Owner: Migraines and Me URL:http://migraines-and-me.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:12:57 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Attempting to navigate through chronic headaches and migraines while maintaining a sense of humor. Site statistics:Click here
Migraines gone?? Sadly no... 2008-02-24 11:44:00 Wow...it's good, it's bad...it just keeps going. I thought I was coasting along after my last round of botox and then a Friday full of stress brings a migraine filled painful night. It left me feeling very defeated. I was feeling that there is never going to be a solution for these unbelievably painful experiences. I was feeling like I am never going to be able to get away from taking medicine to bandaid the experience of migraine.Because I refuse to stay in that space, I tried to find something that could lift my spirits. I started to focus on the fact that I am not living with headaches everyday which means I am not under a constant threat of a migraine attack. This is a good thing and it is a drastic improvement. I still have that pinch in my shoulder that gives me a headache. And, this
Spa days are the best days 2008-02-10 10:06:00 First....a catch up: I am feeling better. I had my first migraine in sometime last weekend. It was startling how much it; I cannot believe that I lived through these for so long. The headaches that it launched itself from was unbelievably painful. The human body continues to amaze.I did start the diet and I have not lost any weight to date. Very frustrating but maybe I need to stop thinking about how much weight I have gained and focus on me at my ideal weight. It probably would not hurt if I started walking too.I received my second round of botox. Man that stuff hurts goin in!!!! It really works though (for the chronic headaches) and the fact that there is no grogginess or medicine head associated with it really has made it very appealling. My periods did stop for 2 months but then I spot
January into February 2008-01-27 13:22:00 **SIGH** I'm not feeling too good today. Nothinig to do with my headaches and everything to do with me. My headaches, I am happy to report, have been pretty much undercontrol. This mix of botox and stopping my period seems to work. I still highly recommend botox for people who suffer from tension/migraines.I don't know if it's because I have been really stressed at work, my crappy day yesterday, or because I realized today that I have been taking care of everyone but myself....but, I feel like I have let myself go and that makes me sad. My weight has been bothering me for sometime, but yesterday it really hit it home.Yesterday I went and stood in line to meet the producers of Cesar Milan's dog whisperer show. My dog has dog agression and I would love to get this man's advice. So...me, my b Read more:January
, February
Le Definition....part one 2008-01-14 20:09:00 I would have to say this is one of the better defininations of a migraine I have seen. It is somewhat lengthy but worth the read. Please go directly to the website for the references as I have ommitted them for space purposes. I have also edited some of the content. This was taken from Wikipedia.com: "Migraine is a neurological disease that can cause a wide range of symptoms during an attack. The most commonly thought of symptom is headache. It is widespread in the population. In the U.S., 18% of women and 6% of men report having had at least one migraine episode in the previous year, with seriousness ranging from an annoyance to a life-threatening and/or daily experience. Periodic or unpredictable disability can cause poverty due to patients' inability to hold down a job. Overview Usually Read more:Definition
Part deux 2008-01-14 20:07:00 Classification Migraines have been classified by the International Headache Society which periodically revises their classification. [edit] Defining severity of pain In addition to classifying the type of headache, the International Headache Society defines intensity of pain on a verbal 4 point scale:0 no pain 1 mild pain 'does not interfere with usual activities'2 moderate pain 'inhibits, but does not wholly prevent usual activities'3 severe pain 'prevents all activities' [edit]Migraine without aura This is the most commonly seen form of migraine; patients who primarily suffer from migraine without aura may also have attacks of migraine with aura. According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders it is a recurrent headache disorder manifesting in attacks lasting 4-72 hou
Part Tres 2008-01-14 20:02:00 Migraine with auraThis is the second most commonly seen form of migraine: patients who primarily suffer from migraine with aura may also have attacks of migraine without aura. According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders it is a recurrent disorder manifesting in attacks of reversible focal neurological symptoms that usually develop gradually over 5-20 minutes and last for less than 60 minutes. Headache with the features of "migraine without aura" usually follows the aura symptoms. Less commonly, the aura may occur without a subsequent headache or the headache may be non-migrainous in type.In order to diagnose migraine with aura, there must have been at least two attacks not attributable to another cause that fulfill the following criteria:1. Aura consisting of at lea
