War on Headaches

TV & a sign

2012-01-27T15:05:00.000-05:00

Vague title, but this blog post is so random I wasn't sure what else to put. It all started when I received a call at work from a CBS reporter. I still work at a public relations agency part-time, so that's a pretty normal occurrence. Well turns out it was a producer for WCBS, a local news channel in New York who was doing a story on nightmares as side effects of some medications, and she stumbled upon my blog post, appropriately named "Nightmare side effects." She was having trouble finding people to interview and she read about how Bystolic gave me nightmares. Because I'm in North Carolina, an affiliate news channel (WRAL) sent a cameraman to film me while the producer asked me questions via speakerphone.

The interview took place in my condo, and I explained how I've tried a lot of things for headaches and how beta blockers such as Bystolic are commonly prescribed as preventatives, but none of them worked for me. Then I went into the details of the nightmares, how realistic they were and how one that stood out involved me stabbing someone repeatedly. It was self-defense, but it was very detailed. I also said that compared to other side effects I've experienced, nightmares didn't bother me too much. Then the cameraman took B-roll footage of some of my pill bottles, me coming in the door and putting down my bags, me reading a magazine, me playing with Ellie, etc. We did a fun shot where he filmed while walking into the kitchen and then pointed the camera at our knives while I pulled one out and held it in front of the camera.

Shooting B-roll footage in my condo!

Instragram photo from my new toy, my iPhone (99cent for the 3G version!)

I'm not sure if I'll get to see the final video unless WCBS puts it on their website, so if any of you live in the area, let me know if you see it!

So we covered the TV, now what about the "sign" part of this blog post's title? Back when I was working full time my office was right outside a doorway where people smoked, and the building was old so the smoke went through into my office, which didn't help my headaches. I contacted the people in charge of the office building about it, and they said they would look into making a rule that required people to smoke a certain distance from the building.

Well, nothing happened so I taped up my own handmade sign outside the door. Some smokers listened to it and some ignored it; eventually it was taken down. Fast forward a few years (I would say at least 2-3 years) and the building added a designated smoking section away from the building, removing the ash trays from the trash can just outside the door. Then yesterday at work, my boss pointed out this sign, right where my homemade one had been:

Sign of success!

Success! :)

Please sign this petition to Congress

2012-01-21T16:06:00.002-05:00

The Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy has put together a petition to urge Congressional hearings on the impact of migraine and headache disorders.

I don't sign online petitions very often, but this one only takes a few seconds and it could really make a difference, especially if enough people sign it. Here's the petition; I posted the link on Twitter and Facebook and I encourage you to sign this and also spread the word. Here's what I posted on Facebook:

Please sign this petition if you have a minute (it won't even take that long). Migraines impact so many people, including myself, and well-known medicines like Excedrin or Imitrex don't help everyone; in fact, they make mine worse. There's no easy solution and more research must be done!

I really do feel that some - heck maybe most - people assume that people with migraines or headaches can just take medicine and it works. If I wasn't a sufferer, I might think the same and I might also feel the same way about other chronic conditions. I'd bet that Congress feels this way too. They need to know that the war's not over yet. We haven't won, and we're certainly not going to give up and surrender!

Home Sweet Home

2012-01-01T23:38:00.004-05:00

Me, Jonathan & Ellie sticking her tongue out

As much as I love Christmas, I'm so happy the traveling aspect of it is over! Jonathan and I visited my parents for a day and a half and we had a wonderful time with them. The above photo is on their porch. They only live about 45 minutes away. After going home a few hours, we drove 2 1/2 hours to visit J's mom and her husband and stayed 4 nights, and then we drove 4 hours from there to J's dad's house and stayed 3 nights. It was our first big trip with Ellie and I was SO thankful that she slept in the car pretty much the entire time.

Being away from home for a week is stressful, and having to watch after Ellie made it even more so, as much as I love her. Surprisingly, I only had 1 headache during the trip. I was on my period (TMI, sorry) so I took Aleve the first 3 cycle days to try avoiding major cramps. Usually Aleve doesn't phase menstrual headaches/migraines, so the lack of headaches may have been because I didn't have school or work and was disconnected from technology and in the country. Plus I was able to walk Ellie every day and eat lots of good food!

A negative situation was that J's dad lives in a small house with no central air, and he smokes cigars in the house when it's cold outside without opening a window, so there's no circulation and the smoke is unbearable. Smoke has always bothered me, even before I started getting headaches, and the times I've stayed there in the past were days of constant pain. So this time, we got a cabin, and J's sister and brother-in-law stayed with me there while Jonathan stayed with his dad because he's old and needs someone there at all times. On Friday, J's birthday, his sis & BIL stayed with his dad so J could stay with me at the cabin, which was nice. Anyway, his dad was mad at us (except for J) for not staying with him in the house and particularly mad at me because he knew it was my decision. Eventually he got over it; in fact, one morning while we were at his house he waited for me to go walk the dog before lighting his cigar - though I was told that he mimicked me fussing at him for smoking inside while he smoked it, but I thought that was a little humorous.

I guess the whole thing just made me feel like J's family thinks I'm a snob for wanting to rent a cabin instead of staying with his dad, and I feel helpless trying to make them realize how awful cigarette/cigar smoke is to someone with headaches/migraines. I hate drama.

Of course now that I'm home, I woke up with a migraine this morning. I didn't drink last night so that's not it. It could be a letdown migraine from the stress of traveling/in-laws, the rainy weather today, or the city air. Who knows. I'm just happy I had a break the past week.

Here's hoping 2012 is a year for improved health for all of us! :)

War on Headaches readers, meet Ellie!

2011-12-18T18:54:00.001-05:00

Hi, I'm Ellie and I'm a spoiled puppy!

Jonathan and I FINALLY found the perfect dog for us! We adopted Ellie 11/11/11, which is how we (Jonathan) came up with her name. She came from Saving Grace which is near where we live in N.C. They think her mom is a Sheltie/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix and they don't know what her dad is, but some people tell me they can see long-haired dachshund. She 3 1/2 months old and about 8 lbs. so she'll probably be a small dog (her mom is 16 lbs.) which is good because we're still living in our condo which isn't the largest.

The first weekend we had her, I got up about 3-4 times each night/morning to take her out, and she had diarrhea from giardia (parasite) so I had little sleep and lots of messes to clean up. Even so, I didn't have a headache the entire weekend. Unfortunately, after that they came back as normal and got bad for a while because I was under so much stress with final projects and exams. Now that the semester is over with, I've had fewer headaches although I did have one today that Aleve didn't help much, but walking Ellie in the crisp, fresh air did help!

Ellie has been SO much fun and definitely worth the extra work. I've been getting more exercise just from going up and down the stairs to take her out every few hours, which is good because I had been slacking ever since I had costochondritis.

Oh a quick update unrelated to my puppy...I was taking 5-HTP for about 3 months and didn't notice any improvement in my headaches/migraines, so I stopped it - gradually, of course. It did help my anxiety, but I don't feel like the anxiety is bad enough to require pills. I need to do more research, but a friend gave me an article from Prevention Magazine about melatonin helping migraines, so that's probably going to be the next thing I try. Have any of you tried melatonin for headaches/migraines?

More cute puppy pictures? Of course!

Cardboard Testimonials

2011-11-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wow has it been busy lately! I'm looking forward to things winding down as the fall semester ends so I can finally take a breather. Luckily, it has been a GOOD busy (it usually is!).

First, a quick health update. I got a new gyno who was willing to do an ultrasound of my ovaries, and she found...nothing. I felt like a hypochondriac, but I really had extreme cramping. Not lately though, thankfully. The new gyno talked with me about my general health and when she found out about my migraines and other issues she started naming off all these ideas (acupuncture? chiropractor? etc.) and I'd tried most of them with no relief. Every time I see a new doctor it's like that. If I was a doctor, I'd be like that too; they're wired to fix people and I appreciated her concern and willingness to give advice. My migraines took a turn for the worse for a while, which I am convinced is from some cranberry pomegranate juice that had grape juice in it - I'm almost certain grape juice is a trigger for me so I'm going to start avoiding it. The last few days though, my head has been great. Is is the 5-HTP, or something else that I'll discuss in my next post? I think you all will enjoy my next post; I'll try to get it up as soon as I can. :)

So, wondering about the title of this post? Lots of churches have been doing what's called Cardboard Testimonials, and when my church decided to do them, I was asked to participate. Check out the video below; you'll know which one is mine. This is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was for a combined service so there were maybe 400 or more people in the congregation, and reading other peoples' testimonials before going on stage was so touching that I started to lose it, as most people in the church did. I don't like being up in front of people so I was hoping the intimidation would distract me and I wouldn't cry, but obviously that wasn't the case. But, I'm glad that I could share my story and represent all of you struggling with pain. And I meant what I wrote; God hasn't healed me, but he really does give me strength, every single day. Here's the video:

Treato

2011-10-31T17:24:00.001-04:00

I hadn't heard of Treato.com until I received an email from them through this blog. I checked it out and it's pretty neat! If you want to find out what people are saying about certain medications or conditions (like migraines), do a search and the results are posts from forums all over the internet. You can even combine the two; I searched "5-HTP migraines" and found that I'm not the only person trying out 5-HTP for migraines, and I was able to read through what other people have been writing about in web forums.

Treato has more than 1,000,000 posts on headaches and 326,000 posts on migraines. I hope this will be a helpful resource for you. (Oh and the intro video's cute too!)

Happy Halloween!!! :)

Study proves exercise helps migraines

2011-10-19T10:37:00.001-04:00

I'm sitting in class but I came across this article and had to share it. Very exciting! :)

Exercise Is Just As Good As Meds at Preventing Migraines

Update: Please read the comments to this post for some links to blog posts that go more in depth on this story. This study has a lot of shortcomings and should not be considered an official scientific study.

Fall Break

2011-10-10T23:16:00.000-04:00

For fall break, my husband and I took a long weekend trip to the NC & VA mountains. We biked the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is 34 miles but the first 17 miles are mostly downhill. As luck would have it, I had a migraine the morning of our ride, but 2 Butalbitals helped and luckily my pain pretty much went away before the hard part of the trail. The trail was also fairly smooth so that helped. Near the end, my costochondritis started acting up, so I had to go slower. The entire ride took around five hours, and that included stops for pictures and lunch. Speaking of pictures...

Farm along the trail. The leaves were starting to change!

Thank God for Butalbital & sunglasses


Got up for sunrise (then slept until 11:30 a.m. - hey, it's vacation)

I was hoping I'd have a headache-free vacation, especially since midterms are starting up and things are going to get hectic again. But I can't complain, because the drugs worked and the break from the city was exactly what I needed!

No Botox (yet)

2011-10-01T14:59:00.000-04:00

Injection image by TschiAe; modified by War on Headaches

Well, I assumed correctly. I called my insurance and they do cover Botox, only after I meet my deductible, and only 80% of the cost. I have a $1,000 deductible, so needless to say I will not be getting Botox injections anytime soon. I was really looking forward to trying it...at least as much as you can look forward to multiple shots in the head.

Now I'm only doing the following for my headaches:

5-HTP (no change yet)
Mouth guard at night for TMJ (might as well not be on the list since it hasn't helped my head)
Exercise
Gatorade once a day - update: I'm down to the bottom of my Costco-size container of powder, so I don't think my electrolyte levels have an impact on my headaches
Therapy about once a month
Drugs as needed: Aleve, Butalbital, Ketorolac
Ice pack as needed

The list looks long, but basically I feel like I'm doing nothing, and I'm running out of ideas (that I can afford or attain legally). It's so frustrating. At the same time though, I'm still optimistic that things will get better, and I'm thankful that I've been able to drag myself to class, work and church even with the pain. Surely this headache thing will end some day, right?

Costochondritis

2011-09-25T13:50:00.001-04:00

My body and I really don't get along. I've been really into running, as you probably know by now, and three weeks ago I ran 30 minutes without stopping to walk - which is the longest yet! I didn't even have time to be proud of myself because costochondritis took away my happy thoughts. Since I was a kid, I've always had random chest pains where it hurts to take deep breaths so I have to do shallow breathing until the "episode" goes away, but it didn't do it much and didn't concern me. Since I've started running, it's been doing it more and the episodes have been longer. After the 30-minute run, it was so bad that the chest pain would start for no reason and would linger for hours (it wouldn't hurt unless I took deep breaths or moved the wrong way). It would even wake me up at night if I ended up laying on my chest because the pain is on my left side and it would be so sharp I'd wake up and have to turn on my side or back.

By the way, I'm completely self-diagnosing myself. I haven't been to the doctor for it (although I did talk to my nurse Mom who is familiar with the condition because Dad had it once), but costocondritis (or "Costco" as my husband calls it) matches my symptoms. Nor do I want to go to the doctor for it because I see too many docs already. Instead, I took a long (and sad) break from running to give myself rest. I was fighting a cold and I think that made it worse too. Yesterday I went for a very short run and walked most of the time, and haven't had an episode yet, so I think I'm better. Who knows what will come up next to prevent me from running, but I'll fight whatever it is with all I've got!

As far as my headaches go, I had a neurology appointment last week and it was a little awkward because I'm not willing to try any new meds but I've tried just about everything else, so I feel like I put my neuro in a tough spot and we were both having trouble deciding what to do next. I did agree to try Botox and since the appointment I found out that my insurance does cover it BUT (there's always a but) the insurance company gets to pick where the Botox comes from so I'd have to bring in "approved" Botox for my neuro to administer. And of course, my neuro's office doesn't accept outside Botox. So next step is for me to find a doctor that will administer outside Botox, but first I'm going to call my insurance and make sure I don't have to meet my $1,000 deductible first, which I'm assuming is the case and if it is, I'll have to put Botox back on my "future things to try" list.

I also asked my neuro about 5-HTP for headaches/migraines and she hasn't had any patients try it but thinks it will be safe, so I've started 50 mg at night and will work up to 100 mg. No noticeable side effects, so that's always a plus!

Edited 9/26 - I forgot to mention that I did ask my neuro about the costochondritis even though that's not in her department, and she agreed that it sounds like what I have and told me to get it checked out if it lasts another week; luckily, it seems to be going away finally. I don't know for sure that running caused it, but I'm going to be more careful and do a lot more walk/runs for a while just to be safe.

Stopping Progesterone

2011-09-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

My headaches have been relentless lately, showing no sign of improvement. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm guessing it is related to stress because the fall semester has started. I enjoy my design classes, but the homework takes forever. I feel like that's all I do.

Last week I saw my gyno and told her I wanted to stop the progesterone cream. My reasons: acne, increased migraines and debilitating cramps. I can't remember if I blogged about it, but one night my menstrual cramps kept me up until 5:30 or so in the morning. Also, I missed church and class because of cramps. I've always had bad cramps, but never that bad! My gyno suggested I try yet another form of progesterone, sublingual drops, but I told her I needed a break from progesterone. Maybe I'll try the drops later, but right now I feel like I've messed with my hormones enough and my body is pissed at me.

Even though my headaches and migraines have been bad and I've used way too much medication lately, I have still been working out. Last Thursday I did yoga and running with a pounding head, and my head pain actually decreased while I was running. I'm trying to keep it up, but I'm also trying to not take as much medication and unfortunately the pain is starting to take over my life right now.

At least we survived Hurricane Irene. I hope you all did as well!

Pre-Irene sunset

Post-Irene sunset

Running Away My Headaches

2011-08-15T14:12:00.002-04:00

I've always hated running. When I was on the tennis team in high school, my most dreaded part of practice was running. My sister was on the track and cross country teams, and while I admired her ability and her drive, I thought she was crazy. My friends who are runners seem to belong to some kind of cult or be on running highs because they're so into it and seem addicted. Who would want to torture themselves by constantly moving, having trouble breathing, experiencing pains and injuries, and being bored out of their minds?

Apparently, me.

I'm getting so SICK of my headaches and migraines that I'll do just about anything to get rid of them, even if it means torturing myself by running. I just recently started running, and amazingly I've discovered that once you start to build your endurance, running really isn't torture. My biggest mistake in the past was running too soon after eating and drinking, which gave me side stitches. Once I was able to avoid those, I realized that running was tolerable. Heck, maybe even fun. Why is this crazy girl calling running fun, you might ask?

It gets me outdoors. Running on the beach with my sister back in May started this whole thing. Now I run mostly on the treadmill due to the heat, although I have gone on a few runs on the nearby Greenway which is nice and shaded. The last two weekends I ran in the mountains of NC and GA while visiting in-laws. When you're gliding slowly on your own two feet versus whizzing by on a car, you're able to really take in the beautiful scenery.
I breathe better. Not every runner has to sprint and get out of breath while running. I take my time and take deep, controlled breaths, which does wonders for your health and mood.
It's easy to do. Get up, put shoes on (or go barefoot if you wish), and go.
Muscle. Maybe I'll get killer muscles out of running. That's not why I'm doing it, but the thought inspires me to run even more.
It clears my mind. I'll admit that I usually watch TV when I work out on the treadmill (our condo's gym has cable which we don't have in our unit, so I can get my HGTV and Food Network fix). But for outdoor runs, my mind doesn't race like it does when I'm sitting still, and I'm able to pay attention to my body and how I'm feeling. It's also a good time for me to pray without so many distractions.

Recently, something else has made me even more motivated to run. My high school friend, Brad (you can find him at A Beer with Brad), recommended that I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. I just finished reading it, and it made me want to go out and run 100 miles - seriously! I didn't, of course, but maybe one day... The book tells stories about ultra races, amazing runners and why humans are meant to be runners. It also shares techniques and has a good argument for barefoot running to avoid injury. While I haven't gone barefoot yet, I have changed my running style and my body feels great! I highly recommend this book, even if you aren't into running and don't plan to be. It's still inspiring to read about what we can accomplish if we stay positive and don't hold back.


