Purple Gold Star

I am so proud of my niece. Not only because she is going for her gold star in the Girl Scouts, but also because of what she plans to do for her project.

You see, she has a little sister who has had chronic Migraines and headaches for over five years. It's horrible to see her with head pain all of the time and she’s not even a teenager yet.

For her Gold Star project, she plans on doing something around Migraines. She wants to bring awareness around them and if possible, raise money while doing it. She has a few ideas around what she wants to do, but is very open to any helpful hints; things that have worked for you, your ideas or just your encouragement would help.

Last summer, her sisters (she has three younger sisters) and her set up a lemonade stand. They ended up raising an incredible amount of $50! Not only that, but they donated that money to the Migraine Research Foundation to help with research.  How awesome is that!!

I hope you are half as proud as I am of my niece and she, luckily, does not even show any signs of Migraine at this point.

What helpful hints do you have to offer for my niece?

Thank you!

Volleyball Grew Wings

I've been trying to get out  a little more this year by doing some of the things I enjoy. It haven't been able to play much this season, but I have managed to get out a few times.

Volleyball can be a tough sport for Migraineurs especially if it is indoors or even outdoors and the lights or sun are right above for us to enjoy every time we look up - which is almost every play. I've been trying to track volleyball and its effects on my Migraines. So far, the two don't seem to be getting along very well even though I wear a hat and try to take other preventative measures when I do play.

The last time I did get out was a little different; a new experience. As I was playing, sometimes the ball grew wings and had the effect of looking like it was being jet propelled to the other side of the court. OK, not quite the wings that 'normal' people would envision, but the aura kind that were on either side of the ball and trailed away as the ball kept flying.

Is it bad to say that I thought it was really cool looking?  Of course it wasn't so neat afterwards, but this is where I still get kind of confused or maybe perturbed is a better word of how I feel.

Will I ever be able to play the sports I have always enjoyed doing?  I know I should probably stop something's, but the stubborn side of me doesn't want to give Migraine another win.

I am tired of Migraine taking all of these bits and pieces of normalcy. I need to get away from the humdrum of Migraineur living. I need to get out, be with my friends and enjoy the little things life has to offer while getting a little bit of exercise.

What have you found that you can do where the beast will not follow you?  Have you been able to keep the Migraine away during and/or after an activity that it usually shows up for?  What are your secrets?  Are you stubborn too, where you don't want Migraine to take another part of your life away?

Still Trying Biofeedback for Migraines

After everything I went through with the first person I saw for biofeedback, I don’t think many people would have blamed me if I never went back again to try to learn these techniques.

I last left off where my biofeedback person blew up at me three times during my last visit and I honestly didn’t intentionally push his buttons, but I also had had enough and finally called him on things he was saying.

He would claim he could cure Migraines. I let him know there was no cure for Migraines; that it is a genetic neurological disease with triggers that can start a Migraine occurrence. Next he was upset that I had a higher Migraine earlier in the day and he would rather I come into his office with a raging Migraine so he could cure me. He also really lost his cool as he accused me of understating my Migraine intensity levels and got very serious as he was telling me that maybe my wires were really crossed and that I probably could pass a lie detector test.

As far as understating my Migraines, I feel I am consistent for me from one Migraine to another as far as I record them. I also told him that I don’t understand how someone could drive to his office with an intense Migraine going on and how I’ve seen many people claim to have a level 10 Migraine while playing around on the internet. It’s downright dangerous to drive with a rampant Migraine! He was also very serious when he agreed that I might be an anomaly and that maybe my wires really were crossed because I would warm while in sympathetic (fight) mode.

I really didn’t want to give up on biofeedback because of this one incompetent therapist. It took me a while, but I had finally found somebody else to try. It was difficult to find her as every place I called said that they either no longer did biofeedback or that they had too long of a waiting list. One of these former biofeedbackist, gave me the name of someone who was trying to return to practice after a long hiatus due to a bad injury she sustained.

I had talked to this therapist on the phone a few times and she really seemed like she was going to be good. Since she was out of practice for a while, we also negotiated a rate that was about a third of what she said she normally charged.

Do you believe in “it’s a small world”?

As we were talking during our first session, she asked questions around my first experience with biofeedback. It started off simply and she thought this therapist did not do a lot of things correctly. Although the two of them were over thirty miles apart and in opposite directions from my house, it turns out she taught him how to do biofeedback, she certified him and they used to travel together to different conventions! You can only imagine how I felt after hearing that bombshell!

I started getting very uncomfortable with her as she was making comments about him. In one way I was relieved that he was the problem with our sessions, but I also felt funny about things she said. It made me question the confidentiality of our sessions. She went on to say that she knew he was having financial and personal issues and had hoped he was getting better. She continued that he had really been very promising in the field when he started and she continued to commiserate about him.

Personally, I felt if she would say these things about my prior therapist to me and about an old friend of hers at that, I wasn’t sure what kind of confidentiality I could expect; not that I wasn’t going to say anything that mattered, but I was going to be very guarded from that point on. I just wanted to learn biofeedback techniques, is that too much to ask?

She said she was a Migraineur too and had just gone through a very painful accident and was trying to get back on her professional feet. During some of our sessions, she would use very outdated terms and gave me some type of a headache test that had about seventy-five questions on it. She was going to tell me the type of headaches I experience.

It didn’t go very well as when I got to a question I told her I didn’t experience those symptoms, but I knew it was going to be linked to TMJ which I have. She got a little combative and insisted on how I know I have TMJ as she now suffers from severe TMJ due to her accident. Again, I swear I didn’t do anything to provoke this engagement.

