Migraine Awareness Month 24: "A Guy and a Girl Walk Into a Bar..." - Tell us your most amusing Migraine Story

Migraine Awareness Month 24:  "A Guy and a Girl Walk Into a Bar..." - Tell us your most amusing Migraine Story

(This is a substitute post)

There is a local place where we go for take-out Chinese at least once a month. The lady who runs the place knows me, calls me "Mami," and we talk and joke around while I wait for my order (always with no MSG!) Once we were discussing how MSG is a staple in Chinese cooking. I said that it gives my daughter migraines. The Chinese woman said, "Oh, she needs to use [and here she said something that sounded like] seri."

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I immediately perked up, thinking that maybe this was the answer to our problems-some ancient Chinese herbal remedy or something! I asked her, "Is that Chinese?" She looked at me like I had two heads. "You don't know 'seri?'" she asked. I shook my head. "What is it? Say it again?" She repeated the word at least a couple more times but to no avail. At this point, most people probably would have just said, "Okay," and left it at that, but I wasn't about to let a possible migraine remedy go unexplored just because of a language barrier! "I still don't understand," I said. "Can you spell it?" She shook her head at me like I was a slow witted child. " 'Seri' like you use in 'sarad' " she finally said. Then the light bulb went off. "Oh," I exclaimed, "celery!" "Yeah, tell her to chew it. Good for headache."

I did try it. It didn't work. Oh well. So much for Chinese herbal remedies!

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

Migraine Awareness Month #22: "The Game Changer."

Migraine Awareness Month #22:  "The Game Changer." Tell us about a time your plans changed due either an unexpected Migraine or an unexpected Migraine-free experience.

I've always prided myself on not changing plans due to a migraine. I always follow through on commitments even when I'd much rather be in bed in a dark room. There have been countless times that I've spent the frantic last few moments before an event brushing my teeth and applying make-up to make myself appear like I haven't just puked my guts up and feel like there's an ice pick in my eye socket and the devil is twisting my eyeball out. Usually I get by. Once, however, the migraine won.

It was in graduate school. I was in training for clinical psychology and was doing psychotherapy with a client. It wasn't unusual for me to have a migraine during a therapy session. This one was particularly horrendous, however. My head was throbbing, and I really felt like I was going to vomit. I tried to stay with the flow of the conversation, but all I could focus on was trying not to throw up. Then, in the middle of my client's session, the nausea overcame me. I jumped out of my chair, mumbled a quick "excuse me!" and ran out of the room to go to the ladies' room and puke. This was not good therapy protocol! When I returned, I had to explain that I wasn't feeling well and apologize. The client was so wrapped up in his own problems, he just picked up right where he left off without a mention of my exit! I'm just glad that this wasn't one of the sessions that a team observed behind a one-way mirror for teaching purposes!

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

Migraine Awareness Month #21: "Shaking in My Boots."

Migraine Awareness Month #21:  "Shaking in My Boots." What's your biggest Migraine related fear. How do you cope with it? 


 My biggest fear usually involves a major trip or event. The scenario is that I will wake up with a killer migraine (pounding headache, puking, vertigo) and not be able to even get out of bed. My usual meds won't work, and even the dreaded injection doesn't help. The hours are counting down; the departure time is quickly approaching, and I haven't even managed to shower, brush my teeth, or dress yet. This is not a matter of walking zombie-like through the day but of a complete inability to function. Panic sets in. I'm going to ruin everything for this big event/trip that has been planned for so long. What do I do now?!!

How do I cope with this fear? I have yet to totally conquer this one. Although we've never actually had to cancel a trip due to one of my migraines, and I've never bailed on an event, this scenario continues to haunt me. I get very anxious before upcoming trips. It's become a sort of joke in our house that Mom gets crazy before a trip. I try to do as much as possible beforehand, so that there is little last minute preparation, just in case I need to sleep in or don't feel well. This includes a wild cleaning frenzy because I hate coming home to a dirty house. Thank goodness I have an understanding family!

hyperbole and a half.com

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

Migraine Awareness Month #20: "Run, Forrest, Run!"