Picture from Amazon.com

I won't be running marathons any time soon, but I'm hoping that if I run as much as I can, my headaches and migraines might reduce. Of course, running and other strenuous exercises can trigger headaches/migraines, so if you're going to try this with me, be careful and do it gradually. I'm alternating walking and running for now, and I'm doing a lot of daily stretches that my physical therapist taught me. If your health allows, I invite you to give running a chance. Happy running! :)

Hello Again, Neuro

2011-07-28T17:22:00.002-04:00

It had been a while since my last neuro appointment, so it was nice to go back last week. My migraines have been bad lately and since my Ketorolac expired and a previous neuro had prescribed it, I figured it was a good time to pay her a visit. And boy, do I mean pay...the specialist copay for my new insurance is $50. That adds up when you see a lot of specialists!

The appointment went pretty well. My neuro mainly listened to the headache/migraine update I gave her, plus some ideas I have. She's going to see if my new insurance will cover Botox (not getting my hopes up). Another idea I had was doing a spinal tap aka lumbar puncture because I've never had one and it's my hobby (more like second job) to rule things out. She was able to schedule it right away, but when I called my insurance I found out I'd have to meet my $1,000 deductible before they'd cover it (well, 80% of it). So far I've paid $0 toward my deductible. I left a message with the neuro billing person asking how much a spinal tap costs, but this lady is chronically unresponsive. My online research shows it's about $300-$400, so I canceled my appointment and moved spinal tap back on my "One Day When I'm Rich" list.

The other week after doing a big run (big for me being 20 minutes without stopping, and the other 10 minutes walking), I started having sciatic nerve pain, and I talked to my neuro about that. We agreed that I need to keep exercising since it may help my headaches, so she referred me to a physical therapist and now I'm doing that once a week. Luckily the pain hasn't been bad, but it's good to play it safe. And that copay is only $25.

Other than that my neuro appointment was fairly uneventful, but it was still good to check in with her. I still really like this one and hope to keep going there for a while.

By the way, my thyroid test (which was ordered by my gyno) came back normal. No surprise there.

I was talking with someone today and she recommended 5-HTP for my migraines. Have any of you heard of it or tried it? WebMD makes it sound scary, but if it works for migraines I'd give it a try!

Gyno Appointment Update; plus Bachmann News

2011-07-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

I saw my gyno and neuro this week, but I'll start with the gyno. If you remember from a few blog posts back, I've been having bad cramping and was hoping to get an ultrasound or some kind of testing done. My gyno felt that my symptoms weren't alarming and she didn't see the need for me to have an ultrasound. I asked about endometriosis, and she doesn't think I have it.

Maybe that's good news, but then what would be causing my pain? We decided that I'm probably on too high of a dose of the progesterone cream, so this cycle I don't have to take the progesterone and next cycle I'll cut my dose in half (using it once a day instead of twice). I hope this will clear up my acne, decrease my stomach bloating, and stop the cramping, all side effects of the progesterone. Plus I'm convinced that's why my migraines have increased, although the whole reason I'm on it is so they'll decrease. Have I mentioned how much I hate hormones, both synthetic and bioidentical?

My gyno also reviewed my charts (I take my temperature 7 a.m. each morning and chart it to track where I am in my cycle) and noticed that my temperatures are abnormally low, so she asked if I've had my thyroid checked. I have, but it's been about five years and she said things can change within that time, so I had the blood test done. Once I get the results I'll share them in a blog post.

Even if you don't keep up with politics, I'm sure you heard about this idiotic article about Representative Michele Bachmann's migraines. I could go on and on about why this and other similar articles are ridiculous, but I can't say it better than Diana Lee in her Migraine.com article. Well, maybe I'd change the intro, but I prefer to avoid politics so I'll leave it at that. ;) Check out Diana's article, and please take her advice on defending migraineurs as people bring up this issue.

Neuro update coming soon. Until then, be well, dear friends! :)

Hydration

2011-07-14T14:24:00.001-04:00

My long weekend migraine finally went away completely on Monday - in fact, I didn't even have a headache! It was terrific. So was Tuesday. By Wednesday, I started to get a slight headache and today I feel the pain again, boo. At least it's not a migraine so far.

So did dog sitting last week help my head? As much as I enjoyed having my "nephew" around, the answer is no. To his defense, he had been to the groomers a few weeks before he came here and he still had a strong perfumey smell on his fur, so I took him outside and hosed him off (which he hated). Unfortunately, that only helped a little. Maybe that's why I still had headaches/migraines even though I was taking him for long walks/runs almost daily. Then again, it probably takes longer than a week and a half of regular exercise to see an improvement in your health. Either way, I still want a dog.

Speaking of exercise, I've been keeping it up as much as my head will allow. My body's been really sore from the running, which is probably normal and I've made sure to stretch so I know that's not the reason. I think I just need to get used to it. Another thing I've added to my headache arsenal is Gatorade.

Lemon-lime deliciousness

My mom read somewhere that hydration is important but that drinking only water may not be enough because our bodies need electrolytes. She said I should try Gatorade, so I went to Costco and found a big container of the powder kind so I can make my own and avoid the BPA in the bottles. I realize that I'm adding fake flavoring, fake coloring and more sugar (from what I can tell, the sugar is real) to my diet, but if it helps my head it will be worth it. I'm drinking one to two glasses daily - all at once, not sipping throughout the day, because I like the enamel on my teeth, thank you. I'll try it until I go through the entire container, and I'll let you know if it works!

Giveaway: my blogger friend Steph at Head Wise is doing a giveaway (a care package). So far, I'm the only one who has entered and that doesn't seem fair, so please go leave a comment to enter - the deadline is tomorrow! By the way, the giveaway is thanks to another blogger friend, Jessica at Painfully Speaking. These gals ROCK!

Headache vs. Migraine

2011-07-09T00:09:00.004-04:00

My migraines have been bad lately. Migraines, not headaches (although headaches have been bad too). I had to switch my work days last week and today I didn't make it into work until 11 a.m. Luckily I only work 20 hours a week. If you have migraines, you know what they're like. They get in the way of life. But for those of you who read or stumbled upon this blog who have never had one, I thought I'd share a taste of how they differ from typical headaches, in timeline format based on my current migraine.

Photo credits: Tibo (headache car); Icarus Kuwait (migraine car)

My nearly every-day headache: I start to feel head pain. I begin to assess the pain and decide whether or not I should take drugs.
My current migraine: Yesterday I have general headache pain and take GelStat earlier in the evening (I ordered a bunch of this online to give it another try). Last night I'm watching TV. I get up from the couch and my head goes BOOM BOOM. I say, "oh SHIT." I've been good about cursing lately, so this is a bad sign. I make some ginger tea to help my nausea, put an ice bag on my head, and then decide to try and sleep it off. I wonder what could have triggered it - storms, running, yoga, chewing tough steak, hormone issues from the cramping I've been having, a combination...

Headache: I sleep like a log.
Migraine: I wake up on and off due to the pain, sometimes moaning. The pain pulses with my heartbeat. Every time my husband moves in bed, even slightly, my head throbs. My soft pillow hurts.

Headache: I take 2 Aleve and go about my day.
Migraine: I wake up early and get some applesauce so I can take meds. It's an unopened jar and normally I'm a machine when it comes to opening jars, but when I strain my head throbs so I wait for my husband to get out of the shower so he can open it for me. I try eating a rice cake in the meantime but the chewing motion hurts my head too bad. I take 2 Butalbital, wait for it to kick in (which means the dizziness begins), take a a quick nap, and start getting ready for work. I make appointments for next week with my gyno and neuro (shocking that she could get me in so soon) because this is getting ridiculous. Then I tell my boss I'll be late. I'm lucky - he's always been understanding about my health.

Headache: Generally the Aleve works. If not I'll suffer through work and nap when I get home.
Migraine: My head starts to throb again every time I get up at work so I have to take 2 more Butalbital and drink a cup of caffeinated coffee. I have a meeting with my boss and stumble through the agenda, pausing and using the wrong words a lot - gotta love migraine brain. I work until the dizziness wears off so I can drive home. I'm still a little dizzy though.

Headache: I take a short nap and usually it eliminates the pain.
Migraine: I nap about 4 hours and wake up with a throbbing head again. I take two more Butalbital with dinner, along with ginger tea and my ice bag. This the the first time I've taken the maximum daily dose, and that makes me nervous.

Right now, I'm at the dizzy stage again. It's pretty much a guarantee that the head pain will start again soon, but by that time I plan to be in bed asleep for the night. I'm praying that the migraine doesn't last long and I wake up with a pain-free head, but my migraines usually last at least two days.

I'm hoping my doctors can help next week. My Ketolorac has expired (and I'm supposed to limit it to twice a month anyway), so for now my Butalbital is my strongest med and it's failing me. I'm starting to feel desperate, and that's never a good feeling. But I know a lot of you can relate, sadly.

Note: I'm not trying to belittle headaches in any way. They suck, too; especially the chronic ones, which wear you down over time.

Dog Sitting

2011-06-29T21:17:00.002-04:00

Colt

I've been begging my husband for a dog, but we live in a condo and that's his excuse to say no. Plenty of our neighbors have dogs and we have a Greenway nearby, but...still no. Lucky for me, he LOOOOVES my sister and bro-in-law's dog, Colt. So much, in fact, that agrees to dogsit. At first we had to stay at their house because he didn't want a dog here, but the last two times Colt *was allowed* to stay here. Starting today, we're watching him for about 1 1/2 weeks!

This isn't news, but pets can be good for your health. We already went on a 45 minute walk today, 10 minutes of that running without stopping (huge for me). He's a sweet dog who stays calm unless you want to play, and then he gets all wild and energetic. I don't think I've ever met a dog who listens as well as he does, and I'm not just saying that because he's my "nephew." Maybe one day (when we go back to a house) I'll have a dog of my own.

Not related to Colt, but I haven't done a health update in a while, partly because my health has been weird. Of course I'm still having the headaches and a lot more migraines than I'd like. Luckily Aleve (for headaches) and Butalbital (for migraines) still help, as long as I limit my use. Which means the majority of the time I suffer through the head pain (it's not as hard to do since I'm not working full time anymore, but it still sucks). The thought of the meds not working in the future absolutely terrifies me, to the point of tears sometimes. I hate relying on drugs like that, but at the same time I'm thankful for them.

But here's the weird part (dudes will probably want to stop reading at this point). Twice over the last few months I had bad cramping incidences that weren't during my period. The first one woke me up at night and I went to the computer to research it but I couldn't figure out what it was. I finally was able to go to sleep once I got my heating pad. The second incident was a few weeks ago. It felt like I had menstrual cramps and they kept getting worse and worse over a few days until finally it was almost like I was in labor; it would come and go in waves and I'd almost have trouble breathing the pain was so intense. I made an appointment with my gyno because I was due for an annual visit, but the pain went away that day, until she did the exam and felt my ovaries, that is. Ouch. She said the left one, which hurt the worst, felt weird (I can't remember the exact word she used). She wouldn't do a consultation with me about the issue in addition to the exam, I guess because my insurance would want them to be two different appointments - lame, I know - so I didn't find out anything else.

When the pain went away, I assumed I had an ovarian cyst that ruptured. But then when I started my period yesterday the cramps were way worse than normal, and "normal" is bad for me. Last night I read about endometriosis, one of the conditions that came up in my earlier research, but reading the description and diagnosis options made me so nauseous my face turned green (seriously), so I had to stop.

Maybe all this is related to the progesterone I'm taking, who knows. I'll probably schedule an appointment with my gyno. In the meantime, if you think you might know what's wrong with me, I'm all ears. :)

News: Migraine Genes Discovered

2011-06-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

My pastor sent me the link to a newswire article, "Scientists find genes linked to migraines." An international study was published in a British publication, Nature Genetics. As the article states, "The influence of these genes is probably not large enough to be immediately used as a diagnostic tool. But the result is an advancement of the understanding of migraine biology."

"Advancement" and "migraine" in the same sentence? Works for me! I hope something will come of this study.

Speaking of my pastor, I've requested a fragrance-free policy, or at least a fragrance-free zone, for my church. She's completely on board and ran it by the senior pastor and church council. I've been having bad migraines after church, and although it could be the lighting, I'm almost certain it's the perfume that some people seem to bathe in. I did some research and turns out a lot of churches are adopting similar policies, so I sent the pastor some examples of ways we can implement it in our church. I'll keep you posted on how things go!

My Interview with Serene Branson

2011-06-07T17:07:00.007-04:00

Today I had the privilege of interviewing Serene Branson, an Emmy Award-winning journalist for CBS. If her name doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps this video will. Serene was covering the Grammy Awards in February when she suffered a complex migraine, which caused her to jumble her speech on live television.

Serene is now teaming up with the National Headache Foundation (NHF) to raise awareness of migraines through the “More Than Just a Headache” campaign.

Here’s some highlights of our conversation:

Me: When did your migraines begin?
Serene: Probably in college/post college I started to get really bad headaches but I thought they were a stress of the job kind of thing - long hours, etc. - and I brushed them off. Looking back I realize they were probably migraines, but they were nothing like what I experienced in February. That was the perfect storm; all the triggers aligned.

Do you have any known migraine triggers?
For me, caffeine can be a trigger, and stress.

I know you’ve been asked a million times what was going through your head when you were on camera at the Grammys, but did “migraine” ever cross your mind?
I had no idea it could have been a migraine until my mother, who gets migraines, brought it up that next day. I was thinking it was much more serious because in my mind migraine was just a bad headache. My symptoms, including numbness on one side, were like stroke symptoms and migraine never entered my mind until my mother and doctors brought it up. I saw a variety of specialists and when my brain scan came back normal, that’s what they came up with. My mother hadn’t taken time before to talk to me about her migraines because it wasn’t considered a “serious disease.” She had them sporadically in her 30s and 40s but she has only had one since then, and that was after all this (news coverage from the February incident) happened to me.

Have you had any similar incidences since then?
Not similar, no. I’ve really been trying to watch the triggers, and I monitor my symptoms. I see a neurologist and have found a medication* that works for me. I also exercise because it helps relieve stress.

Have you had to change your workflow any because of your migraines?
I haven’t; I’ve just been very mindful about how many hours I’m working in the day and I’m trying not to say yes to everything - which can be intimidating because you want to be the hard worker and go getter who takes on everything, but you can’t.

Do people on the street recognize you from the video? If so, what reactions do you get?
Some people definitely have and it’s honestly been a very positive reaction. So many people came up to me and said “We were praying for you” and “Thank you for having the courage to speak about it.” This motivated me to open my personal health file and talk about it. People are hungry for more information, support, treatment and research. The NHF has recognized this need. It’s really important that they’re trying to raise awareness of migraines to recognize that they have an impact not just on individuals but family/children and the workplace. A lot of productivity is lost from migraines and if people take it more seriously they might be willing to talk. Had I known I was having a migraine I could have said I wasn’t feeling well. Not that we should use migraines as a crutch, but we should recognize it as a disease. I did more research on migraines recently and realized it’s one of the top five most disabling conditions in the world! The more education and support people can give to migraine sufferers the better. Letting people know it is a disease and a disabling disease is important. You are not alone, you have nothing to be ashamed about; over 30 million people suffer from migraines in the U.S.

-----

*I asked Serene what the medication was but told her she didn’t have to say, since different treatments work for different people. She preferred not to say.

Serene is doing additional interviews this week to share her story and help raise awareness. I’m thankful that she and the NHF are doing this. It’s good to be understood.

Door to the Cure Sweepstakes

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

I know a lot of other migraine bloggers have already blogged about this, so consider it a friendly reminder:

The nonprofit Migraine Research Foundation has an online sweepstakes going on now through June 9. All proceeds will go directly to the foundation's research program investigating the causes and better treatments of migraine disease, according to the MRF's press release.

To enter the sweepstakes, visit www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/sweepstakes. I bought a ticket for the Puma gift card. :)

I admit, I typically don't give money to migraine organizations because I spend enough money on my own treatments, and plus I plan on donating a fortune to these types of organizations when I get rid of my migraines and get rich (ha! to both). But $10 is not much, and every little bit helps. By the way, upon my request, the MRF sent me documents to show that they are a valid foundation.

Paintings

2011-05-27T16:39:00.000-04:00

I'm FINALLY able to cross something off my list that has been on it a few months now:

We have wall art! :) I used an idea I found online, chose my own colors, and then my dear husband designed it in CAD so I could trace the lines and paint it. Painting is therapeutic for me; I love it! Yay for art!!!

Migraine Warrior Classmates

2011-05-17T23:16:00.000-04:00

During the spring semester, I became an instant friend with a girl who was in two of my classes. We just clicked, and it didn't take us long to discover that we both suffered from migraines. She's unfortunate enough to have "classic" migraines where she has vomiting and can't function when she has them...it's so bad that if her husband's working when she gets one he either has to leave work or her in-laws have to come and take care of her kids. Luckily, like me, she didn't have to miss a lot of class. She's putting up a good fight though; in fact, during the semester she tried Botox (at first her insurance refused to cover it, but then her neurologist reworded the request and they agreed to cover it, but I think she had to pay the deductible). It may have helped a little at first but she's still having migraines.

In one of our classes, we had a group project and of all people got teamed up with another migraine sufferer! This classmate is seeing a former neurologist of mine and I think I convinced her to fire him because he was changing her meds a LOT during the semester and she had really bad fatigue and was not happy with him. Sounds like he hasn't changed - he shoves drugs down your throat and doesn't communicate with you. She ended up missing class quite a bit, but I think she was able to stay in the class because it was for medical reasons and thank goodness the instructor and college seemed to be supportive.

I know I'm rambling, but isn't it neat how you come across fellow migraine warriors (not just online but also in person) and you just "click" and start comparing treatments and stories? Yes it's a little depressing because we're all pretty much in the same place as far as not finding treatment that works, but it was nice to go through the semester with these girls fighting alongside with me!

GelStat Migraine

2011-05-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

My busy semester is OVER! I'm so thankful that while taking 16 credit hours, working 10 hours a week and having chronic headaches and occasional migraines, I managed to earn a 3.8 GPA and I only missed ONE class due to a migraine! I really feel that this is God's plan for me and He's giving me the strength to do it.