She really was a nice lady; just out of practice for too long. I felt bad as she even bought updated software to use for our sessions and often commented on how she was either practicing on herself or a friend before I got there. I almost feel like an elitist when I found she bumbled around too much for my comfort and even literally crossed her sensor wires during some tests.

These sessions were supposed to continue after my first round of Botox. I never made another appointment with her as I felt I was not going to get my monies worth out of her either.

I will tell you about my third therapist next time, but during the first session with biofeedback therapist number three, I let her know straight up that she was my last chance. If she could not help me learn biofeedback techniques, I was not going to pursue it any longer even though I felt there could be some value after learning it. I was also very candid about Migraines not having a cure and intentionally put her through the ringer a little bit with my questioning. How do you think these sessions faired?

I really don’t think biofeedback should be as stressful as I had experienced. Have you had unreasonable or unusual biofeedback sessions? My last double session with therapist three is tomorrow…

New Year, New Hopes

I don't know about you, but sometimes I wonder if it's easier for us to manage head pain than when we have pain someplace else.  Since the end of last year, I've had a few other pain areas and I find myself where I would rather have the headache of a Migraine than these other discomforts.

(Stop, they're knees!)

I was so glad that last year finally made it into the history books and was looking forward to a new beginning that only the New Year could bring forth.  Last year was a very tough year with Migraines and the health of everyone in my family. We each had our own medical experiences, we met our insurance deductibles in January and our max out of pocket expenses were met during the summer.

Last year ended with a bang when I found I needed to have a root canal right after Christmas and the New Year has started off with its own lumps and bumps.

The good news for last year is that I tried Botox for my chronic Migraines and I am still hopeful that it is helping.   My doctor would like to see me wean off all of my other preventatives which would be great if I can do that as the side effects of Botox are nothing like the side effects of my other medications.

Although I don't think my second round of Botox worked as well as my first and third treatments, my doctor said that sometimes you can get an ineffective batch from the pharmacy.  Botox gives me more mental clarity than I get from my other preventatives. Does your doctor have the same goal if you are using Botox?

One week into this year and things already seem a little reminiscent of last January.  My son has already had to go to the orthopedic doctor due to a football injury to his knee. Can you believe that it happened during a flag football game?  The picture above is an xray of my son's knees. You can see how much bigger the one knee is as compared to his boney looking knee. My husband still finds himself with various new issues cropping up since his ordeal last summer and has already needed some emergency care for himself.

And now as my mouth and head conditions have started to settle down in my crazy life, I find myself in the middle of yet another health issue.  Probably the worst part is that I needed to go doctor hunting. I hate looking for a new doctor, but I was between doctors and wasn't really pursuing a new one since I had been trying to get my Migraines under control. I'll also use the poor excuse that I was just too busy with other things, but I know we still need to take care of our whole selves.

I have to say that the doctor I was able to obtain is awesome and very pleasant to work with.  After the exam, he was even able to make an appointment for me to have two tests done in another location on that same day and to see another specialist for this coming week.  It is so nice to have good doctors where I didn't need to look for these other doctors myself.

I am still hopeful that it will be nothing too serious. I've read that some of my symptoms are actually good signs plus denial is the only way I know I can deal with the situation.  Heck, that's still how I deal with my Migraines most of the time! I'll find out more in a few days and can't wait to get some relief from the increasing pain.

In many ways I find it so much easier to handle head pain than other areas even though it can make it more difficult to think and even talk clearly. Any pain can distract us from our task at hand, but I think we have already come up with our own coping skills with our Migraines since we've had years of practice.

Do you find it easier to deal with the pains in your head or with pains that you have elsewhere?

Migraine Specialist’s Lights Brutal

In the month of December, I went to my doctor’s office once a week. These visits gave me the time to think about what really aggravates me about the office and to sort things through. The first three visits were not with my regular doctor, but the last one was with him.

I had wrong expectations around my doctor’s office from the beginning. I was under the impression that his office was like dying and going to Migraineur heaven. I heard the office lighting was very soothing, there was little noise and no smell triggers to set us off. Well, two out of three …, no I can’t even say it. The lighting in my specialist’s office is horrible!

I remember the first time I approached his office for a visit. The door has the sign pictured above – “Please Do Not wear Perfume or Cologne on the day of your appointment. Scents can trigger headaches in some patients.”

My first thought was - Wow, it really must be as great of an ‘office’ as I have heard; the long commute should be worth it not only because I was finally going to a true Migraine specialist, but they seem to take care of the whole you here.

Well, the office does not have anyone wearing perfumes and it is relatively very quiet, but that’s where it stopped. It’s worth repeating, the lighting in my specialist’s office is horrible!

The waiting room is full of exposed CFLs! There is not a darker area anywhere to be found. The examination rooms are probably bright enough to lead Santa’s sleigh on the foggiest Christmas Eve on record! I can definitely understand needing that type of light when performing procedures, giving oodles of shots and things like that, but for talking or before and after those procedures, I can’t think of a single reason why my Migraine specialist’s office needs to trigger a Migraine for me every visit.

I am embarrassed to say this, but I have taken comfort by sitting in the hall and only going into the waiting room at the last minute. However, I have found that there are scents in the hallway, but the lights in the rooms are much worse than the occasional passersby who have a bad scent.

I had mentioned this ironic discrepancy to some of the nurses throughout various visits, but they always gave excuses or said that’s the way my doctor wants his office. By the time I saw my specialist, I was already seeing spots and lines and wanted to get out of his office as quickly as possible. I would go through some of the things on my list and be glad to get out of the illumination nightmare as quickly as possible.

