Friday, November 14, 2008

Migraine: Laughter is the Best Medicine? Well, Almost.

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Well it’s official. I am a blogger. This is my second post to this blog. Just had to pinch myself (I actually did that, but only to see if it took my mind off my pain for a few minutes). What is the emoticon for a feeble attempt at humor?

รต.O

This one works for me. I just found it on Wikipedia. Just looking at these put a smile on my face.

I try as hard as I can to keep my sense of humor. It’s too easy to let the pain keep me in a funk. Even on good days find me walking along with a chip on my shoulder, not knowing when the pain is going to strike me down again.

Wait, I think this one is better for a feeble attempt ...

:-|

It’s important for several reasons, for me to push through the “bubble of pain” that has engulfed my life and force myself to smile. It’s important for my relationships with family and friends. Especially for my family. Living with a cave man (not belittling my own looks ~ just where I spend the majority of my time) is not a party for them. It really puts a strain on everyone when I wear my pain on my sleeve all the time. I see it affect each person in my family and their interactions with each other. Setting a positive example for them is one of the most important things in my life.

It’s important to my sanity to find humor and enjoyment somewhere in my life. By putting a smile on my face, even if I feel like I am going through the motions, eventually makes me feel better. By doing the things that I would do if I didn’t feel like a depressed ogre, I am actually doing something to help myself get better. I have discussed this phenomenon with my counselor and he told me that this is a documented therapy. My behavior changes can help to modify brain chemistry and ease my depression.

It’s important to remember that I am not the only person in my life being plagued by migraine headaches. The people around me are suffering as well. They may not have a headache, but their pain is just as real, if not as physical. Trying my best to be myself (the real me) is one way to help myself and my family.

I found this video about dealing with family members during a migraine, and other good videos at the web site for Zomig.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Migraine: Beginning or End

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Migraine: Beginning or End

On November 10, 2008 my employment as the manager of the student computing resources for a School in a large University came to an end. I officially became disabled and started long term disability after years of struggle to fight my affliction and depression.

I am a migraine sufferer. I am at this time only 47 years old and have had migraine headaches for the last 27 years. This is not the first time my pain has cost me a part of my life, and may not be the last. I hope that my experiences may help others to find the answers needed in their own lives. I start this site today in order to continue my passions for teaching, working with technology, and finding hope.

This is one of two blogs that I am beginning as of today. One, “Hey-Andy”, is accessible from the navigation menu above and is dedicated to helping the students I once supported as well as anyone needing help with a technology issue. This, the second, is my attempt to provide other migraine sufferers with some insight, and help in dealing with this devastating disease while hopefully helping me to deal with my own circumstances.

The intention of this blog is to keep a current journal of my trek from this day forward. And, to journal entries pertaining to the passage that has led me to this part of my life. The two will run concurrent, and as I document my plight, I will provide access to the information that is at my, and now your disposal.

I have collected all my available medical records, calendars, journals, lists of treatments, medications and more, from about twenty years. It’s too much to publish all at once, but over time, it will be done.

I have tried about every possible treatment, and struggle not to roll my eyes when someone offers a complimentary “have you tried...”. I know how hard it is to find good and valid information online. As an IT professional, I know my way around the internet, and I know that there are too many old or discarded articles that are useless or of little value as well as supposed cure-all supplements and pharmaceutical propaganda. No one has all the answers. Although, I have been asked for my suggestions for treating migraines from from neurologists and other migraine sufferers, I don’t claim to have the answers either. Finding the right treatment for one person will not provide the definitive answer for everyone else.

This site is first, intended to be therapy for myself, and second, help to anyone else that can get something positive from it.

Please feel free to join me on this journey. No, really, PLEASE join me.