Thank you, readers and friends, for being patient with my lack of blog posts. This summer I'll be working more but I only have one class, so I hope to be more active here. And my husband finally fixed my browser issues so I can now leave comments on your blogs again. :)

During the semester, my headaches have remained the same, but I haven't given up the fight. Here's what I'm trying:

Butterbur: I tried this about 3 months and gave up because I noticed no improvements, and it was upsetting my stomach.
TMJ mouth guard: I'm still seeing a TMJ specialist every few months, and we gradually decreased the time I'm required to wear my mouth guard. Now I only need to have it in at night (8-10 hrs). I don't think it's impacted my headaches but I do have a lot less jaw pain.
Therapy: I'm still seeing a therapist about once every three weeks for stress, anxiety and pain management.
GelStat Migraine: A friend of mine suggested it and I noticed they have a free trial (I just had to pay $3.99 shipping), so I figured I'd give it a whirl. The first dose I tried helped, but the second didn't, probably because I didn't catch the headache soon enough. Have any of you had success with GelStat?


Empty dose with my hand for size comparison. It actually tasted decent.

Ice pack: My trusty ice pack has seen better days, so I got a new one. This one is from The Container Store. When I saw it online I assumed it would fit on my entire head, but when I went to buy it I realized it was more like the size of my hand. Does anyone know where you can get a head-size ice bag?

Cute Retro Ice Bag

Progesterone: My gyno upped my dose of progesterone (bioidentical hormone) and switched from the pill to cream, which I requested because I thought it might work better. It looks intimidating, but I don't inject it anywhere; instead, I put the specified dose on a tissue and rub it on my inner thighs (one of the many safe spots). The higher dose makes me really tired, but I only use it day 15 to the end of each cycle. It's still early to tell if it's helping.

Progesterone cream

Drugs: The only drugs I take are Aleve for really bad headaches and Butalbital (Fioricet) for migraines. I'm trying to take as few meds as possible and prevent headaches through a healthy diet and exercise. I've always had this ambition, but now that I've gone through most of the standard migraine meds, I feel a renewed desire to get more serious about exercising. I hope it lasts!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (New Living Translation)

^"But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

(my church, Millbrook United Methodist Church, Raleigh, NC)

Buried

2011-03-24T23:11:00.000-04:00

I've been such a lame blogger lately! Truth is, I'm buried in school work (and still working some at my old job too) so unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to blog much until I get caught up on everything. I really shouldn't have taken so many classes this semester, but too late now.

I just wanted to say if you've e-mailed me, I have five e-mail accounts and I've been completely neglecting my War on Headaches one. Please accept my apologies!

Oh and no headache update; they're the same. They just can't get enough of me. Joy.

Now I'm going to dive back into this Photoshop assignment. It's fun, but I miss you all! Until next time. :)

P.S. - check out this photo I took for my photography class. I love spring!

And the winner is...

2011-03-09T16:38:00.001-05:00

Before we get to that, I wanted to thank everyone who read/listened to my last post and those who read this blog in general, and a special thanks to all of you who commented and shared the wacky things you've tried to help you headaches and the no-so-helpful advice you've received from other (well-intentioned) people!

And now, thanks to Random.org, we have a winner...

...RHONDA!

Rhonda, please e-mail your address to me (waronheadaches(at)gmail(dot)com) ASAP and I'll make sure Jennette's publisher sends you a copy of her book, Chocolate & Vicodin.

If I don't hear from the lucky winner in one week, I'll randomly generate a new winner!

P.S. Totally unrelated, but I've left countless comments on other Blogger blogs, and they disappear. I've tried commenting without linking it to my account, tried linking to my account (nothing happens), and even tried linking it to a non-existing livejournal account because at least with the other options there was a pop-up box where I could enter something. Is this happening for anyone else? I use Firefox and I tried Safari and it did the same thing. It's very frustrating so if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it!

Book Review & Giveaway: Chocolate & Vicodin

2011-03-02T09:28:00.001-05:00

When author Jennette Fulda asked me to review her latest book, Chocolate & Vicodin, I was intrigued by the title and happy to give it a read. The book arrived in the mail, and I immediately fell in love with the cover. How creative is this?!

Reading the book was like reading my own thoughts. Jennette developed a headache February 17, 2008 and has had it ever since. Chocolate & Vicodin documents her journey which is probably similar to the journeys of everyone who has chronic headaches and migraines: lots of doctors, testing, research, treatments - make that "treatments" with emphasized air quotes, depression and acceptance (I'm still working on that last one). Jennette's honesty and use of humor makes this book hard to put down and, dare I say, enjoyable. I actually found myself smiling while reading a book about a constant headache!

Jennette puts into words what I often have trouble expressing or even acknowledging. For example:

"I sat on the couch, acutely aware of how odd my life had become. The headache had invaded every aspect of my life. ... It was amazing how one simple thing, a headache, could cause a chain reaction in my life. ... It was as if someone had set off a long chain of dominoes, one failed treatment toppling over to bump into the next failed treatment. Was this the last domino in my chain? Or were we just getting started?"

I'm lucky enough to live near Jennette, so we met at a coffee shop for an interview, which she graciously volunteered to record on her digital recorder. To listen to our full interview, please click the play button below.

Jennette Fulda

This contest is now closed, but you're more than welcome to keep sharing your stories. Thanks for participating! Now for the GIVEAWAY. I have one copy of Chocolate & Vicodin to give to a lucky reader. All you have to do is comment to this post, and to make it fun, also write the strangest headache/migraine treatment you've ever tried and/or the craziest advice you've received from someone else pertaining to your headaches/migraines. (Side note: Jennette starts almost every chapter with "advice" she's received and some of it is the wackiest stuff I've ever heard! It's pretty entertaining to read.) I'll pick a winner at random on March 9 and will announce it that day on this blog. To get things started, I'll share mine:

-Strangest treatment: cupping
-Craziest advice: have more sex (yes, this was from a guy, and sadly, he was serious)

Disclosure: Jennette's publishers provided me with a free copy of this book to review.

Dollars for Docs

2011-02-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to share this link for a while, but I just now got around to it (i.e. I should be studying for midterms but I'm procrastinating). If you follow this link and look in the light blue box on the right, you can enter a doctor's name and state to see if they've received money from certain pharma companies that have disclosed payments for things such as speaking engagements.

I was not surprised to find that one of my former neuros (who was not exactly my favorite), received $92,000 last year for speaking engagements at a local pharma company. This seems to be a conflict of interest, since the company makes migraine drugs which the neuro prescribes. But at the same time, if (that's a big "if") neurologists are helping to increase migraine research by giving speeches to researchers, then maybe (that's a big "maybe") it's a good thing.

All I know is that's a huge chunk of money!

Good news: This Wednesday (March 2) I'll be doing a giveaway! Check back for your chance to win a new migraine book! :)

Stressed

2011-02-16T23:35:00.001-05:00

I knew as soon as I posted my last post that my head would rebel...and it has. My headaches are pretty much daily, and I'm having lots more migraines too. Ugh!

While I'm still enjoying all my classes, I'm getting behind and the stress is killing me. I've started working at my old job 8-10 hours per week at the office on top of 16 credit hours of classes. For the last week I've been in "freak-out mode" trying to get caught up on my assignments, and I've been eating takeout and haven't made it to the grocery store in a long time. So much for regular exercise and fresh, organic home-cooked meals (let's not talk about the fact that a certain darling someone lives here too and is perfectly capable of buying groceries and cooking for us both - heck, maybe even helping me clean a little...I try to remind myself that he's working full time and is letting me pursue my dream job).

I just want *calm*, and my homemade juices. And I'm counting down the days until my next therapy session.

Breathe in...breathe out...

Thanks for letting me rant.

Life Change

2011-01-16T00:42:00.001-05:00

Photo from weheartit

As you all know, migraines change your life, both for good and bad. Mostly bad, but over the last few years I have learned to, for example, say "no", thanks to my migraines. Recently, I made a big life change which falls under the good category.

I've worked in public relations the last four years. I have a bachelor's degree in PR and worked at a fun and energetic agency. During the last four years, however, my headaches and migraines have taken over my life to the point where I realized that my body (physical and emotional) was deteriorating, and I think a lot of it had to do with the high level of stress that goes with a PR job. I've been doing therapy for a year to help me manage this stress, but my body was not dealing with it. So, in December, I quit my job.

A change of scenery seems to be what I needed. I'm still active - in fact, I'm now a full-time graphic design student at the local community college (and I'm doing some occasional contract work for the agency). I should be able to get an associate's degree in about a year and a half. I've always been artsy, and I'm loving my classes! Two out of the five I'm taking are online, so I'm able to be at home a lot more where it's peaceful and relaxing.

Now don't get me wrong: I still have headaches and migraines. But the nearly every day of head pain has lately been every other day or so, and my anxiety and IBS have gotten better. This is a big improvement (so big, in fact, that I've been scared to blog about it because I don't want to jinx myself)!

Also, I don't want to say definitively that quitting my job and becoming a student is the main reason for this relief because I don't know that for sure. I'm doing lots of other things that could be helping, including:

I still have my TMJ mouth guard, and I'm slowly cutting back the hours I have to wear it. Maybe the mouth guard and/or cutting back on the hours (down to wearing it 14 hours per day now) is helping.
I'm on my third cycle of taking Progesterone (bioidentical hormone) pills day 22 through the end of each cycle. I'm almost certain this is a big factor in my improvement.
My diet has been really good lately. Because I'm home more, I've been eating out less and cooking mostly from scratch, and mostly organic foods (especially meat and dairy because of the whole hormone thing).
I've been exercising more.
My preacher is aware of my struggle and even used me (without naming me) as an example in a sermon after I told her I'd been questioning God about the pain and at the same time wanting to turn it into a positive to help others going through it. I firmly believe that her prayers and those of church members are helping.

Whatever is helping, I'll take it! I'm still going to seek additional treatment; in fact, now that I have different insurance (through my wonderful husband who is supportive yet a little freaked out about me not working full time haha), I may have a better chance of getting approved for things such as Botox.

I'm so happy to be writing a positive update on here! There really is hope, as I've said all along! :)

War Veterans Health Resource Initiative

2011-01-04T22:28:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year everybody! I received the below e-mail from an NHF rep. Since it's a resource for war veterans, I wanted to take this opportunity to THANK everyone reading this who has fought for our country and those who have family/friends/loved ones who are in the military. :)

Did you know that studies have shown veterans suffer from extreme headaches, commonly known as migraines, at more than double and as much as four times the prevalence of the general population? It’s unfortunate to see that at a rapidly increasing rate, military personnel are experiencing migraines, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other illnesses linked to traumatic brain injury. I am contacting you today on behalf of the National Headache Foundation (NHF), a volunteer non-profit organization, in order to shed light on this serious condition and introduce you and your readers to the War Veterans Health Resource Initiative.

The War Veterans Health Resource Initiative provides military personnel with comprehensive information on dealing with migraines and their associated symptoms. Details can be found at www.headaches.org/warveterans/index.html, where other free resources are readily available as well.

Thousands of veterans return home suffering from invisible wounds that result from brain injury, emotional trauma, or both. In fact, 19 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq have migraine and migraine is suspected in another 17 percent! Few people realize that these wounds can disable even the most physically fit and mentally resilient men and women who serve in our armed forces. The NHF wants to do its part in helping them find the treatment and services they need.

The NHF is also encouraging our returning veterans and their healthcare providers to attend a 2011 regional conference to help fight the battle against migraine & headache and traumatic brain injury & posttraumatic stress disorder on Saturday, March 5, 2011 in Augusta, GA. To learn more visit the NHF website at www.headaches.org or call 1-888-NHF-5552 (M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT).

Holiday Cheer

2010-12-18T23:33:00.000-05:00

I'm having one of those migraines where the nausea is the main symptom, although I have head pain as well. Bleck. Luckily, I haven't thrown up (yet); I rarely do, but the nausea feeling is almost as bad. I'm eating lots of ginger mints. But before today, I'd been doing MUCH better on the headache front. This could be from several factors which I'll talk about in a later post. In case I don't get to that post before Christmas, I wanted to post these pictures in hopes of bringing you some holiday cheer. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!! :)

Hormone (& Other) Test Results!

2010-12-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

I got the results back from my hormone saliva test, and as suspected, my progesterone levels drop during my luteal phase. My gyno prescribed 100 mg of progesterone (bioidentical hormone) which I take at night on day 22 through the end of each cycle. I've only done this for one cycle, and I had two migraines pretty soon after starting it and have had really bad headaches most of the other days. I'm going to stay positive and hope that this is just an adjustment period and that once my body is used to the progesterone boost each cycle, I'll see an improvement in my migraines and headaches.

I also got blood test results back from my neurologist's office. She had all of the following tested:

We hadn't met to review the results, but from what I could tell from looking at them on the web portal, everything was normal except for my carbon dioxide levels, which were a little low. My next neuro appointment is in January, and we'll probably go over the results then.

Migraine on Thanksgiving, but Blessings Abound!

2010-11-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

I

am

SO

blessed.

I don't know if I've ever felt so blessed by the Lord than I have today. Last Saturday, my mom and dad had me, my husband (Jonathan/J) and some of our relatives over for an early Thanksgiving dinner. Then Monday, Jonathan drove six hours to be with his dad for the week. His dad is 87 (even though J is still is his 20s like me), and his health has been deteriorating. J has been taking care of him all week, and I was planning to leave this morning to go join him (I had to work M-W).

Well wouldn't you know, I woke up with a migraine this morning. My migraines usually start as bad headaches that progress into migraines, but occasionally I'll wake up with them, and that's always a bad sign. I took two Butalbital/Fioricet, ate some eggs for protein, and slept a little more. All the drugs did was make me dizzy, and I still had my migraine, so I decided not to go to my father-in-law's, and J completely understood.

Here's the big blessing. My sis is a nurse and works nights (same for my mom), so I figured she wouldn't be doing anything for Thanksgiving since she worked last night and works tonight. Turns out, while she was sleeping during the day, her husband made her a HUGE Thanksgiving meal (from SCRATCH - even the bread!). They invited me over to eat with them (they only live about 45 min. away), so I didn't have to spend Thanksgiving alone after all! After napping most of the morning, I managed to bake a side dish and drove over there. I took two more Butalbital Fioricets when I got there and then took their dog (my nephew whom I love dearly) for a walk. Not sure if it was the walk, dog or drugs, but I felt much better. Unfortunately my migraine came back, along with nausea, but I was still able to eat a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.

Even with the migraine and being without my husband, I still had a wonderful Thanksgiving thanks to my loving sis and bro-in-law. I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful too. :)

Sorry to do a "teaser" but this post is already long so although I have lots of test results back, I'm going to hold off on sharing them until the next post. Plus my head is pounding and I can't think straight, as I'm sure you can understand. Stay tuned though.

Happy Thanksgiving, and blessings to each and every one of you! <3

I heart my neuro

2010-11-07T21:36:00.005-05:00

As I write this post, I'm drinking homemade apple carrot juice. Thanks for the suggestion, Jessica! I added a little celery, splash of OJ, and honey too. And the apples are Pink Lady apples, fresh from the mountains. YUM. While I haven't noticed a change in headaches (yet), the juice is without a doubt clearing my face.

Last week I finally got to see my neurologist, who is back from maternity leave. She spent a lot of time with me and I feel really good about things! I had been keeping a list of things to ask her, and we went through them all together. My Twitter friend Gina suggested that I write down every health issue I've ever had, even minor ones, and share it with her to see if the list would trigger ideas or show that I might have an auto immune disease. My neuro looked it over, commented that a lot of the ailments are common for people who end up having migraines (such as colic which I had as a baby), and decided to have me do an infectious disease blood test. I'm still waiting on the results. My neuro also is going to contact my insurance to see if they'll cover Botox for me, but I'd be in complete shock if they do (at least any time soon).

Speaking of tests, I finished my hormone spit test and mailed in the tubes, so now I'm in waiting mode for that one too.

In the meantime, I've started a new non-pharma treatment, Butterbur, which may prevent/reduce migraines. I got the pills from Whole Foods and they contain feverfew too.

I'm still seeing a therapist, and I still am wearing my TMJ mouth guard, but I'm slowly tapering down the hours - right now I wear it 17 hours a day. It hasn't helped my headaches, but I do have less jaw pain in the mornings, so I'm probably going to wear it every night for the rest of my life.

For emergencies, I had my neuro write me a prescription for Butalbital (Fioricet), and as long as I take it as little as possible, it helps my migraines (if I take it too much my body gets used to it and it stops working, and plus it can cause rebound headaches). I can generally handle the almost-constant headaches, but if they get really bad I'll take two Aleve pills. I'm starting to feel ulcer-type pains again, so I'm trying to take as little Aleve as possible.

I'll keep all of you up to date on the results of all the above. Thanks for all your thoughts, suggestions, comments and prayers. :)

Homemade Juice!

2010-10-19T20:19:00.002-04:00

Lately, I've started making my own juices, and it's SO much fun! I don't have a juicer, but I saw this video that explains how to make juice with a blender using a nut milk bag. So, I ordered the one I linked to and started making my own juices. I don't go by recipes; I just buy a bunch of organic produce and add what I think would be good.

Here's the one I made tonight. It has grapes, cilantro, grapefruit, water, and a small amount of kale (which I bought for the first time and tried steaming but I discovered I don't like it, so now I'm adding small amounts to my juice to make it even more healthy).

I do exactly what Natasha does in the video, storing it in glass jars, and then I have a glass every day or so. I'm hoping to get more servings of fruits and veggies, clear my acne, and maybe even have more energy. If it helps with my headaches, I'll let you all know, but I'm not expecting it to. But you never know.

On a different note, I'm sure you've all heard the big news about Botox being approved by the FDA for treatment of migraine. If you haven't, just google "Botox" and "migraine" and take your pick. Soon, insurance may start covering it, and then I might be tempted to give it a shot (bwahahaha).

