Archive for the ‘Weblogs’ Category
August 18th, 2008
August Headache Blog Carnival. Slow and steady wins the race? I’m a week behind here, but it’s not too late for you to go read lots of good blog posts on the topic of “Dealing With People Who Don’t ‘Get’
It.” It’s posted over at Diana Lee’s Somebody Heal Me. Many thanks to Diana for another great collection of blog posts. I’m particularly partial to James Cottrill’s “How to Introduce a Migraine.” Try out “The World Health Organization says I have one of the world’s top 20 disabilities. Guess which one!”
Generally speaking, a blog carnival is a collection of links to a
variety of a blogs on a central topic. The Headache & Migraine Disease Blog
Carnival has been created to provide both headache and migraine
disease patients and people who blog about headache disorders with unique
opportunities to share ideas on topics of particular interest and importance to
us. Visit the link to this month’s carnival for a collection of
informative entries on basic strategies for coping with migraines and
headaches.
Entries for the September 2008 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival on the theme of “Tips on Improving Doctor & Patient Relationships“ are due by the end of the day on Friday, September 5th.particularly useful, educational or inspirational for headache and migraine sufferers are also welcome. Posts may be submitted through the form on the carnival website.
Posts that relate to the September carnival’s theme will receive preference. Entries on topics that are
Tags: Migraine disease, Weblogs
Posted in Communicating, Weblogs | Comments (0)
August 16th, 2008
Between travel and illness, I’m just catching up (story of my life), but I wanted to mention this really
interesting list of the Top 100 Women’s Health Blogs, posted last week by Alisa Miller over at Nursing School Search. These 100 blogs will keep me reading for awhile; the list is broken out in categories of Nutrition & Special Diets, Exercise, Infertility, Pregnancy, Childbirth & Breastfeeding, Weightloss, Health Challenges, Fit & Healthy over Forty, Physical Well-being, and Mental Well-being. Free my Brain was honored with a mention in the Health Challenges section. Thanks Alisa!
– Megan
Image of lots to read courtesy of austinevan.
Tags: nursing school, Weblogs, women's health
Posted in Weblogs | Comments (5)
July 14th, 2008
July Headache Blog Carnival – How Spirituality Helps Us Cope with Migraine
Disease
Hop on over and read the great entries in the July Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival, at Somebody Heal Me.
You will find a variety of posts directly on that theme, and more on other themes related to migraine, pain and our heads.
Generally speaking, a blog carnival is a collection of links to a variety of a
blogs on a central topic. The Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival has
been created to provide both headache and migraine disease patients and people who blog about headache disorders with unique opportunities to share ideas on topics of particular interest and importance to us. Visit the link to this month’s carnival for a collection of informative entries on how spirituality helps us cope with migraines and headaches.
Look for the August 2008 Headache Blog Carnival on the theme of “How You Handle People Who Don’t ‘Get’
Migraine Disease“ at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, August 11th. They may be submitted through the form on the carnival website or directly to Diana Lee by e-mail.
Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day) on Friday, August 8th.
– Megan
Tags: headaches, migraine, spirituality, Weblogs
Posted in Religion, Weblogs | Comments (0)
July 10th, 2008
JULY HEADACHE & MIGRAINE DISEASE BLOG CARNIVAL
Don’t forget to submit your entries for the July Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival, which is being hosted at Somebody Heal Me.
The July theme is “How Spirituality Helps Us Cope with Migraines.” Entries on any topic that is particularly interesting, educational or inspirational for headache & migraine sufferers are also welcome. Your blog need not be limited to the topic of headaches and migraines to participate. If you have relevant posts to share, you’re encouraged pass them along.
Entries are due at midnight on Friday, July 11th. They may be submitted through the form on the carnival website or directly to Diana by e-mail.
The carnival will be published on Somebody Heal Me on Monday, July 14th.
If you would like to be added to Diana’s carnival mailing list to receive updates and reminders or are interested in hosting a future edition, please send Diana an e-mail at somebodyhealme@dianalee.net.
