Have you ever had an MRI trigger a Migraine? My son's Migraines have been under great control for the past two years, but when he had his MRI, it triggered a 2+ day Migraine.
Of course this brings on my worst fears - that his concussion will have triggered more Migraines to come his way. I can hope and pray that they haven't made things worse for him like a few other people I know. My son's neurologist ordered the MRI after his cognitive test to return to sports was lower and slower than his baseline test was and he still had too many symptoms a week after his concussion.
When we discovered he had Migraines, we were luckily able to identify his Migraine triggers pretty quickly. He has been doing a pretty good job with his sleep schedule, staying hydrated and taking his supplemental vitamins.
Let's face it, it's tough to discover you can have some debilitating Migraines during your freshman year of college. He never realized, nor did he tell me that he was experiencing some headaches in high school. He would just take some Tylenol, get a little rest and would be mostly good.
The 'headaches' he got his freshman year of college were much different. I don't know if it was because of all of the additional pressures he was under plus all of the triggers he was faced with like he really hadn't been before. I didn't find out about his headaches until his 1st semester finals were about to start and I wouldn't be able to have a good talk with him until after he came home which is when we really started addressing them and educating him.
His freshman year was also difficult because his roommate was also a night owl who would pride himself on staying up all night and sleeping all day. He is really a great guy who comes from a really nice family, but you can see the huge Migraine trigger for my son who needed his sleep. He did work it out that second semester and reduced the number of Migraines he was getting tremendously.
It's been three weeks since his concussion. He is much better than he was, but has not been cleared to start the step progression back to competition yet. Their spring game is this weekend which he will spend the time cheering on his team. I am glad he was not pushed back into the game where he could risk more or even permanent injury to his head and grateful that he is bright enough to know that his mind is not worth risking to play in a few more football games.
Have you ever had an MRI trigger a Migraine?
Showing posts with label Triggers-Noise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Triggers-Noise. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Two Peas for Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving is going to be at my sister's house. When they've had parties there in the past, my brother-in-law has been very accommodating where he went around and changed out his icky CFL bulbs for the better incandescent lights.
This year won't be any different, but I can't say that I'm very excited around the reasoning for it either. My sister,Pam, has been living in my shoes for the past month and a half after experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). She has been very photo and phonophobic, very dizzy, can't get the right words out and has been experiencing one-sided headaches sometime throughout everyday along with having much neck pain.
Pam can never do anything the easy or normal way; I guess that runs in the family. Her big troubles started after she was in a car accident and was actually hit by the same drunk lady twice. Her brain was jolted around pretty good from the accident which definitely started these issues for her.
She actually continued onto work after the accident, but she didn't last on the floor very long. The other nurses took one look at her and immediately sent her down to the ER. Pam has been out of work ever since.
Pam is getting more concerned about work. She needed to stop there the other day to drop off some papers and as soon as she stepped off of the elevator, she was hit by those devilish fluorescent lights. She felt them like spears going through her head and when she spent a little time with her boss, they had to turn the lights out. Pam is a labor and deliver nurse just like Jessica at Painfully Speaking was. After much deliberation, Jessica recently resigned from being an L&D nurse; a job she truly loved just like Pam does.
I've been trying to give Pam a little information at a time about MTBI. Nancy Bonk at MyMigraineConnection has written a few good pieces about it including New Imaging Identifies Mild Traumatic Brain Injury or Teen Sports Concussions Can Cause Serious Damage which says:
Just before the accident, Pam started learning more about Migraines as she suspects her 8 year old son has Migraines. Although we have always talked about Migraines, either mine or someone else she knew, since her accident, she is asking different questions and understanding a lot more then before. She has had a few Migraines in the past, but never the same symptoms she is experiencing or with the same intensity as now.
Pam's doctor wants her to see a neurologist now. She was given several neurologists names by different people and she asked me to research some of them for her. I'm glad she did as I have a lot of experience with this and was able to weed out some of the sleep specialists that were on her list and other neurologists they just didn't seem like they would be someone I would want her going to see. We settled on one that we are both comfortable with and she'll actually go to see him the week after Thanksgiving.
I will be going to her house the day before Thanksgiving to help her prepare the house for about 35 people this year. It should be fun and a great site to see the two of us cleaning and arranging everything in the dark - just the way we want it! We'll be like two peas in a dark pod for Thanksgiving.
I hope you all have a Happy, healthy and pain free Thanksgiving so you can enjoy your day.
This year won't be any different, but I can't say that I'm very excited around the reasoning for it either. My sister,Pam, has been living in my shoes for the past month and a half after experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). She has been very photo and phonophobic, very dizzy, can't get the right words out and has been experiencing one-sided headaches sometime throughout everyday along with having much neck pain.
Pam can never do anything the easy or normal way; I guess that runs in the family. Her big troubles started after she was in a car accident and was actually hit by the same drunk lady twice. Her brain was jolted around pretty good from the accident which definitely started these issues for her.
She actually continued onto work after the accident, but she didn't last on the floor very long. The other nurses took one look at her and immediately sent her down to the ER. Pam has been out of work ever since.
Pam is getting more concerned about work. She needed to stop there the other day to drop off some papers and as soon as she stepped off of the elevator, she was hit by those devilish fluorescent lights. She felt them like spears going through her head and when she spent a little time with her boss, they had to turn the lights out. Pam is a labor and deliver nurse just like Jessica at Painfully Speaking was. After much deliberation, Jessica recently resigned from being an L&D nurse; a job she truly loved just like Pam does.
I've been trying to give Pam a little information at a time about MTBI. Nancy Bonk at MyMigraineConnection has written a few good pieces about it including New Imaging Identifies Mild Traumatic Brain Injury or Teen Sports Concussions Can Cause Serious Damage which says:
"A concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) takes places when the brain encounters significant movement to the head or a penetrating injury with or without the loss of consciousness. This "jarring" or penetrating motion can occur when the skull is struck, bumped or hit during a fall, motor vehicle accident or sports injury. During this action, the brain hits the opposite side of the skull from where the hit occurs - forcing the brain in the opposite direction - where it is accelerating. Then the brain bounces back or decelerates. This is called an acceleration-deceleration injury."
Just before the accident, Pam started learning more about Migraines as she suspects her 8 year old son has Migraines. Although we have always talked about Migraines, either mine or someone else she knew, since her accident, she is asking different questions and understanding a lot more then before. She has had a few Migraines in the past, but never the same symptoms she is experiencing or with the same intensity as now.
Pam's doctor wants her to see a neurologist now. She was given several neurologists names by different people and she asked me to research some of them for her. I'm glad she did as I have a lot of experience with this and was able to weed out some of the sleep specialists that were on her list and other neurologists they just didn't seem like they would be someone I would want her going to see. We settled on one that we are both comfortable with and she'll actually go to see him the week after Thanksgiving.
I will be going to her house the day before Thanksgiving to help her prepare the house for about 35 people this year. It should be fun and a great site to see the two of us cleaning and arranging everything in the dark - just the way we want it! We'll be like two peas in a dark pod for Thanksgiving.
I hope you all have a Happy, healthy and pain free Thanksgiving so you can enjoy your day.
.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Insulted at Church
I'm usually pretty easy going and can simply blow things off, but I'm finding it hard to not be personally insulted by something that happened in church today.
While attending mass for the past few months, I've been sitting in what they call the 'votive' room. This is a little room at the back of the church which doesn't have any doors, but is open to where mass is performed. They went the way of electronic candles a long time ago, so there is no smoke or anything funny coming from the 'candles'. It is not the 'cry' room where all of the families with very young, vivacious children go either.
Even though I wear a hat in mass every week, I still sit in the votive room because of my light sensitivities and because some people love to bath themselves in smelly stuff before going to church. This room has really been a win-win solution for me. There are a few regulars who also 'hang out' in the votive room to watch and listen to mass. Some of the people are a little older, some have walking difficulties and we even had someone with an oxygen machine in there once. The most we've had in there at one time was about five people although it will comfortably fit about seven.
Today there were only three of us; a married couple and me. They've been regulars in this room for the last few weeks although they used to sit in the last few pews before settling into the votive room. They don't know I sit in that room because of my sensitivities, but they always see me wearing my hats. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately, today was a day I could smell everything. No, none of those natural smells.
There is a point in our mass when we shake hands. They kissed and then took turns shaking my hand. As mass progressed, she put some lotion in her hand and shared some with him so they could both put it on. That looked so cute as it was transferred by what looked like a little hand shake or hold between them.
Weeelllll, due to my heightened sense of smell today, I could tell it was not hand lotion that they put on. I have a sensitivity to the smell of those hand sanitizers and today it hit my head like a brick wall.
If I am the only other person who they shook hands with, how could I not be personally offended when they use a hand sanitizer right after shaking my hand? What should I do next week if faced with the same situation?
Should I start wearing a face mask as well as my hat every week while sitting in the votive room? Should I sit in a seat that is a little further away from them in this pretty small room? Should I just bump their fists like the athletes do? Should I just wave to them? Should I leave the room before and avoid the whole handshaking situation all together?
I really don't need to shake their hands nor do I think they really want to shake mine. If there are other people in the room, they are going to do the 'right thing' and shake the other peoples hands. I could embarrass them by asking them to use the hand sanitizer outside of my 'sanctuary'.