Rain Rain Rain ....YEAH! 2008-01-06 21:32:00 It has been raining for 3 days and I love it! It is so dry in Southern California that any rain feels like a good cleaning. They said it was going to be flooding but all I have seen is some damp roadways. Granted we have had some moments of downpour but it is nothing like what Nothern California receives.On that note....I am on way up to Northern California for a business trip. These are usually somewhat stale as you usually are spoken at versus spoken to. I am sure we will have some type of motivational speaker but for the most part it will be sitting and schmoozing. The hardest part is just being away from home. The nice part is one of my girlfriends is having a baby shower on the Saturday I will be up there so I will get to go.I am committed to get my stress level down. Having my boob
2008...you're here? 2008-01-01 11:41:00 Wow....I am always surprised when the new year is here. I am always shocked at how quickly the year has flown by and reminded that when I was a child how slowly time seemed to move. I wonder if this is an effect of being a child and can't wait for time to speed up but when you're an adult you are trying to slow time down. As an adult you need more time....more time to get your job done and more time for yourself.Sometimes I wonder if we had more of a European sense of time and quality of life, would we better off? When you walk the streets of Paris you have the distinct sense that their jobs do not consume them, stress them or dictate their lives. Certainly they are present when they are working and take their jobs seriously, but it is not what defines them. The whole country recently when
Dragon Days.... 2007-12-15 12:12:00 I am almost one month headache free...which quite frankly says a lot given it is the holidays. I have been converted to a HUGE fan of botox!So, next week is my usual guaranteed migraine. The OBGyn has suggested I halt my periods to see if it is a hormonal issue. The funny thing is that he kept asking if I "understood" what he was saying....I felt like saying "Duh! I am the one who feels the hormone shift!!" but instead I was good and just responded that yes I very much understood what he was trying to do. So, we shall see if the answer has been found. I have, however, become resigned to that if I have a migraine once a month and it is due to being on birth control...well, then that is ok. It is better than having a child that I am not ready for.I still don't know what the boob surgeon is g Read more:Dragon
Soon-day 2007-12-09 16:53:00 Not feeling too good today. I don't have a headache (yeah!!) but I have a touch of the blues.They found another lump in my breast. No panini machine this time - I get to make an appointment with a "breat surgeon." I don't know what that means, but it does not sound good. There is a chance it will decrease my migraines.Excuse me while I enjoy my pity party for one...I feel blah.p.s. The botox is working like a charm!!
Disappointment 2007-11-28 20:03:00 So, I am cruising along for 4 wonderful days with no headache. Awesome!! What a strange sensation to feel normal. It was so beautiful I can't even put it into words. And then....came my periord and everything was ok for that day. Optimism was becoming the norm. Then I woke up the following morning with the dreaded evil thoughtless migrain. Mother b****es!!!! Why me??? It stayed with me through the entire Thanksgiving holiday. So, while my loves ones were enjoying each others company I was medicated and miserable.After Saturday I was ok, but the disappointment still lingers. My daily headaches have diminished and for that I am thankful. The botox really seems to have assisted with that. I now will be looking to see if altering my birthcontrol will assist. Keeping my fingers crossed again. Read more:Disappointment
Day 2 of the Botox Experience 2007-11-17 15:58:00 I can feel the muscles in my forehead starting to freeze up. It feels....I dunno, strange? I have no headache and I did not wake up with space between my eyebrows swollen and hurting. This was the first in some time I have not had to rub my temple to ease the muscle when I first wake up.One small thing did happen and I have no idea if it is related or not. I was just finishing my breakfast, I turned my head quickly and I got really dizzy like I was about to pass out. I had to place both hands on the dining table to sort of brace myself. It lasted for a few minutes. I started to think...if this is related to the shots I received in the back of my head, I wonder if it is worth it. My feeling is...I think so.Anyways....I still feel good and I usually can feel the begining of a headache the Sa
1 day post Botox 2007-11-16 20:04:00 Oh my goodness it hurt! Stung like little bees!! I got more injections than I can count in my forehead and the back of my head. I'm not sure if it was the endorphins or the injection that is not supposed to work for 7-10 days, but my headache 80% disappeared. Today my headache was about 80% gone.Now, to be fair....I am right before my period and I usually feel pretty good right before for about one day. I am hoping the botox is working....my neck certainly does not hurt as much as it usually does and that has not happened without a muscle relaxer in a long time.So we shall see. I will keep this updated. I am cautiously optimistic. I really hope this works!