– Megan
Tags: blog carnival, headaches, Migraine disease, spirituality
Posted in Weblogs | Comments (0)
June 19th, 2008
When the wonderful May Migraine and Headache Blog Carnival came out on the topic, “How to integrate exercise into a life filled with migraines,” I was in the midst of my month and a half of viruses, flu and bronchitis, and having several migraines a week, and I couldn’t bring myself to write about exercise, let alone do it. So I submitted a post on Calming Down the Migraine Brain, with relaxation exercises, which are also a good thing!
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in regular exercise and I know I’m better off when I do it. There’s just a nasty chicken and egg dilemma when you are too sick to get moving. Another familiar dilemma for me is when I’m too stressed and worried to allow myself to drop everything and exercise, even though I know the exercise will reduce my stress and make me more effective at doing the stuff I’m worried about!
Sorry if the title was a bit of a come-on, I am not going to write a post today full of science on why exercise helps prevent migraines. I promise to pull the research together and write that post soon. Today I will give you an anecdotal, personal short-term success story.
It’s probably too soon to say this, but I have exercised every day for the last eight, and in that time I have had only one very mild migraine. Lately, this is big success for me as I have been having 5 –
8 migraines per month. Since I started recovering from the bronchitis, I’ve been walking every day, and stretching most days. Look at where I have to walk – right outside my door! The beautiful field does make it somewhat easier.
I know there are other factors: the weather has been mostly good; I have been taking it very easy as I have been recovering from being sick. I have really put my worries on hold and the stress level has been pretty low. How did I do that? I was too sick to even think, let alone worry, and I just gave myself over to recovering. I prayed a lot. I did my relaxation exercises when I had enough brain to focus on them. It probably didn’t hurt at all that Danny and I had just decided to let go of a business that was giving us enormous stress with very little return. I also have been almost entirely without caffeine – I didn’t want it
when I was sick and so I broke the habit and see no need to go back. I also know it has only been eight days – not a statistically significant sample!
Despite all of those factors, which surely contributed to calming my migraine brain, and the short time period, I think the exercise has been preventing migraines. It’s hard to describe, but I just have a sense of my system being calmer. I feel good! I started on the first day I felt well enough to even sit up out of bed – on that day I walked 7 minutes, at a geriatric pace. I have increased it every day. Eight days later I’m walking 45 minutes at a brisk pace.
While there’s not much evidence showing that exercise has a direct bearing on Migraine prevention, doctors remind us that regular exercise raises our endorphin levels, which makes us more resistant to pain.
Doctors tell us again and again we need to exercise and there’s tons of science behind it. But it’s hard to
remember that when my head hurts, or I’m exhausted or stressed out, or it’s blistering hot out. I’m planning to get the elliptical machine fixed for rainy or blistering hot days. I’m also planning to get up and out early before the heat settles in, or go out around sun-down. If you all would remind me, it would help over-ride my built-in forgetters.
– Megan
Let’s go for a walk!
Race Walk image courtesy of Kris Krug
Tags: exercise, migraine prevention, relaxation
Posted in Managing, Medicine, Weblogs | Comments (2)
June 10th, 2008
Hello dear, readers, I’ve missed you. Since I was scraped off the bathroom floor last week I have been sick in bed with the worst case of bronchitis I’ve seen in many a long year. More about that later. (Is that a threat or a promise?) Today I’m sitting up to read blog carnivals! There are tons of good reading!
Posted yesterday, June 9th, there’s:
The June Migraine and Headache Blog Carnival. At The Migraine Girl,
where host Janet Geddis treats us to a range of great posts on “How to have a Happy, Healthy Vacation” despite Migraine or headache disease. Some are practical tips with checklists on being prepared; some are personal experiences of vacations that worked, and vacations that didn’t. There are also a number of posts on controlling stress, triggers, and emphasizing relaxation, which will serve us well whether we’re on vacation or not. Janet has done a great job of cataloging and describing the posts, and I for one am looking forward to some great reading.
And posted today, June 10th, there’s:
The June Living with Pain Blog Carnival. Hosted by Marijke Durning at Help My Hurt, the scope of the articles is wide, from practical and alternative treatment strategies, to communicating with doctors, discussing the world of health web sites, to meditation and spiritual stories. Something for everyone who’s living with pain.