Migraine Awareness Month #20:  "Run, Forrest, Run!" Describe the approach you think is best when it's time to move on to a new doctor.

Since my doctor is my husband, that's a bit tricky for me! I have consulted with other doctors about my migraines, namely a neurologist and a headache specialist, in the past. After giving them some time and trying a few tweaks to my routine, they didn't seem to have much more to offer, so I stopped going back.  One of them kept pushing Botox, which I wasn't ready to try yet.

I really don't think it's a big deal to switch doctors unless you make a habit of doing it regularly or have so many different doctors treating you that things get messy. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find someone you are comfortable with and/or is interested and willing to work with a migraine patient. Sometimes it's just a matter of a personality fit. Sometimes it's more problematic. I think if someone ever feels like his or her doctor is unethical, incompetent, condescending, or just makes him or her feel uncomfortable, then it's time to find someone else. Quickly. That goes for anything, not just migraines!

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

Migraine Awareness Month #19: "The Match Game."

Migraine Awareness Month #19:  "The Match Game." Describe your perfect doctor to treat your Migraines.

I already have one--my wonderful husband! He reads all of the most up to date literature on migraines and knows more than most neurologists. Living with 2 migraineurs has probably made him one of the most sympathetic and knowledgeable physicians around. And I get to sleep with him too!!!

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

Migraine Awareness Month #18: "The Price Is Right."

Migraine Awareness Month #18: "The Price Is Right." What one thing would you do for the Migraine community if money were no issue. 



 If money were no issue, I would make sure that all migraineurs could have access to whatever medication(s) were most helpful to them without worrying about how much they cost, whether they would have enough until their insurance would cover another refill, what they may have to give up in order to afford their meds, and/or the guilt of spending their family's money on expensive prescriptions that sometimes don't even help. I sometimes find myself figuring out the cost per pill and deciding whether or not my headache is "bad enough" to justify the expense of taking a dose or two. This was especially true before my prescription became available in generic form. That is just a ridiculous way to have to live, but it is the truth. And I am one of the lucky ones that has fairly good insurance and a family with a steady income. I really feel sad for those of us who don't have the money or insurance for their meds at all. It's bad enough that we have to suffer with migraine pain but to suffer more because our medication is not affordable is just wrong.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #16: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

Migraine Awareness Month #16: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." Which role fits you and why?

In most things I tend to be a leader, especially if no one else steps up. My preferred style is really to work collaboratively with others who I feel are talented and motivated or to work on my own. I will admit to a slight (ha!) problem with authority, especially if I don't feel that it is earned.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #15: Free Blog!

Migraine Awareness Month #15: Free Blog! Blog an a Migraine related topic of your choice.

Okay, I'm gonna brag! I entered a Migraine Poetry Competition and won 5th place!

 

Alice in Migraine Land
by Sheri L. Tardio (aka lolamouse)

The Queen of Hearts
has baked some tarts
but they have MSG
Now Alice has a migraine
and can't hold down her tea.

Her head feels like a blimp now
Her legs are made of lead
There's pounding in her ears and
Alice wants to go to bed!

The caterpillar's smoking
is making Alice queasy
If pain vanished like Cheshire Cats
then life would be so easy!

One potion makes her larger
One potion makes her small
but Alice knows the awful truth-
There is no cure at all.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #14: "Live Long, and Prosper."

Migraine Awareness Month #14: "Live Long, and Prosper." Come up with a short, simple phrase or sentence that could be used when saying "Hello" or "Good-bye" that expresses your wishes for fellow Migraineurs.

 Although I probably wouldn't bring up the subject unless we were already discussing it, I might say, "Here's hoping for a headache free day." Short, sweet, hopeful, and perhaps possible (maybe?)

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

Migraine Awareness Month #12: "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.

THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1962)

My migraines often make me feel like a disembodied head, like the poor woman in this movie. During my 40+ years of migraines, I have been put on so many different pills, potions, injections, and other medical and non-medical interventions, I often feel like it's all a big experiment by a bunch of mad scientists! And though I don't really mean it, the pain has gotten so awful that I too have begged to just be left to die. Poor Jan in the Pan, I feel her pain.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #9: "Day Dream Believer." Describe your dream day - without a Migraine to hold you back.