There was too much going on in my life during my summer visits with one of those visits being the worst visit I’ve ever had with a doctor (not because of him). Before this last visit with him, I realized I needed to go into his office with several different communication plans so I would definitely talk with him and only him about the lighting.

I found the plan that was appropriate for that visit. He defused me in a kind of lousy way, but at least I brought it up to him and will again during the next visit.

His first quick remark was that the lighting sucks. Then his off the cuff sarcastic comment was basically around funding. Really? I’m funding my visits to him every time I go there plus taking a day off of work. My two hour trip has easily turned into a three hour trip both ways plus parking is not cheap in this city either. My doctor is very good and works very hard, but I also get charged for every little thing I request.

His next statement was that they may be moving their offices to a different location in the hospital. If or when that happens, the lighting will be taken care of and be much better. But what about now?

I will talk more about the lighting during my next visit. I am half contemplating bringing in boxes of incandescent bulbs for the waiting room too. Honestly, I don’t get the hypocrisy between these Migraine triggers.

How is the lighting in your Migraine Specialist’s office? Is it dreamy like it should be or nightmarish like my doctor’s office lighting? How would you handle this ludicrous situation if it were your doctor?

Migraine App and Giveaway Winners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track Migraine Triggers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Migraine Relief Kit Giveaway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy Migraines

In our community, we hear how difficult it is to handle weather because of barometric changes, but this past week has probably affected millions of Migraineurs when hurricane Sandy came rolling through the upper east coast of the US.

Besides barometric pressure, there are other things that can help us with our Migraines. Some of these things we have to be prepared with ahead of time while others I don’t know if we could ever be prepared to really deal with them.

The biggest factors that I can think of right now are food, if you have food triggers, and light if you are light sensitive and need to deal with alternative light sources. I sit here typing on battery power and a borrowed internet supply while under a few blankets and listening to my husband snore away as he cannot use his CPAP machine right now.

I have a lantern that I must hide behind something else so I don’t have the light directly shining in my eyes. If I dared to put sunglasses on, I wouldn’t be able to see anything at all as it would be way too dark. This often makes me wonder if I will ever become normal again as far as lighting is concerned.

Before the storm, we tried to prepare the lighting and lantern situation as much as possible. I have to say, almost a week into this blackout, and the lights seem to be working fine except that I find I cover them up either with a blanket, my hand or any miscellaneous object I can find so the direct light does not affect me.

We needed to make sure that I had some nonperishable foods available around the house that would not trigger me which basically rules out any canned foods. While I am at home, I do have some special granola bars, PBJ (but I can’t have too much or it will trigger) and other small things, but these do grow old very quickly. I also have to make sure I do eat or I will trigger. I am definitely not complaining because things could be a lot worse. I have a roof over my head, food to eat and everyone I know of is safe. Last I heard, they anticipate having our power restored midweek.

Where I want to give my biggest and unexpected kudos as a way to deal with hurricanes to is to my place of business. I’m not saying that because I’ve someplace warm to go to everyday or even charge my batteries, but they have done some very big little things that have helped employees which have also helped relieve some of the strain from my Migraines.

Last week I didn’t need to worry about lunch for most of the week as they provided that plus I could pick things I could eat.  Last week and this coming week, I can wear jeans so I don’t need to worry about cloths as much as normal. I had a place that I could go to, to take a nice warm shower every morning before work.

On the bigger picture and beyond managing my Migraines, I just have to add that my company has not only donated a very, very generous amount to the hurricane, but they will be matching employee donations too.

They have also opened up their facilities this weekend to family members so they can take warm showers, have a place to use the internet, watch some TV, use a gym, a game room (they must have brought some things in because I don’t think we normally have one!), have a bite to eat (the café will be open) and so many other nice amenities.

During the week, my team let people go out during business hours to get gas. That might not sound like much, but the gas lines here are like they were back in the ‘70s. I hope they will start easing now that more people are getting their power back; it has been ridiculous and just another stress on top of a very taxing situation.

Despite trying to be as prepared as I could be, it was not a fun Migraine week. I managed the best I could and did go to work every day as most of my team was affected by the storm. I still believe the Botox helped during this time as it kept some of the clarity I don’t think I would have had otherwise. I’m still trying to figure out Botox, but hoping to get a better handle on it when things go back to normal in my life when using it.

Food and lights were the triggers I thought of that we could prepare for ahead of time since these are things I deal with all of the time. What other triggers can you think of and how would you help prepare for them ahead of time?

It’s Just a headache, You Can Play

I wonder how many D1 football teams try to sweep concussions under the turf. How many of the college football players that we see on the fields are not themselves because they were asked if they ‘really’ could play in the game even though they should not have been put in the position to make that call.

My son’s first college roommate suffered his third concussion in a year. Yes, that is in one year, not his career. His second concussion ‘didn’t even warrant’ getting checked out by a real doctor. Yes, you heard that right too, the football team didn’t take him to a doctor after his second concussion to get checked out to make sure everything was really ok with him. I can’t help but to think about other people who were not as fortunate as he was after they received a ‘small’ bump to the head and ended up not making it due to a brain hemorrhage.

After this third concussion, his coaches asked him if he would be able to play in their next scheduled game. His bell was still much rung where he was definitely not acting like himself, yet they still asked him if he was going to play. I am just very thankful that this young man had the courage to stand up to his coaches around this serious health issue.

His coaches where pushing back with comments like “it’s just a headache, you can play”. If I ever had any faith that his coaches would understand Migraine disease because of all of the big time football players who had to be taken out of professional games because of Migraines, I knew in this instant that it was best we never said anything about Migraines to them. Ugh.

