Author Topic: Diet for headaches  (Read 14698 times)

Nickittynic

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Diet for headaches
« on: July 15, 2010, 02:05:06 am »
I went to my ENT last week and he recommended trying diet changes to see how they affect my headaches (which he is calling migraines).

I got a list like this http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/Diet_and_Headache_-_Foods, which include foods like fresh bread, chocolate, caffiene, avocados, nuts, most cheeses... and some other yummy things. It's been three days and I feel so deprived (this coming from someone who voluntarily spent some time as a gluten-free, sugar-free vegan)! I don't care about the hot dogs and alcohol, but a chocolate chip cookie and a coke would be nice!

Has anyone tried this and had it work?
25 year old OBGYN nurse, wife, mother of two
5.5cm x 3.1cm left side AN removed via retrosigmoid 9/09 @ Hopkins
SSD, Tinnitus, Chronic Migraines, Facial paralysis (improving!)
Resolved - Left sided weakness, Cognitive issues
Gold weight, upper and lower punctal plugs, tarsorrhaphy

Mei Mei

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2010, 04:39:33 am »
I do keep away from certain foods because I've been told that they triigger migraines like Papaya.   I still like to have my Chocolate and Cokes.      I do take some Papaya once in a while but don't overdo  it.
It goes to show that  the brain is all chemically related  and food is chemistry
Mei Mei
1 cm Tumor RetrosigmoidSurgery on Jan 12 at Johns Hopkins
Drs. Niparko and Tamargo
35dB loss pre surgery and now SSD
Post surgical Headaches and Tinnitus
Dr Ducic Georgetown Excision Surgery May 2011
Dr. Schwartz GW  Titanium Mesh  March 2012
Drs Kalhorn/Baker, Georgetown Removal of Titanium Mesh

Soundy

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2010, 09:36:06 am »
before surgery I was given a diet to tame migraines that were to left side of head ...you could draw a line straight down my part and the right side was fine and I wished I could remove the left side of my head ... my AN was on right side and had nothing to do with those headaches ... limiting some things (nuts , processed and smoked meats ,soft drinks with caffeine ,  peanut butter , chocolate ,  soy and the list goes on) helped very little ...

what got me was that I could tame a headache if it had not gone to far with a Dr Pepper which was on the list of no no's ...but it was OK for them to prescribe pills with caffeine ... I would go for the Dr Pepper first as it tamed the headache and didn't make me jittery the way the pills did ...I seem to be ultra sensitive to medicines and it usually doesn't take much to work for me ... but I have got to have that little bit ... the drink had alot less caffeine and my PCP said he would go with the drink first then pill if the drink didn't work ...

these post surgery headaches I am fighting don't respond at all to dietary changes ...they come from movement , stress , position of head while sleeping or sitting and weather changes  ... a really bad sudden headache  can be triggered by a cough or sneeze or laughing hard ...being really tired can bring one on and having one can wear me out making me tired

thanks for the post ... it doesn't help me but may help others
3mm AN discovered Aug 2004
Translab July 2 ,2007
3.2cm x 2.75cm x 3.3cm @ time of surgery

staypoz

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2010, 01:31:56 pm »
Nickittynic, modifying my diet didn't help me either, but it may help you and is worth a try.  I know there is a headache doctor at Hopkins who has published a book and made the round of talk shows who believes that diets are the source of headaches. 

Good luck with this experiment! 

staypoz 

moe

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2010, 07:53:39 pm »
Nikii,
Sorry to hear about your headaches. Migraines may be the culprit, but most likely just post AN headaches just like all the other AN headache sufferers suffer from!

So the question is, Have your headaches gotten better in the past few days with your change in diet?

Surely the aged cheese/red wine type products may contribute. I don't suffer from headache (ok it's the one thing I don't have!)

I don't know if the ENT docs really know, since they don't follow AN patients  ???

Anyway, good ole migraine excedrin, or ES excedrin with the combo of caffeine/tylenol/aspirin works- but you don't want to get addicted to that.

Have you been to a pain specialist??