I've got a week to think about how I want to handle this situation. I really don't want to embarrass them or make them feel uncomfortable, but I don't want to smell this in my haven especially on days I can smell everything. The problem with speaking to them is that they usually get there as mass is starting and scoot out as soon as it is finishing so it would be hard to talk to them. I really don't think it's appropriate to discuss anything during the mass. I could always hand them a note. At least they would know the result of their innocent (yet insulting) action has on me and then the ball would be in their court.
How would you handle this situation? It just happened so I haven't really given it much serious thought yet. I'm sure they have no idea - yet.
While attending mass for the past few months, I've been sitting in what they call the 'votive' room. This is a little room at the back of the church which doesn't have any doors, but is open to where mass is performed. They went the way of electronic candles a long time ago, so there is no smoke or anything funny coming from the 'candles'. It is not the 'cry' room where all of the families with very young, vivacious children go either.
Even though I wear a hat in mass every week, I still sit in the votive room because of my light sensitivities and because some people love to bath themselves in smelly stuff before going to church. This room has really been a win-win solution for me. There are a few regulars who also 'hang out' in the votive room to watch and listen to mass. Some of the people are a little older, some have walking difficulties and we even had someone with an oxygen machine in there once. The most we've had in there at one time was about five people although it will comfortably fit about seven.
Today there were only three of us; a married couple and me. They've been regulars in this room for the last few weeks although they used to sit in the last few pews before settling into the votive room. They don't know I sit in that room because of my sensitivities, but they always see me wearing my hats. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately, today was a day I could smell everything. No, none of those natural smells.
There is a point in our mass when we shake hands. They kissed and then took turns shaking my hand. As mass progressed, she put some lotion in her hand and shared some with him so they could both put it on. That looked so cute as it was transferred by what looked like a little hand shake or hold between them.
Weeelllll, due to my heightened sense of smell today, I could tell it was not hand lotion that they put on. I have a sensitivity to the smell of those hand sanitizers and today it hit my head like a brick wall.
If I am the only other person who they shook hands with, how could I not be personally offended when they use a hand sanitizer right after shaking my hand? What should I do next week if faced with the same situation?
Should I start wearing a face mask as well as my hat every week while sitting in the votive room? Should I sit in a seat that is a little further away from them in this pretty small room? Should I just bump their fists like the athletes do? Should I just wave to them? Should I leave the room before and avoid the whole handshaking situation all together?
I really don't need to shake their hands nor do I think they really want to shake mine. If there are other people in the room, they are going to do the 'right thing' and shake the other peoples hands. I could embarrass them by asking them to use the hand sanitizer outside of my 'sanctuary'.
I've got a week to think about how I want to handle this situation. I really don't want to embarrass them or make them feel uncomfortable, but I don't want to smell this in my haven especially on days I can smell everything. The problem with speaking to them is that they usually get there as mass is starting and scoot out as soon as it is finishing so it would be hard to talk to them. I really don't think it's appropriate to discuss anything during the mass. I could always hand them a note. At least they would know the result of their innocent (yet insulting) action has on me and then the ball would be in their court.
How would you handle this situation? It just happened so I haven't really given it much serious thought yet. I'm sure they have no idea - yet.
.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Big Work Move
Well, this was the big move weekend at work. They moved almost two hundred people from my building to another town almost ten miles away. Some of us needed to come in this weekend to unpack and do some testing. This will make us available for anyone who has any questions and to make sure the basics are working when people come in tomorrow.
I had never been in this building and never saw any pictures of the area where we would be sitting. It was hard picking out a desk from a paper map and the floor plans had changed several times since the desk assignments were originally picked out. When I say the plans changed, I mean offices either disappeared or appeared out of no where.
My desk was supposed to be facing a corner until the office I was butted up against was taken out which also meant I would be on an end and subject to many more lights. There was something else I was super concerned about too. I think this area is going to be like Grand Central Station with a lot of activity, hustle, bustle and loud talking. I would have been in the middle of the section of our business that does a lot of buzzing about.
A few days before the move, I had a chance to see the final floor plan. I was still very uncomfortable about where my desk was going to be. I wasn't expecting it, but I saw another desk which looked like it would be perfect for me and asked about moving to this other area. This desk had changed from the original plans and the change was approved!
After finally seeing the building, I have to tell you that my old desk had a lot of lights and was indeed in the middle of everything. My new desk is back to facing a corner with an office in front of me and an interior wall next to me. I am so happy that I was able to get my desk relocated to this other area.
This desk is probably the best spot for me and I couldn't have picked a better place to sit if I had been there in person to choose it. I was able to get a good look at my desk this weekend before everyone comes in tomorrow and all of the real chaos begins. Most people are not going to be happy with their areas since everyones desks are smaller.
I will need a spot light disabled (I have a temporary unprofessional fix up) and the fluorescent light will need the same type of light sleeve I had in my old office. I'm not sure if the new building has the light sleeves we had in our old building, but I'm not really concerned about that either. I believe that Migraineurs learn to take care of themselves and will plan for the next step when possible; to do what needs to be done. Let's just say before we left the old building, my light sleeves had disappeared and I actually ended up working my last day there with my office lights turned off.
I believe the new desk location is going to be so much quieter than the other location too. The new area is also right next to my team and others I've been sitting near for many years. I've still got alternate noise plans ready since I won't be in an office any longer, but I don't anticipate needing them as often as I would have if I didn't move my desk out of Grand Central Station. It really is the best place for me.
We'll find out tomorrow how the whole situation works out. I will need to get maintenance to take care of those two light issues or who knows what might appear some day out of the blue and into the dark.
I had never been in this building and never saw any pictures of the area where we would be sitting. It was hard picking out a desk from a paper map and the floor plans had changed several times since the desk assignments were originally picked out. When I say the plans changed, I mean offices either disappeared or appeared out of no where.
My desk was supposed to be facing a corner until the office I was butted up against was taken out which also meant I would be on an end and subject to many more lights. There was something else I was super concerned about too. I think this area is going to be like Grand Central Station with a lot of activity, hustle, bustle and loud talking. I would have been in the middle of the section of our business that does a lot of buzzing about.
A few days before the move, I had a chance to see the final floor plan. I was still very uncomfortable about where my desk was going to be. I wasn't expecting it, but I saw another desk which looked like it would be perfect for me and asked about moving to this other area. This desk had changed from the original plans and the change was approved!
After finally seeing the building, I have to tell you that my old desk had a lot of lights and was indeed in the middle of everything. My new desk is back to facing a corner with an office in front of me and an interior wall next to me. I am so happy that I was able to get my desk relocated to this other area.
This desk is probably the best spot for me and I couldn't have picked a better place to sit if I had been there in person to choose it. I was able to get a good look at my desk this weekend before everyone comes in tomorrow and all of the real chaos begins. Most people are not going to be happy with their areas since everyones desks are smaller.
I will need a spot light disabled (I have a temporary unprofessional fix up) and the fluorescent light will need the same type of light sleeve I had in my old office. I'm not sure if the new building has the light sleeves we had in our old building, but I'm not really concerned about that either. I believe that Migraineurs learn to take care of themselves and will plan for the next step when possible; to do what needs to be done. Let's just say before we left the old building, my light sleeves had disappeared and I actually ended up working my last day there with my office lights turned off.
I believe the new desk location is going to be so much quieter than the other location too. The new area is also right next to my team and others I've been sitting near for many years. I've still got alternate noise plans ready since I won't be in an office any longer, but I don't anticipate needing them as often as I would have if I didn't move my desk out of Grand Central Station. It really is the best place for me.
We'll find out tomorrow how the whole situation works out. I will need to get maintenance to take care of those two light issues or who knows what might appear some day out of the blue and into the dark.
.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
A Puppet and a Swan
Have you ever been around other chronic Migraineurs or people who really get it? I've been around people with Migraine, but never realized how different it is to be around other chronic Migraineurs until last weekend. I have to say, it's really weird to be around not only one person, but a bunch of people that truly understand everything we go through. What's even weirder is that we don't even necessarily have to express what we are going through; they know.
I recently had the honor of being around a group of other people who, unfortunately, personally know Migraines better than anyone I have ever met; actually even way better than I do. It was kind of weird meeting everyone. Although I had never met any of them before, I had 'known' them for a long time.
First, I have to stop here a minute to confess that I still blog anonymously so most of the people there only knew me by my blog name. I felt pseudo embarrassed going up to these other grown women and saying, "Hi, I'm Puppet." I got over it quickly, with a little more color in my face, a chuckle and in reality, I am Puppet. I still love my Puppet name and wouldn't want to change it as I still feel that Migraine is the puppeteer that controls too many aspects of my life.
We were going to have dinner together at a local restaurant which was only a couple of blocks away from the hotel. The weather was nice so we walked there together and made it in one piece! I think it got a little scary after the restaurant door opened - it looked like it was standing room only and all of this loud music came pouring out into the streets. It really wasn't too bad because we had reservations and didn't need to wait too long before being seated. Thank goodness our table was upstairs in a faraway corner of the restaurant. It was a real quiet, pleasant atmosphere.
Not everyone there has Migraine food triggers, but it was interesting to see how everyone needed to negotiate dinner given our little idiosyncrasies either because of different triggers or other health issues. Because of my own food triggers and knowing how long it takes me to study any menu, I actually started analyzing everything I could order way before I got to town by pulling up the menu on-line. This really allowed me to settle in on the best (and only) item for me to order at the restaurant without wasting everyone else’s time.