I am just thankful that this young man, this college senior was adult and mature enough, unlike his coaches, to keep saying that he could not play. He was brought to the neurologist shortly after refusing to play where he was told he would need to medically retire because of the number of concussions he had in that short duration.

Why did the player with a brain injury need to make this tough personal decision to his coaches? Why weren’t the coaches looking out for his best interest? Will some of the other players on the team not want to make the right decision now for fear that they will never be able to play football ever again? Could this be portrayed as a punishment for not wanting to play when all you have is ‘just a headache’ by some of the other players?

I remember the recruiting process. I remember the promises made by the coaching staff. I do not feel like they were as upfront about things as they claimed to be with their ‘football family’ where they would never do anything to hurt them. I know the many items they did with my son with his concussion which could have put his life in jeopardy if he was not as out of it as he was and I have not finished dealing with that yet. They can’t keep being this obtuse with our children and ‘their football family’ who they promised to take care of for us.

The coaches did finally get smart about another player on their team who kept playing with a ‘perpetual concussion’. This player just wanted to keep playing, didn’t care about school and only had dreams of playing in the pros. He never reported anything, but it was quite obvious as to his condition. Everyone was turning a blind eye to what was going on to the point where even the coaches were joking about it. It is no joking matter when it comes to playing with your head like this. You would think with all of the press around concussions right now, that they would put a stop to all of this nonsense as quickly as possible. We only have one brain for life and we all must use ours.

This is where colleges need the same laws that some of the states have instituted for their high schools. Nancy Bonk wrote about it on Migraine.com about how NY State enacted a concussion management and awareness law. This is where if an athlete is even suspected of having a concussion, they have to be taken out of play and cannot return to play until they are symptom free for at least 24 hours and have signed documentation from the treating doctor. There are other good things brought on about this law, but it really should include colleges too! The colleges are not doing enough to police and protect their own players which is precisely why the law was needed for the high schools.

I am so thankful that my son’s head is on straight and that he knew classes had to come first. I am so glad his first roommate did not let the coaches bully him into playing because of ‘just a headache’. Your life is not worth risking for a game. These irresponsible coaches are the reasons we need laws to protect our children no matter how old they get.

Do you think this is common practice for all levels of college football? Do you think it still goes on in high school football? What about other sports; does this same irresponsible practice happen in other sports too?

Comment to FDA about Migraines

We have from now until November 1st and not a day later to be heard. It is necessary for us to write our comments in response to the FDA request on the patient-focused drug development initiative.

The FDA is announcing a public meeting and an opportunity for public comment related to FDA's patient-focused drug development initiative. This effort provides for a more systematic approach for obtaining patient perspective on the disease severity and the currently available treatments for a set of disease areas. The FDA is publishing a preliminary list of nominated disease areas for the patient-focused drug development initiative and the criteria used for nomination. The public (that's us!) is invited to comment on this preliminary list through a public docket and at a public meeting where FDA will provide an overview of the patient-focused drug development initiative with discussion of the nominated disease areas.
(Picture taken by my son)

Migraines affect over 37 Million Americans. Peeing at night was put on the preliminary list of nominated diseases areas over Headache disorders and Migraine.  Really?!?!

Go to the FDA link to post your response. We You need you to comment.  If your response will be longer than 2000 characters, you can attach a document with your comments.

It only takes a few minutes to post your comments. It could not only change your life, but the lives of millions of other people. Here are some stats if you need them to help you make your comments.

It’s simple to get there to say your peace:
Click on this link http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2012-N-0967-0001 and then go to the Comment Now! blue box in the upper right hand corner. 

We have from now until November 1st to enter our comments.

We deserve better treatments, a better quality of life and can’t let this chance pass us by.

Batty Doctor Appointment

Have you ever had one of those doctor visits? I’m not talking about an appointment where your doctor was horrible and had no clue about Migraines, I’m trying to talk about an appointment like my last doctor’s visit where I can’t blame my doctor for putting all over my chart “patient is confused”. Ugh.

There was way too much going on this summer both at home and work where I became very overwhelmed, didn’t get much sleep and had to take on many more responsibilities than I was ready to tackle. Of course as these Migraine triggers and exasperating factors were building, my first Botox treatment was wearing off.

I had things under enough control that I was able to decrease one of my other preventatives a little since I could no longer tolerate the cognitive side effects I was experiencing. My doctor appointment for my next Botox treatment was postponed and I thought I could manage everything until my next visit, but I would need to try to hold tight as best I could with everything going on at home and work.

Waiting for appointment day ended up being like a kid waiting for Christmas to come where it seemed like it would never get here. Appointment eve is when all of the fun really began!

First of all, I normally have the paperwork ready for my doctor the weekend before my visit. It didn’t work out that way this time. I even had a lot going on the night before my appointment and couldn’t even complete it then.

It was already dark outside and my doggie needed to go out. After letting her back in, I noticed there was something flying and dodging around the house. Can you believe there was a bat inside?!?!

Luckily, my son was around. He grabbed the fishing net from the garage; he used to play lacrosse. After a few gentle tries, he was finally able to catch the bat in the net. To further keep from hurting the delicate bat, he tenderly cradled the bat (this is a lacrosse term where you like rock the net back and forth to keep the ball inside of the net; he did this ever so gingerly) until he got out on the deck and was able to set the bat free. I’m so glad he was home and that he can be so agile!

After this ordeal, I was too tired to put the rest of my paperwork together and opted to finish in the morning. As I was getting ready to leave, I realized my tires needed more air. This was just one more thing in a line of items that needed to be completed last minute before leaving for my appointment.

