Migraine App and Giveaway Winners

I’ve had a little over a month to try out the new My Migraine Triggers^TM app which was developed by the makers of Excedrin^® Migraine along with a leading neurologist who is well respected in the Migraine field. This app is available on iTunes for free.

Unfortunately, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to test out this app. I’ve also shown a few people how easy the app is to use and where they can go to download it for themselves. Don’t tell my sister I said this, but she was actually able to download this app by herself and found it pretty easy to use too.

My sister liked the way things flowed from one screen to the next; they seemed logical, easy to maneuver around and simple to add anything she wanted to within the different areas. The only feedback she had was that when she would enter in her Migraine after it started, she didn’t know how to answer the question ‘How long did it last’ since her Migraine was still going on and hadn't completed yet.

How well did the app work for me? Overall, I really liked the app too. It’s so much easier to keep track of my Migraines using the My Migraine Triggers^TM app than trying to write everything down in the heavy planning calendar that has limited writing space which I carried around before testing the app; to help keep track of my triggers, symptoms, medications and pain levels.

I liked the way I could track possible triggers, to see if they may be delayed triggers that could take up to 48 hours to trigger a Migraine.  This feature may be more helpful for me when I get my Migraines under better control, but it’s something that my sister can use now.

The My Migraine Triggers^TM app is real easy to use and has the flexibility to add what we need to any of the areas we should track especially since we are all different and have our own tracking needs. I like the quick charting capabilities where I can simply see potential triggers I’ve been exposed to and pain levels experienced in a pie chart format while the percentage of triggers I was exposed to 24-48 hours before a Migraine, symptom frequency and pain locations were clearly read in a bar chart format.

I found I could put my preventative medication changes in the notes section as well as anything else of special interest to me or my doctor. Everything I put into the My Migraine Triggers^TM app also reports out in a diary log. This diary and the graphs can be printed out or emailed wherever you want.


I mentioned in my first post about the My Migraine Triggers^TM app that I also keep a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet has grown over the years and gives me a lot of what I like to see around my Migraines, but it is also missing things that I would love to see in a Migraine app.

I currently have two graphs on my spreadsheet which track my Migraine evolvement over the year. It graphs them month-by-month and week-by-week where I can see some very interesting things that have happened over this period. It also includes trend lines so I can easily tell the progress of how my Migraines have been going.

There are two important items where my spreadsheet falls short and I would love to have an app take over these holes. I need to track my FMLA usage and find a way to track my MIDAS scoring. I feel both of these items would be reflective of how I am coming along with my Migraine management and my doctor asks for MIDAS with every visit.

I’ve adapted my spreadsheet for some things my Migraine specialist requires – it will calculate average number of Migraines and intensity level per month as well as the average number of Migraines and intensity level per month since my last doctor’s visit. It will also highlights the most severe Migraine and the number of times I was at that level since the last visit. For me, it also keeps a running total of the medications I’ve taken on a MTD and YTD basis. My spreadsheet doesn’t touch FMLA or MIDAS yet.

Since I’ve never really tested a Migraine app on a small device before, I can only give a wish list that I don’t even know if it is too outrageous to ask for from an app. In addition to FMLA and MIDAS, I would want to be able to export the data into a format I could use to import into my spreadsheet or use wherever else I would see fit. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up my spreadsheet yet. The other small area I would want to see improved on the app is that the report currently does not list the medications I’ve tried and put into the app.

Now for the fun part as congratulations go out to the winners of the Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kit giveaway. First of all, I want to thank everyone who participated by commenting on my blog. The two winners, who were chosen at random, are Pam West and Snubs. Pam and Snubs, please contact me through MigrainePuppet at gmail so we can make arrangements to give you your Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kit.

Overall, I have to say that I like the My Migraine Triggers^TM app so don’t forget to download it from iTunes to try it out for yourself. Also, stop by the Excedrin^® Facebook page and on Twitter to help you with your Migraine journey.

Disclosure: I am an Excedrin^® Migraine brand ambassador. One iPod Touch to test the app was provided by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., the makers of Excedrin^® Migraine; my journey for a Migraine-free experience is my own.

Track Migraine Triggers

I had been testing the My Migraine Triggers^TM app for almost a week before I went to NY for its official unveiling. The makers of Excedrin^® Migraine developed this app along with one of the top Migraine neurologists (one who I’ve written a little snidbit about in the past) which is available for free on iTunes.

While I was showing some people the app, the comment was made about how big of a trigger sleep must be for me since that took up a large piece of the pie chart the app offers. The picture of my pie chart as it appeared on that day is pictured above.

I will admit that the items in the chart can be big triggers and exasperating factors for my Migraines. It was a busy week with a Migraine every day. During this trial time, I still had a few cold nights without power because of the hurricane, we had a snowstorm before the power was even restored and this was still a very stressful time.

Those triggers are easy to identify and track. For me, it’s harder to identify the not so obvious triggers such as some foods.  Did you know that food triggers can trigger a Migraine up to 48 hours after you consume the food?

The My Migraine Triggers^TM app has the flexibility to add in the foods I eat so I can track them on days I don’t even have a Migraine to see if they may be a delayed trigger. It’s easy to add foods or anything I might want to track.

