Planning is the most important thing you have on your side when you suffer chronic pain conditions like Migraine. You usually can't plan when you'll be hit with debilitating pain, but you and your family can live a better life when you are prepared and ready for action before you're down for the count. If your Migraine symptoms tend to be severe or long lasting, this is a post you'll not want to miss.
It's not often a Migraine patient requires admission into a hospital setting for… Continue
Isolation. Misunderstanding. Trapped. Silence. Patient. Hopeful.
These are 6 words that describe the way you might feel when you are hurting from a chronic condition such as Migraine, Dystonia, Fibromyalgia, RSD, Lupus or any one of a number of illnesses that cause pain. What are the 6 words you think best describe your feelings about your chronic condition? Everyone has a story. Every single person has something to say that will inspire someone else, teach them, or give them hope...
I've mus… Continue
The nation's largest lab has admitted errors in its Vitamin D testing over the last two years. This is important to Migraineurs and chronic pain patients because those with either condition tend to be lower in vitamin D than 'normal'. Doctors think lowered vitamin D status could be making us more prone to pain issues.
Unfortunately, the specific vitamin D test to which the company admits wrongdoing was not mentioned in the article. There are multiple tests for vitamin D including 1,25(OH)D and… Continue
Shannan, aka- Wholemom here at WEGO Health - is sponsoring a wonderful giveaway that I really got excited about. She's looking for topic ideas for her blog Living a Whole Life and in exchange is holding a drawing for a set of absolutely the coolest handmade glass straws! See her WEGO Health blog post here, complete with photo.
So, what do g… Continue
Added by Ellen S on February 18, 2009 at 10:51am —
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The current economic trend has led to many of my online friends suddenly finding themselves in hard financial positions. When you're a Migraineur, this poses a particularly difficult challenge.
Before you become swept up in the tide of distress please, remember your health is the last thing you want to give up. Good health is a gift that should be protected and guarded. If you're a parent who gives up your health, it's likely you will not be able to protect and care for your children as they ne… Continue
Added by Ellen S on February 10, 2009 at 10:37am —
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A trip to your doctor and a try at a new Migraine treatment has an ebb and a flow. After reflecting on my treatment experiences with a number of other health issues, I've come to believe that this ebb and flow is not limited just to Migraine treatment strategies. It took me a while to recognize it as a normal part of treatment course, but after speaking with my doctors and other patients, it seemed obvious. Recognizing this ebb and flow as normal, helped me and my expectations when trying a new… Continue
Added by Ellen S on January 20, 2009 at 10:24am —
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My friends,
Living with Migraine disease is difficult. That doesn't mean life comes to a halt. We can do this, and even do it well! Our family's success depends upon planning and teaching and baby steps. You really can do this...
I wrote to a Migraineur on another board (Yahoo-Migraine) who asked for help in living with her Migraines in a dark, stark atmosphere, and helping her family survive them as well. This is suc… Continue
"What Keeps You Going When You're Suffering" is the next installment of Diana's blog carnival at Somebody Heal Me. Once again, Diana has inspired many bloggers to write about our experiences and the things we've learned. Most of the time, I take these carnival topics as challenges. This one is harder, because it is intensely personal...
After living through a Migraine treatment that nearly took my life, and surviving today only because of… Continue
Why do people make New Year resolutions? Don't we become very reflective when we reach the end of something, and the beginning of something else?
At the end of each year, I look back and see the things that are different - My kids are older, my health is better or worse, my relationships with my family have changed and the inevitability of gray hair, wrinkles and gravity is undeniable, even when I look in the mirror without my glasses. I've earned every one of those marks of experience!… Continue
This fall/winter has been difficult. We live in an isolated area. Auras and Migraines make driving difficult for me, and shopping was out of the question. Three times my family has planned and tried to execute a shopping trip. Three times we were foiled by extreme weather that has me virtually trapped inside my home. The stress of a long to-do list coupled with cabin fever has gotten to me.
Normally, I would have gotten to work in my glass studio and created something beautiful and personal to… Continue
Added by Ellen S on December 22, 2008 at 9:30am —
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I hate water. But hydration is important for Migraineurs. Many don't realize that they are triggering Migraine attacks when they forget to drink water every day.