Wishing you pain free days and nights,
– Megan
Carnival Lights image courtesy of Gilberto Santa Rosa
Tags: headaches, living with pain, migraine, vacation, Weblogs
Posted in Managing, Tips & Techniques, Weblogs | Comments (0)
May 13th, 2008
Please go check out the May 12, 2008, edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival. The carnival is posted at Somebody Heal Me. The theme of this month’s carnival is “How to integrate exercise into a life filled with migraines.”
There are lots of great entries on how to keep active, and then quite a few on other topics, including “exercises” in relaxing and calming our systems – a wonderful juxtaposition of inner and outer fitness! I contributed one of the “inner” ones, as I’ve been quite challenged on the “outer”[ front lately. The good news is that I am very encouraged by the posts in this carnival – read them – they will help!
Submit your blog article to the June 2008 edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival using the carnival submission form or by sending entries directly to Diana by e-mail.
The June 2008 theme will be “How to Have a Fun, Healthy Vacation in Spite of your Migraines.” Entries are due by midnight on Friday, June 6th (the end of the day). Look for the June carnival to appear on Monday, June 9th.
– Megan
Tags: blog carnival, exercise, fitness, headache, Migraine disease, staying active, Weblogs
Posted in Weblogs | Comments (1)
May 9th, 2008
It was a tough call, but our judges Kerrie of The Daily Headache and Diana of Somebody Heal Me have
selected our winners in the Weirdest Migraine Triggers Ever contest (with yours truly called in as a
tie-breaker).
Remember, these triggers were all weird enough to beat my pouring-down-rain-with-wiper-arm-scratching-windshield trigger!
And a drumroll please, the winners are:
1st Place to Koryn for the Crayon Dilemma (note – no gold crayon used in photo):
The weirdest trigger that I’ve ever came across was one of my step aunts. Since
a very young age, the gold crayon in her crayon box would induce a migraine. No
other gold colored other stuff, or real gold its self does anything, but just
the gold crayon. Strangeness. All my step aunt had to do was look at her gold
crayon. Poor thing couldn’t color with it at all. Her mom ended up going through
her crayon box each year when they bought her new ones for school and take the
gold crayon out. Her teacher watched in class if the projects used crayons. Very
strange trigger.
2nd place to MJ (of Rhymes with Migraine) for the Exhaust Fan Mystery:
The last apartment DBF and I lived in was a studio, with only one large-ish
window that opened onto a courtyard. Our apartment was wedged into the corner,
which meant we had hardly any air circulation at all, especially in the summer.
This particular apartment building also had a high turnover rate among tenants,
so our neighbors changed relatively frequently.
About two months before we moved out of that apartment, I discovered a new trigger. One afternoon after work, DBF and I were minding our own business when all of a sudden this stench, an unbelievable (and unidentifiable) stench came – not wafting – but pumping into our only window. I had a migraine within seconds, as my eyes teared up and I looked desperately to
DBF, begging him to close the window. Mind you, this was the summer and our apartment did not have A/C. Neither of us could stand this stench though so he closed the window without complaint.
We complained to the leasing office the very next day, but of course when they came to check it out, no cause could be found, as there was no trace of the stench.
Unfortunately for both of us, every evening after work, like clockwork, this stench would be pumped into our apartment and we’d have to close our window. We quickly became wise to the stench’s ways and closed the window when we came home from work. We continued to complain to the leasing office, telling them we had to leave our only window closed, but they were mostly useless. They claimed the woman in the apartment below us had left for vacation
without cleaning her fridge, and her food had spoiled, which had caused the stench. But the stench continued after this problem had been cleaned up, so I was skeptical of this explanation.
Fortunately, DBF and I both have backgrounds in architecture, so we decided to investigate the source of this stench for ourselves. We noticed the exhaust vent for our downstairs neighbor’s
apartment was directly outside our window. Ah ha! At least once a day, the vent fan inside this apartment would cycle on, venting the apartment, and pumping the stench into our window. The stench would disappear again when the fan cycled off.
