Migraines after practice

I don't know if any of the information in my post from some time ago will help you, Nutrition, calories, avoiding hypoglycemia and migraines - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums. I did purchase and read the book suggested, The Brain Trust Program, and I have been taking magnesium supplements for almost three years. I am NOT recommending the following for you or anyone. I like to think it has been working for me, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. I did see a neurologist about migraines and he put me on one baby-aspirin a day and magnesium. He recommended those two dietary additions. He said magnesium would need to be in the 1200-1600 range to be effective. My sister has lived with migraines for years (since she was in second grade), and magnesium has been working for her as well. Please consult your doctor before taking anyone's advice to be safe. If I can make it until September, I will be migraine free for 3 years. Good luck!

Another vote for magnesium! A friend of mine put me on to it as I tend to suffer at from headaches around that time of the month. I have been taking a 400mg tablet plus whatever is in my daily multi-vitamin and while it has not completely elimitated the problem it has helped a great deal. (I really should talk to my doctor about it, but I don't like going :afraid:) Also keep hydrated. all. the. time. I've always been prone to headaches from dehydration, and right now my water bottle is a constant companion, workout or not. Today I put 1/2 an electrolyte tablet in there too to keep up my salt levels - it reached 100 this afternoon and I was teaching outside for 3 hours. However I still feel human tonight - unlike last night :bed:

Another vote for magnesium! A friend of mine put me on to it as I tend to suffer at from headaches around that time of the month. I have been taking a 400mg tablet plus whatever is in my daily multi-vitamin and while it has not completely elimitated the problem it has helped a great deal. (I really should talk to my doctor about it, but I don't like going :afraid:) Also keep hydrated. all. the. time. I've always been prone to headaches from dehydration, and right now my water bottle is a constant companion, workout or not. Today I put 1/2 an electrolyte tablet in there too to keep up my salt levels - it reached 100 this afternoon and I was teaching outside for 3 hours. However I still feel human tonight - unlike last night :bed: I think I'll try the magnesium. Thanks. As for water, I drink, on a low day, 72 oz. On a higher day of swimming or exercise, It's usually around 100 oz. I have my water bottle with me at all times, too.

Athletes who drink water during practice are actually already in fluid debt. It's important to "hydrate" well in advance and that process starts the moment you leave the pool. Jim pointed out that he's about 3 lbs lighter after a practice. That's fairly common especially if the water temp is over 80 degrees and you've been sweating for over an hour. 2lbs is about the weight of a liter sized bottle. If you're not topped off with the right fluid level, headaches aren't surprising. As a good habit I carry a liter sized water bottle and usually down it right after leaving the building. The rest of the day I carry a refill and usually finish it off before early afternoon.

Since this is a migraine thread - anyone ever had the visual migraine aura? I suffered through intense migraines through my youth and then they stopped around 18. Twenty years later got hauled away in an ambulance after blurred vision, scary stuff thought I was having a stroke or something. They thought it was blood sugar, I was back to 100% in an hour after eating a bagel. I've had 5-10 more since, MRI of the brain, etc.. Everything checks out. They are like 45 minute bad acid trips that I learned to comfort myself I would come out of. Haven't had one in a couple of years now ....

Since this is a migraine thread - anyone ever had the visual migraine aura? I suffered through intense migraines through my youth and then they stopped around 18. Twenty years later got hauled away in an ambulance after blurred vision, scary stuff thought I was having a stroke or something. They thought it was blood sugar, I was back to 100% in an hour after eating a bagel. I've had 5-10 more since, MRI of the brain, etc.. Everything checks out. They are like 45 minute bad acid trips that I learned to comfort myself I would come out of. Haven't had one in a couple of years now .... I have never gotten the aura although I've had migraines that have left me in a dark room throwing up (Portland LCM Nationals was the worst one!). But I have noticed I can feel my blood sugar dropping and that "bad acid trip" feeling and a headache will come on if I don't eat something fast. I now keep a Fiber One bar with me at all times so I can combat that.