In the beginning of learning about my food triggers, it definitely took me some time to accept them and sometimes something even happens today where it will dawn on me, all over again, how far I have really come with my food trigger acceptance. The problem with food issues are that they can seem so personal - where you almost take it like it is a personal front 'against' you. In reality, you are much better off just avoiding any foods that are not good for you or you will most likely pay for it.
This dinner was really unlike any other dinner I have ever been to before. Having dinner with people who know more about Migraines than I do made managing through my own triggers so much easier than normal. Yes, I have gone to a fancy Italian restaurant with some friend’s right after I started my second elimination diet where all I had was a glass of water for dinner, but I didn't need any special willpower to make it through this dinner. This was different because everyone there would understand anything Migraine related and no one there needed to go into a big long dissertation on the reasoning behind any decisions we needed to make.
I already knew that the only thing I would have was a glass of water and an entree which would have to be special ordered as to not include any of my big triggers. I basically kept quiet when they asked about ordering the appetizers because I knew I wouldn't be able to have any and I wanted everyone to get whatever they enjoyed without me being a downer. We ended up getting two big platters of antipasto misto; one of which was placed face level in front of me.
It wasn't until a brief exchange with the person next to me that it dawned on me that I didn't need to go into any depth as to why I wasn't eating the appetizer. She asked if I was going to have any. All I needed to say was that it was all a trigger. Her response? Would you like some bread instead? The bread was great and it was an alternate way of participating with the appetizers. Unfortunately, she would have loved to have had some bread, but couldn't because of other food restrictions.
I think you can start to see how interesting the dinner was with all of the give and take that needed to take place, but best of all, no one felt out of place - at least I hope not. Honestly, I felt it was great and that it ended up rejuvenating my strength. I don't feel like such an odd duck any longer; I was more like a swan among many other precious swans!
What kind of substitutions do you need to make for your Migraines or other health issues? What kind of challenges do you face when among others because of your Migraines?
I recently had the honor of being around a group of other people who, unfortunately, personally know Migraines better than anyone I have ever met; actually even way better than I do. It was kind of weird meeting everyone. Although I had never met any of them before, I had 'known' them for a long time.
First, I have to stop here a minute to confess that I still blog anonymously so most of the people there only knew me by my blog name. I felt pseudo embarrassed going up to these other grown women and saying, "Hi, I'm Puppet." I got over it quickly, with a little more color in my face, a chuckle and in reality, I am Puppet. I still love my Puppet name and wouldn't want to change it as I still feel that Migraine is the puppeteer that controls too many aspects of my life.
We were going to have dinner together at a local restaurant which was only a couple of blocks away from the hotel. The weather was nice so we walked there together and made it in one piece! I think it got a little scary after the restaurant door opened - it looked like it was standing room only and all of this loud music came pouring out into the streets. It really wasn't too bad because we had reservations and didn't need to wait too long before being seated. Thank goodness our table was upstairs in a faraway corner of the restaurant. It was a real quiet, pleasant atmosphere.
Not everyone there has Migraine food triggers, but it was interesting to see how everyone needed to negotiate dinner given our little idiosyncrasies either because of different triggers or other health issues. Because of my own food triggers and knowing how long it takes me to study any menu, I actually started analyzing everything I could order way before I got to town by pulling up the menu on-line. This really allowed me to settle in on the best (and only) item for me to order at the restaurant without wasting everyone else’s time.
In the beginning of learning about my food triggers, it definitely took me some time to accept them and sometimes something even happens today where it will dawn on me, all over again, how far I have really come with my food trigger acceptance. The problem with food issues are that they can seem so personal - where you almost take it like it is a personal front 'against' you. In reality, you are much better off just avoiding any foods that are not good for you or you will most likely pay for it.
This dinner was really unlike any other dinner I have ever been to before. Having dinner with people who know more about Migraines than I do made managing through my own triggers so much easier than normal. Yes, I have gone to a fancy Italian restaurant with some friend’s right after I started my second elimination diet where all I had was a glass of water for dinner, but I didn't need any special willpower to make it through this dinner. This was different because everyone there would understand anything Migraine related and no one there needed to go into a big long dissertation on the reasoning behind any decisions we needed to make.
I already knew that the only thing I would have was a glass of water and an entree which would have to be special ordered as to not include any of my big triggers. I basically kept quiet when they asked about ordering the appetizers because I knew I wouldn't be able to have any and I wanted everyone to get whatever they enjoyed without me being a downer. We ended up getting two big platters of antipasto misto; one of which was placed face level in front of me.
It wasn't until a brief exchange with the person next to me that it dawned on me that I didn't need to go into any depth as to why I wasn't eating the appetizer. She asked if I was going to have any. All I needed to say was that it was all a trigger. Her response? Would you like some bread instead? The bread was great and it was an alternate way of participating with the appetizers. Unfortunately, she would have loved to have had some bread, but couldn't because of other food restrictions.
I think you can start to see how interesting the dinner was with all of the give and take that needed to take place, but best of all, no one felt out of place - at least I hope not. Honestly, I felt it was great and that it ended up rejuvenating my strength. I don't feel like such an odd duck any longer; I was more like a swan among many other precious swans!
What kind of substitutions do you need to make for your Migraines or other health issues? What kind of challenges do you face when among others because of your Migraines?
.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Church Hopping
Is church one of your triggers? How do you handle it if church has some of your Migraine triggers? There are many reasons I need to go to church and don't want to give up on it. Besides, where else is a better place to go to pray for my Migraine family?
My church changed over to those demonic Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs a while back and I have been trying to decide what to do about it since. On the 'bright side', at least my church doesn't have the funny smells that churches can have all of the time. This usually only happens around the big holidays when they spread the extra scents around.
There are a total of twelve big light fixtures in my church with SIXTEEN painful CFL bulbs in each fixture! These fixtures line both sides of the church going from the front alter all the way to the back. I have been trying to find the best way to handle this situation.
The first way I tried to manage church was by finding the best place to sit in my church. Normally when I enter any room, the first thing I do is to take a quick scan of the room to look for shadows in the room and check to see where the lights are in the room. With so many lights lining this church, there weren't any shadows so what I needed to try to do is to find the best balance of the lights for me.
I started by trying to find that correct right/left balance of lighting. Before doing this experiment, I thought I could handle more light on my right side than on my left, but that I would have to be careful because if I got a light induced Migraine on my right side, it would be harder to treat than a left sided Migraine. After my experimenting, I still believe it is easier for me to treat a Migraine on my left side than on my right, but I am more confused about the side to side light balancing.
In the beginning of this testing, I sat all the way on the left side so the lights were on my right. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I knew I wouldn't have been able to last the mass if I didn't do something quickly. Luckily, there wasn't anyone sitting in my pew and I was able to slide down the pew which gave me a different lighting on my left and right sides. I spent a few weeks trying to find that right place to sit across the pews.
Next, I needed to try to find that front and back lighting balance. With so many lights in the fixture, it was difficult not to have a direct visual line to the devilish bulbs. After locating the best place to sit, which is not ideal, I had to start coming up with other alternatives.
It was a hard choice to start looking at other churches because this was the church we have gone to since we moved to this town over a decade ago. It is the church my boys finished getting the sacraments they should have up to this point in their lives. I decided to try out some of the other churches in the area.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I actually thought I was in heaven when I checked out one church. In the preliminary scan, there were many shadows so I went to the darkest area. I quickly found out that these shadows were very deceiving and didn't provide any protection from the lighting. Not only that, but just before mass started, they turned on more lights! Nope, this would be the last time I went to this church.
Another church I went to was like grand central station. People were coming into the mass all the way up until communion! Not to mention there was no getting away from these lights as the church was extremely narrow. The other issue was that the acoustics were at a level that would break eardrums. Not good for sensitive Migraineurs.
There is one possibility that I did find. It is actually the sister church to my church where it is less than a mile away and we share the same priests while we try to keep our own identities. Sometimes this smaller church will be asked to go to functions at my current church especially when it is a bigger event that for some reason, they can't spread it between the two churches.
This smaller church has small light fixtures where I can't even see the bulbs when I try. I still have to balance the lighting when I choose where I need to sit, but that's not as difficult as my current bright church. One test week, I also found out that I need to be careful of sunny days because of the way the sun shines through the stain glass windows. I altered where I sat after that.
I have been going back and forth between these two churches lately and still have about two more churches, that are not too far away, I can try out. My real test will be next weekend; Easter Sunday. I will broach the subject of going to this different church with my boys and see what their reaction is like. They don't always like change and there was always that little competitiveness between churches growing up, but I know that they would go along with whatever I thought would be best for me. They are really terrific boys; I mean young men.
I think church hopping has been a good experiment along with trying to find the best place to sit given where the lighting is placed and the type of bulbs that are used. It's tough adjusting your spiritual world when everything else seems to be turned upside down too.
My church changed over to those demonic Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs a while back and I have been trying to decide what to do about it since. On the 'bright side', at least my church doesn't have the funny smells that churches can have all of the time. This usually only happens around the big holidays when they spread the extra scents around.
There are a total of twelve big light fixtures in my church with SIXTEEN painful CFL bulbs in each fixture! These fixtures line both sides of the church going from the front alter all the way to the back. I have been trying to find the best way to handle this situation.
