a candid look at managing and living with headaches & migraines

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Archive for July, 2007

Severe Migraine Today

Can’t write more — computer screen too bright to look at.

Pain Receptors in the Bone, Skull & Scalp Pain, and Botox

Headache specialist Christina Peterson’s comments on the news that a patient’s skin sensitivity may help predict Botox’s effectiveness for migraine explains the exciting research behind the story. Dr. Peterson attended the lecture on the topic at the International Headache Society’s annual conference. She wrote:
This was far and away the coolest lecture, although it was also [...]

It’s a Baby!

Congratulations to Jackie and her husband Jamie who welcomed Donovan James Taylor into the world yesterday morning. Mom, dad and baby are all doing great. We wish their new family all the best!

Migraine Down, Motivation Way Up

I often worry that even if my migraines were under control, I still
wouldn’t accomplish anything. That the problem isn’t my illness, but
that I’ve become lazy. The last three days have shown me just how much more motivated I am when I don’t have a migraine and my headache is mild.
I’ve taken care of many tasks [...]

Seeking Patients’ Perspectives on Pain for Journal Article

Trisha, an RN with chronic migraine and occipital neuralgia, is seeking patient input for an article for she is writing for a nursing journal. Her focus is patients’ perspectives on chronic pain and what their health care experiences have been. She says,
The reason I want to write this article is because after almost two
years on [...]

Therapeutic Caffeine Before a Massage

In a normal world, deliberately drinking caffeine before a massage is illogical. Yet it was the only I enjoyed the massage I treated myself to yesterday.
Without much time between yoga and the massage I had scheduled yesterday, I went to Whole Foods for Kerrie-safe tuna salad. Instead of the usual kind that mom makes (which [...]

American Council for Headache Education’s New Website

Wondering how migraine and tension-type headache differ? Or what the common migraine treatments are? The American Council for Headache Education (aka ACHE) has a new website that will answer these questions and more.
Particularly good stuff:

How to identify — and avoid — your headache triggers
Tips for your first visit to a doctor for your headaches (part [...]

My Cellphone, a Portable Headache Trigger

I manage my environmental triggers as well as I can. At restaurants, I double check to see if there are nuts in a dish. I stay clear of toiletries and cleaning products at the grocery store. I switch seats at movies to get away from smelly neighbors.
Then I spill tea on my cellphone. After many [...]

Poll: Wheat/Gluten-Free for Headaches

If you haven’t read the excellent comments on Wheat/Gluten- and Dairy-Free for Migraine & Headache, please do. Responses are mixed. Not a shocker.
What about you? Have you tried a wheat- or gluten-free diet? Was it useful?

Migraine Remains After Migranal-Induced Nausea

A killer migraine knocked me down yesterday. I gave myself over to Migranal, the abortive that my headache specialist recommended last week. It reduced my head pain, but magnified the nausea tenfold. This is a common side effect. I just didn’t expect it to happen to me.
The migraine worsened in the night and was unbearable [...]