Here it is, Day 27 of #DaithPiercing, and things are still feeling good! I would like to think that any placebo or newness effect would have worn off by now…but who knows? I remain cautiously optimistic, though!

Having had migraines since I was about 5 years old (I’m 40 now), I can honestly say I’ve been through most all of the symptoms and…styles, for lack of a better word. When I was young, the pain would make me throw up, then the headache was gone. Through my teens, it turned into the three-week-long, endless headaches. My twenties saw the heavy auras, the flashing spots, the nausea, and throwing up but not ending the headache. My thirties turned more trigger-happy. Bright lights, strong smells, those really spiked up the activity. And now, as I grow older still, the hormonal cycle seems to dictate my migraines for the most part. There are definitely still triggers and unexplained migraines happening, but there is a week-long one waiting every month. Guaranteed. This week is my ear’s first test for that.

It’s not really clear if this ear piercing is specifically for migraines, or headaches in general. Does it help sinus headaches, or cluster headaches? I haven’t really found any good research or even opinion articles on that. But for now, it seems to be helping with my own head. And that’s all I need. A little help, via an extra hole in my head! As far as healing, this particular piercing can take up to six months to completely heal. So far, after roughly one month, I am happy with that aspect as well. I can sleep on my side, the ring moves freely, there doesn’t seem to be much crusty ooze (which is a common complaint). But then, the Piercer said I have really good ears for this kind of thing. Deep-set cartilage, so the ring is pretty well tucked away and protected. #PrettyEars It is only really sore if I accidentally forget and try to stick my finger in my ear to scratch an itch. But that is my own fault!

I can also report that my painkiller consumption has dropped dramatically! My liver is undoubtedly happy about that! I think that is actually contributing to my better head, having fewer rebound headaches as I come down off the constant Ibuprofen intake. And the pills never really helped anyway, I think I only got in the habit of taking them, in some twisted logic that “hey, I’m at least trying to fix this” or something. But, as I mentioned above, I do remain cautiously optimistic. This piercing is certainly not an exact science, and even people that have reported great results, have also stated that it quit working after ‘X’ amount of time. So! I am just going to enjoy one day at a time, and try to figure out what people do with all this extra free time that doesn’t hurt.