My drive is usually like clockwork; I can count on it taking two hours to get there. This trip was no exception to how my summer was going where it took much longer to get there than it ever had. By the time I pulled into my parking spot, I was tired and fell asleep.

My luck was still on my side! I quickly realized that my headlights were still on. I’m sure you guessed it, my car battery was dead. Not only did it make funny electrical noises when I turned on the key, but it somehow managed to keep making these same noises after I turned the key off and even after I pulled the key out of the keyhole. I didn’t have any wiggle time left and had to leave to go to my doctor’s office. Can I say ugh again?

I was also a little more apprehensive with this visit because due to the appointment postponement, my FMLA had expired the day before, yes, the day before this new appointment date. I would have been all set with my original date and my FMLA. Luckily, my company has a grace period where I can still get my medical recertification form in after the expiration date, but I really don’t like operating things that closely.

The nurse’s portion of my visit was unremarkable, but every time I have gone, I seem to get a different nurse with a different routine. I am still trying to get used to that.

I will reluctantly admit that I barely remember the doctor’s portion of my visit. I basically wanted my shots and to get out of there which is totally against my character. I do remember him asking me to do something that just seemed totally absurd to me and quite frankly, it still does.

I can still see his face by my reaction and can only imagine what my face must have looked like. He even repeated himself which only reinstated the ridiculous statement to me which I still don’t understand even being in a much clearer state of mind.

Given where I was back then, I didn’t question him, but he did change his course of action after he repeated himself and I’m positive that his notes say, once again, “patient is confused”. We will have a talk about this during my next visit. He has written that statement before when I increased my medication too quickly, but I wasn’t confused this time, just tired and I couldn’t ask the question I needed to clarify his request. He’ll get a few questions next time.

This is a big reason why if you can have someone go with you to an appointment, to be an advocate for you, you should have someone else with you. Yes, I had things written down and my paperwork with me, but I wanted to get in and out of there. Again, this is totally not like me, but if I had someone with me to advocate for me, they would not have let me take this easy way out and they would have known me well enough to know why I had the dumbfounded (not confused) look on my face when the doctor gave me his silly directions.

I gave myself a pass on this last appointment, but I can assure you that during my next appointment, my doctor’s notes will not say “patient is confused”. I started writing notes and revising my plan of action right after my last visit and keep typing little notes and comments as the date comes closer. I will be ready and even if his horribly bright office lights start to confuse me, I will have a plan B for that too. I have a top notch doctor who can’t help me unless I give him the information he needs. Enough.

What was your strangest appointment like?  I'm sure there are a lot of stories out there; even leading up to your appointment. 

Me Time

During Migraine Awareness Month in June, we had a blog topic for each day. One of the topics I wrote about was titled “Tea for Two”. We were supposed to write about who we would want to sit down to have tea with for the purpose of explaining Migraine disease to them so they would truly understand it.

The person I chose was me. Although I haven’t formally sat down with me yet, I’ve had many deep conversations with myself lately. One of the things I said made me realize that I need to have more 'me time' no matter what else is going on around me. It may be tougher one day compared to the next, but I have to find that time regardless. If I’m not any good myself, I won’t be any good for anyone or anything else I try to do.

This reminds me of a post that Dr William Young of the Jefferson Headache Center wrote on the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) website where it is especially important for chronic Migraine patients to find a third-space. Migraine disease is so consuming, and has such an impact on family and work relations, that finding this third-space sanctuary becomes an ever more critical inoculation against becoming overwhelmed. It doesn’t matter what that third activity is as long as it involves something that is meaningful to you.

I’ve been a little overwhelmed with things this summer, but I feel like I’m getting more balance in my life as I go back into my third-space which gives me the ‘me time' I was missing for too long. One of my third-spaces is reading what my blogging friends have to say and writing about my Migraine journey. Another one of my third-spaces has always been sports. I’ve had a tough time with this one for the last couple of years, but I have actually managed to play two volleyball games this month and look forward to playing as many as I can this season.

What is your third-space? Does it give you the balance you need in your life? If you don't use your third-space right now, what would you like to do?

Did Botox come at the Right Time?

How do you know if a new preventative is working or at least helping a little bit? I tried my first round of Botox in June and I think I can answer that question.

I’ve read where it’s hard to judge how well Botox will work based on the first round as it can be so hit or miss and that hopefully subsequent rounds can be more effective; that additional rounds of Botox can build on the Botox you already had which can help it work better for those who Botox will help.  I hope so.

The toughest part about my first round was having my neck get adjusted to the Botox as my neck was super sore for about two weeks after as my other neck muscles needed to strengthen up to take over for the muscles that were affected by the Botox. I had anticipated the ‘frozen’ forehead so that didn’t come like the surprise of the sore neck muscles.

I have to say that I have been unintentionally testing Botox since I received it. At first, I felt almost forced to reduce one of my medications since I could no longer deal with its cognitive side effects.

My mind has always been something I could count on, but these side effects grew to the point where it was hard for me to trust my memory, hard to be in a constant fog, to write down everything just to forget where all the little notes were and to basically feel too disheveled. Botox helped enough this first round to allow me to manage this medication change without my Migraines getting worse.

I’ve been met with a few unavoidable triggers that could have made things much worse too. It seems like we’ve had a lot of thunderstorms this summer. I feel like the Migraines managed these storms better than they have in a while and I think better because I had the Botox which is really the only explainable difference for me.

