Worst Sounds to Phonophobic Ears
By Kerrie | May 8, 2008
Metal curtain rings sliding across the metal shower rod is the absolute worst sound when a migraine makes my ears ultra-sensitive to sound. My fingers clattering on the keyboard is pretty unpleasant, too.
What sounds make your ears cringe and head scream?
Topics: Coping | 1 Comment »
Botox Doesn’t Relieve Migraines & Tension-Type Headaches?
By Kerrie | May 6, 2008
A review of all available data on treating migraines and tension-type headaches with Botox indicates it is no better than a placebo, according to a US News & World Report article. The findings are included in guidelines for using Botox published in today’s issue of the journal Neurology.
[B]otulinum toxin has become an effective treatment for numerous movement disorders associated with excessive muscle contraction.
The new guidelines approve its use for treating cervical dystonia, a condition of involuntary head tilt or neck movement; involuntary facial contractions, involuntary eye closure, focal limb dystonias (such as writer’s cramp), essential tremor and some spastic bladder disorders. The drug is injected directly into affected muscles.
[non-contiguous paragraphs]
The finding that botulinum toxin probably does not help relieve migraine or chronic tension headaches surprised the researchers.
“Based on currently available data, botulinum toxin injections should not be offered to patients with episodic migraine and chronic tension-type headaches,” pain guidelines author Dr. Markus Naumann, head of the Department of Neurology at Augsburg Hospital in Germany, said in a prepared statement. “It is no better than placebo injections for these types of headache.”
I haven’t even found the abstract yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I learn more about this surprising report. If you know anything about it, please leave a comment below.
Topics: News, Treatment | 5 Comments »
LSD’s Therapeutic Uses to be Studied in Medical Trials
By Kerrie | May 5, 2008
Albert Hofmann, the chemist who discovered LSD, died last week, but not before seeing his “problem child” return to it’s use as a medical treatment. Originally celebrated as a potential treatment for psychosis, mania and depression, the drug’s therapeutic uses were studied widely in the 40s and 50s. Then came the 1960s. Not long after the counterculture embraced LSD, toxic knockoffs hit the streets. LSD’s therapeutic benefits were lost in the chaos.
Having “spent the latter part of his life consulting with scientists around the world who wanted to bring his ‘problem child,’ as he called the drug, back into the lab to study as a therapeutic agent,” Hofmann was rewarded with news that Switzerland health officials approved the first medical trial of LSD in more than 35 years. The trial will test if the drug can ease end-of-life distress. Several more trials are in the works:
“I think people in this country, when they see a patient in pain, will not deny that person a medication just because the drug has abuse potential,” said Dr. John Halpern, a Harvard psychiatrist who is testing the effect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in late-stage cancer patients. “LSD is always going to be a touchy subject but I think it’s kind of fallen back to earth.”
LSD is a potential treatment for headache disorders, particularly cluster headaches. With a similar chemical structure to serotonin, LSD has possibilites for other headache types as well.
Photo by Philip H. Bailey
Topics: News, Society, Treatment | 2 Comments »
Mindfulness & Meditation: An Introduction
By Kerrie | May 1, 2008
Finally! Here’s an explanation of mindfulness meditation and the practice of mindfulness in general. The post is long but worth sticking with. (I think so at least!)
Mindfulness = Paying Attention
Mindfulness is captured by simple terms:
- Paying attention
- Being, not doing
- Present moment awareness
- Being “here”
Easy ideas, complicated concepts. The ubiquity of multitasking is an excellent example of the challenges. Home, work, play, school, friends, family… There’s so much to think about and it all fights for attention. With our minds everywhere at once, they are often far from our actual lives.
The UCSD Center for Mindfulness, part of the medical school’s psychiatry department, gives this definition:
[Mindfulness] is a quality, which human beings already have, but they have usually not been advised that they have it, that it is valuable, or that it can be cultivated. Mindfulness is the awareness that is not thinking (but that which is aware of thinking, as well as aware of each of the other ways we experience the sensory world, i.e., seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling through the body).
Mindfulness is non-judgmental and open-hearted (friendly and inviting of whatever arises in awareness). It is cultivated by paying attention on purpose, deeply, and without judgment to whatever arises in the present moment, either inside or outside of us. By intentionally practicing mindfulness, deliberately paying more careful moment-to-moment attention, individuals can live more fully and less on “automatic pilot,” thus, being more present for their own lives.
How is mindfulness part of meditation?
Meditation can be broken into two basic categories: Concentration and mindfulness. Until my recent introduction to mindfulness, I’d always thought of meditation as concentrating on clearing one’s mind or focusing on a narrow idea. To me, mindfulness seems the opposite.