Hormone Spit Test

2010-10-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

I haven't been to any doctors for my headaches in a while (except for my therapist) but over the summer I went to a new gyno for a hormone consultation. I have headaches all the time, but during my period, they're constant, often migraine-level, and drugs don't seem to touch them. The gyno suggested I take a Female Hormone Panel saliva test. I've had my hormones tested by a former neurologist, but it was soon after I stopped hormonal birth control and it was a single blood test (results were normal from what I remember). For this test, I have to fill 11 tubes with spit on particular days throughout my cycle. It's supposed to work better because it's taken before, during and after ovulation, and saliva carries a certain kind of hormones, or something like that. The cost will be $200, but I haven't been taking regular meds or having frequent copays, so that's my justification!

In addition to the test, I've been charting my cycles by taking my temperature every morning, using instructions from Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. From what I can tell, my luteal phase is too short which means I have low progesterone levels. The former neurologist I mentioned above suspected I had that problem and had me visit a compounding pharmacy to get bioidentical progesterone, but then I saw a new neurologist and she told me stop taking them.

I have 10 more spit tubes to fill, freeze and mail, and then the company will send my gyno the results and we'll review them together. Side note, it's tough filling a tube - maybe 3/4 inch, with spit, not including the foam. The directions say you can chew sugar-free gum a few minutes beforehand, but I've cut fake sugars for good so that's not an option. I tried visualizing myself biting into a juicy strawberry, but that barely made my mouth water. Next time I'm going to look at pictures of food or maybe smell stuff in my fridge and see if that helps!

Aaahhh, vacation...

2010-09-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

Vacation was WONDERFUL! I finally had time to relax, spend time with my husband, work out on almost a daily basis, and eat amazingly delicious and healthy food. Now that I'm home, I'm going to try my best to keep up with the workouts and healthy eating. In fact, I made some fresh juice today with cucumber, celery, carrots, apple, lemons, cinnamon, ginger and honey (all organic). YUM.

The bad part is, I still had headaches while away. Not nearly as many, but near the end I got a migraine from a tough hike. Luckily, two Butalbital helped. Then I got it again near the end of the next day and have had it all weekend long. I'm trying to fight this one out without drugs, and luckily it's not a very severe migraine so I've still been able to function. I'll probably end up taking drugs so I can make it to work tomorrow.

I'm just thankful I had a chance to appreciate God's beauty this past week. :)

Book Review: The Migraine Brain

2010-09-15T20:02:00.002-04:00

A while ago I read The Migraine Brain by Carolyn Bernstein, M.D.

The book was a great overview of migraine and had some neat information, such prodrome symptoms to look out for that I hadn't thought of before. I've paid more attention and noticed that before I get a migraine, my writing is off. Like when I am at work and I write myself a reminder on a post-it note, I'll cross my l's like they're t's, add extra humps on m's, completely misspell obvious words, etc. Sometimes if I think I'm getting a migraine, I write song lyrics on paper (so I can write fast without thinking) to see if I slip up any.

Another thing the book said to do is to take a picture of yourself when you have a migraine and then take one when you're migraine-free so you can see if you have facial changes. I did this, hoping I could show my husband the migraine one and say, "Be nice to me when I look like this." The scary thing is, I noticed my right eye drooped in the migraine picture, but when I took a picture when I didn't have a migraine or even a noticeable headache, my eye still drooped. Perhaps my face is permanently disfigured? Scary thought. I now use my eyelash curler a few extra seconds longer on my right eye no matter how I'm feeling. :)

Overall, The Migraine Brain is a typical migraine book, but it's definitely easier to read than others because the author is a neurologist, woman, AND migraine sufferer.

Quick update on me...my flu thing is still hanging around and now I have ear/nose/throat issues too, which of course triggered a migraine. I'm on antibiotics and am hoping they'll make a difference. I've been missing way too much work and am nervous about that, but so far my boss has been really understanding and has even let me work from home some. My husband and I are taking a week-long vacation to the mountains soon, so I'm praying I'll have some headache/migraine-free days during that time. I need a time out from these health issues before I go crazy (or crazier)!

By the way, I've been getting a lot of e-mails and blog comments lately from people going through the same thing as me. Thank you so much for writing!! There are too many of us out there, but if we all keep fighting and praying, we'll eventually find something that will get rid of our headaches/migraines. And if we don't, at least we're still living our lives as best as we can - and we have each other! :)

I missed you guys!

2010-08-29T20:33:00.000-04:00

Hello again, friends! I'm back to blogging, although I'm going to start slowly. One, because my relaxing week-long mountain cabin vacation hasn't happened yet, thanks to my husband's lovely job, so I don't feel well-rested yet and won't until late next month when I can finally have time off. And two, over the last week I've had some sort of flu that went around my office, and I was able to work from home, but I was still working so the rest didn't happen. After seven days I'm not better, so I might go to the doctor tomorrow to see what's up. The sickness started after stopping Gabapentin (Neurontin), and even though I stopped gradually, it could possibly be related. Regardless of the cause, I feel like crap, so I'm going to take it easy and try not to think or do too much!

So that's how I am right now. More importantly, how are YOU?

Summer Blogcation

2010-06-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

Image by Storm Crypt on Flickr

I've decided to take a break from blogging this summer - let's call it a summer blogcation. My therapist told me to take a break long ago, but I didn't feel the need to. However, the other day my husband asked me to; not in a mean, demanding way, but in a "I care about you and think you should give yourself a break" kind of way. I finally caved and agreed. Here are my reasons:

I need to reduce stress. Not that blogging is stressful - it's not; but it's one more thing I "have" to do. Plus my day job is more than 50% writing and I get tired of it.
Headaches are ruling my life. I had two days in a row of no head pain last week, and it's the first time that's happened in months. All I think about is the pain, and I'm constantly trying to find ways to stop the pain. I spend a few hours a week doing research, reading other headache/migraine bloggers' posts and writing my own, and while it's not that much time, it is time I'm thinking about headaches and migraines. I need to take a break and focus on anything but that. Which brings me to my next reason...
I'm going to replace the time I spend blogging and reading blogs with something stress-free and non-head-related. This could be painting, biking, cooking new recipes, shopping with friends, and spending more time with my husband. The options are endless!

Please know that I WILL be back, probably in August unless something drastic happens that I can't wait to blog about. I'll try to respond to comments to my blog, but I'm not anticipating many. Thank you for not only being a reader of my blog but for being a FRIEND. I hope you all have an amazing summer and improved health!

P.S. I hate to make this a long post, but I want to close some loops before I take my blogcation.

Elimination Diet: It wasn't too helpful for me, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't help others; in fact, I know it's helped others. I have a few questionable foods that I'm going to test again later, but in general I've added back most foods and am no longer restricting my diet, at least not as it relates to migraine triggers. I just finished "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver and it has inspired me even more to stick to organic foods (as much as possible) and maybe even grow my own someday when I get out of this condo. I cannot recommend this book enough!!
Occipital Nerve Block: Didn't work. At all. AND, apparently 5% of women have spotting and cramping from the steroids for about a month. Yes, I would fall into that category. I didn't see anything online about it and was getting concerned, but the doc filled me in during the follow up. So now it's online. Be warned.
Drugs. I stopped the Zonisamide because of the daily stomach issues, and I decided to give up on preventatives (I've tried almost all of them, seriously). But my doc recommended Gabapentin (Neurontin) so I figured I'd try ONE more. So far the dizziness and drowsiness are killing me but I'm trying to stick with it. My stupid insurance denied coverage of Treximet so my doc said I could try Imitrex (generic; apparently my insurance doesn't even cover Imitrex; and it only covers four generic pills a month - jerks) along with 500 mg Naproxen. I just tried it today and it was so not the same. I still have Aleve, Butalbital and Toradol if I have migraines, but they're hit or miss. Other than that, I'm free of meds except for topical acne medicine.
TMJ mouth guard: no luck for headaches yet although my jaw pain, which I only get when I grind my teeth at night, is better. I'm still wearing it 24/7 except for eating.

And no, I will not be on the sailboat in the picture during my time off from blogging. Sadness!

National Headache Awareness Week 2010

2010-06-05T23:21:00.005-04:00

National Headache Awareness Week 2010 takes place June 6-12. The National Headache Foundation has a wealth of information on its website including activities taking place across the U.S. during the week, free newsletter sign-up and topic sheets. The NHF will also be posting answers (provided by headache experts) to questions submitted by website visitors.

While we headache and migraine sufferers are all too "aware" of the impact chronic headaches have on our lives and the lives of those close to us, I think it's important to spread the word and educate non-headache-sufferers. Sometimes I feel I share a little too much and sound overly negative or just plain boring, but people need to know that we aren't lazy, hypochondriacs, drama queens or kings, or crazy. We're in severe pain. Awareness could also result in additional funding for research and better health insurance coverage (please allow me to dream).

Happy National Headache Awareness Week. Spread the word!

Occipital Nerve Block

2010-05-23T19:24:00.001-04:00

On Friday I had my first occipital nerve block. *Update - I'm referring to the procedure described below as an "occipital nerve block" which is what the doctor who performed it (an anesthesiologist), called it. If you read the comments below, you'll see that "occipital nerve block" could mean different procedures to different doctors. As always, please talk to your doctor and do not make medical decisions based on my blog posts. Thank you!* If you're not familiar, here's a description in Q & A format (note that I do not go to this medical provider; it was simply the best description I found via google). Forgive me if this explanation is not entirely medically accurate - it was difficult to tell what exactly was going on during the actual procedure because my head was turned away; plus the pain clouded my thinking!

My husband had to take me to the appointment because I wasn't allowed to drive home. Once I got there, my vitals were checked and I went to the first room. I filled out a general headache questionnaire and then a nurse (not certain about the title) inserted an IV in my hand "in case" they needed fast access in case something went wrong. Nice. Then the anesthesiologist came in and had me sign a consent form. I had to replace my shirt with a lovely hospital gown, and then they had me go to the procedure room.

Talk about intimidating! In the procedure room were three different people with surgery masks, aprons and hair covers. A tech had me put my hair up and she put a hair cover over me. Then she had me lie down on the exam table in the middle of the room and turn my head to the left because I was having my right side done. The door and all the action was on the right, so the only thing I saw the whole time was the X-ray tech making adjustments to the machine above me. After what seemed like forever, the anesthesiologist came in the room and I couldn't turn to see him because they already had me positioned properly. He marked the spots on my neck with a marker and then covered the entire right side of my face and neck with a sheet of plastic, I'm guessing so germs wouldn't get in the area during the procedure.

Finally, the shots began. The first was Lidocaine which numbed the skin. Then the real pain began. I couldn't feel a lot on the surface, but from what I could tell the anesthesiologist inserted three needles into the appropriate spots, which hurt pretty bad - not from the needles penetrating the skin but from them going into my neck muscles where many of my headaches seem to start. The sudden stabbing pain plus soreness made me want to groan in pain but held it in. The tech (not the X-ray tech but another one) was holding my hand the whole time, and at this point I gave it a slight squeeze and took a deep breath. Next the anesthesiologist said it was time for the injections. The pressure was also fairly painful, but it was quick. Finally it was over, and I was helped into a wheelchair and taken to a recovery area.

One of the nurses gave me a soda (I asked for Sprite since I've eliminated caffeine and aspartame, which ruled out the other options. I've added citrus back to my diet and found that it is not a migraine trigger, thank goodness). After sitting a few minutes and changing back into my shirt, the nurse removed my IV and walked with me to the waiting room where my husband was patiently waiting. I was dizzy and my balance was thrown off because the right side of my head/neck was numb, so I asked him to stay close to me. We were out of there in an hour-and-a-half, but I'd guess the actual procedure took no more than five minutes.

So has it worked? Well, I'm not sure yet. On Friday it hurt to move my head at all, and yesterday I felt like I had whiplash. I've been icing it and resting, and it's not nearly as sore today. I still am having slight headaches on and off, and they still seem to be all over my head. The effects of the steroid are usually felt three to five days following the procedure, so I'm patiently waiting.

Here's a picture of my neck. Note that the purple is the marker, or at least that's my guess since there was some purple on the band-aids when I took them off.

I'll do an update soon on whether or not my headaches have improved. Here's hoping they do!

Migraine Infographic, plus Migraine Twitter Chat

2010-05-12T20:54:00.007-04:00

CureTogether members shared symptoms and treatments of migraine, which led to the following infographic:

One treatment I haven't tried in the "Surprisingly Effective" section is morphine. I don't plan on trying it any time soon, but it's good to know that there's something out there I haven't tried that has worked for others. CureTogether is coming out with other infographics, including one for depression.

I have a quick news item, too. For those of you on Twitter, Diana at Somebody Heal Me is starting a weekly Twitter Migraine Chat. The first one is Thursday at 8 p.m. CENTRAL time. Click here for details. I'll be chatting tomorrow as @drummerheather. Hope you can join us!

Treximet

2010-05-01T00:53:00.002-04:00

*Whew* it's been rough lately. I'm still going off Zonisamide gradually and I have another week left before I can cut it completely. I've been crying at the drop of a hat, getting sick to my stomach every darn morning, and cursing like crazy which is so not like me. I won't directly blame the medication and/or withdrawal from it, but something is going on (and NO I'm not pregnant).

I had 24 days of headaches and four days of migraine-level pain in April. This past week I had to try Treximet for the first time - at work. In a perfect world I'd be able to try it at home to test it out first, but I had a migraine hit me suddenly and didn't have a choice. As with all triptans for me, it got way worse before it got better...but it did get better and after about two hours I was able to function again and I even finished the work day. But I have zero confidence in triptans because every one I've tried in the past has worked a few times and then stopped working or even made my migraines worse. I know Treximet has the NSAID component, but I'm trying to make my tummy happy by avoiding NSAIDs.

Also, some food for thought: check out Diana Lee's blog post on medication overuse headache. Here's an excerpt:

"...some researchers believe one type of migraine-specific medicine, triptans, is more likely to cause recurrent migraines rather than just recurrent generic headaches."

I only received two samples from my doctor so I have one remaining, but I don't know if I should try and get a prescription or not. Since it's my only "emergency" med that works (for now), I probably should. It really did save me the other day, but I don't like the thought of them causing recurrent migraines!

P.S. - you all have been giving really insightful tips/thoughts in the Comments section lately. Check them out if you haven't yet; you may benefit from some of the ideas, particularly in the last post. And THANK YOU for taking time to leave comments. You all rock! :)

When Medications Fail

2010-04-14T23:48:00.002-04:00

My biggest fear came true last week when my "strong" medications, Butalbital (Fioricet) - for painful headaches/migraines and Ketorolac (Toradol) - for the super kill-me-now migraines, no longer worked for me. After managing to avoid these drugs for a month, sticking to Aleve instead, I couldn't stand the constant headaches anymore and finally gave in. No relief.

Last weekend, I had a horrible migraine that lasted three days. It may have been from the chocolate I added back to my diet (although I started adding it a week before I got the migraine) or just a bad sleep schedule or let-down migraine following a week of work stress. Either way, I had plans to attend the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC with friends Saturday, and I was not going to miss it. I took four Butalbitals (as two doses - I normally take only one or two pills), which made me dizzy and brought the migraine down a few notches. I was nauseous and in pain, and had to hold my husband's hand so I wouldn't lose my balance - particularly on the section of cobblestone streets - but I managed to survive it and have an amazing time!

My next neuro appt. wasn't until April 29, so her physician's assistant saw me today. I've been having stomach issues that have now become daily, as well as general dizziness and random rapid heart beats - flu symptoms I guess, but they've been going on for weeks if not months. The only thing I can think of that would be causing it is the Zonisamide (Zonegran generic), and since it obviously wasn't helping my headaches a bit, I'm weaning off it. My blood pressure was really high today, which could be from the Zonisamide and maybe would explain why I'm feeling so crappy. Also, the fact that it suppresses your appetite combined with my migraine diet contributed to me losing 11 pounds since Feb. 9, which is cool for most people but not good for me when there's not much to me as it is!

I asked for an "emergency" medication and the PA gave me Treximet samples. I've taken Imitrex and several other triptans with no luck and in fact bad side effects (go figure), and I shared this with the PA, but she said Treximet, which is combined with naproxen, might be different.

The next thing I'm going to try is an occipital nerve block, which I don't have any links for because I haven't had time to research it yet. I have a consultation Monday and will find out more details then. Also, I have a TMJ checkup Friday. Doctors, doctors, doctors...

Pain is Serious!!!

2010-04-02T13:07:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry, but I'm going to be a bit of a drama queen in this post. You've been warned.

Last night, my husband did the unthinkable. I was totaling my headaches for March based on my headache calendar, which I do at the end of every month. I had 29 headaches. I shared this with my husband, which I usually do because, well, if you had more than 20 headaches each month, wouldn't you want the person closest to you to know about it?

His reaction? He automatically shook his head to the left and right, as if to say, "no, that's impossible." Then he realized what he was doing and stopped. I asked him to explain why he did that and he wouldn't talk. (He's not much of a talker to begin with.) So he started watching TV and I was sitting by him finishing some work on my laptop, but I wouldn't drop it, so I kept pressing him.

You don't believe me?!
Why the h*** would I lie about having headaches? What would that accomplish?
At the end of every day I write down whether or not I have a headache. It's not like I can make a mistake!

And on and on. Nobody seems to understand how debilitating headaches/migraines are. I told my husband how my headaches have been maybe a 4-6 on a 1-10 pain scale where 10 is the worst, and once they get to the 7-10 range (this is just my opinion, and my own perception of my pain levels, not an official scale), I would have to stop all activities - including work - and stay at home because the pain would be too intense. I told him the pain seems to be getting higher and higher and it's getting closer to that point and that scares me. When I take medicine it's just a temporary fix for a few hours and then the pain is right back where it was before, and I've had zero luck with preventatives - make that negative luck if you count the side effects. I even said I've considered going to a hospital to see if they could keep me a few days and give me strong meds to try to break the pain cycle and see if that helps.

After all of that, I honestly feel that he still thinks I'm just being dramatic. How do I get through to him, and others I encounter on a regular basis?