Migraine Awareness Month #9:  "Day Dream Believer." Describe your dream day - without a Migraine to hold you back. 

Any day without a migraine, getting over a migraine, worrying about getting a migraine, or feeling a migraine about to come on is a dream day for me. The specifics are secondary! A nice hike or walk with my husband, doing something fun with my daughter, even just staying home and watching movies and eating junk food with the family and the dogs would be fantastic if I could forget about migraines for a day.

I think what so many people don't realize is that migraines can really take over your life. It's not just about the time that you are in pain but the time you spend thinking about the "what ifs." What if I have a migraine and can't meet my obligations? What if we have a fun day planned and I can't enjoy it because of a migraine? What if I forget to pack my meds? What if the meds don't work and I get really sick? Then there's the downward spiral of negative thoughts. What if my family really gets tired of my always being sick? What if I never feel better? What if my family would be happier without me and my constant migraines to inconvenience them? It's a constant battle against the negative thoughts taking over, especially when the migraines are chronic. No wonder depression and migraine go hand in hand so often.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #8: "Let there be light."

Migraine Awareness Month #8:  "Let there be light." Most Migraineurs have issues with light sensitivity. What do you do to cope with it?

Ah, yes, light. So bright. So evil. Light is a double edged sword for me. If I go for too long with gloomy, overcast, rainy days, I get mopey and depressed. However, too much bright light can be a migraine trigger. I've always been VERY sensitive to light. I ALWAYS carry sunglasses with me and am never outdoors without them. When I do get a migraine, I'm even more light sensitive. I retreat to my bed, turn out the lights, close my eyes, and try to lie very, very still. Of course, with two hyper needy dogs, this often proves easier said than done. Mommy lying down in bed to them means tummy rubs and snuggles. Stinky dog with dead fish breath is not on the top of my list of recommended migraine treatments!

Migraine Barbie is ready for her day outdoors! (source)

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

Migraine Awareness Month #7: List Topper. There are lots of myths and misconceptions about Migraine

Migraine Awareness Month #7:   List Topper. There are lots of myths and misconceptions about Migraine. Which one tops your list as the biggest and most common? What can we do to get the truth out there?

George Cruikshank 1819 The Headache

One misconception about migraine that really bothers me is that it's just a bad headache. Having dealt with migraines since I was seven years old, it annoys me when people casually throw the term around like it's just a paper cut or the sniffles. If someone says, "I had such a migraine, but I took an Advil and it got better," or "Wine always helps my migraines," then that person most likely does NOT have migraines. I love my wine, but when I have a migraine, just thinking about alcoholic beverages makes me queasy. And I may as well take a Pez as an Advil! Migraines are so much more than just bad headaches. They overtake not just your head but your entire being. They can last for days. Their aftereffects can last for days even after the pain is gone. Migraines can make you doubt your very existence. A drink and an Advil won't cure all that. I wish it could.


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

Migraine Awareness Month #6: Name That Tune! Choose a theme song for Migraine disease

Migraine Awareness Month #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. 

The Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" is a good theme song for my Migraine disease, although it probably makes migraines sound a little too trippy and interesting and not awful and painful enough. It does, however, capture the strange "out of body" experience I get during a migraine when my senses don't seem to work quite right and everything seems a little "off." My mind can't seem to focus and my thinking is slow as molasses. Sometimes I have a heightened sense of hearing, vision, or smell. There have been times I've had olfactory hallucinations. And believe me, most pills "don't do anything at all."

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

Migraine Awareness Month #5: "Do That To Me One More Time."

Migraine Awareness Month #5:   "Do That To Me One More Time." What comfort measure do you find helps you enough during a Migraine that you go back to it again and again, and how do you use it? 


Other than SLEEP, if I'm lucky enough that my husband is available to give me some intense acupressure on my neck, base of my skull, and above my eyes, it sometimes helps diminish the pain for a while, at least while he's doing it. Unfortunately, I can't seem to acupressure myself, and believe me, I've tried!

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

Migraine Awareness Month #4: "June Is Bustin' Out All Over!"