What I love about Western medicine’s approach to mindfulness meditation is the focus on becoming aware of your body, to be rooted in what you are experiencing. Having felt that my body has “betrayed” by giving me migraine and chronic daily headache, I am amazed by all the good it does.
That said, mindfulness meditation also involves paying attention to negative sensations (i.e. pain). I’ve long been a fan of burying my nose in a book to distract myself. Paying attention to the pain, nausea and vertigo is indescribably difficult. I get frustrated nearly every time. Tears and yelling are not uncommon. But I keep practicing and, like with any knew skill, it becomes a little easier each time.
This approach fully acknowledges that the mind wanders. In fact, one of the CDs I use says that the nature of the mind is to wander. Thinking of it this way makes it easier to let the thoughts go and return to the practice. There’s a non-judgmental quality to it and one that I, with practice, am learning to accept.
Think it’s not for you? Think again.
If I can do it, anyone can. Seriously. I have only be involved with it for two months, but my health has already benefited. The definition I provide from the UCSD Center for Mindfulness is rather academic, but my experience hasn’t been. You’ve probably caught on by now that practice is key. I started with, and still use, a 20-minute CD segment. I feel my body relax as I progress and am always surprised when it ends.
The point of all this is not “enlightenment,” but better health. I now notice when I start to feel flushed, which is usually the beginning of a crash. Sometimes I push, but sometimes I stop. In the airport recently, the rigmarole, crowds and general feeling of being rushed got to me. All I did was sit down and breathe and felt better within 10 minutes. I also thought of a small step I could take to ensure I stayed calm: I could pre-board. Boy, did that help.
Want to join me?
I already know that mindfulness will become an integral part of my treatment. As such, it will likely become a main topic on The Daily Headache. You can follow along with my experience and may even want to join me. I’d love to get a dialog going where we can learn from each other.
Resources
I’ve found some websites with good introductions to mindfulness and mindfulness meditation. Some get kind of abstract and spiritual sounding, but try to think of how it can apply to your health and self-care. Following links about mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may be helpful.
- UMass Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society
Where it all began. The site isn’t very descriptive but it gives you an idea of the application to medicine. - UCSD Center for Mindfulness
The MBSR course is similar to the one I was in the last two months. There is probably a course like it near you. - Shambhala Sun
Mindfulness meditation articles from a Buddhist magazine
For books, I recommend starting with Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. Basically a book version of UMass’s Stress Reduction Clinic’s program, it takes a strong Western approach. It reads like the self-help book it is, yet has great information. You’ll help support The Daily Headache if you buy it through the link above or you can probably get it at your library.
Topics: Coping, Favorites, Treatment | 4 Comments »
Update on My Dad
By Kerrie | May 1, 2008
My dad has been back in the hospital since Monday. His cardiologist sent him in after his blood tests indicated kidney failure. We were thrilled to learn the problem is instead a blockage and a cyst on his left kidney. However, his symptoms are mimicking that of kidney failure, including more fluid around his heart.
He had the fluid from around his heart drained yesterday and has a tube in his chest to drain any more that accumulates. The cardiologist and renal specialist said his heart is healthy, that the problems are coming from his kidneys.
He has been taken off almost all his medications (and there were many) to start fresh. Some drugs were actually making his symptoms worse, including fluid in his lungs. Side effects may have been an issue too.
I’m glad he’s been admitted to the hospital. He has a team of doctors working together and literally reading off the same chart. Before, he was driving all over the city, from one doctor to the next. They were all trying to help, but no one had a complete picture of the problem.
I talked to my dad late yesterday afternoon and he sounded better than he has in at least a month. My mom has noticed a clear improvement too. Now we wait while my dad gets poked and prodded some more. That’s not as hard as it sounds — we’ve been waiting for two years as one thing after another has gone wrong and no one can figure out why. To have a good group of doctors with a clear focus is reassuring.
That’s what I know for now. Thanks for all your good wishes and support. I’ll keep you posted.
Topics: Coping | 1 Comment »
Migraine & Headache News From the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting
By Kerrie | April 30, 2008
Migraine-related study findings presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting, April 12-19.
Migraine Increases Risk of Severe Skin Sensitivity and Pain
The study found that 68 percent of those who reported almost daily headaches (chronic migraine) and 63 percent of those with episodic migraines reported allodynia, the name of this intensified and unpleasant, painful skin sensitivity. Forty-two percent of people with probable migraine reported the skin pain compared to 37 percent of those with daily or tension headache.