(Side note - I'm aware that I care too much about what other people think, and I'm working on this with my therapist. ALSO - I should add that I have the best husband in the world. Pain is just something he doesn't have experience with, so you can't blame him for not understanding.)

Adding foods!!! :) :) :)

2010-03-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been down in the dumps, big time. I think it's the Zonegran, but I can't go off it until I see my neurologist again, which isn't for a while.

So, I've decided that three months of the food elimination diet (instead of four) is enough (and yes, I have cheated a few times). Just this decision is already lifting my spirits!

I'm supposed to add one migraine trigger back at a time, per week, and eat that food every day that week. But since my headaches never stopped (although my migraines are less intense), I don't really know if the food has anything to do with the headaches. Instead, I'm adding back two foods at a time per week. This week it's tomatoes and onions, not because I like them the most - I don't really like them at all - but because they're the easiest. They're in so many darn things that you don't even realize!

Flickr photo by John-Morgan

The idea is, of course, that if I get a migraine, one of those foods is a trigger for me.

I'm thinking the following week will be chocolate (that will get my mood up!) but I still need to limit that one because of the caffeine content. I'm not really supposed to add caffeine back at all. Cheese might be the second trigger that week because I've really missed the "good" cheeses. And now I'm hungry...

My Weapon for Nausea

2010-03-18T23:34:00.001-04:00

Nausea hasn't been a big problem for me lately, probably because my headaches are more daily headaches and not so much migraines (and by that I mean the intensity is not a 7 to 10 on a 10 scale and I don't have nausea and throbbing). This could be due to the Zonegran, the TMJ mouth guard which I got last week and now wear 24/7 except for eating, or my migraine trigger food elimination diet. I hope it's not the Zonegran that's helping because it's similar to Topamax, and I'm having similar side effects - loss of appetite, word loss, trouble concentrating, hair loss...but this could be because I'm on the generic.

But back to the nausea. I know that many migraine sufferers do have nausea, so I wanted to share something that worked wonders for me when I had nausea.

Drumroll, please....

Newman's Own Ginger Mints. Yes, they're organic! Meaning no artificial sweeteners, which can trigger migraines. I buy them at the health food section of my local Kroger, but I found them online here.

I'm not promising this will work for you. My nausea may not be as bad as yours. I've only thrown up once from a migraine, but I don't throw up much in general. Even with flu, I get symptoms on the other end, if you know what I mean. TMI, sorry. However, with migraines, I would get nausea in waves so bad that I'd have to stop what I was doing to concentrate on not throwing up, and when I took this it would help a lot. Hope it works for you too! :)

No, Newman's Own is not sending me free stuff, and I've never actually ordered through vitacost.com.

Healing Service

2010-03-10T23:23:00.002-05:00

My church is having healing services every Wednesday during Lent, and I was finally able to make it this evening. We had a small, intimate group and it was very moving and powerful. I was anointed with oil and prayed over while the attendees layed hands on me, and I did the same for others who needed prayer. (No, this is not like what you see on TV with those over-the-top televangelists.) I personally believe in God's healing. And it's scripture based:

"Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so you may be healed." - James 5:14-16a

Here's our closing prayer, which was printed in the bulletin. If you choose, you're welcome to pray this as you read it:

"Almighty God, we pray that our brothers and sisters may be comforted in their suffering and made whole. When they are afraid, give them courage; when they feel weak, grant them your strength; when they are afflicted, afford them patience; when they are lost, offer them hope; when they are alone, move us to their side; in the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."

Medication: How much is too much?

2010-03-02T22:35:00.005-05:00

An anonymous person commented on my blog; here's an excerpt:

"...your reliance on meds is overwhelming to me! I know you are in alot of pain but as I read your blog, it is always a new drug for you. Just the aleve alone can do damage your stomach. Stomach issues and ulcers can cause headaches! You try all these different remedies and if they don't work your done with them, but you never stray from the drugs. I really fear for your health as you do not really know what these drugs can do to you. I know you are desparate for some relief ...I know I've been there, but please try to get away from these drugs!!! They are doing more harm than good."

I'm going to be completely honest. At first this comment infuriated me. I showed it to my husband hoping for support, and he agreed with the comment! I should have known. He's always felt that way. He rarely takes medicine, but he also rarely (if ever) has headaches. Now that I've calmed down, I have to say I agree too.

But please allow me to be human and get defensive. I try to keep this blog positive, so I don't write much about my pain and instead try to focus on treatment. But don't doubt that I'm in pain, almost every day. And my headaches don't last a few hours each day and go away. They're generally constant, all day long, getting progressively worse throughout the day. A few times a month they reach high pain levels, which is when I label them migraines. This is when I have nausea and throbbing too. Naturally, I want the pain to go away. I hate medicines and the side effects, but I think God gave doctors and scientists the abilities to develop medicines for us to use. They might not work for everyone, but it's worth a try. If I have a bad reaction to a med, I'll stop it immediately (Cymbalta for example). Otherwise, I'll try a med about three months and if it doesn't help my headaches I'll stop it and try something else, all under a neurologist's supervision. Also, I've tried/am trying many non-medication ways to fight my headaches.

I admit that I haven't had any luck from medications, other than the "rescue" meds, which are simply band-aids that don't last. But at the same time, if I were to stop trying, I would feel defeated. I'm not sure what to make of the comment because I really do agree - I hate the side effects of meds and I hate that they don't fix what they're supposed to fix, but I feel like I have no other options. I'm in too much pain to sit and do nothing.

What's your opinion on medications? How much is too much? Is there a point when one should just give up on trying meds for headaches/migraines?

My (Awesome) Visit with the TMJ Specialist

2010-02-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

My neurologist recommended me to a TMJ specialist because I clench my jaw and grind my teeth at night. The specialist was at an oral surgery clinic that is part of a larger hospital; it wasn't at the actual hospital but it was on the campus. Check out the spectacular building!

I was just as impressed with the doctor as I was the building - ok, more. I started with x-rays and after just a few minutes, the doctor brought them in and she clearly explained what everything was and said that everything looked normal. Then she did a physical exam and that's when she noticed the wear on my teeth, popping, and tenderness. She said that my TMJ isn't acute but it still could be causing some - probably not all, but some - of my headaches.

Here's our battle plan:

Take Aleve twice a day (morning & night)
Do a moist heat massage on the jaw and temporal areas once a day
Diet modification (GREEEAAAAAT....)

No gum, chewy candy
No bagels, pizza crust, tough meats (cut meats into small pieces)
Reduce sweets
No big bites: cut apples, sandwiches, carrots, etc. into pieces

Mouth guard

I've done all but the last one. I'm waiting on my insurance to approve the mouth guard, and if/once approved, I'll wear it 24/7. After 60 days I can stop the Aleve, then after a while I'll be able to stop the other steps and will eventually decrease the amount of time I wear the mouth guard until I'm wearing it nights only.

I love that I don't have any new drugs to take (I was afraid I'd have to try a muscle relaxer which I tried for grinding/clenching in the past), and I'm also happy that while the doctor didn't promise complete relief from my headaches, she thinks the frequency will reduce. And she has seen plenty of headache patients, so she knows what she's talking about. I mean, just look at that gorgeous building she works in! :)

Double Book Review: elimination diet

2010-02-14T21:34:00.001-05:00

As a Valentine's present to my readers (sorry, not very romantic) I'm doing a double book review, with lots of pictures!

First, a much-talked-about book in the headache world, "Heal Your Headaches: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain" by David Buchholz, M.D. This book outlines a three-part plan: (1) Avoid rebound-causing medications, (2) Reduce your triggers, particularly foods that commonly trigger migraines, and (3) Try preventive medication if the first two steps aren't working.

This is the book I've been using to guide my elimination diet. It says to try the diet for four months, which I'm hoping to do, although it's a big challenge...then again, so are headaches! I've pretty much completed the first step, although I still take one or two Butalbitals a month (If I remember correctly, I'm supposed to get down to zero for a while and then add to once or twice a month if needed). The elimination diet is going ok, and the book brings up an interesting point about preventive meds. Dr. Buchholz claims that they won't work as well unless you're doing the elimination diet along with taking the meds. This is why I've decided to try them again - I don't want to take anything I've tried before though, because I know about the bad side effects, so I started a new one (which I mentioned in my previous post).

The only negative about the book was I felt like I was being talked down to at times, but the author also talks down toward other doctors who are getting it wrong. It may be my own sensitivity, and I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this book.

The second book I'd like to review is "Migraine-Free Cooking!" by Heidi Gunderson.

This book uses "Heal Your Headache" as a guideline for recipes. I'm being a little stricter than these two books for now by avoiding tomatoes and pork, which are not-as-common migraine triggers, but I may add those back soon. I'm waiting to see a reduction in headaches, and so far that hasn't happened (it can take a while, I've heard).

Instead of writing a lengthy review of Heidi's book, I thought I'd let my pictures of a few of her recipes that I've tried speak for themselves. Enjoy! :)

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Hummus

Blue-Strawberry Smoothie

Brown Sugar Chicken

Seasoned Salmon

New medication: Zonisamide (Zonegran)

2010-02-09T21:29:00.002-05:00

I saw my neurologist today and told her I was willing to try another preventative medication. Although I've tried several - I'd guess at least 20 - and tend to have the horrible side effects, I had 27 headaches last month, which is completely ridiculous. Also, a book I read (I WILL do a review soon, I promise) said that preventatives sometimes won't work unless you're doing an elimination diet at the same time. So, I'm trying Zonisamide (brand name Zonegran), a seizure medication. Has anyone ever tried this for headaches - if so, please comment and share your experience! Also I'm weaning off the Ropinirole.

I have to admit that I've cheated on my elimination diet. I went on a ski trip the other weekend and ate some common migraine trigger foods. Of course I've had daily headaches so I didn't notice a difference. Plus I was on Aleve all weekend because skiing (and falling) makes you sore!!! But I will take it more seriously moving forward.

Me & my hot husband in our dorky ski gear

Finally I'd like to thank Emily (WinnyNinny PooPoo) for mentioning my blog in the post below. I encourage you to check it out and share your thoughts!

Does Anyone Really Know What Causes Migraines?

MRI Results

2010-02-01T22:31:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the electronic health portal of my unnamed health center, I've received my MRI results with notes online. My official results:

1. Normal brain MRI
2. Incidental congenital failure of segmentation anomaly and C7-T1, otherwise normal cervical spine.

From a past X-ray at a chiropractic office, I already knew about #2. Basically two of my neck discs are missing the thing that goes between them. Can't remember the technical terms, but I've received chiropractic treatments and physical therapy and neither helped.

Most everyone told me I wouldn't want anything to show up in the brain MRI, but I really did. I want an answer - a reason for my pain. I can't begin to explain the mixed emotions I'm feeling right now, but most of all I'm disappointed.

MRI and other fun things

2010-01-27T19:21:00.001-05:00

My MRI last week was interesting. Upon arriving to a top-notch hospital, I was completely thrown off when I discovered that the MRI was going to take place in the PARKING LOT in mobile units connected by wooden covered walkways. I went in one trailer for check-in, another to get the IV thing put in (so they could easily add the contrast) and another for the actual MRI. I thought it would take hours to do the neck and brain scan, with and without contrast, but it only took a little more than an hour. I also thought I'd have trouble holding still, but it wasn't bad at all. The hardest part was not falling asleep, because I tend to jerk when I wake up and didn't think that would work out to well.

I called Monday about my results and found out I had to fax an authorization form, which I did right away, so I'm still in waiting mode right now. Of course I'll write about my results, good or bad, as soon as I find out anything.

Since I haven't mentioned things I'm trying other than the elimination diet in a while, I thought I'd do a quick recap.

Meds: The only med I'm taking is Ropinirole for restless leg syndrome (which I don't think I have, but my neuro wanted me to try it due to my sleep study results). I hate it because it wakes me up at night and makes me feel like I'm going to throw up. I haven't yet, but every time I'm sure I'm going to. I take iron every so often, but other than that and some topical acne creams I'm not on anything else, which is nice. When I have headaches, I take 2 Aleves and pray that they work (they generally don't). If they're bad enough, I have Butalbital/Fioricet, and if they're unbearable I have Toradol, but I'm trying to stop relying on those.

Therapy: I'm also still seeing a therapist for stress and pain management. It's not expensive with my insurance, and it's awesome to have someone to talk to because I feel like I overburden my husband and mom with my problems.

Diet: The elimination diet is getting discouraging, not because it's hard to do (although it is) but because I'm having no relief in my headaches. I'm convinced they're hormone-related, but my hope is that I can still have fewer headaches by doing the diet, but I'm slowly losing that hope. Also, I've gotten sick three times this month, and the symptoms have been similar to my MSG symptoms (trust me, you don't want me to elaborate) but I, of course, didn't eat MSG. This diet might be making me aware of foods my stomach is sensitive to, so I've been writing them down.

Exercise: I'm still working out; maybe not four times a week but at least three most weeks.

I wish I had better results to share, but all my efforts don't seem to be getting me anywhere. I'm considering making some (additional) life changes to cut down my stress levels, but I'd rather not get into that now. Next month I meet with my neuro again and a TMJ specialist. Always something to look forward to. :\

Food Elimination Diet Update

2010-01-18T22:38:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to give an update on my elimination diet. I started January 1 with a rice-only diet and lasted about four days; then I added in foods that don't typically trigger migraines. However, I still decided to completely cut out dairy and tomatoes in addition to more common trigger foods. And I cut all my vitamins/minerals except an occasional iron pill here and there. My diet guidelines are two books that I'll review in a future post.

The good news is I'm losing some of my tummy fat and have had one or two days without headaches (but I had a killer migraine last week and had to miss a day of work). Also I'm not eating out (except for once) so that's saving money; although I'm buying more produce and organic meats which are pricey.

I'm planning to do the diet through the month and reassess at that time, depending on how my headaches are doing.

P.S. - my first MRI is scheduled for Thursday, assuming my insurance approves it this time (see my comments to this post for details if interested). Very excited! :)

Have a great week everybody!

New Book: Migraine Heroes

2010-01-12T21:36:00.002-05:00

Alexandra, co-founder of CureTogether, sent me a new book called Migraine Heroes to review.

CureTogether.org is a Web site that helps people anonymously track and compare health data, to better understand their bodies, make more informed treatment decisions and contribute data to research. It started in July 2008 with three conditions: vulvodynia, endometriosis, and migraine. It has since expanded to more than 280 conditions and 150,000 data points submitted by members.

From the book: Migraine Heroes presents stories and data from 271 people who gathered at CureTogether.org to share their experiences. Anyone living with Migraine is a hero. By sharing knowledge, we can help ease the pain of Migraine.

I thought the book would be only personal stories, but that's just the beginning. This book has tons of statistics from its members on their migraine symptoms, treatments, etc. and shares some comments after the statistics. While there were a few misspellings (from user-submitted information), overall this is a good book with a lot of ideas of things to try to treat migraines as well as resource links at the end.

If you'd like to purchase the book, please click this link or the link below. Under full disclosure, 20% of sales from this link will go to me. (No pressure to buy whatsoever!)

Migraine Heroes

A new guide to treating Migraine, based on the experience of 271 people who've been there.

Get Your Copy

Rice diet - I am insane.

2010-01-03T18:13:00.004-05:00

As I write this blog post, I'm SO hungry. A little background: I decided to do a two-week rice diet, nothing but white rice (no flavorings or seasonings, not even salt) and water for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ran it by two neurologists to make sure it was safe, and they said it may not take a full two weeks, but I should be fine. I'm doing this as an easy way to eliminate migraine triggers - there are so many that it's easier to only eat rice, in my opinion. Or so I thought.

I went to Costco and got a ginormous bag of rice; then I made a big batch. I'm on day three of my rice diet. Brushing my teeth is the highlight of my day because my taste buds actually get some flavor (toothpaste)! The rice tastes so plain, I'm actually craving foods I don't even like. Since it's rice enriched with iron, my burps taste like metal. (You're welcome for sharing.) I thought after doing a gluten-free diet that this would be a piece of cake (ooh cake, yum...), but it's hard always being hungry but not wanting more rice!

I'm also frustrated because I'm still getting bad headaches/migraines so now I'm thinking maybe food doesn't trigger them after all. So I've decided to redo my plan a little. First I'm going to finish my rice, so I'll do the diet another one to two days. I'm doing a lot of research to find out what foods I can and can't eat (book review coming soon) and I'm going to start adding in some foods that are NOT known to trigger migraines. Then I'll add in common migraine triggers, one per week.

Since it's a new year, and last year sucked on so many levels, I wanted to share my resolutions. I generally do not make resolutions because I always thought they were pointless, but I want 2010 to be awesome. So here goes:

Eat healthier. I'm considering going completely organic, but I think that's a little too ambitious (and expensive). But I'm going to try to eat as fresh as possible. I got a food processor for Christmas so I'm hoping that will make it more fun to chop veggies!
Exercise at least four times a week. A typical resolution, I know. I drove by a gym the other day and it was PACKED. Lucky for me I have a gym in my condo's clubhouse, and it's hardly ever in use, so I have no excuse. Even when I have head pain, I'm planning to at least walk for 20 minutes.
Read through the Bible. Not really headache-related, but my Bible study group at church is doing it and I'm actually really excited about it because even though I'm a P.K. (preacher's kid), I can't say that I've read every word in the Bible.
Don't stress! Work gives me a lot of stress. Not because it's all that stressful, but because there are always articles to write, projects to manage, deadlines looming, etc. and I think about them constantly, even when I'm not working. I need to find a way to leave work at work and enjoy my free time.

P.S. - here's one resource on the migraine diet if you want to try it. The food lists are not all-inclusive based on other things I've read, so I'd do additional research, but it's a good way to get started. Note that I have never visited the clinic it's from, but a friend shared the link with me. Also note that I'm not sponsoring the rice company from the picture in any way!

