a candid look at managing and living with headaches & migraines

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Mindfulness & Meditation: An Introduction

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. [...]

Looking Beyond Illness: Adding Up the Smallest Joys

A few smiles a day can make a big difference in how we perceive pain — and our lives. This occurred to me today as I bought Spike Lee water. (That’s sparkling water to anyone outside my household.)
I was taken aback when my then six-year-old niece asked me for her Spike Lee shirt a few [...]

The Guilt of Letting Myself Down Over and Over

Guilt and I spend a lot of time together. It is my closest friend, a friend I happen to despise. This is one bad relationship I don’t think will ever end. I feel guilty when I let anyone down, especially when that person is me. Multiple times a day I make promises to [...]

Guilt Comorbid With Headaches

“Comorbidity refers to the greater than coincidental association of separate conditions in the same individuals. Historically, a number of conditions have been noted to be comorbid with migraine, notably psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, panic disorder), epilepsy, asthma, and some congenital heart defects.”
This quote is from an abstract of an article from the June 2005 issue [...]

Baby Steps to Minimize the Impact of Migraines & Headaches

“I’m not happy” is what my friend’s three-year-old says when another kid has something he wants. Whether he’s eying a root beer or the rocking chair, this simple statement expresses so much. Obviously something has to change to make him happy, or at the very least, not unhappy.
Since hearing him say this, I’ve replaced specific [...]

Baseball & Headaches, More Alike Than it Seems

What a glorious day! It’s opening day of the baseball season. I’m excited not only because I love the game (I became a huge fan after a spinal tap left me with a three-week headache that glued me to the couch), but it’s a daily reminder of hope, glory and being in the moment.
Each season [...]

“You Have What You Have — Good and Bad”

“If I ever have kids and they’re upset, I won’t tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn’t change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody has it much worse, that doesn’t change the fact that you have what you have — good and bad.”
This [...]

Friends, Family & Illness

The canceled plans, dirty kitchens and general grumpiness that go along with having headaches, whether episodic or chronic, puts strain on even the best of relationships. With all my experience, you’d think I’d have some suggestions for dealing with this, but my brilliant strategy is to feel guilty. Not too productive, I know.
The new [...]

The Many Symptoms of Migraine

Is it just a coincidence that you feel foggy-headed, have to pee a lot and always have dark black circles under your eyes every time you have a migraine? Nope. Throbbing head pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and weird visual effects are the most discussed symptoms of migraine, but the list is far [...]

“You’re Gonna Be So High”

Saturday was a warm and sunny day at Vegoose, the music festival where we spent the weekend. Although everyone around me was standing and dancing, I laid in the grassy field outside of Las Vegas with my eyes closed,
soaking up vitamin D.
I’d been a good patient and remembered to take my Chinese herbs with me [...]