Migraine Frequency Linked with Women’s Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
New research shows women who have weekly migraine are significantly more likely to have a stroke than those with fewer migraines or no migraine at all, but those with lower migraine frequency may face increased risk of heart attacks.
Breastfeeding While Taking Seizure Medicine Does Not Appear to Harm Children
A first of its kind study finds breastfeeding while taking certain seizure medications does not appear to harm a child’s cognitive development.
Children with Migraine at Increased Risk of Sleep Disturbances
Children with migraine are more likely to have sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and lack of sleep, than children without migraine, according to research on the effects of headaches on children’s sleep patterns.
Overuse of Codeine, Oxycodone and Barbiturates Increases Risk of Chronic Migraine
People who overuse barbiturates and opioids, such as codeine, butalbital, and oxycodone, to treat migraine are at an increased risk of developing chronic migraine.
Topics: Biology, News, Treatment | No Comments »
April Headache Blog Carnival Posted
By Kerrie | April 30, 2008
The April Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival is now up! This month’s carnival focuses on basic coping strategies for living with headache and migraine. I enjoyed reading the great posts and learning about some blogs I’d never heard of:
- Fighting the Good Fight at My Life with Migraine
- Coping with Migraine and Chronic Pain at Down the Rabbit Hole: The Journey of a Migraineur
- Sinol All-Natural Fast Headache Relief at Allie’s Answers
Many thanks to Diana from Somebody Heal Me for all her hard work on the carnival.
Topics: Community, Coping, Treatment | 1 Comment »
MyMigraineConnection’s Poetry Contest Winners
By Kerrie | April 29, 2008
Congratulations to the winners of MyMigraineConnection’s Putting Our Heads Together poetry contest!
- First Place: Massive Migraine by mopar496
- Second Place: Car-jacked by Roey
- Third Place: Perpetually Now by MaxJerz
- Fourth Place: The Keeper by desrivgir
- Honorable Mention:
My Ghostly Shadow by SEG
A Rare Day by cdelavarre
Pain Inside My Head by thedoglady
The Thorn by Brynnwriter
The Stranger’s Eyes by Roey
Be sure to check out all the excellent entries for this year’s contest!
Topics: Community, Coping | No Comments »
Weirdest Migraine Trigger Contest
By Kerrie | April 29, 2008
Free My Brain from Migraine Pain blog is hosting a weirdest migraine trigger contest. We’ve all got some weird ones — what’s yours? Submit it to Megan at megan[at]trufflehunter[dot]us by midnight tomorrow, April 30 Friday, May 2. You could be one of the lucky ones with a really strange trigger!
Topics: Community | 1 Comment »
Debilitating Nausea Caused By High(ish) Magnesium Dose
By Kerrie | April 28, 2008
Woo hoo! I feel human again and it’s all because I stopped taking magnesium. Yep, magnesium, the wonder supplement that helps so many people with migraine and chronic daily headache. I don’t think magnesium itself is to blame, but that the dose was too high. Since I can’t even take a multivitamin without nausea, I was hyper-aware as I increased from my starting dose of 100 mg. Or so I thought.
At 333 mg per day, it was within the normal dose range for treating headaches of 200-500 mg per day. It was also within the recommended daily allowance of 350 mg. I’ve discovered that allowances and ranges are like speed limits: A guideline you’re not supposed to exceed, but that you don’t have to meet.
Practically every health care provider I’ve seen has recommended magnesium to me. I’ve taken it on and off over the last five years, although this is the first time I’ve taken it consistently for more than a few weeks. Because I’ve read so much about it and had it prescribed before, I thought I could adjust the dose myself just fine. I figured I’d be fine if I stayed at or under the RDA. I unwittingly fell for the myth that medications, vitamins and supplements sold over-the-counter are harmless.
The good and frustrating news: My overall head pain was less and I had fewer migraines during the time I was horribly nauseated. I’m guessing that means the magnesium helped some. I think once my system flushes the current round of magnesium, I’ll have my different vitamin and mineral levels tested. I’ll also make myself keep a diary of my symptoms and doses. I wouldn’t want to go through these last six weeks again. I felt horrible and was so scared of what might be wrong with me.
I haven’t had any blood tests, so I’m not positive the nausea was caused by excessive magnesium. But when debilitating nausea that began about the time I increased my dose goes away when I stop taking the pills, the evidence is strong enough for me.
What is your experience been with magnesium? Please leave a comment below or chime in on the online support group and forum.
Topics: Kerrie's Health, Treatment | 5 Comments »