My biggest challenge came about a month after receiving Botox and continues through today; everything started hitting the fan then. My husband has been in the ED and admitted to the hospital three times since then. Of course there is a lot of stress that comes with this, but there are lots of other triggers associated with it too. There are the lights in the ED, the hospital rooms and the different smells to contend with in this closed environment. Although we may be able to control a little corner of this space, we can’t regulate much of it.

I also found that I needed to learn and do many things at home that I didn’t need to worry about before. I had to figure out the on-line addresses where all of the bills were paid. I needed to figure out how to apply for a student loan from soup to nuts. I needed to figure out all of this new healthcare stuff I was about to be inundated with from everywhere. I needed to figure out an old tax return as we were being audited on one of our old returns.  I needed to get my younger son back to school early even though he was not cleared to play football this year as he was officially put out for the season due to the concussion he sustained during their spring season.

Not only were there other personal stuff I needed to take care of, but it was a very time intensive solid deadlines period at work too. I know it’s easy to say that home and family have to come first, but there is also that balancing act that always has to be done especially when you feel like you are continuously walking on a thin tightrope at work already. Not only that, but if I didn’t get my work-work completed, it would have adversely affected the people that report to me and how could I let that happen to them?

Can you say too much stress and too little sleep (another huge trigger) while trying to do everything except for really taking care of myself? But what was I supposed to do? What should I have done or not done? I do have to say that my boss made things as easy for me as possible which helped tremendously.  I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I had a different boss while trying to work through this time.

Anyway, back to Botox. I don’t know that I could have made it this far if I didn’t try it at the time that I did especially because it allowed me to reduce the medication that was affecting my thinking and mind clarity. Botox decreased the number of Migraines I got slightly, but I think where it made the biggest difference so far with this first round is that it allowed me to keep my productivity up more. Between being able to decrease the one medication, getting rid of the fog and not having an increase in Migraines, I have to conclude that the first round had a positive effect.

I have felt the Botox wearing off over the last few weeks and can’t wait to try the second round as I hope to have even more success. Unfortunately, my doctor needed to delay my next Botox appointment and I will continue to count the number of days until then. Each week gets a little tougher and I fear going back to the state I was in before I tried Botox when I was getting really bad with increased Migraines and was generally having a very difficult time coping with everything.

As silly as this may sound, my advice would be to get to know the things at home that you don’t normally handle or know a lot around. You don’t need to be an expert, but you should have an idea of where things are (websites, passwords, etc.), and how to take care of them – just in case. It would make it much simpler and less stressful for you if that time ever came that you needed to take on the additional responsibilities that someone else handles right now to make things easier on you.

As you can see, Botox has been super challenged this first go around. I am encouraged by the results especially the increased productivity I feel I have gotten so far while on it. I felt more like my old self and am hoping to get even better results from subsequent rounds. I still countdown the days until my next Botox treatment as I feel the Migraines squeezing tighter every day. I can’t wait for them to hopefully loosen up again and go away from the next Botox treatment.

How well did Botox work for you during your first round? Did it get better or worse with additional rounds? Did you have any extra challenges during your Botox trials?

Sleep Apnea

I’ve read about Migraineurs needing to take a sleep study due to the possibility of sleep apnea. I wanted to give you another reason to make sure you take the sleep test.

For years, I have been telling my husband he has sleep apnea. Yes, I know I was diagnosing him, but I wanted him to get it checked out by a real doctor. Somehow, he always knew better and just dismissed what I had to say despite his very classic symptoms. He would snore loudly, have breathing cessation and would abruptly take his next breath. Just to make it clear, none of his symptoms were subtle.

Sleep apnea finally caught up with him. He spent the last week in the hospital. In case you didn’t know it because we certainly didn’t, sleep apnea can lead to right-sided heart failure. Yes, he had all of the classic symptoms of heart failure too and we still needed to tell him he was going to the ER and didn’t have a choice.

Because he never had his sleep apnea looked at, he has many more issues to deal with now or should I say we have many more issues to deal with now. MedlinePlus gives a good explanation of what typically causes this type failure.

Normally, the left side of the heart produces a higher blood pressure in order to pump blood to the body. The right side of the heart pumps blood through the lungs under much lower pressure. High blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs is called pulmonary hypertension. The right side of the heart has a harder time pumping blood against these higher pressures. If this high pressure is present for a longer period of time, it puts a strain on the right side of the heart.

What I have found tough this weekend is trying to get help him, get him setup at home and caring for my Migraines which, of course, have been out of control. I usually take much better care of myself on weekends so I can make it through the workweek. How do you manage your Migraines when you are trying to help someone else get through their own health difficulties?

If you are asked to do a sleep study for your Migraines or even just because you might have sleep apnea, it is better to get your study done and take care of what needs to be done so you can help your Migraines and the rest of your body too. Please don’t keep putting it off.

Migraine Accommodation Pictures

I’ve talked about some of the accommodations I have for Migraines for a while now. I’ve also said how I am a visual person and believe a picture is worth a gazillion words.

I have recently taken pictures of a few of the accommodations I have and wanted to share them with you so you can see what I’ve been so excited about. I just hope the pictures are clear enough to display how awesome they really have been as I am by no means a photographer and just started taking any pictures this year. I also needed to turn on that flash component which I swore I would never use.

The first picture I have will be a demonstration of the knee pad in my car. I really don’t like this picture as it can hurt just looking at it, but I think you can relate to when the sun is shining through the driver’s side window and your visor just does not do the job.  The visor is just a little too short given the angle of the sun.  Ouch!