I can add the foods I eat and track other possible triggers by putting in a new entry every day and answering the question 'Did you have a headache?' with the answer 'No, I did not'.  I can track the foods I ate that day, barometric pressure changes, temperature changes and really anything I want because of the app’s flexibility.

By entering a comment to this post or my previous post, you will be entered into a drawing to receive one of two Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kits. Winners will be selected at random when you enter any family friendly and non-commercial comment to my blog post. This kit contains the following items that can help manage some common Migraine triggers or exasperating factors:
• Sleep mask
• Noise cancelling ear buds
• Branded stress ball
• Herbal compress
• Branded water bottle

The Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kit giveaway winners will be announced in my post the first week of December when I review the My Migraine Triggers^TM Mobile App.

What’s your Migraine relief story? Everyone is different and we all find our own way of trying to deal with our Migraines. Share your story and knowledge of how you treat your Migraines and you could win $5,000. All of the prizes, details and official rules can be found on the Excedrin^® Facebook page.


Did you know that less than one-quarter (22%) of women surveyed find their current tracking method effective in managing Migraines?

Besides foods, weather, stress and sleep patterns like me, what other things would you want to track to help you or someone you know try to manage their Migraines?

Disclosure: I am an Excedrin^® Migraine brand ambassador. One iPod Touch to test the app was provided by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., the makers of Excedrin^® Migraine; my journey for a migraine-free experience is my own.

Migraine Relief Kit Giveaway

How do you track your Migraines? My tracking is somewhat convoluted and I am always looking for a better way to track and report them to my doctor.

I have been asked to introduce and review a new Migraine application. The makers of Excedrin^® Migraine developed a new app, My Migraine Triggers^TM, with a leading neurologist that is available for free on iTunes. With this app, Migraine sufferers can track their Migraine triggers and gather the data put into reports and charts that can be easily shared with physicians.

This new app was unveiled at a media event in NYC with actress/singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Jordin seemed so down to earth and told us about her Migraines and how her mother has real debilitating Migraines. She said she won’t be back home until the day before Christmas when she plans on doing all of her holiday baking and hopes her friend will be able to get all of the ingredients she will need for her baking.  I also hope Jordin paces herself as I know I've learned my own lessons from holiday baking over the years and try to be careful not to overdo it.

I will be giving away TWO Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kits.  Two of my readers will be selected at random when you enter any family friendly and non-commercial comment to my blog you will be entered for a chance to win an Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kit. This kit contains items that can help manage some common Migraine triggers or exasperating factors such as irregular sleep habits, loud noises, stress, etc:
• Sleep mask – soft & smooth / cotton & silk with adjustable strap
• Noise cancelling ear buds – high performance with interchangeable silicone ear pieces for a perfect and comfortable fit
• Branded stress ball – my boys like when I squeeze the ball rather than them!
• Herbal compress – place it in the microwave for heat or the freezer for cold therapy
• Branded water bottle – we have to stay hydrated

The Excedrin^® Migraine Relief Kit giveaway winners will be announced in my post the first week of December when I review the My Migraine Triggers^TM Mobile App.

I always struggle with how I should track my Migraines. Currently, I carry a planning calendar in my purse and then translate it onto an electronic spreadsheet where I can make it report different things for my doctor.

The smaller calendar makes it more convenient to carry and write some things down, but it also limits the amount of information I can track due to space constraints in the daily boxes. I battle capturing the information I need to write down if I’m trying to identify a new trigger or answer the question as to why my Migraine patters seemed to have changed.

I had only been using this app for about a week before the media event. However, being a chronic Migraineur, I was able to have some good conversations around it. There was someone at the event who was also trying out the app. She can have red wine sometimes but not always as it sometimes triggers a Migraine for her. She was trying to think of sleep deprivation or dehydration and other triggers like that which may have contributed to her Migraines when she had the red wine.

I asked if she tried to track what she ate when she drank red wine. She hadn’t. I mentioned it could be every time she has shrimp and red wine that this combination may trigger her Migraine. She hadn’t really thought about food and we talked about how easy it was to add additional possible food triggers to the My Migraines Triggers^TM app to try to identify them. The app will gather your Migraine data that can be put into reports and charts which can be printed or emailed to share with your doctor. Here is a sample of how easy it is to add shrimp as a food you eat and to try to track different foods you try:

The left box shows the foods that are listed and that you can add your own.  The right side show how easy it was to add shrimp and then how it was checked off as one of the foods that was consumed that particular day.  It really is that easy!

Migraineurs know that identifying and tracking triggers is one of the most important tools for managing our Migraines. As I mentioned, I still struggle with the best way to record and report my Migraines. I am testing this new app and will provide my honest feedback about this new app – what I liked, didn’t like, would change, etc.

I can be very particular in this area and already know I have a few things I would love to see, as a chronic Migraineur, added to any app I may use. I also know that I don’t like the double entries I currently use or carrying around the extra bulk and weight of the planning calendar.

I’d really like to hear more about how you currently track your Migraines. What tools do you use? Do you find the reporting capabilities from your app or tools you use are what you need to share your information with your doctors; are they effective?

Disclosure:  I am an Excedrin® Migraine brand ambassador. One iPod Touch to test the My Migraine Triggers mobile app was provided by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., the makers of Excedrin® Migraine; my journey for a migraine-free experience is my own.