Book Review: 100 Questions & Answers About Migraine

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

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

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

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)

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!

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

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

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

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

 

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.

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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. :)