a candid look at managing and living with headaches & migraines

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Archive for August, 2007

Health Care Providers Aren’t Mechanics & You Aren’t a Car

I can’t count the number of times someone has told me — or I have said — “I just want a doctor/naturopath/acupuncturist/whomever to fix me.” Unfortunately, health care providers aren’t mechanics and bodies aren’t machines. I stopped letting myself think that they were a few years ago, but seeing an example on my own body [...]

Trying to Catch My Breath & Grumbling a Bit

The rest of my niece’s visit was great. I’m glad I didn’t get too sick while she was here, but hate that I always lose a week to migraines after a trip or big event. Yesterday I slept too late and was fuzzy-headed and dizzy all day. Today I woke up and was out of [...]

How to Find a Doctor Who Knows About Headache

Would you trust an editorial about foreign aid policy that was written by the author of bodice-ripper romance novels? How about trusting doctors who calls themselves headache specialists even though they are trained in totally different fields, aren’t certified in headache management, and/or don’t participate in either of the national headache societies? Some people who [...]

My Niece, My Caregiver

My niece and I are having a terrific week, but, as predicted, I’m worn out and getting a migraine each afternoon. Instead of letting me push through, my niece has reminded me each day that I need to rest. She’s subtle about it, making it seem like she’s an excessively tired 12-year-old. (She’s not.) I’m [...]

Longterm Stress Reduction

99.5% of people who have seen a doctor about migraines or headaches have been told to reduce stress. I made up that statistic, but I bet it’s not far off. Google “ways to reduce stress” and you’ll get nearly 3 million hits. Most recommendations are mildly effective band-aids. Changing how you react in the moment [...]

How to Describe Your Symptoms to Your Doctor

If you see an internist or general practitioner about your headaches, you’re guaranteed to annoy them if you say “I have bad headaches and get dizzy a lot.” These two are pretty much the most general and hardest to diagnose from symptoms around. Even if you do have bad headaches and get dizzy, there are [...]

FDA Delays Approval for Migraine Drug Trexima

Trexima, a combination of sumatriptan (Imitrex) and naproxen sodium (found in Aleve and other NSAIDs), was expected to receive FDA approval last week. Requesting more safety data, the FDA has delayed approval of Trexima. The concern is about one of the four tests of genotoxicity, which is toxicity to DNA. The requested data are available [...]

Overscheduling My Niece’s Visit

For years we have planned to have our nieces and nephew stay with us for a week the summer after they turn 12. I’m so excited that the time has finally come for my oldest niece to visit. She’ll be here next week. Some of the activities I’m looking forward to: Seeing Harry Potter and [...]

Optimism or Self-Deception?

How is it that I’m always surprised when I get a bad all-day migraine? Every migraine eases up eventually, so my optimism isn’t unfounded. But am I expecting the best or just denying reality? Is self-deception always bad? I don’t keep a headache diary because it’s easier to revise history for the better without a [...]