Migraine Awareness Month #4:  "June Is Bustin' Out All Over!" What's the best tip you can offer others for having some summer fun despite Migraines? 

Summer can be tough on us migraineurs. Heat, humidity, schedule changes, etc. can all be migraine triggers, and together, they can make summer one hell of a season. Some tips I keep in mind to mitigate the headaches:

1. Stay hydrated. Drink before you feel thirsty.
2. Don't skip meals. Low blood sugar is NOT your friend.
3. Sunglasses, sunglasses, sunglasses!!!
4. Try to keep a semi-regular sleep schedule
5. If you sleep late, remember that if you're used to a morning cup of coffee at 6 a.m., sleeping in until 10 a.m. may bring on a migraine
6. Remember to pack your rescue meds with you when you go to parties, on vacations, etc.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #3: Just shoot me now!

Migraine Awareness Month #3:   Just shoot me now! What's your worst Migraine trigger? Can you avoid it? How do you handle it?

Worst trigger? Wow, there are so many....cigarette smoke, loud noise, bright lights, flashing lights, hormones, weather, heat, dehydration, hunger, lack of sleep, too much sleep, overstimulation, stress, drinking too much, perfume, air fresheners, scented candles, too much computer time...I could go on indefinitely! Sometimes I feel like life itself is just a big trigger.

My two worst have to be hormones and weather changes. Changes in my monthly cycle wreak havoc with my head as do weather changes. The weather can change from nice to rainy or vice versa, but either can trigger a migraine. If hormones and weather changes happen at the same time, it's a synergistic  trigger convergence nightmare! Just shoot me.

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

Migraine Awareness Month #2: Tea for Two

Migraine Awareness Month #2:  Tea for Two. If you could invite someone (any living person) to your home for tea for the purpose of explaining Migraine disease to them so they would truly understand it, who would it be and why? 

This is a tough one! My family is very supportive and understands my migraines all too well. Unfortunately, my daughter also has migraines. It seems to run in the maternal side of my family. If I could invite someone over for tea and explain Migraine disease so it would be truly understood (although I'm not sure it ever can be truly understood unless you've experienced it), I would invite Ellen DeGeneres.

Why Ellen? First off, she seems like she'd be a blast to have over for a cup or two of tea. She makes me laugh and I can always use a laugh. Secondly, she's popular and in the public eye. Thirdly, she has the ability to communicate with a large number of people through her TV show and other media outlets. If she understood migraine disease and became a spokesperson, she might be able to better educate the public about what migraine is and is not.  She could have other celebrities who have migraine disease on her show to speak about how the disorder has affected them and how they cope. Overall, having a celebrity spokesperson could increase awareness and understanding of migraine disease.

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

Stankee Candles

I know I'm igniting controversy by making this statement, but here goes; I HATE YANKEE CANDLES! Not just Yankee Candles but all scented candles, potpourri, air fresheners, perfumes, and other chemically concocted fragrances. I prefer to have my air smell like air, not like a mad scientist's laboratory experiment in creating some artificial hybrid flower-fruit smell. If there's a bad odor in the air, here's a novel idea--open a window! Turn on a fan! Find the source of the odor and get rid of it! Don't light a candle or spray a room freshener to cover up the smell. It doesn't work! You end with the smell of rotting garbage with overtones of lilac perfume and undertones of vanilla spice. Ummm. The minute one of these sins against nature reaches my nostrils, the nasty chemical molecules rise up to my brain and proceed to set off a migraine. I try not to inhale, but one can only hold one's breath or mouth breath for so long. Then, those noxious vapors call forth an ice pick in my eyeball (if you have migraines, you undoubtedly know this feeling intimately). And people pay for this faux fragrance phenomena when there are REAL flowers, pine trees, herbs, and fruits to be had and savored. And what's with the crazy combination of smells that candle manufacturers insist upon inventing? Did Yankee Candle run out of smells for their new line of candles and decide to put every scent they manufactured in a bag, draw out names, and make whatever came out into a new scented candle? Let's see: mango/freesia/cookie dough! Perfect! How about chocolate linen? That one makes you hungry and sleepy! So, I'm sorry if I offended any fragrance fanatics out there, but in my opinion, Yankee Candles blow!