That same week we figured this out (this had been going on well over a month now) we dragged the apartment manager into the courtyard. We pointed out the exhaust vent and told her our theory. She got her maintenance guy and went to the woman’s apartment – which, apparently, smelled so bad that our apartment manager was gagging in the hallway. (She got no sympathy from me!) Here’s where the story gets even better. Our apartment manager, after discovering the source of the problem we had been complaining about for over a month, started to
politely request that the woman in the stinky apartment clean up her mess. The
woman did not clean up her mess. The manager was unwilling to do anything other
than knock on the woman’s door, so DBF finally taped the exhaust vent closed so
we could open our window again.
We found out later that this stench was cat funk. This awful woman
refused to clean up after her poor cat, and had been keeping its filthy
litterbox under the exhaust fan. So, I’ve now added “cat funk from rude and
filthy neighbor” to my list of triggers.
Third Place to Deborah (of Weathering Migraine Storms) for the Dehydrate-Rehydrate-Run Conundrum (note – you can read the entire story at Weathering Migraine Storms at the link above – I have excerpted it here):
I have found a unique little trigger I gave myself while I was trying to alleviate the woes of the migraine blues. I found myself going round and round in a battle of “Catch 22” with fluids.
A word of caution – if you are in the midst of migraine and are looking to
hydrate or re-hydrate, be very cautious of the ingredients in your bottled
fluids. If they contain “sucralose” or “sucrose syrup” you may think twice before drinking twice. Why? Your body just doesn’t absorb them thar ingredients, thus you just poo them in liquid-like form, rapidly, if you continue to drink and drink and drink them.
Case in point, Moi: The first week of the month, I end up at infusion with the monster. I’m the usual squinting, “headachy” nauseaous self. (for lack of words right now), I have two bottlesof said syrupy water with me. oh yummo. Start infusion a little later. drink drink. Notice after a few days, and oh four bottles of the stuff a day, lots of diarrhea. hmmm, sometimes that
happens with migraine.
Two weeks go by, OH, WAIT! I had also started Melatonin to get some MUCH-needed
sleep. Whew, almost forgot that. so anyhoo, I’m sleeping, I’m drinking more of the water because the weather was actually getting pretty nice here. The sun was, whoa, shining, and, AND, the weather was warm. I don’t care much for water, it makes me gag, and gagging is a precursor for barfing, which will in itself is just gross, so I like the taste of the lemony syrupy
vitamin water that I was drinking. Plus, I felt I was getting all kinds of oober benifits with the added B vitamins. blah blah blah. drink more tastey syrupy water.
In the meantime, I’m noticing a need to, well, go to the “office” a little more often. than usual. Me poo has started to um loosten. By the end of the week, loosten had come to a full-on explosion. Every few hours. Which, naturally made me drink more. Didn’t want to DEHYDRATE! Each time I’d eat, my food would slide into home within 1 1/2 hours. I was running like A-rod,
faster, faster, faster each time. God forbid if I was in public!!!
Naturally, another storm hit me in the skull. The more I “liquidated my assets,” the more I drank. For fear of becoming dehydrated, it’s all I could do, drink more of my yummy water; and it hit me – like the brick that hit my head, maybe it’s the vitamins in the water doing it!! So I took myself off the water for a week.
But I was still having the. problem. So I thought, maybe the Melatonin?? I took myself off that. We decided, maybe there was something else going on; we called my internist. They had me in that day, did all kinds of blood work, and I had to (give a sample), to which I apologized for! Oh the questions the questions I was asked. When the blood work came back ok, Deb and
I were talking about the water; and I read to her the ingredients – AHA! It was the sucralose. I cannot absorb it so my body just – gets rid of it and everything else with it. I’ll say.
*(By the way, I have been informed that Glaceau Vitamin Water, pictured on the truck above, contains no sucralose or aspartame. I didn’t mean to implicate them, I just love a pretty picture.)
And an Honorable Mention to Laura for a lengthy list of triggers, including the Antihistamine-Pollen Paradox:
- jalepenos
- sun/ heat
- too much sleep, not enough
- Alcohol (especially red wine)
- salt
- cheese
- salami/ preserved meats*
- change in air pressure
- change in altitude <- i hate that one!