Botox Thursday 2007-11-09 20:07:00 I had somewhat of an annoying day today. It is Friday and all should be happy - right? It was not until the end of the day when someone said some grossly inappropriate things to me that kind of threw me off. Then when I come home and try to vent to my boyfriend and he takes a phone call in the middle of my vent. I am annoyed and fighting off a headache. My normal escape has annoyed me as well.Anyways....after one more back and forth between my doctor's nurses, finally I am going to try the botox on my forehead and likely the back of my head. I am hoping it will help alleviate the constant headache. Then, I am going to make an appointment with my OBGyn and talk about my birth control pills. I am also thinking that it is possible my thyroid might be an issue.I don't know...my mind is sort of Read more:Thursday
Sunday fall back Sunday 2007-11-04 18:06:00 Well it is Sunday
and although I have had a relatively pain free weekend (meaning Saturday) the previous week sucked. According to my boyfriend I am squinching my eyebrows when I sleep to the point that my head is shaking. So not bueno. Funny thing is, he does not have to tell me this because my third eye hurts when I wake up.So, I called my neurologist last Monday and I have since gone through multiple back and forth messages over the same thing "Yes, this is Tina from Kaiser and I was calling to clarify the discussion you wanted to have with the doctor about botox. "4 times they called and 4 times I provided the same response "It is exactly as I explained the last time....my headaches are not improving and I am unwilling to go on any medication that affects my cognitive functioning. "I a
No title 2007-10-26 13:11:00 It's my week to get a migraine and I have been fighting one off since Monday. It won today.I was good. I have taken my rescue medicine at the first hint, my muscle relaxers at night and I have been resting. Last night it would not stop. Anything I took didn't work and as of now it has only mildly subsided....except when I move around.I really hate this. Not a mild dislike, but I hate it. There is never an ok time for a migraine to hit and it has me so freaked out that the slightest headache and I fear one coming on. Of course, the fires in Southern California do not help the situation at all.
Dragon Days 2007-10-20 13:17:00 It's Saturday and although my promises to myself of writing more often with this blog, my source of income remains both a priority and time consuming. Alas, the blog remains on the back burner.The good news is that last week I was relatively headache free. They would start, I would slow down and the headache, for the most part, would subside. My period is coming next week and so I am anticipating the migraine, but I am hopeful that I will be spared this month.Maybe part of my unusual relief this week is final acceptance that my j-o-b causes a lot of stress (and I say this as I am contemplating checking my work email and knowing I will have to go in on a Saturday soon). I am finally acknowledging that I am not always able to shake it off. I do enjoy what I am doing but there is a part of me Read more:Dragon
Almost headache free Friday 2007-10-12 21:06:00 I had a pretty crappy day yesterday at work. It was stressful and I left work feeling really annoyed. So, I came home and of course my honey was is as he always is: awesome. I forgot about it until I went to bed. I couldn't fall asleep, I couldn't stay asleep and then I woke up with a headache. Oh no! Not on a Friday
!!! I stayed in bed a little longer determined not to take any medicine and even more determined to get rid of this headache.So, I did it! I relaxed my way out of the headache and then left the house for the office intending to have a non-stressful day despite knowing what was ahead for me (meaning, I knew the day ahead of me was going to be very frustrating). I actually managed to maintain it throughout the day.I feel really good right now and I have not felt this good in a co Read more:Almost
Friday yeah! 2007-10-05 22:15:00 Wow did this week suck! I started off as a friggin space cadet on medication that made me feel like poop, then I go off of the medication and get a cold, the cold gives me a fever which gives me a headache which turns into a migraines and oh yeah work sucked too.This is the reason I love Mondays. It is the start of a new week and you can leave all the yicky stuff from the week prior behind. Even better than Mondays are Friday
s. Fridays represent the ability to rest, reflect and just be. With all of the health issues I have been having lately, Fridays are my saviors. Fridays allow my body 2 days to recuperate.So this weekend, like most weekends, I will rest and try not to exert too much energy so I don't get a headache. My poor boyfriend is left trying to make sure I am ok and me trying to
Adios Topamax!!! 2007-10-02 21:22:00 Hasta la bye bye to Topamax. That's right, the neurologist's nurse called me back and said I was to stop taking it tonight. But, apparently she failed to listen to me or look at my history because she wants me to take Pamelor now....which I took 2 years ago and it did not work. So, what now? I don't know. I await yet another phone call.What is Pamelor you ask? Specifically it is an antidepressant that is also used to treat chronic illness. I took it for 3 months with no side effects except that it did not work.What is quite frustrating is that I keep telling her that I am sensitive to medicine and she keeps trying to give me high doses for pharmaceuticals. It seriously bothers me when a doctor does not listen to you. Do I not know my body better than you? Ummmm, yes I do. And, please liste Read more:Adios