Sorry not much help :-\
Maureen
06/06-Translab 3x2.5 vascular L AN- MAMC,Tacoma WA
Facial nerve cut,reanastomosed.Tarsorrhaphy
11/06. Gold weight,tarsorrhaphy reversed
01/08- nerve transposition-(12/7) UW Hospital, Seattle
5/13/10 Gracilis flap surgery UW for smile restoration :)
11/10/10 BAHA 2/23/11 brow lift/canthoplasty

jerseygirl

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2010, 09:00:00 pm »
Niki,

I generally agree with all the previous posters but ...  My post-AN headaches ( only after the first surgery) were not caused by any foods but   the surgery itself, however, I knew that large amounts of fried foods and some aged cheeses as well as salami  would cause a migraine in me even before AN surgery (and now, too). That ruled out many common foods, including French Fries, salami on sandwiches and pizza, fried chicken, etc. However, I could still eat these in small amounts, especially infrequently. With post-surgery headaches, I discovered, I had absolutely no tolerance for these foods whatsoever. In fact, I could not even smell them because they made my headache worse. Moreover, if I ate these foods even in small amounts, that would set off a really persistent and strong headache. I was constantly in pain and did not want add to the load, so I ate only raw and boiled foods.

My point is that you might want to try to figure out which foods would give you a headache and try to avoid them. You might experience an overall reduction in headaches and a decreased need for medication.

Congratulations on your face! I saw this in another post.

 Take care,

            Eve 
Right side AN (6x3x3 cm) removed in 1988 by Drs. Benjamin & Cohen at NYU (16 hrs); nerves involved III - XII.
Regrowth at the brainstem 2.5 cm removed by Dr.Shahinian in 4 hrs at SBI (hopefully, this time forever); nerves involved IV - X with VIII missing. No facial or swallowing issues.

Captain Deb

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2010, 11:02:15 am »
The weird thing about caffeine is--if you drink it regularly it can exacerbate your migraines, yet if you don't drink it at all and you feel a migraine coming on, a shot of caffeine can help.  I don't go near caffeine at all except for this circumstance--if I am out doing errands and start feeling headachey, I'll drink a diet coke or Dr Pepper.  The diet I am on (not really a diet, but the way I am eating) is geared toward fighting inflamation--gluten-free, lots of fruits and veggies, limit meat to fish and some organic chicken.  I think I am doing a little better on it but it is really hard to tell if it is the Botox, Neurontin that I'm back on, or the diet.  Right now I'm doing the "go to any lengths" thing.

BTW there really is not a lot of distinction in the terms "migraine" and post op headache.  Migraine is a general term for a one-sided headache.  If you are having a post-op headache that is one-sided, throbbing and long-lasting, you are basically having a migraine.

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW

Nickittynic

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2010, 04:40:27 pm »
I tend to agree with you all. I don't really think they're "migraines" since they are *never* gone, just sometimes more tolerable than others. I think I will break down and try to get an appointment with a headache specialist - the ENT wants me to see the neurosurgeon but I think that's a waste since my last MRI was fine. I definitely will do what I've seen recommended here and do a 'headache diary' for awhile.

Four or so days into the 'diet' and all I feel is deprived. I'm sure my flip-floppy night shift worker schedule does more to aggravate things than a handful of chocolate chips or a slice of cheese here and there. The only OTC med that's worked has been Excedrin - until I started using it so much I was having rebound headaches + chest pain from the caffeine!

Staypoz - Is the dr you're speaking of Dr Carey? That is the Hopkins doc that wrote the migraine packet I was given.
25 year old OBGYN nurse, wife, mother of two
5.5cm x 3.1cm left side AN removed via retrosigmoid 9/09 @ Hopkins
SSD, Tinnitus, Chronic Migraines, Facial paralysis (improving!)
Resolved - Left sided weakness, Cognitive issues
Gold weight, upper and lower punctal plugs, tarsorrhaphy

Mei Mei

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2010, 02:45:42 am »
The neurosurgeon called them Cluster Headaches not migraines except for the placement that they are in the back.   He gave me Verapamil ( See my post on Verapamil)   Its worked for the headaches.   Very few a week but bothers my sleep and makes me very itchy.   I still have the pain and lumpiness in the base of the skull and the lump in the neck that the PT and acupunctureist both say iscar tissue.   I wish they thought to pack it with amnion or doone sone preventititive measures for scar tissure at the surgery because that is my major problem now.   As for the headaches look up Cluster Headaches and Verapamil and see what you come up with.