- soups*
- Chinese food*
- stress letdown
- pms
- Claritin <-AGH!
- dehydration
I tell you, I live in an area where the pollen is horrible and most allergy meds
give me a severe migraine. It’s miserable.
*(Little editorial note – wondering if the starred items all have MSG in common? MSG is a pretty common trigger.)
Thanks to the judges and all the entrants for playing along. And dear readers, if you have a weird trigger to share, you can leave it in the comments below.
For more about triggers, and how to avoid them, come join the discussion: Migraine Management Coaching: Know and Reduce Your Triggers. For more on Managing your Life with Migraine, register for our e-course in the upper right corner of this page.
– Megan Oltman
Now don’t get trigger-happy!
Crayon Image courtesy of Ed Schipol, Exhaust Fan image courtesy of cito/John, Vitamin Water image courtesy of Wendy Seltzer, Bee image courtesy of Adrian Campfield
Tags: Dehydration, Managing, migraine, Odors, Pollen, Trigger
Posted in Managing, Silliness, Weblogs | Comments (5)
May 7th, 2008
By now, I hope you’ve had a chance to read some of the wonderful poetry at the 2008 Putting Our Heads Together Migraine and Headache Poetry Contest. Congratulations again to all the winners. There were an enormous number of excellent entries – I don’t envy the judges!
My own entry was way down the list. With your indulgence, I reprint it here.
Never Get Used to It
We never got used to the drunk next door
who broke bottles on the stoop past midnight, cussed all
night,
staggered into us as we left the apartment.
He was a feature of the landscape we were glad to leave
when we moved away.
Along with the upstairs landlords
whose children jumped off the couch above my head, all day,
while I napped with my newborn,
who thought 3 a.m. was a good time to install carpeting, KaChunk
KaChunk all night,
who coated the back yard in weed killer, fumes rolling into
our ground floor apartment – they were a feature of the landscape we never got
used to.
So we moved away.
We never got used to the dirty old busybody next door with
his nasty comments.
We never pulled up the blinds or trimmed the hedge on his
side of the house.
We just moved away. Again.
You’d think you’d get used to the pain – it’s a bore. There’s no excitement in pain.
Just the startled moment when it comes again, crashing like
the bottles on the stoop.
Just the deadly hours of enduring, KaChunk, KaChunk,
don’t pull up the blinds and let it look in.
Never get used to the scraping, boring, searing,
pounding.
Pain management?
I thought pain could recede, a feature of the landscape to
ignore, like the cracks in the pavement.
I never thought this was a landscape I could not move away
from.
No moving van. No
packing boxes.
No new home without the pain.
Open your boxes and find the drunken, staggering,
inconsiderate,
dirty old busybody pain.
No ear plugs. No gas
masks. No prisoners taken. No quarter given.
Never get used to it.
Respectfully submitted,
Megan Oltman
Broken Bottles image courtesy of Vertigogen Window Blinds image courtesy of Matt Callahan Packing Box image courtesy of Tim Herrick
Tags: migraine, pain, pain management, poetry
Posted in Communicating, Weblogs | Comments (4)
May 5th, 2008
Better late than never, courtesy of the spectacular Diana Lee – let me remind you:
Entries for
the May 2008 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival on the theme
of “Migraines & Exercise: How do you remain active” are due by the end of the day on Friday, May 9th.particularly useful, educational or inspirational for headache and migraine sufferers are also welcome. Posts may be submitted through the form on the carnival website or directly to me by e-mail (I’ll forward them to this month’s host)..You can get more information about the carnival at this link: Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival.
Also, please let Diana Lee know if you’d like to be added to the e-mail list
for the carnival, if you’re interested in hosting a future edition or
if you have suggestions for future themes.
Posts that relate to the May carnival’s theme will receive preference. Entries on topics that are
The April carnival will be posted on Monday, May 12th at Atomic City
– Megan
Tags: exercise, headache, migraine, Weblogs
Posted in Weblogs | Comments (0)