Book Review: Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches

2009-12-29T17:45:00.002-05:00

I'll be completely honest...a lot of people recommended I read Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches by patient advocate Teri Robert, but I was hesitant because of the title. I don't want to "live well" with pain - I want it to go away!

After reading the book though, I too am joining the fans who recommend it. It's different from other books I've read by doctors who simply go through the types of headaches and a few drug treatment options. This book includes that information but also gives personal stories, including Teri's, and educates you on terminology and our legal rights as patients. Some of the personal stories are extremely sad, but you need to read them to know that the worse thing that can happen - stroke for example - can and has happened, so it's important to have that knowledge and be aware of what's going on with your own body.

Everyone who suffers from chronic headaches and migraines, or "Migraine disease" as Teri calls it, should read this book.

-------------

A quick update: My MRI was canceled because the MRI office couldn't get in touch with my neurologist for a signature which was required by insurance. I spoke with my neuro's assistant and she said that wasn't the case; my neuro had to speak with a doctor on my insurance's medical board and wasn't able to get in touch with them in time. I'm going to guess that my insurance is holding things up so that I'll have to wait until January for my MRI, which means I pay my full $500 deductible because it starts over in 2010. Ugh.

I'm starting my rice and water diet January 1 (please don't try to convince me not to do it, unless you're a nutritionist), so I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes. I'm also headed to the library to pick up another book to help me do the elimination diet, so I'll have another book review coming soon.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Webinar Notes - Avoiding Holiday Headaches

2009-12-16T18:12:00.002-05:00

I attended the holiday headaches webinar by the National Headache Foundation and I wanted to share my notes. A big thank you to Dr. Sylvia Lucas, the NHF and Merck & Co. (for sponsoring).

How to manage holiday headaches/migraines:

Identify your triggers (environmental, diet, stress, sleep, etc.) using a headache diary.

Avoid triggers you know, plus common triggers (sometimes it takes a combination of triggers to bring on a migraine).

Avoid disrupting normal sleeping and waking patterns – make sleep your #1 priority.

Social engagements expose you to smoke and perfume – get fresh air or try to move to an area that’s relatively clear. If you can’t get away, try breathing through a scarf (during a play for example).

If you must drink alcohol, alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, mix drinks with other fruit/vegetable juices, drink slowly, and avoid red wine.

Don’t skip meals; if unable to follow a normal eating schedule, at least have snacks – always keep snacks on hand (not salty though because they can lead to dehydration). Good options are fruit, peanut butter for protein, crackers, and nutrition bars (Kashi, Luna, etc.). For bars, check for those with the lowest sugar and highest protein.

Avoid ripe cheeses, processed meats and chocolate.

Schedule personal time to give yourself a break.

Traveling tips: plan in advance, be prepared for lines/long waits/traffic, and pack migraine meds.

Rest, exercise, ice/heat, massage, biofeedback.

From the Q&A session:

- Are there programs to help cover cost of migraine medications? See drug company Web sites for programs, coupons.
- What are ergotamine derivates? Cafergot, DHE, etc. – older than triptans but highly effective. Can cause nausea and the caffeine can cause trouble sleeping.DHE-45 is a good rescue drug (injectable).
- (One of my ?s) If I do a two-week rice diet, slowly adding foods back, is that healthy? It shouldn't cause harm but you may not need to do it a full two weeks. It's better to do it under a nutritionist's guidance.
- Can neck/shoulder tension cause migraine? 75% of migraine sufferers have neck/shoulder pain so it can be part of a migraine – many people think muscle tension is causing the migraine but that’s not the case.
- Can stress cause migraine? Headaches in stressful occurrences can be triggered by adrenaline/nervous system changes.

Hope these notes aren't too scattered or out of context.

I'm going to take a short break from all things computer, including this blog, so I want to go ahead and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Forehead Lift for Migraines

2009-12-14T21:27:00.001-05:00

My Twitter friend whose sister suffers from migraines told me about today's The Doctors TV that talks about forehead lifts for migraines. Check it out here. Has anyone tried this? Something to add to my wish list of future migraine treatments...especially once I start getting wrinkles! ;)

*Warning - not for those with weak tummies!*

Ulcer med caused headaches, go figure!

2009-12-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

I was on 40 mg of Pantoprazole Sodium for a stomach ulcer, but I realized after being on it for a month that it was giving me a constant headache and migraine attacks too! The first side effect listed was headaches, but that's a common side effect - even for medications I've been given to treat headaches - so I thought nothing of it. But after 29 headaches in November, I decided to stop taking it. My internal medicine doc told me to take two 150 mg Zantac pills a day for a month instead. So far today's my first day with only a minor headache.

An unfortunate update: I was supposed to be having an MRI right now. But my insurance requires a form to be signed by my neuro and the MRI people weren't able to get in touch with my neuro to sign the form. I could have had the MRI anyway and tried to get the form signed later, but there would be no guarantee that my insurance would cover any of the MRI. I'm already going to have to meet my deductible, which my husband is giving me the hardest time about ("You don't need any Christmas presents - you're getting an MRI" - he better be kidding), so there's no way I can pay in full. So I had to cancel it. I'm going to call my neuro's office to reschedule and ask them about the stupid form.

Oh and regarding biofeedback, my insurance doesn't cover it so I'm trying to found out how much it will cost. I'm probably not going to do it, unfortunately.

Sorry for the negative updates. I guess the lessons learned are to make sure your meds aren't giving you headaches or making them worse, and maybe we do need some sort of health care reform!!!

Free Headache Webinars

2009-12-03T18:59:00.002-05:00

Join us for

Headache Health Talks

~ a FREE Webinar series.

Get the latest information about headache causes and treatments from the nation’s leading headache specialists and participate in a question and answer session to learn how to better manage your headaches.


Enjoy Your Holidays: A Guide to Managing Migraines	This program covers basic information about migraine, as well as how migraine sufferers are affected during the often stressful holiday season. We will discuss common holiday-related triggers, including family stresses, seasonal food triggers and changes in schedule, and how to avoid them to make the best of your holiday season. There will be Q&A sessions with the presenting headache experts after the presentation.	December 8, 2009 12 PM CT - Dr. Traci Purath 6 PM CT - Dr. Vincent Martin December 9, 2009 6 PM CT – Dr. Sylvia Lucas December 10, 2009 1 PM CT– Dr. Traci Purath December 16, 2009 4 PM CT– Dr. Sylvia Lucas

Include the program name and date in the subject line and your name, city and state in the body of the email. Send to nhf1970@headaches.org. You will receive instructions via email with a toll-free number to call to participate in these educational and interactive teleconferences.

Sponsored by National Headache Foundation through an educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc.

New Game Plan!!!

2009-11-29T21:56:00.007-05:00

My headaches are worse than ever. 20+ days a month now. AND I still have migraines! I can deal with the headaches, but the migraines will be the end of me. So, it's time for a new game plan. Enter Neuro #6. I've outline our plan of attack below:

Sleep. My sleep study results showed I woke up 10 times an hour, and Neuro #6 read the results and said it was from leg movements (which I didn't notice at all). To fix this I'm taking a med that can help with Restless Legs Syndrome called Ropinirole HCL, or Requip. It may take multiple things to help my headaches, and getting a good night's sleep is definitely one of them!

Jaw. Related to sleep, I frequently grind and clench my teeth in my sleep. Sometimes my husband tells me or sometimes I know when I take that first bite of breakfast because my jaw is killing me. I tried a drugstore mouth guard but didn't notice a difference, so Neuro #6 referred me to a TMJ specialist. My dad has TMJ (it can be hereditary due to bone structure similarities), and it can be related to headaches, so this is a good move. My appointment is early next year.

Migraine diet. This is one I asked about because I've been wanting to do it for a while. Sometime in January I'm planning to eliminate everything but rice from my diet. The new neuro said to do it two weeks and see if I notice a difference in my headaches; if not, I can go back to eating like normal. We agreed that if I did the gluten-free diet, I can do anything. It's only two weeks!

Biofeedback and meditation. The clinic I visited offers biofeedback; however, when I tried to schedule an appointment, they said they are "out of network" for my health insurance, so I need to do some research to find out how much it will cost. The Web site's undergoing maintenance but I'll look into it this week. Neuro #6 also recommended trying a mindfulness meditation class to learn stress reduction, but the ones she recommended are in the $300 range, so I'm going to hold off on that.

MRI. And speaking of expensive, I almost forgot the most exciting part of the appointment! I FINALLY found a neuro who wants me to get an MRI! After nine years of headaches and migraines, someone wants to look at my head, the source of my pain. What a concept! :) I'm getting a brain and cervical spine MRI next month and it's ridiculous how much I'm looking forward to it. My husband doesn't understand why I want them to find something because he said it probably wouldn't be good, but I'm sure most of you who are reading this understand. If it's something fixable, I'll do whatever it takes.

I'm thrilled that this new game plan isn't a long list of drugs. I made it clear that I've tried most of them and wasn't interesting in trying more. I'm still taking Butalbital and Toradol for migraines, and Aleve for headaches, but I try my best to avoid them when I can.

P.S. - Love me some Philip Rivers! :)

Image by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images.

Support the NHF while Christmas Shopping & Searching the Internet!!!

2009-11-21T22:27:00.005-05:00

I've been writing constantly at work and honestly don't want to write another word. So this post is an e-mail I received from the National Headache Foundation. Thanks for understanding my need for a break from writing!!!!

- - - - - -
The holidays are all about the spirit of giving. That’s why the National Headache Foundation (NHF) is letting you know about an opportunity to give to your friends and family, and give back to a cause that’s important to you at the same time! The NHF is proud to be working with iGive.com, a Web site that allows you to do your holiday shopping online and donates a portion of the profits to the NHF.

All you have to do is go to www.iGive.com, register and put the National Headache Foundation as your cause of choice. From there, you can shop in the online shopping mall of over 750 stores, including big names such as eBay.com, Barnes & Noble and Best Buy. A portion of the profits from everything you buy will go to the NHF, and for every search you do on the site, iGive.com will donate a penny to the NHF as well!

There’s no better way to show your loved ones how much you care than with a gift that keeps on giving. The holidays are only a few weeks away, so go to www.iGive.com to start shopping!

- - - - - -
Note - I created an account, made iGive's search page my home page at work and did my normal Internet searches from it instead of google. So far today I've made 36 cents for the NHF from the search feature, and that will add up pretty quickly if do this every day!

Ulcer?

2009-11-12T21:34:00.002-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that I think I have a stomach ulcer or ulcers. Every morning I wake up with a burning stomach which mostly goes away once I eat, and before dinnertime I start to get sharp, stabbing stomach pains. I tried a 14-day pack of Prilosec OTC and it didn't work, so I went to my internal medicine doctor. He said that I wasn't taking too much Aleve (I try to limit it to twice a week to prevent rebound headaches; plus if I take it too much it doesn't touch the headache), but he said it still might have caused an ulcer. My rescue med is Ketorolac (Toradol), and that's an NSAID as well but I have to limit it to twice a month. In my opinion it's probably stress, because I have a lot of non-headache things stressing me out, in addition to the daily headaches. The doctor didn't do an X-ray or anything but did listen to and feel my stomach and said there was inflammation.

He put me on 40 mg of Pantoprazole Sodium which I assume is the generic for Protonix, a gastroesophageal reflux med. It was only $10 (with my insurance) for a month's supply, which is awesome because I'm supposed to take it for 2-3 months. Then if my stomach isn't better, I'll have to go back to the doc.

A side effect is headaches, so does that mean it'll cancel out my current headaches? Let's go with that.

Counseling Session #2

2009-11-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

Had my 2nd counseling session today, and my counselor did some guided imagery with me. I've done it once before online. You pretty much visualize a relaxing scene in order to take your mind off of your pain and lower your stress. The counselor also let me borrow a book, Creative Imagery, by William Fezler, Ph.D., which has a chapter on pain.

I've been super stressed lately for very good reasons, so I'm praying that this will help. I'm also trying really hard to work out more because exercise is vital to good health. Realistically, I'm always tired and headachey, which makes it hard to work out, but I've been doing a workout at least once or twice a week which is an improvement for me.

Oh and FYI, last month I had 24 headaches, and I haven't had a headache-free day since Oct. 15. I also had a horrible migraine last Friday night/Saturday but after three doses of Butalbital, I was well enough to party for Halloween! However, I went back to two Aleves today, and although my ulcer seems to be under control (if I even had one - maybe Prilosec is working), the Aleves didn't do a thing. This cycle has GOT to end.

Counseling

2009-10-30T22:18:00.003-04:00

A co-worker of mine pointed me to an article in a benefits newsletter on headaches, and one of the things offered that I wasn't aware of is three free counseling sessions. I've been miserable lately - although hiding it well - and my headaches have been daily. Tonight it's a migraine (I also have a fever and upset stomach). Ugh.

Since I don't seem to handle stress well (I tense up, tightening my neck and shoulders, and keep it inside or cry), I decided to take advantage of the three free sessions. I'd rather not go into detail on the first session, but let's just say I cried on and off the entire time. In fact I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Stupid PMS.

My counselor recommended a work book on behavioral therapy, Mind over Mood, which I ordered from Amazon. She also said to do "rescue breathing" which I thought I was already doing, but I was doing it incorrectly. I was taking deep breaths through my mouth when stressed out, but you're actually supposed to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and breathe with your diaphragm. If you breathe in through your mouth, you could get dizzy easier and cause yourself to hyperventilate.

The counselor also gave me a list of supplements that can increase serotonin naturally (5-HTP amino acid and SAM-e) and help me get deeper sleep (melatonin), but I'm sick of pills so those will be a last resort. I should note that she can't prescribe anything so she said to talk to a doctor before taking these.

One other update on my health - I think I have a stomach ulcer or ulcers. Every morning I wake up with a burning stomach which mostly goes away once I eat, and before dinnertime I start to get sharp, stabbing stomach pains. I'm taking Prilosec OTC for 14 days to see if that helps, and if not I'll see a doctor. Because of this I've stopped taking Aleve. If my headaches get bad enough, I still have Butalbital (which I will absolutely take tomorrow if I wake up feeling like I do now) which has acetaminophen and is not an ulcer-causing NSAID, to my knowledge.

If you're wondering why I haven't mentioned Tui Na massage lately, my husband refuses to let me see the acupuncturist who does that because he's still freaked out from the cupping (see earlier post). I'm trying to stand up for myself, but it is $50 a session and I don't make nearly as much as my husband, so I feel like I don't have the right to spend that kind of money when I don't know for sure that it'll work. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Book Review: 100 Questions & Answers About Migraine

2009-10-25T19:10:00.002-04:00

I just finished another migraine book, "100 Questions & Answers About Migraine" by Katherine A. Henry, MD and Anthony P. Bossis, PhD. The questions were pretty basic - good for people seeking general information, but not benefitial for chronic sufferers. But there are some sections I found useful, such as dealing with the emotional effects of the pain and the questions on migraine and pregnancy.

Let me stop right here. Mom, if you are reading this, I am NOT having kids any time soon, although you make it clear that you prefer otherwise. :) Patience is a virtue.

So as I was saying, I learned a lot of facts from question #30, "What if I am taking migraine medication and then find out I am pregnant? Will this harm my unborn child?" Apparently I'm going to need to develop a plan with a doctor before I even consider trying to get pregnant, because you have to be really careful about what you take. I knew this, of course, but I didn't know that during the first two to three weeks of pregnancy - which could be before you even KNOW that you're pregnant - some medicines could cause the fetus to spontaneously abort. Also, during weeks three through 10, medications could have an impact on organ formation!

As I said, I'm not planning on getting pregnant any time soon, but now I know that when my husband and I do decide to start trying, I'm going to have to be really careful and pretty much put up with the pain. I'm getting good practice because recently I've suspected that I have a stomach ulcer or ulcers, so I've stopped taking Aleve which I usually take about twice a week and alternate with Butalbital (Fioricet). Luckily since I've stopped hormonal birth control, my headaches haven't been full-blown migraines like they used to be, so I'm better able to put up with the pain for the most part. Although it does wear on you when it's daily.

Anyways back to the book. It's a good introductory book to headaches/migraine and covers everything from treatment to doctor's visits to complementary and alternative medicine. Definitely a quick read if you're interested.

Migraines and Headaches - Questions about Faith and Spirituality - Teri Robert

2009-10-18T23:32:00.003-04:00

If you're into spirituality, check out Teri Robert's post on MyMigraineConnection.com called Migraines and Headaches - Questions about Faith and Spirituality.

There are already lots of good discussions taking place in the comments section. I've struggled and still struggle with the fact that I have pain even though I pray to God every day for healing, and I appreciate Teri for tackling this difficult topic! It's a good reminder that there is hope and I need to keep my faith and allow God to heal on his time.

Cupping

2009-10-14T23:08:00.009-04:00

This post answers the question, "What is the dumbest thing you've tried so far for migraine relief?"

Cupping.

My acupuncturist-turned-massage-therapist got the idea from someone at a conference he attended in NYC, and apparently cupping works for some headache/migraine patients. In the traditional form, you use fire to take the air out of glass cups and put them on the skin to create a suction, but he used plastic cups and a pump. I didn't plan on doing it but he told me about it during the massage and we decided to try it afterward. The cups were applied on my upper back and neck and remained there for 10 minutes. As you can see, it leaves huge protruding marks - this is normal and was expected. They slowly faded and went away after about five days, but during that time I had to cover the neck ones with makeup, collared shirts and my hair.

I would post a Web link, but unfortunately I couldn't find a reliable Web site that even explains cupping, much less says that it works. The idea behind it is to get the qi/chi flowing and bring toxins to the surface, leaving room for fresh blood to circulate underneath. Or something like that. It didn't hurt except for the neck ones and I think that was pain from the massage. In fact, the skin being sucked into the cups almost felt like a massage.

The bad news is I still had headaches (and neck soreness, but probably from the massage) the days following cupping, and my husband was so upset about it that he refuses to let me do it again. Normally I'd argue with him, but I can't find proof that this works, and it does seem weird and it leaves marks, so I'm going to agree with him and say goodbye to cupping.

