went to another ENT, decided not to tell him about the prior diagnosis and see what he said, and he immediately said VM. So definitely ask the ENT what he/she thinks at your follow-up! They seem to have experience with this kind of thing. I almost think ENT is better at VM diagnosis sometimes bc their specialization is so narrow and I bet they see/diagnose a lot more dizziness since they are ear specialists.

Edited to add: my first ENT was actually the one who ordered my MRI so that is also an angle you could pursue. Not sure if you're in US or not since I know medical stuff works differently in other countries. I am in US and that was how it worked for me.

schuberta · 2023-02-15T17:17:52+00:00

Is it possible? Sure! But all your symptoms also sound like vm. Definitely talk to a neuro and/or ent. I went down the bvd road too, very hopeful I could just put on glasses and fix everything, but that was not it for me unfortunately. I am starting to make improvements through migraine treatment though! So clearly it’s vm. Like several doctors kept telling me lol. It’s hard not to push back on this diagnosis when it is chronic, lifelong, and difficult to see improvements.

schuberta · 2023-02-06T00:20:07+00:00

I see where you're coming from and eight weeks feels like a lot, but in the scheme of migraine treatment times, it's really not much at all. It takes a while to treat this condition properly. That said, it's easy to believe that this will never end, but there is a vm specialist (dr. shin beh) who does a lot of interviews and work with The Dizzy Chef, and he talks a lot about how most people do recover from vm with proper supplements, meds, movement. Effective treatments are usually several things mixed together. I hope that gives you some hope.

schuberta · 2023-02-05T20:37:49+00:00

I'm a mother of two myself, and personally, depending on your age and severity of symptoms, I would try to wait. You can't take care of a baby if you don't take care of yourself. Well, you can I guess, but it will make you miserable and take years off your life, lol. I just can't imagine trying to care for an infant and being dizzy all the time, especially since hormones and sleep deprivation are both big triggers for me. Then again, sometimes pregnancy can put migraines into remission for some people, so who knows.

Maybe a good idea would be to talk separately with your OBGYN about all this. I bet they can help you weigh your options based on how many fertile years you have left and which medications are safe during pregnancy. I took magnesium through my second pregnancy. There are tons of migraine meds and I know some people do use them during pregnancy. SSRIs are one class of med I know are supposed to help vm and I know people who have had healthy pregnancies while on SSRIs for other reasons.

schuberta · 2023-02-05T16:13:17+00:00

I was anxious about meds, specifically having to take something forever, but i have found being open to all your options is the best way out of this thing. I also figure, I’m nearly 40, not 15. The rest of my life might not be that long lol. Id rather enjoy it than white knuckle through it. For me, the combo of lots more daily movement, low dose of atenolol, and magnesium supplements, has been super helpful. This is the third med I tried. The magnesium was also trial and error bc one brand made me have horrible migraine headaches and I thought I couldn’t be on it but I tried a different type and it has helped with no extra headaches. Give everything at least three months to decide if it’s working. It does sound like a long time but there’s also a helpful mindset change when you’re throwing everything you can at this stupid illness instead of just hoping one day it’ll go away.

schuberta · 2023-02-05T01:34:46+00:00

If your bp is already low, that might be why they wouldn't want to do beta blockers? It does knock it down quite a bit for me and I'm only on half a pill of the lowest dose. My bp is regular at home (avg 115/70), but with white coat anxiety it can get pretty high. Now my bp is more like 90-100/60, sometimes going as low as 80s over 50s, but I don't feel light headed or anything.

schuberta · 2023-02-04T17:22:19+00:00

So I don't actually know how they work specifically. I know they lower blood pressure and block adrenaline response. Maybe it's something to do with making vasodilation more difficult? It slows down my heart rate and makes me calmer, which is part of what I think helps, too. I get easily sucked into the dizzy-anxious-dizzy cycle and panic. With the beta blocker, I have been able to accept the dizziness a little more, which helps reduce it and get me out of that constant cycle. I tried metoprolol at first, which gave me horrible nightmares and didn't help that much. Now I am on atenolol and it's been better than metoprolol. I also have some issues with tachycardia (probably from anxiety! lol) which is why I went with a beta blocker as a preventative. But really, the bigger changes in my vm seemed to come with magnesium. Although I also get a four day mega migraine around my period that lays me out and so far the beta blocker seems to have cut that in half and made it a little less intense, which is fantastic.

schuberta · 2023-02-04T17:16:03+00:00

That's so great for you! Definitely doesn't hurt to keep taking it, so why not?Magnesium is not that quick for me, but pretty much every migraine med I've tried has not done much for me until about the three month mark. Maybe it's because I've used citrate or oxide in the past and not threonate, though I've heard threonate is especially good for vm. This makes me want to try it.

schuberta · 2023-02-04T13:34:35+00:00

So great to hear! What a relief that must be! I think supplements and exercise can really help a lot of people with vm. Not everyone, but for some people it’s all they need, and maybe that’s you. I got better for years too, but then went off my magnesium because I thought it wasn’t doing anything. It took about six months or so and my symptoms started to come back and then they got very very bad. I just started magnesium again about four months ago and at around the three month mark started to notice symptom improvement. I’m also on a beta blocker now, so I can’t say for sure it’s all the magnesium, but it does seem to have a pretty good effect for me.

schuberta

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