The first way I tried to manage church was by finding the best place to sit in my church. Normally when I enter any room, the first thing I do is to take a quick scan of the room to look for shadows in the room and check to see where the lights are in the room. With so many lights lining this church, there weren't any shadows so what I needed to try to do is to find the best balance of the lights for me.
I started by trying to find that correct right/left balance of lighting. Before doing this experiment, I thought I could handle more light on my right side than on my left, but that I would have to be careful because if I got a light induced Migraine on my right side, it would be harder to treat than a left sided Migraine. After my experimenting, I still believe it is easier for me to treat a Migraine on my left side than on my right, but I am more confused about the side to side light balancing.
In the beginning of this testing, I sat all the way on the left side so the lights were on my right. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I knew I wouldn't have been able to last the mass if I didn't do something quickly. Luckily, there wasn't anyone sitting in my pew and I was able to slide down the pew which gave me a different lighting on my left and right sides. I spent a few weeks trying to find that right place to sit across the pews.
Next, I needed to try to find that front and back lighting balance. With so many lights in the fixture, it was difficult not to have a direct visual line to the devilish bulbs. After locating the best place to sit, which is not ideal, I had to start coming up with other alternatives.
It was a hard choice to start looking at other churches because this was the church we have gone to since we moved to this town over a decade ago. It is the church my boys finished getting the sacraments they should have up to this point in their lives. I decided to try out some of the other churches in the area.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I actually thought I was in heaven when I checked out one church. In the preliminary scan, there were many shadows so I went to the darkest area. I quickly found out that these shadows were very deceiving and didn't provide any protection from the lighting. Not only that, but just before mass started, they turned on more lights! Nope, this would be the last time I went to this church.
Another church I went to was like grand central station. People were coming into the mass all the way up until communion! Not to mention there was no getting away from these lights as the church was extremely narrow. The other issue was that the acoustics were at a level that would break eardrums. Not good for sensitive Migraineurs.
There is one possibility that I did find. It is actually the sister church to my church where it is less than a mile away and we share the same priests while we try to keep our own identities. Sometimes this smaller church will be asked to go to functions at my current church especially when it is a bigger event that for some reason, they can't spread it between the two churches.
This smaller church has small light fixtures where I can't even see the bulbs when I try. I still have to balance the lighting when I choose where I need to sit, but that's not as difficult as my current bright church. One test week, I also found out that I need to be careful of sunny days because of the way the sun shines through the stain glass windows. I altered where I sat after that.
I have been going back and forth between these two churches lately and still have about two more churches, that are not too far away, I can try out. My real test will be next weekend; Easter Sunday. I will broach the subject of going to this different church with my boys and see what their reaction is like. They don't always like change and there was always that little competitiveness between churches growing up, but I know that they would go along with whatever I thought would be best for me. They are really terrific boys; I mean young men.
I think church hopping has been a good experiment along with trying to find the best place to sit given where the lighting is placed and the type of bulbs that are used. It's tough adjusting your spiritual world when everything else seems to be turned upside down too.
.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Upcoming Office Move
Although the date of our office move keeps getting pushed off, it is also getting closer and closer to when we will be moving. No matter what the date, I will be losing control over my immediate work environment as soon as we move. Yikes!
I have to admit that I am still very uneasy about this unknown. The biggest comfort I have is that Bart my Boss has a good idea of what I need and will do what ever he can do to make sure I get reasonable accommodations.
We had a building meeting this past week and I can't say that I feel much more comfortable after the meeting than I did before it. There were four of us in this meeting. Bart, me and two executives in charge of the move. Everyone there knew about my light challenges.
When it came to picking out where I would be sitting, Bart was really good. He would listen to what I had to say and try to guide the others as to what was needed without coming out and saying it was an ADA issue since they already knew that. We're still trying to work with them as much as we can without making too much of a ruckus yet.
The two executives have even had other conversations with the buildings people on what could and couldn't be done to help accommodate me. I can't say that they really understand, but it certainly sounds like they are trying and it really touches me. In the end, I know that Bart will do whatever he can to help me get what I need and I will do what I have to do.
The biggest item I am concerned about with the move is the lighting. This is what is the most out of my control and what is toughest for me to workaround. In the past, I have used my own lighting workaround that was sufficient for me although management was not too keen on how I worked around my lighting issue. I did what I had to do to make it through the day and I will do the same again if needed. I currently have full control over my lighting environment which includes a light switch, blinds and light sleeves that filters the fluorescent lights and some of their flicker.
During our meeting, noise was also brought up during the conversation. They had actually already taken noise into consideration and had not reserved any desks for me that were in any of the main traffic areas. That was really touching especially since I have never said anything about noise because the lighting has always been my biggest concern. I figured if I could get help with the lighting, I could deal with the noise better on my own than I could the lighting.
I also never mentioned some of my other environmental concerns, but if my desk is in the area we picked out, I don't think I will need to worry about smells from the cafeteria, microwaves or bathrooms. I figured I would ask for the item that was the most out of my control and manage the others as best I could. I don't think I have to worry about the smells now and am real thankful for that.
I will have to start putting my plan into action about my noise concern because no matter where I was going to sit, noise was going to be something I was going to have to handle on my own. I have ideas about the noise and will start putting some of my plan into motion soon.
One of the hardest parts about this planning and picking stage right now is that I haven't seen the inside of our 'new' building. They will also be redoing a lot of the inside so any questions I have asked, they really can't answer - such as questions around the positioning or patterns of the lights. I am already expecting them to be uncovered fluorescent bulbs.
There is more to come on the move. Much more to come on where I will be sitting and what ADA accommodations I will end up with. I have worked too hard on my Migraine management to let this be a big obstacle to getting under better control and am happy that I have Bart in my corner to help me through some of the red tape. In the end, I will make sure I get what I need one way or the other. I have to...
I have to admit that I am still very uneasy about this unknown. The biggest comfort I have is that Bart my Boss has a good idea of what I need and will do what ever he can do to make sure I get reasonable accommodations.
We had a building meeting this past week and I can't say that I feel much more comfortable after the meeting than I did before it. There were four of us in this meeting. Bart, me and two executives in charge of the move. Everyone there knew about my light challenges.
When it came to picking out where I would be sitting, Bart was really good. He would listen to what I had to say and try to guide the others as to what was needed without coming out and saying it was an ADA issue since they already knew that. We're still trying to work with them as much as we can without making too much of a ruckus yet.
The two executives have even had other conversations with the buildings people on what could and couldn't be done to help accommodate me. I can't say that they really understand, but it certainly sounds like they are trying and it really touches me. In the end, I know that Bart will do whatever he can to help me get what I need and I will do what I have to do.
The biggest item I am concerned about with the move is the lighting. This is what is the most out of my control and what is toughest for me to workaround. In the past, I have used my own lighting workaround that was sufficient for me although management was not too keen on how I worked around my lighting issue. I did what I had to do to make it through the day and I will do the same again if needed. I currently have full control over my lighting environment which includes a light switch, blinds and light sleeves that filters the fluorescent lights and some of their flicker.
During our meeting, noise was also brought up during the conversation. They had actually already taken noise into consideration and had not reserved any desks for me that were in any of the main traffic areas. That was really touching especially since I have never said anything about noise because the lighting has always been my biggest concern. I figured if I could get help with the lighting, I could deal with the noise better on my own than I could the lighting.
I also never mentioned some of my other environmental concerns, but if my desk is in the area we picked out, I don't think I will need to worry about smells from the cafeteria, microwaves or bathrooms. I figured I would ask for the item that was the most out of my control and manage the others as best I could. I don't think I have to worry about the smells now and am real thankful for that.
I will have to start putting my plan into action about my noise concern because no matter where I was going to sit, noise was going to be something I was going to have to handle on my own. I have ideas about the noise and will start putting some of my plan into motion soon.
One of the hardest parts about this planning and picking stage right now is that I haven't seen the inside of our 'new' building. They will also be redoing a lot of the inside so any questions I have asked, they really can't answer - such as questions around the positioning or patterns of the lights. I am already expecting them to be uncovered fluorescent bulbs.
There is more to come on the move. Much more to come on where I will be sitting and what ADA accommodations I will end up with. I have worked too hard on my Migraine management to let this be a big obstacle to getting under better control and am happy that I have Bart in my corner to help me through some of the red tape. In the end, I will make sure I get what I need one way or the other. I have to...
.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Traditional Dinner
The only Thanksgivings I have ever known have been huge where everyone contributes something to the meal. This year was no exception although it does seem to be growing as there were forty-two family members who were able to make it. Since everyone brings something to the meal, there was no way I was going to be able to enjoy the different foods everyone had brought especially since I only had four weeks to add Thanksgiving foods back into my diet.
I had decided the only way I could enjoy a true Thanksgiving meal was to bring my own dinner plate with the foods I had added back in which would not have any unknown ingredients in them. During the four weeks, I tried to get prepared for the parts of the dinner which would mean the most to me. I decided to add back turkey, another vegetable and I really wanted stuffing. I already had plain potatoes in my diet. I knew I wouldn't be able to have a fancy stuffing, but a basic one would be enough to fulfill that Thanksgiving dinner craving I would have.
When I added in the vegetable, I also added in butter and salt. I really wasn't concerned about any of these items, but I want to add back everything carefully on this elimination diet. Luckily these items passed as well as the turkey the week before.