Since this is a migraine thread - anyone ever had the visual migraine aura? I suffered through intense migraines through my youth and then they stopped around 18. Twenty years later got hauled away in an ambulance after blurred vision, scary stuff thought I was having a stroke or something. They thought it was blood sugar, I was back to 100% in an hour after eating a bagel. I've had 5-10 more since, MRI of the brain, etc.. Everything checks out. They are like 45 minute bad acid trips that I learned to comfort myself I would come out of. Haven't had one in a couple of years now .... I don't get migraines very often but they pretty much always come after a visual aura. I can see everything except what I am trying to focus on becomes blurry. I also usually see a line which look like a crack where I am focusing. It is maybe a good thing though as if I take a 400mg liquid gel ibuprofen immediately I can often avoid the migraine or make it much more mild.

When I was a kid I got ones where all I could do was put covers over my head and cyclically vomit for 8 hours. I think I might be getting one right now thinking about my mother coming in and turning on the lights to check on me - oohhhh the pain. My utmost sympathy to those that now suffer from these. Don't think I had the aura with the headaches at least nothing like I got later. The visual ones I got later had no headache at all. I read these were more common in people that used to get the migraine headaches. They seem harmless but can cause a serious panic attack. Even though I am now confident I will come out the other side eventually they still scare the crap out of me. They have some pretty cool video simulations of these. Most of them don't look quite like mine, but this one is pretty close: www.youtube.com/watch Aura - what does a migraine headache aura look like? - YouTube

Herb, this is the migraine I get. Sadly, I live in fear of having them. I've had maybe 4-8 in my life, and I think about them daily. What I have done to prevent them is magnesium, baby aspirin, and fueling/hydration. I feel like I can associate all the ones I have had to lack of nutrition/hydration and exercise. So I always eat and drink, adjusting as necessary. I eat because I know I am going to swim in an hour, not because I am hungry. So far, I have not had one in almost three years (knock on wood), and I think it is because of the magnesium and baby aspirin. The headache wouldn't be bad, it's the aura, confusion, tingling in fingertips, lips, etc that I dread. It is like having a stroke. One time I had one after a swim at the Y, and the Y staff wanted to get me into an ambulance and off their campus asap. All I needed was something to eat and drink, but I didn't get that relief for about two hours as the hospital was treating me like a stroke/heart attach victim. Anyway, good luck with yours. Try not to dread them (as I keep telling myself). Did anyone ever succesfully diagnose yours? They had me convinced of the blood sugar thing so I too made a habit of always seeking protein and water. I'm not sure any more how related they even are since glucose levels and everything else was always good. I was actually somewhat relieved when I found out what it was myself on the Internet, although I don't know of any way it can be medically confirmed and my doctor didn't seem overly impressed with my diagnosis. The descriptions I have read are just so similar. At least one guy said he learned to relax and enjoy the show - a lot easier I imagine if you don't get the headache afterwords. I used to live in fear. Everytime I saw a spot from a bright light I would think "here we go again". But it has been long enough that I don't live in fear any more, but I suppose I could have another one any day. Come to think of it the one thing I did have around that time was high blood pressure so that might have been a factor.

Since this is a migraine thread - anyone ever had the visual migraine aura? I suffered through intense migraines through my youth and then they stopped around 18. Twenty years later got hauled away in an ambulance after blurred vision, scary stuff thought I was having a stroke or something. They thought it was blood sugar, I was back to 100% in an hour after eating a bagel. I've had 5-10 more since, MRI of the brain, etc.. Everything checks out. They are like 45 minute bad acid trips that I learned to comfort myself I would come out of. Haven't had one in a couple of years now .... Herb, this is the migraine I get. Sadly, I live in fear of having them. I've had maybe 4-8 in my life, and I think about them daily. What I have done to prevent them is magnesium, baby aspirin, and fueling/hydration. I feel like I can associate all the ones I have had to lack of nutrition/hydration and exercise. So I always eat and drink, adjusting as necessary. I eat because I know I am going to swim in an hour, not because I am hungry. So far, I have not had one in almost three years (knock on wood), and I think it is because of the magnesium and baby aspirin. The headache wouldn't be bad, it's the aura, confusion, tingling in fingertips, lips, etc that I dread. It is like having a stroke. One time I had one after a swim at the Y, and the Y staff wanted to get me into an ambulance and off their campus asap. All I needed was something to eat and drink, but I didn't get that relief for about two hours as the hospital was treating me like a stroke/heart attach victim. Anyway, good luck with yours. Try not to dread them (as I keep telling myself).