Make a new good habit this week by practicing this healthy tip:
Pamper yourself. Find a beautiful glass or goblet and fill it with water. Eastern practices dictate tepid temperatures are best, as it is less likely to cause gastric upset or trigger nerves in the palate or throat that can trigger or exacerbate Migraines. Those th… Continue
Nasty winter weather is here for many of us. This means many things: incredible beauty, lots of family time indoors, and the bonding opportunity to be stuck in your home for a day or two without electricity or heat.
(Photo copyright Ellen Schnakenberg 2006)
This is a great time to ch… Continue
What do you do the day your doctor shrugs his shoulders and says "I'm sorry, I don't have anything else to offer you"? If you're like me you might begin by scouring the news - any kind of news - for something new that has the potential to help. In the race to reach the light at the end of the tunnel, each step forward is new reason to hope as well as celebrate.
A while back, I found some additional information on a new, extremely promising medication that I presented to you initially back in Ju… Continue
Added by Ellen S on December 12, 2008 at 1:30pm —
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This year, I was again honored with a spot in the American Pain Foundation and Health Central's Pain and Creativity exhibit. I also won multiple honors the very first year I entered in 2007. I'm not sure what the judges were thinking when they picked my pieces from hundreds of others, but I'm both shocked and grateful.
Interested to see what's going on in my brain when I'm in the midst of terrible Migraine pain? Click here for the PDF… Continue
Added by Ellen S on December 10, 2008 at 10:00am —
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From the American Pain Foundation:
Online Chat with BRENDA MURDOUGH MSN, RN-C
Military/Veterans Initiative Coordinator
American Pain Foundation
Sugar Plums, Figgie Pudding, even Grandma’s Fruitcake:
Can Holiday Eating Affect Your Pain?
Tuesday, December 16th at 8:00p.m. EST
LIMITED SPACE - MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY!!
Please join us December 16 at 8PM ET for a fun and informative live online chat presented by Brenda Murdough MSN, RN-C, the… Continue
Added by Ellen S on December 10, 2008 at 12:00am —
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I just found this hilarious video on a pain group I belong to called the Living Whole with Chronic Pain Network. I wanted to share it here. Be sure to watch it until the end. (Anyone remember The Flying Nun TV show?)
Hallelujah Nuns!
"Patch" Adams declared that the best medicine is friendship, but laughter surely comes in a good second!
Join our Migraine Group discussion and share something th… Continue
Pampering.
The word conjures up visions of restful spas, decadent massages, extravagant maid service and frivolous shop-iiiiinnnnnnngggg just because you feel like it, and without respect to anyone else.
Pampering is not decadent, extravagant or frivolous for Migraineurs however. If we don't take care of ourselves and allow ourselves some down-time, we pay the price, and so do our families. Sadly, most of the time Migraineurs don't feel like we deserve it.
… Continue
Today, hundreds, possibly thousands of patients are walking through their day to day lives thinking their lab results were correct. They're wrong.
Are you one of them?
How do you know?
If you think your doctor and /or nurse keep careful look-out for laboratory or other test anomalies on your results printouts, or if you think you are being told about them, please think again. I hope my story of a nation-wide long-term error will catch your attention.
A mistake with one of my Migraine-related… Continue
Added by Ellen S on December 6, 2008 at 12:00am —
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Migraine attacks are a part of most of our lives because we are genetically susceptible to them. We cannot change that. We cannot 'cure' them. We can try to avoid the things in our environment that trigger Migraine attacks however.
MSG, Glutamates, tyramine, artificial colors, additives, allergens, endocrine disrupting chemicals, etc. The list of potential Migraine triggers in your Holiday dinner may astound you. Many triggers are hidden under ali… Continue
Added by Ellen S on November 24, 2008 at 12:00am —
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Yeah, I'm sick. So what. I can still smile. When I'm hurting so bad I can't function, I want to curl up in bed in my darkened room and sleep away the pain. When hubby wakes me up, I still smile at him. When I'm feeling good enough to be up and typing on the computer I am almost always happy. I may not feel good, but I can be happy at the same time.
So, what's the problem?
Can you see the joy in your life through the fog of a serious health condition? Many can't.
I'm married to a card... much… Continue
Migraine in a hospital setting - Food