The problem came with the stuffing. Stuffing has so many different ingredients in it. I ended up finding a recipe with the most basic ingredients so I would not have many new ingredients to add back. Onions was one item I needed to add back in and knew I needed to be cautious with especially since it is a trigger for several people I know even though I didn't really suspect it for me.
I had a big surprise when it turned out to not only be a food trigger, but also an allergy! It didn't matter whether the onions were raw or cooked. This really stinks! I ended up making a stuffing that had extra celery and no onions which was good.
Bringing my own plate really worked out great and I suspect I may need to bring some of my own foods in future years especially because of the onion thing. I know I wasn't ready and did not plan on bringing my own dish from the beginning, but I know this was the only thing that helped me eat a Thanksgiving meal with my family this year and keep my head mostly in check. You can only imagine the noise level with sixteen kids under the age of fifteen there!
As I continue on my elimination diet, I know I am going to test different onion variations to see if there are any that are safe for me to eat. Luckily, my allergy is not an anaphylactic allergy that I can do some more of this testing. I want to at least test onion powder and dried onions. This is where I find the elimination diet takes a little more time for me - when I find something that triggers a Migraine, I feel I need to dig in around it to find out as much as I can about that particular trigger and believe the testing pays off in the end. This is the same process I followed when I did my first elimination diet and was able to find alternate ways to enjoy a food if a specific ingredient caused me problems.
I know right now I am still matter of fact around the onions and that it is going to hit me soon that I am going to have to check everything I eat for onions. This is something I am not ready to add to the list I already have to deal with, but is exactly the reason I started the elimination diet again. Urgh.
I am happy I was able to enjoy my traditional Thanksgiving meal and was able to spend the day with my family. I hope you had a happy, healthy and pain free Thanksgiving!
I had decided the only way I could enjoy a true Thanksgiving meal was to bring my own dinner plate with the foods I had added back in which would not have any unknown ingredients in them. During the four weeks, I tried to get prepared for the parts of the dinner which would mean the most to me. I decided to add back turkey, another vegetable and I really wanted stuffing. I already had plain potatoes in my diet. I knew I wouldn't be able to have a fancy stuffing, but a basic one would be enough to fulfill that Thanksgiving dinner craving I would have.
When I added in the vegetable, I also added in butter and salt. I really wasn't concerned about any of these items, but I want to add back everything carefully on this elimination diet. Luckily these items passed as well as the turkey the week before.
The problem came with the stuffing. Stuffing has so many different ingredients in it. I ended up finding a recipe with the most basic ingredients so I would not have many new ingredients to add back. Onions was one item I needed to add back in and knew I needed to be cautious with especially since it is a trigger for several people I know even though I didn't really suspect it for me.
I had a big surprise when it turned out to not only be a food trigger, but also an allergy! It didn't matter whether the onions were raw or cooked. This really stinks! I ended up making a stuffing that had extra celery and no onions which was good.
Bringing my own plate really worked out great and I suspect I may need to bring some of my own foods in future years especially because of the onion thing. I know I wasn't ready and did not plan on bringing my own dish from the beginning, but I know this was the only thing that helped me eat a Thanksgiving meal with my family this year and keep my head mostly in check. You can only imagine the noise level with sixteen kids under the age of fifteen there!
As I continue on my elimination diet, I know I am going to test different onion variations to see if there are any that are safe for me to eat. Luckily, my allergy is not an anaphylactic allergy that I can do some more of this testing. I want to at least test onion powder and dried onions. This is where I find the elimination diet takes a little more time for me - when I find something that triggers a Migraine, I feel I need to dig in around it to find out as much as I can about that particular trigger and believe the testing pays off in the end. This is the same process I followed when I did my first elimination diet and was able to find alternate ways to enjoy a food if a specific ingredient caused me problems.
I know right now I am still matter of fact around the onions and that it is going to hit me soon that I am going to have to check everything I eat for onions. This is something I am not ready to add to the list I already have to deal with, but is exactly the reason I started the elimination diet again. Urgh.
I am happy I was able to enjoy my traditional Thanksgiving meal and was able to spend the day with my family. I hope you had a happy, healthy and pain free Thanksgiving!
.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
First Year Headaches
I am starting to get a little concerned. I just found out that my college freshman son has been missing some classes because he has felt nauseous, sick to his stomach and had headaches. You know what is racing through my mind. He says he has just been sick and is getting better. I know he has had a cold, but I believe this was going on a little longer and a little more sporadic than that.
I know a lot of people who started showing signs while in college. Most of my family members have started younger, but then they are girls and there's my sister Pam who, at her ripening age, has only recently started having Migraines which also seem to be coming more frequently and violently.
I'm not sure that I'm handling his situation correctly, but I don't want to full out alarm my son yet, put things into his head or have him feel like I view everyone as a pending Migraineur either so I didn't come out and mention Migraines to him. I asked him about his symptoms; the ones I stated above. I also do realize that he could just have had a string of colds which I would really be ok with too or even tension headaches at this point.
Anyway, I've asked him to write down how he feels everyday until he comes home for winter break. As you can see, I also avoided using the word diary and especially Migraine Diary or the fact that this is something I have done for my Migraines as I am trying to avoid this connection with him. I don't want to overreact with him in this scenario. I don't want to keep him in the dark about things, scare him or have him start worrying about Migraines. He has enough on his plate right now as finals are here. He has had a lot of pressures during his first semester and he says his grades are good.
I know he is full aware of my Migraines and I've told him about my symptoms in the past especially when I had a talk with my boys about what Migraines are. It was my older son who vehemently warned me that I better not have given him anything when I told them it was a genetic neurological disease. He made me laugh. Now I hope my younger son has just had a couple rounds of colds and will keep up his daily documentation on how he is feeling so I can get a better look at what is going on with him.
While growing up, he never showed any other signs. He was never car sick or anything like that, but within the last few years, he has told me that he has some sensitivity to light especially while driving at night. When I call his dorm room, it is so loud. He is not used to loud living accommodations as you could imagine I would go bonkers if my home were loud and he has had his own room at home for many years. This could be attributing to his headaches as well and his roommate is a night owl; my son is not. Although I do believe he is getting enough sleep, it may not be the quality he needs. Don't get me wrong, they get along very well and it's not my son complaining about these things, it's me but then I'm not living there. I'm only complaining to you guys and I like his roommate otherwise.
I will keep my fingers crossed that my curse has skipped him and that he just has a lot of contributing factors to regular or tension type headaches right now along with some cold symptoms. I would hate to pass this down, but realistically know that even if it were to skip him, it could hit others down the line. I can only hope that as time goes on, there will be more advancement in the treatment and prevention of Migraine disease for everyone.
I know a lot of people who started showing signs while in college. Most of my family members have started younger, but then they are girls and there's my sister Pam who, at her ripening age, has only recently started having Migraines which also seem to be coming more frequently and violently.
I'm not sure that I'm handling his situation correctly, but I don't want to full out alarm my son yet, put things into his head or have him feel like I view everyone as a pending Migraineur either so I didn't come out and mention Migraines to him. I asked him about his symptoms; the ones I stated above. I also do realize that he could just have had a string of colds which I would really be ok with too or even tension headaches at this point.
Anyway, I've asked him to write down how he feels everyday until he comes home for winter break. As you can see, I also avoided using the word diary and especially Migraine Diary or the fact that this is something I have done for my Migraines as I am trying to avoid this connection with him. I don't want to overreact with him in this scenario. I don't want to keep him in the dark about things, scare him or have him start worrying about Migraines. He has enough on his plate right now as finals are here. He has had a lot of pressures during his first semester and he says his grades are good.
I know he is full aware of my Migraines and I've told him about my symptoms in the past especially when I had a talk with my boys about what Migraines are. It was my older son who vehemently warned me that I better not have given him anything when I told them it was a genetic neurological disease. He made me laugh. Now I hope my younger son has just had a couple rounds of colds and will keep up his daily documentation on how he is feeling so I can get a better look at what is going on with him.
While growing up, he never showed any other signs. He was never car sick or anything like that, but within the last few years, he has told me that he has some sensitivity to light especially while driving at night. When I call his dorm room, it is so loud. He is not used to loud living accommodations as you could imagine I would go bonkers if my home were loud and he has had his own room at home for many years. This could be attributing to his headaches as well and his roommate is a night owl; my son is not. Although I do believe he is getting enough sleep, it may not be the quality he needs. Don't get me wrong, they get along very well and it's not my son complaining about these things, it's me but then I'm not living there. I'm only complaining to you guys and I like his roommate otherwise.
I will keep my fingers crossed that my curse has skipped him and that he just has a lot of contributing factors to regular or tension type headaches right now along with some cold symptoms. I would hate to pass this down, but realistically know that even if it were to skip him, it could hit others down the line. I can only hope that as time goes on, there will be more advancement in the treatment and prevention of Migraine disease for everyone.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Survived Thanksgiving!
If you've been around, you know I have a large family. Thanksgiving is a huge holiday in our family which usually includes some stragglers who have no other place to go. There aren't as many people as there were at our family reunion or another huge family function we had this year, but then those events are held outside. Thanksgiving was actually a little smaller this year than in previous years, plus we lost a very close family member which brought about a change in location for our dinner. We ended up with thirty-six people at our cozy family dinner which included a surprise cousin from as far away as Texas who was working in the area.