So what's the dumbest thing you've tried for migraine relief?

A Warning to Health Bloggers

2009-10-10T16:42:00.001-04:00

Last week my neurologist's office called to cancel my appointment, and I had a bad feeling it was because of this blog. Unfortunately, I was correct.

First I'd like to admit my fault. I'd never used names of doctors' offices in the past, but for some reason I did use the name of my latest neurologist's office. I also described my appointments in detail and did not exclude my frustration. After eight years of headaches/migraine, it's hard not to have feelings of frustration.

My goal in this blog is and has always been to share my struggle with chronic headaches with others so that together we can find a way to bash these painful life interruptions. You can see this in my blog's description to the left. I also aimed at keeping a positive tone, which I think I've done to the best of my ability. I've always been honest though because I don't want to put up a front; I want to express myself and be real in this blog.

Yesterday I received a letter from my (now former) neurologist, the fifth one I've seen. She discovered my blog while setting up her practice's new Web site and was not happy that I disclosed information about our sessions. I'm not going to say much about the letter because I would again be disclosing information that she doesn't want to make public, but I will say that she makes some good points. While I didn't name names, I did name the practice and did share information about my appointments without her knowledge, and that was wrong. At the same time though, her letter is pretty derogatory, particularly her thoughts on blogs in general. I personally find value in the online migraine community, and I believe that neurologists could benefit from reading our blogs every so often to understand our point of view and what we're dealing with. In fact I'm almost pleased that my neurologist read my blog. I hope she keeps what she read in mind when she treats future patients.

So my lesson to other health bloggers is unfortunately an obvious one that I somehow overlooked until now. Don't blog about your appointments in detail and don't divulge information that could identify your doctor. Yes this information can be helpful to others, but it can also go too far. Also, inform your doctor that you keep a blog and make sure he or she is aware that you write about your appointments.

Note I've removed all identifying information - whether it's in posts or comments - from my blog.

Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM)

2009-10-06T18:47:00.000-04:00

Perhaps my head has been in the sand, but I just now heard about Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) through an article that popped up on my "migraine" google alerts. I didn't find much helpful info when I googled the term, except for this.

Does anyone have any experience with this - have/had it, been tested for it, etc.? It looks like there can be few symptoms, one being headache, and the only way to test it is a CT scan or MRI, which I've never had due to cost (even with insurance). Should I ask my neuro about this? Should I be worried?

I survived my first Tui Na session!

2009-09-21T21:00:00.002-04:00

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've been dreading my first 30-minute Tui Na massage. The 5-minute "previews" I've had at the end of acupuncture just about made me cry from pain, so I didn't know if I could handle this one.

Well I'm typing this after my massage, so obviously it didn't kill me. It was definitely painful though! Apparently I have really tight back, shoulder and neck muscles and big knots. I don't know if they're from my headaches or if they're causing my headaches (famous chicken/egg dilemma). But I'm going to try it a few times to see if it helps.

My headaches are getting much more frequent - I've only had five days this month without one - so I'm going to call my neuro tomorrow to see if the new clinic is accepting my insurance yet. I haven't been to a neuro since April which is ridiculous. If they're not accepting my insurance, I'll go to my previous neuro. I really liked him, but I felt he ran out of options with me. But I have to do something!!!

Invisible Illness Week - Free Online Seminars

2009-09-15T23:00:00.000-04:00

I normally don't post back-to-back, so if you missed my post on massage, please see below.

But I couldn't resist writing a quick note on the Invisible Illness Week free online seminars.

Jasmine's blog post summarizes it with links. You don't have to catch the seminars live - you can listen afterward too. Thanks Lisa for arranging these seminars!

Goodbye Acupuncture, Hello Tui Na Massage

2009-09-14T22:17:00.002-04:00

I've been seeing an acupuncturist once a week for about 15 weeks now. Acupuncture, from what I've read, generally works for those with headaches in 3-12 visits, so I knew it was time to give up. Today's session was pretty rough. I'm having a menstrual migraine and have all the associated symptoms...fun. My acupuncturist was convinced he was going to get rid of the migraine so he put needles all over my head. It hurt to talk and even smile. After maybe 30-40 minutes (I was dozing on and off), he took the needles out and I still had the headache, so he tried other points on my feet, legs and hands for 10 minutes. That didn't work either, and he kept shaking his head and said how that works for almost everyone. I sensed that he was about to say that acupuncture wouldn't work for me, so I said it for him. I had an alternate in mind though.

During some prior sessions, my acupuncturist, when he had time, would do a painful head/neck/shoulder massage at the end of some treatments, so I asked him if I could just do the massages from now on instead of acupuncture. I was paying $40 a session for acupuncture, and 30 minutes of massage is $45, so it's not too much more (of course my husband, who wants me to quit it all, just about had a cow when I told him). My acupuncturist gave me a massage at the end of my session today and I told him I didn't think I could stand 30 minutes of it (it HURTS) but he said he would start lighter to loosen my muscles and it wouldn't be that bad. I was lying face down today and at one point I had to lift my head so he'd stop because the pain was making me feel faint.

The type of massage is called Tui Na, described here - note this is just a random Web site I found from a google search, not my acupuncturist, but I liked the description.

I'll probably try this for two months or so to see if it helps, and boy do I hope it does.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel Results

2009-09-07T22:45:00.002-04:00

I saw my internist for the second time last week. I'm probably going to continue seeing him as my "family doctor" since I don't really have one, but I'm giving up on him for migraine help. He again encouraged me to see a neurologist, and he didn't have any other advice to offer. Since my current neuro who left the old clinic to start her own clinic is in the process of getting my health insurance added, I'm still in waiting mode there.

My internist was nice enough to let me go through a list of questions (no sarcasm here; some doctors rush you out as quickly as possible), and one of my questions was if I should get my liver tested, because some people have commented on this blog about this and also I've been on so many meds the last few years, I wanted to make sure it was ok. So I had a "comprehensive metabolic panel" blood test, which also tested my kidneys and other things.

Everything was normal. But, once again I've ruled out one more thing, so that's less to worry about!

Book Review: TMWtEiIhHaM

2009-09-02T21:59:00.002-04:00

I'm going through a headache book reading spree, and my first review is the book with a mouthful title, "Tell Me What to Eat if I have Headaches and Migraines" by Elaine Magee, M.P.H., R.D. The foreword was written by Frederick Freitag, D.O., Diamond Headache Clinic.

This was an overall informative book of foods and drinks that commonly trigger headaches. I'm sure you've heard all about these, but here's a list (not all-inclusive, of course):

chocolate
caffeine
red wine
tyramine (aged cheeses, alcoholic beverages, some processed meats, avocados, overripe bananas, chocolate, nutes, seeds, pork, venison, soy-based foods
nitrates/nitrites, MSG, & other possible additives
aspartame
fatty foods

Other tips:

Eliminate suspect foods from your diet for 1-4 weeks
"Ok" cheeses are: cottage cheese, cream cheese, Monterey Jack, and fresh or low moisture mozzarella
Women 31 or older should take 320 milligrams of magnesium to help with hormonal headaches
Nitrates/nitrites are mostly in cured meats and are usually on the ingredients label

What stood out as very negative to me was the part on MSG. I have MSG intolerance not related to my headaches and therefore have a lot of knowledge on the subject. The section only listed products that contain MSG and didn't even mention hidden names such as autolyzed yeast extract. The book is from 2005, so there are lots of new products not mentioned that contain MSG! Plus, some products now do not contain it because of the organic trend. And, some recipes listed in the book could easily have MSG in them if you're not careful.

This was a good intro to nutrition related to headaches, and it's a quick read, so I'll let you decide if you want to look into it further.

I'm still putting off going on a migraine trigger elimination diet because I'm enjoying food too much after ending my gluten-free diet.

----

Headache update: I only had two headaches on vacation and they started in the evening my last two days and didn't get bad enough to require meds. It was great! I had a migraine when I got back but I took the red-eye flight and didn't sleep, and then napped the whole next day, so that was my fault. When I saw my acupuncturist Monday he said my neck and head felt great - hardly any knots and muscle tension like I usually have. He said I should take vacations more often. I wish. :)

Allergy test

2009-08-23T22:34:00.008-04:00

I met with an allergist last week to see if allergies were giving me headaches. I had awful allergies - ragweed, dogs, cats - as a kid, but I grew out of them (either that or they went away when I moved to the city). But I thought maybe they transformed into headaches instead. Crazy thought, but I at least wanted to rule it out.

So I got a scratch test (see image below). This is not me - I wanted to take a picture, but I wasn't allowed to move my arms so that would have been difficult.

(Phanie/Photo Researchers/NY Times)

The results were expected - allergic to ragweed and molds. Certainly not bad enough to cause headaches or even bother me much. I even had the doctor check for foods - tomatoes, chocolate and something else I forgot. No reaction, but I could still have intolerances. So my next plan is to do a food elimination diet to see if common migraine triggers affect me. I've checked out a ton of books from the library and hope to do some book reviews soon. I probably won't start the diet for a few weeks though because I just finished the gluten-free diet and I need a break from restricting my diet. That's a headache in and of itself!

A few more brief updates: acupuncture's going well. I've switched to private sessions with deep neck massage and they seem to be helping. I'm off all prescription medications (so no more Lyrica or Lexapro, woohoo!) except for when I have headaches; if they're bad enough I'll do rotations of Toradol (for REALLY bad migraines), Butalbital, 800 mg Ibuprofen and Aleve.

I'm also taking the following supplements:

fish oil
magnesium potassium
B complex
Iron (not for headaches but because I have low levels)

On a more personal note, my husband and I were talking the other night and I told him I was mad at God because he has the ability to heal my pain but he won't. I took it back right away and said that Christians shouldn't be exempt from pain. This is earth after all; the pain-free time is yet to come (heaven). But I still felt bad, and I feel like I settled it with God at church this morning - I had a feeling of peace and joy throughout the entire service and I asked God to forgive me...and yes, to heal me. It doesn't hurt to ask. God might want me to use my pain to witness to others. So if you're not religious and this paragraph is gibberish to you, know that God's helped me through the pain and really does provide strength and peace. I'm not saying he'll take it away, but there's always hope. :)

Blog Re-redesign

2009-08-19T23:32:00.003-04:00

I decided to make my blog a little more migraine-friendly. My last design seemed too busy. I probably won't keep this one forever either, but it'll do for now. Also, regarding design - I just got a digital camera so I'm hoping to put up more pictures with my posts. Woohoo!

And one more bit of housekeeping; regarding the post below, I still have three free codes left. E-mail me if you're interested!

Hope everyone's doing well, or at least as good as possible. :)

Technology: New Headache App

2009-08-14T23:01:00.007-04:00

I received an e-mail from BetterQOL (Quality of Life), a company that creates technology tools for patients and physicians. A headache sufferer and migraine specialist got together to develop iHeadache, an app for the iPhone and iPod touch (Blackberry coming soon) that tracks symptoms, meds and disability and uses the data entered to create reports for your doctor.

You can read more about the app here.

I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, so I haven't tried this. BUT, I have five codes for a free download. Note - before I said it was a 30-day trial, but it's actually the code itself that expires in 30 days; the download is free to use as long as you'd like! If you're interested, e-mail me at waronheadaches at gmail dot com and I'll send you details!

(Image by BetterQOL)

Gluten Free Diet: The End

2009-08-09T11:46:00.003-04:00

I'm a little ashamed to write this post. I feel like I might be letting people down. Two months or so ago I decided to do a six-month gluten-free diet to see if it helped my headaches. My celiac disease tests came back negative, but I figured I might be gluten intolerant. I blogged about going gluten free and was excited to be trying a natural way to fight my headaches. It wasn't too hard either, but I think that's because I'm used to reading food labels due to my MSG intolerance. I thought I'd miss cupcakes and such, but I found some awesome gluten-free places in town that make gfree cupcakes, zucchini bread, etc. and they were delicious! The one thing I did miss was pizza (which is odd because I hated pizza as a kid but it grew on me later in life). I tried gfree pizza and the crust, my favorite part, was disgusting. However, I only tried it at one place and was scared to try it again. If you do want to try gfree pizza, I hear Bella Monica's is good - they have a restaurant in Raleigh and Whole Foods carries their pizza - also they were very helpful to me on Twitter while I was gfree.

One more quick tangent. A lot of people don't understand Twitter or think it's dumb, but I am an advocate. If you want to try going gluten-free, you can search "#gfree" and find a ton of people who are helpful in answering questions or sharing tips. I also use Twitter for migraine support. If you find the right people, it's a great community. So a special thank you to my gfree friends who helped me the last two months.

But, I'm sorry to say I've ended my gluten-free diet. I saw an internal medicine doctor last week and we discussed my headache history and things I'm currently trying, including the diet. He said that I could keep trying it if I wanted, but I probably would have noticed a difference by now. Also, my acupuncturist said he supports having a balanced diet. So I slowly started adding gluten back the past week, and my headaches haven't gotten worse.

In fact, they've been better, and I think it's due to my acupuncture. I've been doing private sessions where I lie down and the acupuncture points are more intense (somewhat painful). Also, my acupuncturist has been doing deep neck massages at the end of the last two sessions, and I think that is making a difference. It's painful to the point where I'm almost in tears and am sore for days afterward (I go once a week) but I honestly think this is what's helping my headaches. I've had maybe one or two headaches a week now instead of every day or every other day.

I'm terrified to say I'm getting better, but I'm definitely making progress. :)

Oh and also my internal medicine doc gave me permission to taper off the Lyrica and Lexapro, so soon I'll be taking only vitamins and minerals. WOOT!

War on Headaches Design

2009-08-01T00:35:00.005-04:00

Edited: Ok I think I'm sticking with this redesign for a while. It's a free background I found online, but it'll work.

Thanks for the feedback on my earlier change. I decided it was too bright so I'm back to a dark one. Don't want my blog triggering any migraines. That'd be extremely counterproductive. ;)

Internal Medicine Doctor

2009-07-28T14:51:00.006-04:00

Gotta keep this one brief since I'm on my lunch break. Quick update...

My mom who is a nurse wanted me to try a different avenue other than neurologists since I've seen five with no luck. She recommended seeing an internal medicine doctor or "internist" (not to be confused with "intern"). They're like primary physicians but more in-depth and according to the American College of Physicians (see the link), "they are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time."

The bad news is, of my migraine friends on Twitter, only one has had luck with an internal medicine doctor. The good news is, someone HAS had luck with one. My desire has always been to find the cause of my headaches to treat them, and I feel that an internist might be the way to go since they cover such a broad spectrum.

Another reason for seeing an internist is I want to get off Lexapro and Lyrica which do not work and I need a doctor to do this. My neurologist will not be happy with me, but I haven't seen her since April and her new facility is still trying to get in United Healthcare's network (my insurance), so there's no telling when I'll be able to see her next.

My appointment is in one week. Wish me luck!

P.S. - When I spoke to appointment scheduler and asked if they handled chronic headaches, she said they'd see me and then refer me to a specialist, but I said been there done that - I want to be treated by an internal medicine doc and find the cause, and then she had me speak to the triage nurse who said she'd have to schedule the appointment first to see what they could do.

Overwhelmed

2009-07-20T19:18:00.003-04:00

I'm overwhelmed with - everything.

I'm in a hole at work and I can't dig out. I think it's because all I've had lately is writing assignment after writing assignment, and I have major trouble concentrating which I blame Lexapro and/or Lyrica for. This is causing me lots of stress.

Plus I've been having trouble sleeping which throws off everything.

Also my headaches seem to be out of control. At least I haven't had any really bad migraines lately, since I've said goodbye to hormonal birth control. But I still have almost daily headaches, and some get so bad that medicine doesn't have an impact on them.

But I always try to end on a positive note, so here are some things I'm grateful for:

* God. He fills me with hope and gives me strength to deal with my pain.

* My acupuncturist. Although the six sessions I've had so far don't seem to be helping, I still have hope. Some of my fellow blog and Twitter migraine sufferers have had success with acupuncture and say it takes a while. Today my acupuncturist told me to show up at 2:00 next week, which is when community acupuncture ends, because he wants me to do a private session where I can lay down - for the $20 community acupuncture cost!!! :) I'm excited to try another approach.

* My job. Even though it's stressful, my boss is flexible with my doctor's appointments. Plus, I'm blessed to have a job and health insurance.

* Family. They are all supportive and understanding. Plus my husband and I finally booked a trip to Seattle for next month. Can't wait!

* "No." I've finally been able to say no to people (I don't have a choice really) and it feels great. Having a more open schedule and taking a break from things is wonderful...or at least it will be once work calms down.

Remember that no matter what you're going through, it always helps to count your blessings.

One Month Gluten Free

2009-07-12T16:40:00.009-04:00

First of all, an inspiring read on migraines and going gluten free. This blog post is by the person I met on Twitter who inspired me to try a gluten-free diet. She has celiac disease, and when she cut gluten from her diet, her migraines went away. While I do not have celiac disease (according to a blood test) I'm still thinking there could be a chance I have some level of gluten intolerance, which is why I'm trying a gluten-free diet. Here's her blog post, My Migraine Story - A Gluten Free Miracle.

Second, a VERY helpful read if you're planning to start a gluten-free diet, How to Start Living Gluten-Free.

And to add my own experience...I started a little over a month ago by eating up all my food and giving away extra flour, Bisquick, Kashi bars, etc. Then I went completely gluten free immediately by eating mostly unseasoned and unbreaded fruits, vegetables, meat, rice and potatoes. Throughout the past month I've tried gluten-free foods from Whole Foods, Kroger, Harris Teeter and Earthfare. They all have pretty good selections, and I was happy to learn that Kroger, which is my primary grocery store, labels gluten-free items (such as cookies or cereal that would typically contain gluten). When I shop I carry a list of ingredients that contain gluten so I can check foods I'm unsure about.