As I was in my car one day and found myself in this very predicament, I remembered that I had a simple knee pad in the car. I thought it was the right size and shape.  It was and fit perfectly on the end of my visor! I didn’t even have to worry about how to attach it since that is part of its makeup. It never leaves my car now and I've been keeping it busy at work protecting my head, not knee ever since.

The first picture above was also taken where you can see the driver’s side window of my car which was legally approved to be medically tinted at a 60% Visual Light Transmission (VLT). I would have preferred a little higher VLT percent because that would allow less light to come through, but it does help with the everyday light. Tinting Laws do vary by state so you probably want to check the laws in your state if you want to tint your car windows. My back windows have a higher VLT, but that doesn’t help me when I am driving and the sun shines directly on me as in the picture above.

I also believe there needs to be a nice balance between the VLT that we use on our front windows because we will have this same tint when we drive at night which could make it much harder to see. I still like my tint and want my next car to have tinted windows as an accommodation too. The chart above shows the different VLT percentages. You can see how it gets darker as the percentage increases.

My cube accommodation at work is what I couldn’t live without since this is where I spend most of my time. I also have a very hard time when I leave the safety of my ‘cave’ and either end up putting on a good front, only go out for short spurts at a time, wear a hat, get a Migraine I can work with or end up having to go home. I hope this picture does my accommodation justice as I don’t think I work in as dark of an environment as it may portray. I really do have plenty of light and actually have extra light sources that I have NEVER used.

I want to point out a few things in the picture of my cube. First and foremost, I will start with the lights. The picture to the right is an excerpt of the lights. In the two purple (for Migraine awareness) circles, you should see spotlights. The spotlight over my cube (on the left) has been disabled while the one over the cube behind mine is shining in all of its glory.

The other light in the picture that has the purple arrow pointing to it has light sleeves over the fluorescent light tubes. These sleeves reduce the light output as well as decrease some of the lights flickering effect. They are solid colored about a third of the way and then transition around to a clear color. The sleeves can be twisted around the bulb to allow different amounts of light to pass through.




I’m not sure if you can see the mug in my work cube. It’s one of my fun Migraine mugs and a way to help support advocacy efforts. Each item that is sold in the shop is designed to let us have some fun while making serious points. There are clothes, coffee cups, iPad sleeves and much more. The best part is that all proceeds from sales are donated to non-profit organizations for Migraine and headache research. Although I don’t drink coffee anymore, I use my mugs for water, an occasional tea and plenty of conversation. I love the different sayings you can get on the various paraphernalia you have to choose from.

I have a whole bunch of hats that seems to be multiplying. My family has even started giving me hats as gifts! I always have a hat in my purse, I keep one in my desk at work and even keep a bunch of them in a bin in my car where they are always readily available. I really like my hats as they are very comfortable and large enough to fit my big head.  My hats are big enough that they don't add any extra pressure to an already tender head either. I am not a photographer and hope you can make out some of my neat hats. There are even hats with sparkles in there which is something many would not consider my style.

The last picture I have today is the rolled up towel behind my rear view mirror. I think it's a little hard to see, but how many times do you drive down the road with the sun glaring between your two visors? As you can see in the pictures, the towel fills in the gap between the two visors nicely and makes a much more pleasant ride.  The top picture shows the visors up while the bottom picture shows the towel neatly tucked behind not only the rearview mirror, but also both visors.

There are some people who don’t understand my accommodations to the point where I still get funny looks or comments, but I don't care as I would not be able to make it through my day or drive without them. I hope these pictures were able to help you see what I’ve been talking about all of this time. Did the pictures help?

What other accommodations or devices do you use to help with your Migraines? 

How Not to Handle a Concussion

My youngest son is headed into his final year of college this fall.  However, it looks like he may have played his last football game this past spring, but he should be finding out more after additional upcoming neurologist appointments.

He was hoping to at least remember the last organized football game he ever played, but it seems like that is not going to happen. College football has spring practices and then ultimately a spring game which is like an intra-squad game with a lot of strange scoring rules.

It was during this spring season and an internal game that my son received his concussion. He was tracking to have a very good year, but if you go out for one pass and hit your head hard into the ground, that can change many unfinished plans.

There are a few things around this whole incident that were not handled correctly and really infuriate me as a mom and especially his mom.

My son was able to review the play afterward on films. After the play, he could see he was laying still for a short time on the ground. He now believes that he was probably unconscious for even a few seconds during that time yet nobody came out to check on him and even left him in for another TEN plays. He had no idea what was going on during this time.

After the plays were over and when he got to the sideline on his own, his teammates noticed he was talking and acting strangely. They directed him to go to the athletic trainer. He got lost going the twenty or so feet over to him.

When they finally hooked up, the trainer did the right thing and told the coaches LittlePuppet was through for the day. Considering he couldn’t remember getting to football that morning, making his way to the sideline after the plays, he still thought it was spring break which was three weeks earlier, he couldn’t remember most of the day before and so forth; I would say the trainer made the right call about being finished for the day. At this point, nobody really knew what happened to him on the field, but he obviously had a serious head concussion.

The next step makes my blood boil. The trainer gave my son a few ‘simple’, but very dangerous steps to follow on his own. He wanted LittlePuppet to go to his dorm, take a shower, get a bite to eat at the cafe and meet the trainer back at his office. Deep breath…

My son would have needed to cross a busy road; by himself with a new head injury. Not only that, but about a month earlier, there was a student who was hit and killed by a car on that road. Enough said.

The trainer was sending my son, with a fresh head injury, back to an empty room ALONE. Enough said.

How would LittlePuppet be able to follow the ‘simple’ multi-step instructions the trainer gave him if he could not find the trainer who was a mere twenty feet from him on the side of the field? The answer, luckily he couldn't manage any of it.

