I had to speak to my doctor today. A while ago I mentioned I was having trouble with pain in my stomach. It started off like heartburn and kind of came and went, but I have had pretty much continual hunger pang type acidic gnawing discomfort in my stomach for about two weeks now that gets worse at night. Rennie's didn't really do much but Gaviscon liquid did give me some relief.
Two weeks of stomach pain is something to get a bit worried about so I spent the weekend consulting the NHS website. At least I know it's a reliable source. The site said stomach pain isn't something you should ignore or put off seeing the doctor about and for once I agree. I am the world's worst procrastinator and this lit a fire under my arse.
I have chronic migraines which are a huge quality of life suck. I take a preventative medication for it which helps a bit and I have also found some relief in cutting gluten out of my diet. I have had to watch my sugar intake, as well as cut back on artificial sweeteners. If I physically exert myself too much that is a massive trigger, which is a huge pain in the wellbeing. I used to be quite the gym bunny, running every day. That has all gone out the window now. I really despise having physical limitations now, knowing if I exercise as much as I want, which is great for my mental health as well as physical I'll be feeling abominable a few hours later. If I exercise too any days in a row too that's a trigger for a migraine as well. It has been a horrible couple of years physically. My major struggle in life has always been with my mental health but now to have to deal with physical issues too really brings me down.
The pain relief for migraines is a group of drugs called triptans. I don't know exactly how they work but I assume it's opening the blood vessels in the noggin, or something like that. They're not something you'd take recreationally. I have tried two different triptans and they haven't helped relieve my pain at all. It's hugely frustrating.
Then the pandemic hit.
Obviously this only fanned the flames of my procrastination. I wasn't going to the health centre during a Covid. Nobody could blame me for that. The combination of cutting out gluten and topirimate seemed to cut out the background noise and a clear pattern emerged in my migraines. I would have a very nauseous four day long migraine when my period started. Then another four day migraine halfway through my cycle, when I was ovulating. It became clear there was a hormonal aspect at play.
The triptans weren't working so I resorted to taking ibuprofen (advil in America). The regular dose wasn't enough to touch the pain, so I took more. Not a huge amount more, but clearly enough. When you're in pain you do what you gotta do to make it stop.
Well, it turns out if you take a lot of ibuprofen over a long period of time, you give yourself a stomach ulcer.
I was always worried about my liver. I never even thought about my stomach. I knew aspirin was harsh on your stomach, I had no idea ibuprofen was too. Well, I know now.
I didn't even need to go into the surgery either. Doctor's are speaking to patients over the phone as much as they can at the moment so I had nothing the worry about.
He was extremely nice and prescribed me something to reduce the acid in my stomach to allow my stomach to heal (this is what the NHS website said would happen). Also, he prescribed me a progesterone only contraceptive pill that should stop me from ovulating, therefore reducing, potentially even stopping me from having periods altogether. Massive fucking win! If I'm not ovulating, I'm not releasing the hormones that are causing the migraines.
I'm feeling pretty positive now after months of pain (why do I put off going to the doctor? Why don't I prioritise my wellbeing?) and hopeful I'll be feeling much better soon.
I hope you are all doing well.