Mei Mei
1 cm Tumor RetrosigmoidSurgery on Jan 12 at Johns Hopkins
Drs. Niparko and Tamargo
35dB loss pre surgery and now SSD
Post surgical Headaches and Tinnitus
Dr Ducic Georgetown Excision Surgery May 2011
Dr. Schwartz GW  Titanium Mesh  March 2012
Drs Kalhorn/Baker, Georgetown Removal of Titanium Mesh

Captain Deb

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2010, 06:48:46 am »
Mei mei, my headache specialist diagnosed me with "cluster headaches with migranous components."  They gotta call it something don't they???  These days the daily headache has certainly diminished and sometimes disappears entirely. --I think that just happened with time--hopefully yours will too.  I think you should see your neurosurgeon about the lump--there have been a few people here that have had what is called scar revision surgery which has helped with their chronic pain.

Eating healthy is always beneficial for people with any kind of health problem.  I told my back doc that I was going gluten-free and he thought it was a good idea.  He is an avid promoter of healthy diet and exercise--in his bio on the practice website, he lists cooking as one of his passions.

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW

Mei Mei

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2010, 11:45:40 am »
But doesn't scar revision cause more scars?    I wonder????
Mei Mei
1 cm Tumor RetrosigmoidSurgery on Jan 12 at Johns Hopkins
Drs. Niparko and Tamargo
35dB loss pre surgery and now SSD
Post surgical Headaches and Tinnitus
Dr Ducic Georgetown Excision Surgery May 2011
Dr. Schwartz GW  Titanium Mesh  March 2012
Drs Kalhorn/Baker, Georgetown Removal of Titanium Mesh

yardtick

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2010, 01:11:20 pm »
No Mei Mei, I had my scar revision 2 yrs ago.  It was done with a local anesthetic and has healed beautifully. 

Anne Marie
Sept 8/06 Translab
Post surgical headaches, hemifacial spasms and a scar neuroma. 
Our we having fun YET!!! 
Watch & Wait for more fun & games

Mei Mei

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2010, 02:28:41 pm »
Thanks!   That's encouraging!

Mei Mei
1 cm Tumor RetrosigmoidSurgery on Jan 12 at Johns Hopkins
Drs. Niparko and Tamargo
35dB loss pre surgery and now SSD
Post surgical Headaches and Tinnitus
Dr Ducic Georgetown Excision Surgery May 2011
Dr. Schwartz GW  Titanium Mesh  March 2012
Drs Kalhorn/Baker, Georgetown Removal of Titanium Mesh

Soundy

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2010, 10:26:54 pm »
I don't drink alot of caffeinated drinks and Coke or Pepsi will do as well as Dr Pepper , but it is my choice of poison ...I drink it when I feel a migraine coming on with the occasional one just because I want it ...but the post surgery headaches like I said are not migraine and have nothing to do with food ...



one thing that triggers a true migraine for me is raw onions ...and another is fresh homemade yeast bread ... both thing I love and have just given up all together
3mm AN discovered Aug 2004
Translab July 2 ,2007
3.2cm x 2.75cm x 3.3cm @ time of surgery

Nickittynic

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Re: Diet for headaches
« Reply #14 on: July 17, 2010, 10:32:38 pm »
After less than a week, I gave up on the diet. Massive headaches + not having the food I wanted made me tooooo grumpy, and I don't need another reason to be grumpy.  :P
I think what I'll do instead is a few weeks of headache diary-ing and see if I notice any patterns. As I said, I'm sure working night shift (plus, uh, brain surgery!) has a lot more to do with it than food.
25 year old OBGYN nurse, wife, mother of two
5.5cm x 3.1cm left side AN removed via retrosigmoid 9/09 @ Hopkins
SSD, Tinnitus, Chronic Migraines, Facial paralysis (improving!)
Resolved - Left sided weakness, Cognitive issues
Gold weight, upper and lower punctal plugs, tarsorrhaphy