piercing

Four Years Migraine Free: A Happy Anniversary Indeed!

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Photo Credit: JillWellington on Pixabay

Today is the fourth anniversary of my daith piercing. That also makes today the fourth anniversary of the last of the debilitating migraines and chronic severe headaches that had plagued me consistently throughout my teens and adult life. 

My Daith Piercing

I don’t think I could ever forget the surprise and shock when that migraine— which I had had for five days— was gone within an hour of the piercing being done. I had definitely not expected that to happen! 

I also still remember the profound sense of clarity and awareness the following day when I was in the classroom and completely headache-free — an entirely new experience for me.

The niggling fear and suspicion that it couldn’t last and that the next migraine was lurking around some corner, waiting to accost me and steal my new lease on life, was a feeling that took some time to overcome.

That hasn’t happened yet, and while I realise that day might yet come, I no longer actively think about it. 

I am so incredibly thankful for the difference in my life that one piercing made. I am also thankful to my professional body piercer for her expertise, and for having taken the time to learn how to use her art for therapy and healing.

A Bump In The Road

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An update to my post earlier today: the headache remained mild and went away after a couple of hours and some Advil. 

This is, once again, completely uncharacteristic of my decades-long headache pattern. 

The only thing that has changed is that daith piercing. I am absolutely certain this is not merely some hinky kind of placebo effect. I was bracing myself for a full-on headache today and it didn’t develop past an oddly annoying, vague kind of thing that was banished by some ibuprofen.

Weird… But very, very welcome!

I Guess It Had To Happen…

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Today I woke up feeling as though I should have had a headache. My shoulders and neck were achy and I felt a bit cloudy in the head. I was surprised about the absence of any headache, and realised then that I would probably have a new set of symptoms to learn since my daith piercing.

My pain levels from my fibromyalgia are high, and at times almost overwhelming today, so I was encouraged that my head hadn’t gone out in sympathy. Since I try to not let my pain dictate what I will or won’t do, I headed for church with the friend we are visiting for the weekend.

What I had not really thought about was my sensitivity to fragrances in a social setting where people don’t know to sit away from me if they are wearing perfume.

We chose a spot where I was not surrounded by people,which is always my preference anyway. An older gentleman came over and sat in front of me. I’m sure he thought he smelt lovely but it was an almost instant effect in causing that familiar sinus pain behind my eyes.

For what it’s worth, my husband commented when we got our of church that the man’s deodorant or cologne, or whatever it was, was unpleasantly strong, even for someone who isn’t as sensitive to those things as I am.

So far, though, the pain has remained much milder than usual, which is a nice surprise. I did have some nausea while sitting there, but that passed once I got out into fresher air, which is also unusual as it usually lasts as long as the headache does.

It will be very interesting to see if this headache hangs on for a day or two, as my fragrance-induced headaches always have done before.

I’ll keep you posted.

All About That Daith… No Trouble!

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Last week I posted about my new daith piercing and how it had banished the headache I had for the previous four days.

A week later, and I still haven’t had a headache. I can’t remember the last time I went a whole week without a headache… it may have been some time back when I was in high school.

I did have two flashes of pain on Sunday, like the ones I often get before a migraine sets in. Nothing eventuated, though.

I can’t really overstate how significant this is for me. This is little short of a minor miracle.

I still have my chronic pain from fibromyalgia and the pain and compromised movement from a lower spine that thinks it’s 85 years old, but I can manage that.

I have got through hot weather, busy days and work deadlines without tension. These things have always been headache triggers for me. One day I will get brave and eat some cashews, just to see if I pass that test.

People who didn’t know about the piercing have commented on how relaxed I seem. I certainly haven’t felt the tension I generally have before under those same conditions.

So, it’s a very happy “so far, so good!” From me.

If you suffer migraine or cluster/chronic headaches, it’s certainly worth considering a daith piercing. It still seems to be working for me.

A piercing experience!

/ wordynerdbird / 5 Comments

In the last few months since hearing about the daith piercing and its effect in reducing/controlling headaches and migraines, I have done a fair bit of reading and research.
I decided it was something I would do one day. I figured that if it had no effect on my headaches, I’d still have a cool piercing.
This afternoon, after 4.5 days of a particularly nasty thumper of a headache and not much sleep, I made an appointment for 4.30pm.

This headache had persisted for almost five days despite the not-for-the-faint-of-heart painkiller routine that I have for my back and other chronic pain.

The room and bed were super clean, the body piercer was knowledgeable and told me all I needed to know about this piercing.

She also showed me information about this point in the ear, used in both acupuncture and acupressure to control not only headaches and migraines but also tension and anxiety. I was impressed by how much she knew about the non-body-piercing aspect of the physiology of the ear.
The piercing itself took less than three seconds from start to finish, and all I felt was a quick sting.
By the time I got home 45 minutes later, the intensity of my headache had already reduced by about half. The light sensitivity that I had experienced for days had disappeared, and I no longer felt sick turning my head from side to side.
Usually, this kind of headache leaves me feeling exhausted and dopey, like I have been hit in the head with a rubber mallet, for a day or so after the pain itself subsides.
As I write this, only three hours after the piercing was done, I have only some twinges of pain and none of the usual lethargy.

Am I impressed? Heck, yes!
I wasn’t expecting anything so prompt or marvellous! And even if this turns out to be some hinky kind of psychosomatic/placebo effect, I’ll still take it.

And, as a bonus, I have a really cool piercing.