Luckily, our weather was in the mid fifties so the little ones could play outside until dinner was ready, but then when dinner was ready, oh boy, did it get loud in the dining room. Yes, everyone was in one room. It was actually a combination of the living room and dining room except all of the living room furniture was removed and dispersed around while tables were brought in to make two long tables to fit all thirty-six! Ok, so you can say really, really loud now? Then, someone got the brilliant idea to flash the lights to try to quiet it down. Argh! I guess this is a normal thing to do - just not something I would ever do to torture, I mean, something I would ever think to do since I know the consequences it could cause some people.
If I look back now, I know of at least three active Migraineurs in that room including myself. One of the nine year olds still has no clue as to what triggers her very, all too regular Migraines and who knows if flashing lights could do it. (I bet you can guess where my vote would be on that one.) I know how I felt after the lights were flickered for the second time. It was a very nice dinner and helps that I know which foods I can have and which I can't. After the dinner when I went back in the kitchen, I noticed I needed to turn off some spotlights that were on. No one said anything, but it made a world of difference to me.
It was on the verge all day long. I tried to be especially careful with everything I ate and drank the entire day. I'm sure this helped keep me from needing to medicate a tender head. I did not stay in the kitchen after all and found it nice that the spotlights remained off as it still helped every time I walked through.
I hope you had a very Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving.
Luckily, our weather was in the mid fifties so the little ones could play outside until dinner was ready, but then when dinner was ready, oh boy, did it get loud in the dining room. Yes, everyone was in one room. It was actually a combination of the living room and dining room except all of the living room furniture was removed and dispersed around while tables were brought in to make two long tables to fit all thirty-six! Ok, so you can say really, really loud now? Then, someone got the brilliant idea to flash the lights to try to quiet it down. Argh! I guess this is a normal thing to do - just not something I would ever do to torture, I mean, something I would ever think to do since I know the consequences it could cause some people.
If I look back now, I know of at least three active Migraineurs in that room including myself. One of the nine year olds still has no clue as to what triggers her very, all too regular Migraines and who knows if flashing lights could do it. (I bet you can guess where my vote would be on that one.) I know how I felt after the lights were flickered for the second time. It was a very nice dinner and helps that I know which foods I can have and which I can't. After the dinner when I went back in the kitchen, I noticed I needed to turn off some spotlights that were on. No one said anything, but it made a world of difference to me.
It was on the verge all day long. I tried to be especially careful with everything I ate and drank the entire day. I'm sure this helped keep me from needing to medicate a tender head. I did not stay in the kitchen after all and found it nice that the spotlights remained off as it still helped every time I walked through.
I hope you had a very Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Where to Sit - Isolated or In the Thick?
I've got a new string yanking at my heart and of course Migraine disease is at one end of it tugging away. I know what I need to do and will, but my kids have always been my weakness - no matter how old they get. Plus my kids seem to extend out to their friends and teammates.
This year has been a very exciting year in the stands at my son's football games. Most of the games have been decided on the last play of the game. No kidding. You can only imagine how loud the stadium can get from fans on both sides. We sit in metal bleachers.
Add to that that this last game was a battle for first place. To try to incite our fans to get even louder, our loudest and heaviest footed fan start moving around, stomping harder and screaming all around the stands in our section. During the first half, I kept popping peppermint to keep the nausea feeling down and drinking some water. This did help things, but I knew I would not be able to fight the additional screaming and shaking of the stands. Don't get me wrong, it was another very exciting game that ended on the last play.
I ended up scoping out other places I could go to watch the rest of the game. Initially I was standing out of the way, but found I really needed to sit. I saw what I thought was a quiet area and parked myself there. Unfortunately I was a little boxed in and after a couple of minutes, I was joined by another fan who was very vocal and then noticed I was right under the loudspeaker. Some days, that's just the way things work out...
Luckily this fan ended up moving around alot without stomping and the loudspeaker wasn't as bad as where I came from. I didn't feel the need to pop any more peppermint either. I was also far enough away from the other team's fans who all felt a need to bring a few cow bells each. I think that would have sent me over the top with any close exposure.
It still would have been nice to have found someplace else to retreat to and I would not like to say it, to have been isolated since this can be such a lonely disease as it is, but at least I was able to wart off the beast this time which I'm not sure I would have been able to do had I stayed in my original, assigned seat. I may opt to either go higher in this section the next time if I feel a need to move from my seat or perhaps scout out some other site around.
After the game, my son and I went out for a nice quiet dinner. It's always nice to spend time alone with him. However, he mentioned something that bothered me. He didn't say it to hurt me nor did he know how I would hear it. First he asked who I was sitting next to. I thought it was great that he saw I had moved and found me. He is such a sweetie. He completely understands everything I go through with my Migraines and knew why I needed to move.
He then said that sometimes the players get bothered when the other team's fans are louder than our own fans in our stadium. I am all for our fans and the other fans cheering and making noise. This is why I chose to move from my seat. I don't want to stop any of that, but I also know I can't contribute to it or it will add to my own issues. My son understands this and said so.
I sort of apologized for not contributing to all of the noise. He told me I was being silly; that he knows. I know I have mom's guilt. I know I want the boys to feel the support of their fans. I know I have a terrific son. I also know I will still do what I need to do to help keep my Migraines as calm as possible.
By the time we were done with dinner and I dropped him back off at his dorm, I was ready to drive back home safely as my body was pretty much back to normal. I have to say, I love him being so much closer to home than his brother was when he went away to school. Plus I love this football excuse of "having" to go see him.
This year has been a very exciting year in the stands at my son's football games. Most of the games have been decided on the last play of the game. No kidding. You can only imagine how loud the stadium can get from fans on both sides. We sit in metal bleachers.
Add to that that this last game was a battle for first place. To try to incite our fans to get even louder, our loudest and heaviest footed fan start moving around, stomping harder and screaming all around the stands in our section. During the first half, I kept popping peppermint to keep the nausea feeling down and drinking some water. This did help things, but I knew I would not be able to fight the additional screaming and shaking of the stands. Don't get me wrong, it was another very exciting game that ended on the last play.
I ended up scoping out other places I could go to watch the rest of the game. Initially I was standing out of the way, but found I really needed to sit. I saw what I thought was a quiet area and parked myself there. Unfortunately I was a little boxed in and after a couple of minutes, I was joined by another fan who was very vocal and then noticed I was right under the loudspeaker. Some days, that's just the way things work out...
Luckily this fan ended up moving around alot without stomping and the loudspeaker wasn't as bad as where I came from. I didn't feel the need to pop any more peppermint either. I was also far enough away from the other team's fans who all felt a need to bring a few cow bells each. I think that would have sent me over the top with any close exposure.
It still would have been nice to have found someplace else to retreat to and I would not like to say it, to have been isolated since this can be such a lonely disease as it is, but at least I was able to wart off the beast this time which I'm not sure I would have been able to do had I stayed in my original, assigned seat. I may opt to either go higher in this section the next time if I feel a need to move from my seat or perhaps scout out some other site around.
After the game, my son and I went out for a nice quiet dinner. It's always nice to spend time alone with him. However, he mentioned something that bothered me. He didn't say it to hurt me nor did he know how I would hear it. First he asked who I was sitting next to. I thought it was great that he saw I had moved and found me. He is such a sweetie. He completely understands everything I go through with my Migraines and knew why I needed to move.
He then said that sometimes the players get bothered when the other team's fans are louder than our own fans in our stadium. I am all for our fans and the other fans cheering and making noise. This is why I chose to move from my seat. I don't want to stop any of that, but I also know I can't contribute to it or it will add to my own issues. My son understands this and said so.
I sort of apologized for not contributing to all of the noise. He told me I was being silly; that he knows. I know I have mom's guilt. I know I want the boys to feel the support of their fans. I know I have a terrific son. I also know I will still do what I need to do to help keep my Migraines as calm as possible.
By the time we were done with dinner and I dropped him back off at his dorm, I was ready to drive back home safely as my body was pretty much back to normal. I have to say, I love him being so much closer to home than his brother was when he went away to school. Plus I love this football excuse of "having" to go see him.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Migraines, Football and Driving
I was hoping things would be better by this season, but they are definitely different which was to be expected given everything has changed this year.
Last football season, my son was a senior in high school where by the end of the season I noticed I would get a Migraine after all of his games. I know some of the triggers were the sun if it was during the day, the lights if it was at night and the loud bands (sorry band parents). I would wear a hat, sunglasses, would not sit near the band and drink plenty of water especially on the hotter days.
This year has a few more challenges. He is playing ball in college and I'm noticing even more triggers besides the increased noise level. I'm taking the same precautions that I did last year, but I'm sure part of the reason is that the high school was smaller and I was surrounded by my friends.
I'm finding the many different smells are affecting me that weren't there last year. The perfume, the hotdog smell and even the BO. I think every year I keep hoping my preventatives will help, but I'm not there yet and actually started a new medication this month. At least I have a competent doctor this year so hopefully I'll be where I need to be next season.
There are other obstacles to consider now as well which I never thought of before. His games are not as close to home as his high school games were plus I've been made aware of some common sense things that I really should have known all along.
Luckily my eyes were open to some possible ramifications if I were to drive while Migraining by a couple of well researched articles written by Megan Oltman titled Migraines and Our Driver's License and Migraines & Driving Don't Mix. Of course taking drugs and driving would be something you would think not to do, but since a Migraine is more than just a headache, it really would not be a good idea to drive straight home if I can't put off a game induced Migraine.
