I got a toradol shot, emergency style, 2 days ago which did not touch my migraine pain. If it did, it was not enough for me to notice and the agony I was in did not abate. I reached out to some of the support groups I'm in to see what others experience with these shots have been. I was informed and guided into daith piercing, which I had never heard of. It is a specific fold making up the outer ear. I read as much as my smashed up brain would allow that evening about the piercing and figured I had nothing to lose by trying. On Yelp, I found the highest rated tattoo place in my area which was also, ironically closest to my home. Piercings, $20 each. I didn't really have the mental capacity to be worried or scared. On the ride there, I wore 2 pair of sunglasses and kept my cloth hat over my face to protect myself from daylight. I prayed "God, please just give me a peircer who really, really knows what they are doing and have compassion for me." We, Tim and I, arrived at our first tattoo shop inside of 10 minutes. I was clearly in agony and the piercer, Mitzi brought all the paperwork to me to sign. When we got back into the piercing room, she told me that if I was doing this for severe headache relief, she highly recommend I do the tragus instead of the daith. Since I had no expertise from which to draw, I let God guide the situation and said, "If you think that is better." She explained that the daith, while being a pressure point that does relieve headaches, it is a more minor point than the tragus pressure point. So, on we went. I was laying down and she did the right first. It felt like mostly a lot of pressure. Not pain at all in relation to how my head felt. Then she went to the left. So, who knows why, but on this side, thank God I was holding Tim's hand or I might have writhed physically from the pain. I did see stars from the sudden pain shock. It felt like some concussions I have had, only prolonged for about the count of 5 or so. Agony, no dressing it up. But, here is the thing. Inside of 30 seconds, I was able to sit up with my headache having gone from an 8 to about a 5. I could take my hat off and look around with just one pair of glasses on. I could speak clearly and articulately. It felt like someone had just pulled a plug on my migraine and it lost it's power.
When I got home, I did take an NSAID for the dull ache of my ear that was beginning and it was important to keep any swelling or inflammation at bay. As the afternooon went on, my headache continued to abate. Several times I wanted to cry with joy at the miracle of it. But, I did not, not wanting to the the remaining headache any fuel. By the time I went to sleep...... my headache was GONE. At a 0. Entirely and completely gone. With no medication. With no side effects. For $40 bucks.
Today, I rode to Dallas with Tim to keep him company on his way there for a job interview. I wore my hat and one pair of shades, like a regular person. I enjoyed thoroughly the glorious spring day in Texas. We were gone a few hours and I still feel entirely well, headache-wise.
If you've never had a migraine, I'm going to try to relate what this day and a half have felt like. When I went into the shop there was a super heavy-duty length of chain wrapped around my skull being tightened from both ends like a tug of war by two invisible teams. When she did the right side, one team let their end slack. When she did the left, both ends of the chain were dropped and the chain began to fall away. As the day wore on, the rest of the chain fell off of my head onto the ground, to be left behind. If you can imagine that, you're pretty close to the reason I feel like I have two little metal miracles in my ears now.
I had a friend over last weekend who had brain surgery and now has 4 electrodes permanently implanted in her brain and an electrical tube running down her spine to a battery power supply implanted in her hip. She did this for migraine relief. It's called the Omega procedure. Invasive brain surgery. And I was thinking about it. I was on that path. But now, here I sit, happy as a clam, if clams are happy, with my new pierced tragi. My new favorite word. Tragi.
If I have ever felt more blessed, I cannot remember it.
Have happy, happy days.
It's good to see your beautiful smile, and I am really happy that you found relief from your migraines. I used to get them once a month, and they would last for 2-3 days. They were blinding and on more than one occasion, I became nauseated. I feel blessed that I no longer have them as often, nor as debilitating. You are always in my prayers. Please know that you are loved and thought of a lot. Hugs
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