Update on me and a Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July to all the Americans out there! 

I wish I could be with you today as you barbecue, eat watermelon, go to parades and see the fireworks!  Sigh.  Not much going on for the holiday here in Berlin, probably because this is Germany. 

I know that I only have been writing posts on this blog once in a blue moon for quite some time now, but I wanted to post an update on my life, as it seems that a number of people are still reading this site.  (Funny, back when I used to post here often, I would get excited when my site would make the first two or three pages of google search for “narcolepsy blog.”  Now that I almost never post, I come up as the fifth result!  Lol.)

Currently, I am just staying at home trying to get my health issues under control, especially depression and migraines (although weight is also a big issue for me, but not one keeping me from working).  Starting in November, I had a three month internship with a non-profit that does conferences on international politics and culture, however, it was a big problem that I was missing 2-3 days each week because of migraines.  Because of this, I decided not to look for other work when the internship ended and just focus on getting rid of the migraines.  I am fortunate that I can stay at home without running into financial worries, as my husband has a job that pays very well.

The good news is that, since then, I have managed to reduce my migraines by about 50%, since I changed my diet a bit to resemble the low glycemic index treatment. 

Out of the blue, my previously unhelpful neurologist told me about the ketogenic diet, which is traditionally used to treat epilepsy in children, saying that it might help my migraines and even my weight issues and narcolepsy.  (Those of you who know something about migraines might remember that many medications used to treat epilepsy are also used to prevent migraines.)  (Thank you, God, for answering my prayers ).    I then discovered the low glycemic index treatment, which is a much more liberal version of the ketogenic diet, through my own research about the diet on the internet.

Since I started trying to follow this diet, I have gone from one migraine (with me lying sick in bed 2-3 days) every week to a bit less than two migraines per month.  That, and I have been able to completely stop doing the other migraine diet I was doing, as I found that I didn’t find that helpful when I was doing this thing.  I haven’t seen any change in terms of weight or my Narcolepsy, but I was trying this because of the migraines. 

Having said that, I haven’t yet managed to get anywhere near the intended restrictions of the diet (namely, 40-60 grams of carb per day and staying within the low glycemic index) since the first month.  Let’s just say, I cheat.  A LOT.  And yet, I have still managed to see a dramatic improvement!  Which makes me very happy.  I’ve now gone on two vacations where I didn’t lie in bed for at least one day with a migraine (amazing!). 

It is my hope that I will be able to start eating better and with less carbs very soon, and that perhaps once I do that my migraines will decrease even more.  In the first month that I did the diet, I followed it more strictly and only had one migraine, so it is my hope that I can see even more improvement in this in the future.

(I should probably mention that if you do reduce your carbs to the level recommended with this diet, you should regularly see a doctor to make sure you don’t have any nutritional deficiencies or other problems.)

In other news, we got two bunny rabbits at the end of April, which has been quite fun.  The black one is named April and the white one is named Snowflake, both females.  They love to cuddle and groom each other.  It’s very cute. (I will try to post pictures in the future…)

I had really been wanting a dog, however, considering  my migraines and living on the 4th floor with no backyard, I decided that rabbits would be a better choice.  As I have been struggling with depression for some years now, it has been nice to have some furry company in the apartment, especially as my husband often travels for work.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer and doing well!

I also wanted to repeat something I’ve previously offered on this site, namely that if anyone is in need of advice or just some emotional support in a difficult time, please feel free to contact me at nisfornarcolepsy@google.com and we can talk.  I know that it can be quite tough to have narcolepsy on top of whatever other issues one might have, and I would be happy to lend an ear (either by e-mail or even by telephone, as I have a plan where I can basically call the U.S. for free).

Just in case anyone has been secretly praying for a narcolepsy buddy – and not just a message board sort of buddy, but a real person –to talk with.  If you live in the U.S., ideally you would seek out someone in your area in the form of a narcolepsy support group, but I recognize that not everyone lives in the U.S. or has access to such a group.  Or perhaps you have other reasons.  Regardless, I just wanted to say that you shouldn’t feel badly about reaching out if you need help (it happens to everyone).

God loves you, and I believe that he has good things planned for you.