His school is not in my town, county or even the same state so I've had to build in extra time or even an overnight stay into my football day if I want to attend his football games. I know I always have the option of not attending, but if your child was involved in a high contact sport could you not attend? I didn't think so because neither can I.
At this point, I work harder to find the right preventative and to try to prevent the football induced Migraines. I have to go to his games because I want to be there for him no matter what plus it gives me that opportunity to see him without feeling like I'm crowding his college experience or at least that's what I tell myself. Plus when I come to his home games, we go out to dinner which he definitely likes to do.
Last football season, my son was a senior in high school where by the end of the season I noticed I would get a Migraine after all of his games. I know some of the triggers were the sun if it was during the day, the lights if it was at night and the loud bands (sorry band parents). I would wear a hat, sunglasses, would not sit near the band and drink plenty of water especially on the hotter days.
This year has a few more challenges. He is playing ball in college and I'm noticing even more triggers besides the increased noise level. I'm taking the same precautions that I did last year, but I'm sure part of the reason is that the high school was smaller and I was surrounded by my friends.
I'm finding the many different smells are affecting me that weren't there last year. The perfume, the hotdog smell and even the BO. I think every year I keep hoping my preventatives will help, but I'm not there yet and actually started a new medication this month. At least I have a competent doctor this year so hopefully I'll be where I need to be next season.
There are other obstacles to consider now as well which I never thought of before. His games are not as close to home as his high school games were plus I've been made aware of some common sense things that I really should have known all along.
Luckily my eyes were open to some possible ramifications if I were to drive while Migraining by a couple of well researched articles written by Megan Oltman titled Migraines and Our Driver's License and Migraines & Driving Don't Mix. Of course taking drugs and driving would be something you would think not to do, but since a Migraine is more than just a headache, it really would not be a good idea to drive straight home if I can't put off a game induced Migraine.
His school is not in my town, county or even the same state so I've had to build in extra time or even an overnight stay into my football day if I want to attend his football games. I know I always have the option of not attending, but if your child was involved in a high contact sport could you not attend? I didn't think so because neither can I.
At this point, I work harder to find the right preventative and to try to prevent the football induced Migraines. I have to go to his games because I want to be there for him no matter what plus it gives me that opportunity to see him without feeling like I'm crowding his college experience or at least that's what I tell myself. Plus when I come to his home games, we go out to dinner which he definitely likes to do.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Go to Work or Stay Home?
I came across an article on Somebody Heal Me by Diana Lee titled Migraines Cause Lost Productivity Whether Employees Come to Work or Stay Home which talked about an article about Going To Work With A Migraine? New Study Says Work Productivity Is The Same As Staying Home. This study was presented at this year's International Headache Congress in Philadelphia.
I found these statistics in the article from the study very interesting: The prospective study of 509 Migraineurs resulting in 1,527 Migraine attacks found that 28% of workday Migraines resulted in absenteeism while 11% resulted in a full day of work lost, 5% led to a late arrival, and 12% led to leaving work early. Presenteeism, staying at work with a Migraine, was observed in 62% of workday Migraines.
First of all, I will admit that I am usually a presenteeist. This is something I have struggled with almost everyday. Even before I realized that my just headaches were Migraines, I knew there were times I just couldn't function as well as I should. What was I supposed to do? Call out for just a headache and almost everyday? And because I had always worked through my just headaches, could I really change my patterns now?
I'm sure this is one of the roots of my Migraines, but given my situation, I find it hard to make another choice on a consistent basis especially since I bring in the only income for my family while I have two children in college. I am trying to work on doing what is best for me and my family. I have called out a little more, but it scares me every time I do and still makes me wonder if I would have been better going into work. Some days probably yes, other days definitely not.
Part of my perpetual cycle is because I am sort of part of the presenteeism statistic because when I know I am not putting in a full day of work on some days, I don't feel like I can leave until I have put in my honest day's work. How can I leave until I have worked a real day for my employer? It's also easier to work later because it gets much quieter and my head actually feels like it gets cooler or is not on fire and settles down more. I don't want to do the wrong thing for my employer and I don't want to do the wrong thing for me.
Do I go to work or stay home?
This is why I work so hard to find the right doctor so we can work together to find the right preventatives. We will get there. We have to. At least I wouldn't be asking myself this question as often.
I found these statistics in the article from the study very interesting: The prospective study of 509 Migraineurs resulting in 1,527 Migraine attacks found that 28% of workday Migraines resulted in absenteeism while 11% resulted in a full day of work lost, 5% led to a late arrival, and 12% led to leaving work early. Presenteeism, staying at work with a Migraine, was observed in 62% of workday Migraines.
First of all, I will admit that I am usually a presenteeist. This is something I have struggled with almost everyday. Even before I realized that my just headaches were Migraines, I knew there were times I just couldn't function as well as I should. What was I supposed to do? Call out for just a headache and almost everyday? And because I had always worked through my just headaches, could I really change my patterns now?
I'm sure this is one of the roots of my Migraines, but given my situation, I find it hard to make another choice on a consistent basis especially since I bring in the only income for my family while I have two children in college. I am trying to work on doing what is best for me and my family. I have called out a little more, but it scares me every time I do and still makes me wonder if I would have been better going into work. Some days probably yes, other days definitely not.
Part of my perpetual cycle is because I am sort of part of the presenteeism statistic because when I know I am not putting in a full day of work on some days, I don't feel like I can leave until I have put in my honest day's work. How can I leave until I have worked a real day for my employer? It's also easier to work later because it gets much quieter and my head actually feels like it gets cooler or is not on fire and settles down more. I don't want to do the wrong thing for my employer and I don't want to do the wrong thing for me.
Do I go to work or stay home?
This is why I work so hard to find the right doctor so we can work together to find the right preventatives. We will get there. We have to. At least I wouldn't be asking myself this question as often.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Family Reunion Fun
I am still learning things about me and my Migraines all of the time. We had a family reunion this weekend. Without exaggerating, there were 93 people there! It was held at my parents 3 bedroom lake house which has a huge screened in porch, gigantic yard surrounded by woods, and a big deck by the large dock with many toys around for 'kids' of all ages.
This year's reunion actually started off much better than last year. If I can reminisce a moment, last year wasn't the same in a different way. I was more to myself about my Migraines last year. Only my mom was talking about me and them. You see, I always tried to handle things myself and keep to myself especially about me. Sometimes that's ok, but with Migraines, I'm finding it's probably better to share as not only can you teach other people more about Migraines, but you can always learn more yourself. I don't think there's ever knowing everything about Migraines or knowing everything about your own Migraines as they are ever changing.
At last year's reunion, the most profound question I got was from my godmother. She asked me the very simple question of: "when was the last time you had a migraine"? Reluctantly, I had said, that day. She picked up on it quickly and asked back if I typically don't tell anyone when I had one. It really made me think as I answered back that I didn't. I'd also been called out earlier that day by someone else if I keep working after I took a triptan or if I laid down for a bit. My pathetic answer then was that I may put my head in my hands, but mostly I will keep going.
I guess I've made some progress since last year. I talk more freely about my Migraines now. I had a lot more open conversations this reunion as I was asked many questions and even talked to a different cousin about someone she knows who is having an awful time with the lights at work and is about to lose her job over it. This is something I can definitely empathize over. You see, I started learning about and researching Migraines after a bad light exposure and reaction experience while at work. Before this, I never realized that Migraines were more than just headaches, why I was sometimes so moody, were the route of other symptoms I experienced, that Migraines can be triggered and so much more. I emailed my cousin this morning with a lot of information, helpful links to documentation as well as on-line support and all of my contact information for her friend. I hope it helps. I don't like to see anyone going through this alone.
I also had a nice conversation with a sister-in-law which led to chumming up with my niece who is going into the third grade. We talked a little from a Migraineur to Migraineur perspective. You see, a lot of people try to force her to do things, but they just don't understand her including her mom (her mom's own words). I'm hoping to get my niece to see that I realize what she is going through and want to help her find herself and guide her through whatever she may go through or feel. I know it's not easy for her and I need to spend more time with her.
I was glad a lot of the conversations happened early. I started noticing as it was getting later and as others were asking me how I was doing with my 'headaches', I started answering a little less sugar coated and a little more short, but not nasty. I was losing my patience, but not necessarily with them. I know they were just trying to be nice and make talk. I couldn't understand why I was like this until I realized where I was, what I had going on all day and building up.
I mentioned earlier there were 93 people. There were a lot of kids, which I love kids, but they make a lot of noise. There was a lot of other noise from the 'toys' that were around too; both in the water and out (ATVs and dirt bikes). It had just finished raining and when it wasn't raining the sun was shining bright. The only quiet time I had by this time was when my sister and I managed to confiscate the paddleboat and take it for a brief spin. We planned on doing a little talking, but the ride was all too short lived because that is when it started to pour.
Anyway, after we ate I realized I needed to find a quiet area and searched all over including the basement. They have some hidden rooms down there when I discovered the basement was covered with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights)! At that point, I tried to mention to my sister that I needed to get away, but for someone who doesn't drink, she was having a very good time and couldn't comprehend a word I was saying. Coincidentally at that time, my father ended up needing to show off his newest toy to me, a camper vehicle which was exactly what I needed to calm down my over stimulated nerves. We had at least a half hour of peace time together. Thank you dad!