Medicine Sensitiva 2007-10-01 19:59:00 I have been on Topamax now for 5 days and I have to say I do not like it at all. Actually....I kinda despise it. The side effects are not working for me one bit. I feel dazed, unable to concentrate/focus, I have no appetite so my blood sugar is low which makes me feel weak and I feel emotionally flat. Basically my wit is gone and I feel like crapola!I called my neurologist and left a message describing the above. We shall see what she says. While I recognize that I am very medicine sensitive (when they placed me on tenormin, they put me on a dosage that was what you would put a small child on), I do not want to be on medicine that makes me feel like I am not myself at all.Monday through Friday I am required to be attentive and respond to questions from my employees. Today I found that I wa Read more:Medicine
I challenge thee migraine 2007-09-30 11:14:00 A little background.... I had my first migraine in 2000. I have no idea what triggered it but I do know that they have gotten progressively worse since that time. Mostly they come with my period but they also come with stress.What I plan to do with this blog is memorialize what I have been through, what I am trying and how it is working. I want to share some of the research I have done through the web and through books, because quite honestly a lot of it is redundant and completely useless. I will keep this one short and add my history later (with experiences, etc). This first one is only meant to be the appetizer.It was only within the last 2 years I have been seeking out what causes these devilish occurrences and how I can stop them. I have tried chiropractic treatment because the migrai
Stress is not my friend.... 2008-03-22 19:44:00 Stress and I ....we don't get along. I try to cope with stress but it doesn't seem to beat the beast that starts to pinch that area where my neck and shoulder meet. I try to relax it away. I refuse to let it keep me out of yoga. I try to get enough sleep. It still takes over and forces me to the medicine cabinet; that medicine cabinet that I detest.The medicine cabinet translates to side effects. It means that I am sleepy and unable to focus...kind of like right now. I am not quite sure why people take these pills for recreation (addiction I do understand) - I hate them. They make me feel like I am not myself. That I am flat emotionally. It's the same reason I don't enjoy alcohol...I don't like feeling as if there is something that affects me mentally or emotionally.So, here I sit feeling Read more:friend
Life in the slow down lane 2008-04-27 10:19:00 It was my boyfriends birthday on Friday and so I decided to do something for him that would be fun and new...I took him horseback riding. It was fantastic. We drove out to Topanga Canyon and went on a 2 hour horseback ride. Our guide was an aspiring actor, hence he talked a lot and talked a lot about himself but he was pleasant nonetheless. Overall I would say it was a really nice day.We arrived at about 10:30 am to an inconspicuous ranch with a long steep driveway you are not allowed to drive down. We start our trek down and notice there are no cameras or cell phones allowed. QUE??? Why? Obligingly we trek back up the hill a few feet and put our camera back in the car. We get down to the bottom of the hill and there is a small veranda with one guy who does not speak English and says nothi
Weather changes, stress and bad sleep equal MIGRAINE MADNESS! 2008-05-13 14:11:00 Wow. I was doing really well. I was championing botox injections, going to my yoga classes and walking the dog every day for at least 30 minutes. I was determined to lose weight and really feel good. My life was becoming "normal" again."Ah-ha!" Said the migraine. "I have fooled and lulled you into comfort! I am back and bigger than ever. And I brought friends!!" The migraine snickered at me. I had Read more:changes
, stress
When I say Oklahoma, you say WHAT!?? 2008-05-17 14:30:00 My job is moving out of California.....it's being moved to Oklahoma
. Yes, I said Oklahoma. Doesn't really inspire a "Ohhhh, that sounds like an adventure!" comment, does it? Well, it didn't for me either. Let's see when we think of Oklahoma what comes to mind? A broadway production named Oklahoma, race riots in 1941, a state sentator who recently made an anti-gay comment on the senate floor, a DA
How Do Migraines Affect Me? 2008-05-19 20:10:00 This is a great description of what migraines are. It's only about 5 minutes long. Read more:Affect
It's official....I am a dizzy blonde 2008-05-20 20:57:00 Well, I am blonde and I am dizzy. Very dizzy. But, it is not an "oh my God!" dizzy. This is a vertigo dizzy. It's been 2 weeks now and nothing has subsided. It is not worse but it is no better. I keep freaking out because all I read about lately is that migraines can be related to strokes. So, me and my obsessiveness keeps thinking that I am having a stroke everytime I get a spell....which is ever
Freedom Friday...sort of 2008-05-23 20:34:00 Happy Friday
!!! Well, I am still spinning. I have to concur with Deborah that the most fun part of dizziness is closing your eyes....wow. It's a ride and I am not even moving. Or when I am just standing and the person I am looking at is swaying...but, they're not. Excuse my victim coming out of me when I have to say "Why ME?????!!!!!!" One of these days I am going to get to the bottom of this and Read more:Freedom
The dog made me do it 2008-05-25 19:41:00 I have had what has been one of the most laziest days I have enjoyed in a long time. I woke up at about 7:30am (only because I could not fall back asleep), made my mocha (low-fat), had some breakfast and went back to bed. That's right, I went back to bed. I crawled back under the covers because I had that groggy feeling like I could sleep anywhere. So, because I was at home I figured....why not?I
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