Migraines and Pre-Op Diet

[kwcabello 9]

Hi Everyone,

I have been getting a ton of Migraines during my 2 week pre op diet. Is this typical for other Migraine sufferers? I wonder if I am missing something essential in my diet triggering them, and am curious if anyone found the missing link. Overall I have done well with the pre op diet, but these migraines are killing me.

[toodlerue 433]

Yes! I had them too. I think it’s from not eating any solid food. Hang in there. In the end it wi be worth it!

[kwcabello 9]

Thank you! Almost there!

[Spinoza 1,226]

Oh I feel your pain. Most of my Migraines are triggered by one of three things. sleep disturbance; blood sugar disturbance; hormone disturbance (specifically pregnancy, when I had the worst migraines of my life - but I know others have them at menopause). I suspect yours might be as a result of the second? If so you might want to think about some slow release carbs if you can on your programme.

Also - the worst headaches of my life have been caffeine withdrawal headaches - could yours be those?

[kwcabello 9]

Thank you @Spinoza !! I think I am those 3 things as well. I think I am doing pretty well with the caffeine. The first few days, I had that change of diet and caffeine headache ( pretty sure ); then, this weekend, the Migraine business came into effect and has been pretty much non stop. I am really only allowed 4 shakes a mini bar and a banana per day until this weekend then no banana and no mini bar since my surgery is Monday. I am so close I just am dragging with this. I will call my clinic tomorrow and see what they say.

[St77 86]

On the pre-op diet my Migraines skyrocketed. Turns out that it was the shakes because they had artificial sweetners, which are a known trigger of mine.

[kwcabello 9]

oooh good to know!! I didnt do really any artificial sweeteners before. I was always on that "real" sugar idea. Thank you!!! Feel like this might be tough go then eeeks

[hills&valleys 130]

The increase of headaches and Migraines during the pre-op diet is due to carbohydrate withdrawal. For future pre-opers, the best way to reduce carb and caffine withdrawal headaches is to gradually decrease carbs and caffeine over a period of weeks rather than a sudden cold turkey approach.

[kwcabello 9]

I thought that was only going to be week 1 ugh 😅

[Arabesque 6,608]

Withdrawal headaches. Similar to alcohol & drug withdrawal. Your caffeine, sugar, carbs intake has been dramatically reduced as has your calorie intake. All things your body was used to relying upon. It reacts with your Migraines.

If your migraines were also caused by hormones, your weight loss so far could have effected your levels too. Estrogen is stored in fat. As you lose weight it’s released into your blood stream throwing everything out of whack.

[kwcabello 9]

Oh no I do usually get the bulk of my Migraines with my cycle. If this will be the case, I will be miserable. I definitely will need to talk to the DR. Thanks for that insight!!!!

[Alex Brecher 10,496]

Migraines can be triggered by a variety of factors, including diet, stress, changes in sleep patterns, and hormonal changes. It's not uncommon for people to experience an increase in migraines during a change in diet or lifestyle, such as the pre-op diet for bariatric surgery. If you're experiencing an increase in migraines, it's important to discuss this with your doctor, who can help determine the cause and recommend appropriate treatment options. In some cases, they may also recommend keeping a food diary to help identify any specific triggers.