Hi, I’m Alanna. Welcome to my blog! I’m so glad you’re here!
I’d love to tell you all about my amazing husband, two sons, Australian Shepherd/Husky dog, our large orange tabby cat, and our tree frog of 12 years, but I’m pretty sure you care none for all that (xoxo if you do).
If you’re curious about my blog name and why I have a migraine mama brain (don’t worry I would be too), here’s the shortest version I could find of my migraine story.
Once upon a time, in 2012, I was diagnosed with chronic migraines (along with Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD) and became pregnant with my first son (hence migraine and mama!). END OF STORY.
What I share on the blog and why you should definitely bookmark me:
- Ways to cope with the anxiety and depression that strikes with chronic migraines
- Which beauty products have done tremendous things for me living with a disease that makes it difficult to shower and wash my hair, let alone feel pretty
- What a migraine support group is and why you should definitely belong to at least one
- The gorgeous hair accessories I use for my super sensitive scalp
- How I homeschool two young boys, work from home, and blog with migraines (hint: I don’t know!)
- How I’ve adapted my sense of style around migraines
- My struggles as I walk with God through migraines
If you’ve made it this far, great! Can I talk a little more about my migraine now? Those severe monsters (the migraine, not my sons, ha ha) tormented me daily and kept me in pain for the better part of five years. But things became much more bearable in September 2017 when I pierced my left daith (rhymes with moth, and is a fancy word for the piercing of the ear’s innermost cartilage fold. As a side note, daith is autocorrected to faith.). I pierced my right daith six months later. It was a rather blissful time, as I was down to 1-2 treatable migraines per week (when you are chronic, this is the goal/dream).
However, the more my (still super cute) piercings healed, the less effective they became. By mid-2018, I was chronic again.
It was right around this time that the new anti-CGRP migraine prevention drugs (Emgality, Ajovy, and Aimovig) became available to the public. I started taking Emgality nine months ago at the time of this writing, and although I’m not cured and still chronic, my migraine life has taken a drastic turn for the better. I’ll go into more detail about that on the blog, but in the meantime you can check out what I’ve documented so far on my Instagram page (I have my journey hashtagged by month and week, so for example, #emgalitymonth2week3).
The current plan, besides perhaps a tragus piercing, is to continue Emgality for the next six months (I’m on their free program for a year), and then I’m trusting God to lead me in the right direction as I work with my doctor. I do know one thing, and that is I don’t want to go back to life pre-anti-CGRP medicine.
In the meantime, I’m always searching for answers to reduce the frequency and severity of my migraines. Migraine Mama Brain shares my experiences with what I’ve learned along the way as I continue living my life with migraine and exploring treatment and lifestyle options.
Alanna Klapp is a writer, blogger, and a homeschooling mom of two boys. Her work is published in various publications in print and online. She began writing at the age of 10 and got her start as a guest host of The Writing Show podcast. She wrote fashion and beauty articles, a parenting blog, and business articles before migraines changed the direction of her life.
Now, she’s that Perfectly Posh consultant who enjoys reading and a Stylist for Lilla Rose hair accessories, thanks to her migraines.