The day ended up with a personal fireworks display off of the dock and over the lake. This is always fun because other people around the lake like to compete with their own display of fireworks. The only problem for some Migraineurs? What else but the loud noises and flashing lights!
The family reunion was a lot of fun with a lot of trials, tribulations and triggers. Here was my list of triggers for the day:
I guess I'll see what I can do and change for all of the fun to repeat for next year. Since this is my family, not going is not really an option. It's really the only time I will see many of these people for a long time too. Not everyone can attend every year either and it's really great to see them in a happy atmosphere.
Do you have any suggestions to try for next year?
This year's reunion actually started off much better than last year. If I can reminisce a moment, last year wasn't the same in a different way. I was more to myself about my Migraines last year. Only my mom was talking about me and them. You see, I always tried to handle things myself and keep to myself especially about me. Sometimes that's ok, but with Migraines, I'm finding it's probably better to share as not only can you teach other people more about Migraines, but you can always learn more yourself. I don't think there's ever knowing everything about Migraines or knowing everything about your own Migraines as they are ever changing.
At last year's reunion, the most profound question I got was from my godmother. She asked me the very simple question of: "when was the last time you had a migraine"? Reluctantly, I had said, that day. She picked up on it quickly and asked back if I typically don't tell anyone when I had one. It really made me think as I answered back that I didn't. I'd also been called out earlier that day by someone else if I keep working after I took a triptan or if I laid down for a bit. My pathetic answer then was that I may put my head in my hands, but mostly I will keep going.
I guess I've made some progress since last year. I talk more freely about my Migraines now. I had a lot more open conversations this reunion as I was asked many questions and even talked to a different cousin about someone she knows who is having an awful time with the lights at work and is about to lose her job over it. This is something I can definitely empathize over. You see, I started learning about and researching Migraines after a bad light exposure and reaction experience while at work. Before this, I never realized that Migraines were more than just headaches, why I was sometimes so moody, were the route of other symptoms I experienced, that Migraines can be triggered and so much more. I emailed my cousin this morning with a lot of information, helpful links to documentation as well as on-line support and all of my contact information for her friend. I hope it helps. I don't like to see anyone going through this alone.
I also had a nice conversation with a sister-in-law which led to chumming up with my niece who is going into the third grade. We talked a little from a Migraineur to Migraineur perspective. You see, a lot of people try to force her to do things, but they just don't understand her including her mom (her mom's own words). I'm hoping to get my niece to see that I realize what she is going through and want to help her find herself and guide her through whatever she may go through or feel. I know it's not easy for her and I need to spend more time with her.
I was glad a lot of the conversations happened early. I started noticing as it was getting later and as others were asking me how I was doing with my 'headaches', I started answering a little less sugar coated and a little more short, but not nasty. I was losing my patience, but not necessarily with them. I know they were just trying to be nice and make talk. I couldn't understand why I was like this until I realized where I was, what I had going on all day and building up.
I mentioned earlier there were 93 people. There were a lot of kids, which I love kids, but they make a lot of noise. There was a lot of other noise from the 'toys' that were around too; both in the water and out (ATVs and dirt bikes). It had just finished raining and when it wasn't raining the sun was shining bright. The only quiet time I had by this time was when my sister and I managed to confiscate the paddleboat and take it for a brief spin. We planned on doing a little talking, but the ride was all too short lived because that is when it started to pour.
Anyway, after we ate I realized I needed to find a quiet area and searched all over including the basement. They have some hidden rooms down there when I discovered the basement was covered with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights)! At that point, I tried to mention to my sister that I needed to get away, but for someone who doesn't drink, she was having a very good time and couldn't comprehend a word I was saying. Coincidentally at that time, my father ended up needing to show off his newest toy to me, a camper vehicle which was exactly what I needed to calm down my over stimulated nerves. We had at least a half hour of peace time together. Thank you dad!
The day ended up with a personal fireworks display off of the dock and over the lake. This is always fun because other people around the lake like to compete with their own display of fireworks. The only problem for some Migraineurs? What else but the loud noises and flashing lights!
The family reunion was a lot of fun with a lot of trials, tribulations and triggers. Here was my list of triggers for the day:
- > noise - kids, boats, jet skis, ATVs, dirt bikes
> sun - sun and glare
> rain - enough said
> lights - CFLs
> fireworks - flickering and noise
> family - definitely unavoidable - they will find you!
I guess I'll see what I can do and change for all of the fun to repeat for next year. Since this is my family, not going is not really an option. It's really the only time I will see many of these people for a long time too. Not everyone can attend every year either and it's really great to see them in a happy atmosphere.
Do you have any suggestions to try for next year?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Air Horn Graduation
My son had his graduation from high school this week. We really lucked out with the weather on his day especially given that it has been raining almost everyday for the past two weeks. This was a very hot bright sun shiny day.
Realistically, I know I'm never going to win as far as the weather is concerned so I was happy with the sun. My head doesn't like the sun or the rain and graduation would be much better off outside than inside a stuffy auditorium with echoing noises any day of the week.
Graduation day was full of Migraine triggers from the very beginning. I'm sure I don't have to go into the normal stresses of the day or of the challenges of trying to get a teenager up early in the morning to go to the required practices and other pre-graduation preparations when all they want to do is sleep in late.
I also needed to pick up an abortive prescription at my doctor's office and have it filled before going to the mall only to find myself needing to take one after I arrived there. Even though everything was stacked against me, I was hoping I could avoid one on this day, but it would just be another thing I had to deal with that I didn't have the time for.
I got to the ceremony early and was able to find a seat in the shade which helped as much as I would expect. My troubles started after the graduation procedure began - that is when all of the air horns came out! They were ALL over the place and I was surrounded by them. The best part was right after the last kid, excuse me, adult was called up to get his diploma. ALL of the air horns went off for a very long time.
I read a post this morning, No, You're not Crazy, You just Have Migraines, that made me think of the crazy thoughts I had while all of these "Migraine Makers" were sounding off. I was picturing something cutting off (insert your own imagination here) the source that was creating the noises to make their sounds.
I know this is a bit drastic and I probably wouldn't have said anything if I didn't read this great post, but look at this list of triggers and exasperating factors I'd been contending with all day: teenage son, noises, sun, heat, stress, weeks of rain, family members, very loud noises, the mall, the doctor's office, the pharmacy, hormones, dehydration and a bad night's sleep. There were additional stresses not related to graduation going on too. Although I did find out this week I survived the latest round of job cuts, there were many people close to me who did not.
I do try to find the bright side of things and here's what I've been able to come up with for graduation: I dread to think of what I might have done had the graduation actually been held indoors and the air horns been brought in there and blown. I can only allow my imagination to run wild and be thankful I didn't need to live through that fantasy.
I didn't have anything on me, but I would have been afraid of making a scene on my son's last official day of school. I have been working so hard on trying to get my head under control and to be able to control myself in general. I've made some progress, but the rain and all of these other little triggers and the air horns do not help.
Now I have another child on his way to further his education. What more could a proud mom ask for?
Realistically, I know I'm never going to win as far as the weather is concerned so I was happy with the sun. My head doesn't like the sun or the rain and graduation would be much better off outside than inside a stuffy auditorium with echoing noises any day of the week.
Graduation day was full of Migraine triggers from the very beginning. I'm sure I don't have to go into the normal stresses of the day or of the challenges of trying to get a teenager up early in the morning to go to the required practices and other pre-graduation preparations when all they want to do is sleep in late.
I also needed to pick up an abortive prescription at my doctor's office and have it filled before going to the mall only to find myself needing to take one after I arrived there. Even though everything was stacked against me, I was hoping I could avoid one on this day, but it would just be another thing I had to deal with that I didn't have the time for.
I got to the ceremony early and was able to find a seat in the shade which helped as much as I would expect. My troubles started after the graduation procedure began - that is when all of the air horns came out! They were ALL over the place and I was surrounded by them. The best part was right after the last kid, excuse me, adult was called up to get his diploma. ALL of the air horns went off for a very long time.
I read a post this morning, No, You're not Crazy, You just Have Migraines, that made me think of the crazy thoughts I had while all of these "Migraine Makers" were sounding off. I was picturing something cutting off (insert your own imagination here) the source that was creating the noises to make their sounds.
I know this is a bit drastic and I probably wouldn't have said anything if I didn't read this great post, but look at this list of triggers and exasperating factors I'd been contending with all day: teenage son, noises, sun, heat, stress, weeks of rain, family members, very loud noises, the mall, the doctor's office, the pharmacy, hormones, dehydration and a bad night's sleep. There were additional stresses not related to graduation going on too. Although I did find out this week I survived the latest round of job cuts, there were many people close to me who did not.
I do try to find the bright side of things and here's what I've been able to come up with for graduation: I dread to think of what I might have done had the graduation actually been held indoors and the air horns been brought in there and blown. I can only allow my imagination to run wild and be thankful I didn't need to live through that fantasy.
I didn't have anything on me, but I would have been afraid of making a scene on my son's last official day of school. I have been working so hard on trying to get my head under control and to be able to control myself in general. I've made some progress, but the rain and all of these other little triggers and the air horns do not help.
Now I have another child on his way to further his education. What more could a proud mom ask for?
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