For breakfast I have gluten-free breakfast bars or fruit, for lunch gluten-free frozen dinners or a salad, and for dinner I'll usually have a veggie, rice and meat. I've also tried GF pasta (made from rice or other grains), quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), which is a healthy herb/grain that you can eat like rice or use in recipes like meatloaf, and Tamari - gluten-free soy sauce (yes, soy sauce contains wheat). For snacks, I have corn chips or gluten-free cookies. Eating out has not been too difficult. I'm used to having to check to see if restaurants have MSG-free options since it makes me sick, so now I check online menus for gluten-free options as well. Many places like PF Changs, Chili's, and Outback Steakhouse even have special gluten-free menus online. I've also tried a kitchen in Raleigh that lets you pick up meals that are guaranteed gluten free. They have a killer zucchini bread! And just yesterday I bought a gluten-free chocolate cupcake from a bakery selling at the local Farmer's Market that was out of this world! :)

I went an entire month without cheating, although I wasn't 100% strict either. I did check my pills and lip gloss, but I don't worry about lotion, shampoo, makeup, and cross-contamination issues. Since I don't have celiac disease, I'm guessing I don't need to be super-sensitive. BUT yesterday, I could not resist a bite of wedding cake and the crepes station at a wedding. I wanted to see if I'd get an instead headache. However, I already had a headache before the wedding, and although it did get worse, I think it's because of the two strawberry mojitos I drank!!!

So the big question is have my headaches improved? In June I had 26 headaches. Today is July 12 and I've had nine headaches so far. But the three non-headache days were in a row, which is unusual.

Of course if you read my blog, you know that I'm also doing acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and some different types of vitamins. Any of those might be helping.

For now, I'm going to stick to my gluten-free diet for five more months, or at least that's my goal.

P.S. Thanks for all the gfree people on Twitter who have been happy to answer questions and who post helpful tips!!!

Acupuncture Update

2009-07-02T23:48:00.010-04:00

I've had four acupuncture visits so far; one per week. Unfortunately I'm still having headaches almost every day. I had a total of 26 headaches in June. A friend told me today that she saw a Duke study on acupuncture and headaches, and it took about 12 sessions for improvement, so I've decided to give it that many. Here's an article on acupuncture - it explains how it works, which I wonder each time I go! Thanks to @ManageMigraines on Twitter for the link.

In addition to the community acupuncture, I've been doing what I guess is acupressure where I tilt my head to the side and use that side's hand to push on the opposite side's area between my neck and shoulders, if that makes sense. When I push it, the pain radiates to my head. I'm supposed to push it until the knot that's there breaks up.

Also, as you can see from the picture, I'm on lots of fun non-big-pharma pills. So in addition to the Lyrica and Lexapro that my neuro put me on and I'm going to get off as soon as I see her next, I take the following: women's multi-vitamin, iron (not headache-related), magnesium, fish oil/omega-3, vitamin B complex, Chinese herbal migraine pills which are the black beads in the picture (10 twice a day) and 800 mg Ibuprofen or 2 Aleves when I have bad headaches.

My gluten-free diet is going very well. After eliminating food I couldn't eat from my kitchen, I printed gluten-free menus from restaurants that have them, printed a list of ingredients to avoid, and visited several different grocery stores to see their gluten-free foods selection. I'll blog more about it soon.

Hope all my American readers have a wonderful Independence Day, and I hope all my readers are headache-free for the weekend! :)

Is there a correlation between car accidents and migraines?

2009-06-16T14:04:00.007-04:00

Since my last post, I've had acupuncture visits #2 and #3.

Visit #2 was interesting...and painful. I told the acupuncturists (husband-wife team) that I had a headache, and they put needles in my hand and feet like normal. Then they asked if my headache was going away, and I said no, so they gave it more time and then asked again. I thought to myself, are they really going to keep me here until my headache goes away? Because a few thin needles aren't going to make that happen. I told them I still had a headache, so they took out the needles and said they were going to do a stronger treatment. They put about 15 needles in me - on my feet, legs, hands and head - the sides above my ears, temples, and one in between my eyes right above my nose.

So what does this have to do with car accidents? The husband of the husband-wife team felt my neck and said "oh my" etc. He asked if I'd ever been in a car accident, and I told him yes a bad one when I was a kid - like in 5th or 6th grade - but I wasn't hurt. He said, are you sure? Then he started doing an acupressure/massage type thing that HURT. I could feel it up through my head, and my headache got way worse when he pushed on my neck. Then he lifted my arm and pushed down on a spot between my neck and shoulders and did the same for both sides. It gave me a sharp intense pain. Finally, he took out the needles and put a liquid on my neck that felt and smelled like IcyHot.

He asked how my headache was. IT WAS GONE. I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, it only stayed gone for 30 minutes; then I got a migraine and had to take drugs.

I'll write more about my acupuncture appointments later, but I'm wondering, is there something to his car accident theory? It was so long ago, and I didn't have a single injury except for a seatbelt burn on my arm, but the car was hit so hard it spun a few times. And I've been in two more accidents within the last few years, although I already had migraines by that point.

I decided to do a Twitter poll to see if other migraine sufferers had been in accidents. A couple of people pointed out that the poll, which is above (and the link is below), wasn't specific enough. It didn't ask, for those who said yes, what happened first - the accident or the migraines. That's a good point and a weakness in the survey; another weakness is the number of votes - 17, which isn't much for a poll. That said, I still find it interesting that the majority of migraine sufferers have had a car accident.

As much as I researched, I could not find a study on the subject. Sure, some people get headaches directly after an accident, but what about years later? And if there is a correlation, what can be done? I personally have seen a chiropractor and physical therapist for my neck/headaches, with no success.

I'm sorry this post leaves so many questions unanswered, but I'd like to hear what other headache sufferers have to say. Do you think there's a correlation between headaches/migraines and past car accidents, and can anything be done about it?

Link

Sticking to Acupuncture

2009-06-11T10:54:00.009-04:00

I actually don't know if I'm sticking to acupuncture, I just liked the play on words. :) Anyway, I did finally try acupuncture for the first time this week, thanks entirely to @stonetree on Twitter, who told me about community acupuncture. As you can probably guess, community acupuncture takes place in a room with chairs and anyone can walk in and have acupuncture. Because you're with other people instead of a private room, they charge a cheaper rate. I'm able to get acupuncture for $20 a session! The place I found does this once a week. The bad news is I'm in a decent-size city, and I only found one place that offers this; so if you are in a small town you may need to drive to the nearest city to do community acupuncture.

Everyone's been asking me what it's like, but it's pretty simple. The acupuncturist sticks needles in you. I'll try to be a little more descriptive though. I had about eight-ten needles in me - on my feet, the insides of my legs below my knees, elbow area, and wrists and hands. It didn't hurt until the lady pressed down on the needles after inserting them; that felt like when you push on a bruise. Also, I didn't move much because it would hurt if I moved the wrong way. The lady said that the 800mg Ibuprofen I took that morning for a headache (what else) may have masked the sensation.

The needles were in me for about 45 minutes. Someone was there when I first got there, but she was just finishing up, so I had the room to myself. The acupuncturists (a husband and wife team) did talk to me for a little while and they told me the main reason people go to their clinic is for headaches and back pain. The one acupuncturist said I WILL see results after about 4-6 visits. We shall see.

Also, they told me to take fish oil and vitamin B, so I'll be looking into that.

And one more thing - if you try this, check to make sure your acupunturist is certified!

Going Gluten Free

2009-06-06T22:58:00.014-04:00

Lately I've been VERY optomistic about my migraines/headaches, and for good reason. It all started when I was on Twitter. I stumbled across @GFillustrator and found out that her migraines improved when she stopped eating gluten. I decided to get tested for Celiac Disease, since I have some of the symptoms. Well, turns out that I do not have it, but after all the research I've done, I've decided to try going gluten free for a while anyway, to see it helps my head and stomach.

Some of you may have already tried this or may be currently gluten free - if so, please share your experiences. If you want to try going gluten free, I'm going to chronicle my experiences on here, so I invite you to try it with me! I'll still post other things as well (teaser - I'm trying acupuncture for the first time Monday!).

The first step to going gluten free is research. Thank goodness there are lots of resources online. Here's just a handful:

* Celiac.com: this post has a list of unsafe ingredients

* What you can and can't eat, and meal suggestions: here

* Excellent headache/migraine blog with a post on gluten: here and be sure to read the comments!

* Blog that lists restaurants with gluten free items/menus: Hold the Gluten

* Blog post - You've Got Celiac, Now What?: Celiac Bites

* It's important to still get essential nutrients when you're trying a gluten-free diet, so check this out.

* Talk to friends as well. My friend told me about a local place in Raleigh, NC that will put together gluten-free meals for you to pick up if you don't have time to cook but don't know where to get gfree food either: Rosie's Plate. You may have one similar in your area.

Next step is emptying out the food in my kitchen and then adding what I CAN eat.

*6-8-09 update* This week is National Headache Awareness Week, which means there will be TONS of headache news stories, blog posts, etc. Stay plugged in this week and you might learn something new! I'm hoping the news stories won't be the same old stuff that everyone knows already. Either way though, awareness is good!!!

What's the best pharmacy poll results, and anniversary wishes...

2009-06-01T21:56:00.007-04:00

CVS and Wal-Mart tied in my best pharmacy poll...but only 15 people voted, so I'm going to say the results were inconclusive. I think it's a tough call - all pharmacies have positive and negative qualities, and it depends on factors like where you live; for example, the CVS where I used to live sucked because it was the only pharmacy in the area and the lines were always long. The one I go to now though hardly ever has a line (which is odd because it's right beside a hospital). I like the bucks I "earn" to spend at CVS (on nonprescription items, of course), but I sometimes wonder if Wally World would be cheaper, or a grocery store pharmacy more convenient.

Speaking of pharmacies, ever wonder if the pharmacy tech at the window thinks you've got issues? I mean, I've tried a LOT of medications, and meds for migraines can be meds that treat high blood pressure, seizures, depression, bed-wetting and schizophrenia. No offense to anyone who has these issues, but sometimes I wonder what they think of me. A college friend of my husband's is a pharmacist and his fiancee is a patient - it's how they met. They joke that he decided to marry her, even after knowing what she was taking.

Glad my husband decided to marry me, and stay married to me, knowing about my migraine/headache issues. And knowing that those issues bring about a whole other set of issues. Happy five years, honey! (May 29, 2009)

News Item on Levadex

2009-05-26T21:48:00.005-04:00

I don't think I've written about drugs in clinical trials, but I received an e-mail from the National Headache Foundation announcing that Levadex had successful Phase 3 trials (see this NY Times article), and this sounded different and intrigued me. In fact, I actually listened to a recording of the Webcast.

Levadex is a non-triptan abortive treatment for migraines. It's a new inhaled version of dihydroergotamine (DHE), which apparently is administered as an injection at the ER and can be taken as a prescription nasal spray called Migranal. Oddly, I'd never heard of Migranal. Has anyone tried it?

MAP Pharmaceuticals still needs to do another long-term follow-up study and other trials that will take about a year, but it sounds promising!

NO MORE HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL

2009-05-17T20:05:00.004-04:00

Background: I've been on some form of hormonal birth control since I was 17 or so, around the same time I started getting headaches. I was on it for cramps and because I had slightly irregular periods and heavy flow (which I'm going to have again soon, woohoo!). I started with different kinds of The Pill, and then Ortho Evra Patch, then nothing for a while because I suspected it was giving me headaches, but after maybe six months I didn't notice a difference, so then I went on The Pill without breaks for a period, which my neurologist suggested. Of course then I had break-through bleeding and bad headaches. Then my gyno talked me into getting a Mirena IUD for maybe two years, which you can read about here and most recently I had the Nuva Ring, which you can read about here.

So last week I took out my Nuva Ring (without my neurologist's permission; please don't get the impression that I'm saying this is right because it's NOT; I just got fed up and made a quick decision on my own). After a few days I got a light period and I've had some nausea and diarrhea which I'm guessing are withdrawal symptoms. I've still had headaches but I'm hoping they'll improve.

I've also been exhausted. I slept all day today and even missed church, which makes me sad. But God knows how I feel, and he understands. Plus, as my mom told me - it IS a "day of rest"! I haven't worked out in three weeks so I'm sure that's not helping.

I have a new theory, which I'll blog about soon, but for now I just wanted to put in writing that I'm never ever going on hormonal birth control again. My husband (who supports this decision) says I'm a broken record because I've said this before, but I mean it this time. My body does not like those crappy synthetic hormones, and I'm convinced that my headaches will improve as my cycle gets back to normal.

And no, I'm not planning on having kids any time soon, no offense, future kiddos.

Migraine with Aura

2009-05-10T22:02:00.003-04:00

Try this: hold your hands in front of your face and spread your fingers. Move your hands in a circular motion. Now pretend each fingertip is a bright flashing light. Welcome to the world of auras.

I'd never been the "migraine with aura" type person until now. I had my second ever aura the other day. The first time it happened I talked myself into thinking I had looked at the light too long and it was my imagination. That was months ago, but the exact same thing happened again. If you're not familiar with aura, read this. I wanted to see if I'd get a migraine afterward so I didn't take any meds, and sure enough, the migraine came.

I still have slight doubts. The lights only lasted maybe 10 seconds. I get migraines or headaches all the time, so who's to say I wouldn't have had one anyway? Plus why don't I get an aura with every migraine? I'm a little freaked out and I kinda want to get an MRI, but I'm going to tell my neuro about it and see what she says. It sucks that I can't get an appointment until the new clinic opens in June.

Meanwhile, I'm tempted to stop all my meds and take out my Nuva Ring. I know that you shouldn't do that without a doctor, but I've been on Lyrica and Lexapro and birth control before and I know to go off them gradually (well not the birth control). My headaches are worse than ever, and I need to do something.

My current migraine is an 8 out of 10 and is heading toward 11, so I'm going to take my emergency concoction (Seroquel, Phenergan and Toradol) and go to bed.

*Update* The medicine combo knocked me out all day, and I slept until 4:30 in the afternoon. I didn't even call in to tell work I'd be out (they called me around 10 to make sure I was ok). I still have a slight headache, and I'm so fed up that I took out my Nuva Ring a few hours ago. No more hormonal birth control for me...my migraines are always worse with it. My neuro's going to be pissed...

My new headache clinic is changing

2009-05-05T19:51:00.006-04:00

I received a letter in the mail saying that the neurologists at the Headache Clinic are breaking away from the hospital to start their own clinic.

This means that I am no longer a patient there because it appears that they don't have any other headache specialists. The letter said that I could have them transfer my records to the new place or I could visit two other nearby headache clinics, one in Greensboro (an hour away) and the other, ironically, is my former neurologist (neuro #4).

I've decided to have them transfer my records and I'm going to keep seeing the same neurologist because I want to try something different - perhaps alternative things such as biofeedback; or she might look further into why my sleep test showed some irregularities.

I'll keep you posted when I get a new appointment.

Misery Loves Company

2009-04-28T22:15:00.004-04:00

If you click on this link you'll find a chart that shows different health conditions and sufferers' participation of vs. benefit in online social networks.

It shows that people who suffer from migraines are more likely to participate in AND benefit from social networks.

I knew I was doing this blog for a reason!

P.S. - Couldn't think of another word for "sufferers" - but I'm fully aware that I overuse this word. I'm not in a constant state of suffering, and I hope you're not either! :)

News Item: 6 Reasons Your Headache Treatment Is Failing You

2009-04-24T17:22:00.004-04:00

I feel that my headache treatment is failing me, so here's an appropriate article. Not the most helpful, but appropriate. Thanks, Jessica Ryen Doyle of FoxNews.com and @MigraineInfo on Twitter.

House, er, blogkeeping, update: Instead of adding a blog roll, I'm officially "following" headache/migraine bloggers through the Blogger feature. To see these blogs, you should be able to click on my full profile to the left. If you want me to start following you (not literally of course - creepy!) just let me know!

Neuro Appointment - More sleep tips

2009-04-18T10:56:00.009-04:00

My Headache Clinic appointment got moved because of a scheduling conflict, so I had it last Monday, about two weeks after my last appointment. I thought it'd be a waste of a $40 copay, since I just saw my neuro, but it was actually a good appointment.

I told her how tired I was during the day, but it still takes me about 10 minutes to fall asleep at night. She asked what was going through my head when I was trying to sleep, and I told her mainly the next day's schedule. So here's the advice she gave me:

* Write down a to-do list about 15 minutes before going to bed each night. That gets it out of your head and on paper. Then when you get in bed, block out words and instead visualize a picture, like a beach scene. Thinking in pictures instead of words slows your brain waves which is what happens when you're sleeping.

* My neuro also gave me Ambien (the generic version) again to try for five nights, which I've just finished. I've been sleeping fine, but I'm still exhausted during the day, so I don't think it helped.

She also gave me 800 mg of Ibuprofen to take up to four times a day, no more than two days a week though, for when I have headaches and the Maxalt doesn't work. I had been taking Aleve, which doesn't always work, so she said I needed something stronger. I tried the Ibuprofen for one headache and it didn't work, but yesterday I took it and it eliminated my headache! Woohoo!!

I tried refilling Maxalt and I can't do it yet, so I literally get four a month from my insurance and that's it. I'll have to ask for samples next neuro appt. Speaking of which, my next one won't be until July, because she wanted to give the meds I'm on and my sleep schedule time to work. That will save me some copays, so I'm happy!

Pharmacy Survey

2009-04-14T23:01:00.002-04:00

Just added a survey to the left - please vote!

I just got $5 extra bucks from CVS, but it's because I spent a fortune on prescriptions recently. I've heard Walmart's prescriptions are cheap, but the Walmart near my house is awful and I'd get a migraine just from visiting it, so it's worth the money to avoid it. But are some pharmacies cheaper than others? Do some have shorter waits than others (this probably depends on the location). I've been going to CVS since they were Revco (no I did not remember the name, I had to ask my husband - my memory is not that good!), and while I have few complaints, I'm curious to see what pharmacies you guys like.

Btw, I visited my neuro earlier this week; I'll write a blog post soon on how that went.

Have a terrific and headache/migraine-free week!