At 27-years-old I was diagnosed with a vestibular disorder, and while that was life-changing enough, it put my plans for pregnancy on hold. So many women in my vestibular migraine groups had talked about how they were diagnosed with VM during or after their pregnancy, and if they already had VM it was HORRIBLE during those long 9 months. The last thing I wanted to do was take this brand-new chronic condition I had just been experiencing and mix it with raging hormones.

Flash forward to today and it’s been 3 years since my diagnosis, and I’m now 19 weeks pregnant. I’ve had a lot of questions since making my announcement that I decided it was time to officially document my experience on my site, so here we go…

Discovering I Was Pregnant

First off, I had no idea I was pregnant because all of my pregnancy symptoms mocked VM. Two weeks prior to getting my positive test, I was confined in my apartment because my dizziness really flared up. I had all my normal migraine symptoms, but now I was experiencing more nausea. As we all know, this can be another symptom. At the time I was dealing with a lot of stress, so I didn’t think much of it.

It’s crazy to me because if you were to Google “early pregnancy symptoms” so many go hand-in-hand with migraine symptoms.

Look at this list, people.

• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Faintness
• Dizziness
• Food aversions

Yep, had all of those and definitely thought it was VM. Haha. However, once the first few weeks were over and I wasn’t feeling the drastic increase in hormones, I started to level out. Well, until morning sickness really showed its ugly face…

Where I Am At Right Now

To be completely frank, these last 19 weeks has been HARD, and surprisingly, it’s not just because of my vestibular migraine. It’s because I’m still throwing up. And for all my migraine followers, you know that stress on your body and dehydration doesn’t exactly mix well when it comes to your migraine threshold. The worst part is that while my OBGYN is treating my morning sickness with anti-nausea medications, the medications are creating more migraine attacks.

Ugh. Face Palm.

I feel like I’m choosing my own adventure every day depending on if I want to be sick or if I want to have a migraine attack. The other struggle is that I’m now very limited on what medications I can take to treat my migraine attacks, so it’s been a bit of a juggle figuring out what works for me.

How I’m Managing

All of that said, both my OB and Neurologist have been working with me to make sure that both me and my baby can be comfortable as I continue on this journey. And while I continue to be sick, this is what I have been doing to manage my VM and the symptoms of pregnancy.

Exercise: A.K.A Walking

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that I love to run, but that’s not been in the cards for me lately. With the excessive throwing up, I find it’s easier to get some fresh air by going on a nice long walk, rather than bouncing up and down running. Exercise is important for both pregnancy and chronic migraine, so I’m trying hard to still incorporate that into my lifestyle. While I can’t currently attend a yoga class or run several miles, I still feel like I’m keeping in shape just by getting out and moving my body.

I do, however, hope to start either a prenatal yoga or swim class here in the near future. Stay tuned!

Medications/Supplements

I feel like a little, old lady with the number of medications I’m taking at night now. Between the supplements I take for my VM and the additional pregnancy add-ons, it’s becoming a lot. As I stated before, I’m in a position where I’m picking my poison right now. If I don’t take the medications for my nausea, I’m less likely to have a migraine attack, but that will be accompanied by excessive vomiting. And on the flip side, if I take my nausea meds, I will most likely wake up with a migraine. What would you do? Which is worse!?

Here is a breakdown of what I’m currently talking to combat each issue I’m experiencing.

Migraine: Magnesium, D3, Riboflavin, and CoQ10 (you can find more info about all of those here.) I’m also taking Timolol eye drops that have been AWESOME with helping with light sensitivity on top of wearing my Migraine Shields.

Note: My neurologist also had me try the gammaCore for a week, and while it helped with migraine headache relief, it didn’t help as much with my dizziness symptoms. I’ve heard the Cefaly is the way to go for VM, so I’m looking into finally filling my prescription on that.

Pregnancy: Prenatal vitamin, Unisom melts (helps with morning sickness), B2 and Zofran (anti-nausea) daily so that I can actually keep my food down.

I have to take the anti-nausea meds first, before taking any of my other medications in hopes to keep them down. Unfortunately, both Zofran and Unisom are causing migraine symptoms.

Hydration

Staying hydrated has been a huge focus for me for so many reasons. With the excessive vomiting, it’s important that I am keeping fluids down because I don’t need to end up in the hospital. While I’m having food aversions instead of cravings, I have been working hard to always have water or Gatorade with me. My OB suggested other things like sparkling water, but unfortunately, drinks such as La Croix tend to give me migraine attacks.

I’ve noticed that the days where I am consuming fewer fluids, my VM also gets worse. Long story short, hydration and eating well have definitely been my top priority. Actually, eating anything, to be honest. I have been in survival mode, so I will take what I can get. Haha.

Prenatal Massages

I’ve been advocating self-care in all of my previous VM blog posts because it is SO important. And holy moly, it’s just as important for pregnancy, too. I had my first massage recently, and I felt like a whole new person after leaving. My body has been aching from both pregnancy and from putting a lot of stress on my body dealing with more frequent attacks. Massages are a must whether you’re pregnant or not!  

Taking Breaks And Knowing Your Limits

I know I’m luckier than most due to the fact that I work from home, which has given me the chance to take a break when I need to. If I start to feel dizzy from staring at my computer, I take breaks and go lay on my couch for a minute.

Both pregnancy and VM cause fatigue so there have been some days where I have felt like I have been hit by a bus. I am working on giving myself some grace and knowing that it’s okay to rest up so I can continue on with my day.

I’m Halfway To The Finish Line

You guys, while it’s been a rough road up to this point, I’m so grateful to be able to experience this new season of life. I am at the halfway point and before I know it, I will get to meet my sweet baby boy.

I know a lot of people are hesitant to want to embark on the journey of pregnancy with a chronic condition like VM, but I will say this: pregnancy is only 9 months. 9 months, you guys, and I only have 4 months to go. And in the end, you get to hold your little guy who makes it all worth it, I’m sure of it. I’ve had a chronic vestibular disorder for 3 years now, and I’m in a completely different place than I was in the beginning.

If you are pregnant or your condition worsens during your pregnancy like mine, remember this: You were able to get to a point of feeling more like yourself previously, and you can do it again! Keep your chin up! 🙂