Coincidentally, I received the phone call from the trainer about my son’s head injury as I was on my way to pick him up from school. I could not comprehend everything the trainer was saying and I was still forty-five minutes away from the school. The trainer had examined my son and decided to wait until I got to the school so I could take my son to the ER to get checked out.

After I made it to the school, my son was definitely not himself. He is usually very quick mentally, but he was not remembering much from that day at all and repeating everything he said. After we got to the ER, I was questioned by them about why the school didn’t send him to the ER right away. The people in the ER were great. Although there was a waiting line to register him, they took us in right away and brought us back into one of their critical care rooms.

The ER answered all of our questions and did a CT Scan that let us know he didn’t have any ‘bleeders’ in his head which would allow him to sleep as peacefully as he could that night; we didn’t have to keep waking him up as you always hear about with concussion patients which would help him heal.

My son has been back to the neurologist a few times since then and will be returning again next week. ‘Little’Puppet said it was funny when the neuro ordered the MRI. He said he didn’t fit in the machine and needed to squish his shoulders up to try to round his body off more. They were finally able to get the pictures they needed. What do you do if you don’t fit? I guess that’s where the open MRI comes in handy?

Since LittlePuppet still experiences symptoms from this concussion he received a few months ago, he has not been cleared to return to football yet. As the regular season is approaching, it looks likely that he will not be able to play football with his team this fall. This is also a little tough for him because he came into football camp last summer with a severly sprained ankle while getting in shape for camp and missed most of last season.   He is coming to terms with it, but he knows he will need his head and thinking capabilities for life. He knows that is the most important thing he really has to worry about.

One more thing about the school and his concussion which I have not mentioned before that is very important and probably pertains to his concussion or at least contributed to the degree of concussion he received. My son had a defective helmet.

With football and especially as the programs get more advanced where the players are bigger and stronger, the equipment must be top notch.  Some inside pads of football helmets are filled with air to make sure they fit each player snug. However, my son’s helmet needed to be topped off frequently – something I didn’t learn about until after. You can’t have defective equipment especially when it comes to your helmet and protecting your head!

I’d love to know what was discussed at this years American Headache Society Meeting about sports helmet design improvements which just concluded in June. Our children need the best equipment and helmets to give them the most protection.

There were too many errors made in the handling of my son after his concussion. Although he is still experiencing symptoms, I am glad things are not worse because there could have been terrible consequences to some of the actions that were asked to be taken.

Let's Do the Monster Mash

Migraine Awareness Month #12: "Let's Do the Monster Mash!" Choose a movie monster that reminds you of your Migraines and tell us why.


This is another challenge that I started in the past and finished today. I am stretching this a bit and hope I can make the connection to my movie monster.

My movie monster is Mommie Dearest. I’m really looking at the “wire hanger” scene and don’t want you to get the wrong impression either. I don’t feel like I’m a bad mom and have never beaten my boys with a wire hanger or anything like that.

I chose this “monster” because sometimes I feel like Migraines can make me want to act like the mad monster person like Mommie Dearest is portrayed as in the movie. I don’t know anything about the real “mommie dearest” so I really can’t speak to whether she was a true monster or not.

In reality, I couldn’t imagine screaming at the top of my lungs like that with a Migraine (or even without one) as I think my head would explode although theoretically, it seems like it would be a nice way to get all of that built up frustration from having a Migraine out in the monstrous way of screaming and throwing things (without a child in the area) around.

I can actually imagine screaming things (quietly) at my offensive trigger or aggravating situation like:

No more fluorescents lights! What are fluorescent bulbs doing in this house when I’ve told you no fluorescents lights ever! What are fluorescent bulbs doing in this house! Answer me!  We’ll see how many fluorescent bulbs you have in this house!  Why? Why?  You live in the most beautiful house in Puppettowne and you don't care that it will be ruined by fluorescent lights!  You don't care!

No more huge barometric changes! ...
No more bathing in scents! ...
No more air horns! ...
No more doctors that don’t listen! ...
No more ERs that think we’re drug seekers! ...

I think I feel better screaming that out on paper. I’m sure you can think of my more shout outs for your “Mommie Dearest Monster”.


National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by National Headache Foundation. The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

Migraine Awareness Month #24: Dear Genie

Migraine Awareness Month #24: "Dear Genie."  Put together a wish list for your life.

I’m not going to shoot too far into the stars or anything outrageous like that and make a long wish list. My main little wish would be a cure for Migraines.

Since we would still need to see doctors to receive this cure, I would also wish for doctors and a healthcare system that understood Migraines. Someone and someplace we could go to, to talk intelligently about Migraines until we could get our cure from Migraine.

National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by National Headache Foundation. The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

Name That Tune

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #6: "Name That Tune!"

Choose a theme song for Migraine disease or your headache disorder. See if you can find a YouTube video of it for your blog post

I had started writing some of the challenges earlier, but couldn’t finish or post them. I’m posting the Migraine Awareness Name That Tune challenge today.

I chose the chorus to Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones:

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

How many ___*_____ have we tried and gotten no satisfaction?
*preventatives
*triptans
*rescue meds
*ER visits
*steroid packs
*etc

How many people have we tried educating and gotten no satisfaction?
How many people have we tried to get to listen to us with no satisfaction?
How many ___**_____ and gotten no satisfaction?
**fill in the blank

Can you fill in the blank?  There are so many ways we have gotten no satisfaction with our Migraines and our attempts to keep making our lives better.  But, we have to keep trying ...

National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by National Headache Foundation.  The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

(I'm just focusing on the chorus)