Migraine Disease Is Not FUNny

                    
via GIPHY

Suffering from Migraine Disease will never be fun. I guess I'm stating the obvious, for anyone who is suffering with this invisible disease. I've suffered with the disease since the early '80's and it has never been fun. With this said, I have always tried to find the funny in the world.

I spend too much time in the dark confines of my bedroom. Blackout shades, no lights, no odors, no noise, and really no human contact. What does your brain do in this kind of environment? You either focus on the negative, or turn to thinking about, imagining, or questioning the world that exists outside of your cave. I choose the latter. I last had the ability to work at a professional career in 2008. Since then, I have experienced an average of 16 migraine days per month. So, when I'm in my carefully constructed migraine environment friendly cave, with an eye mask, icepack, and pillow on my head; I dream of the good 'ol days, and I think of the interesting, odd or funny things in life.

I have to do something to keep my mind distracted between the pain and sleep. I choose to analyze the world and attempt to find the funny. As I'm able, and remember, I keep notes on my phone of the strange things my brain comes up with. It can be scary, for the uninitiated and myself, to see the weird and funny things that pop into my mind. I have been a clown my whole life and I have no problem with people laughing with or at me.

When I'm down for the count, I push myself to think about things and not pain. I don't think, Why me? I think about the why's of the world. I put square pegs in round holes, solve world hunger, and cure cancer. Don't I wish. The funny is there if you allow yourself to think about it. I like to make myself and others laugh. When I'm stuck in my own head, I seek the funny. I make up jokes. They're not all great, not all laughable, or even something I can share with others. But, I try to remember the good stuff and write it down at my next opportunity.

When the "Monster" isn't on my back, I make the most of every moment. Trying to stay active is https://giphy.com/gifs/car-head-window-aBfSGPDRDSdqw
difficult at best. Between Aura, Prodrome, Migraine, and Postdrome, it can be very hard to be any kind of active. There are times when those around you up and moving and assume that your '100%. Having 16+ migraine days a month also means that you can have 3x that, while suffering the other three phases of migraine disease. Just believe me that the math works according to my limited knowledge of 'new math'. With the time that is available to me, I try to have fun.

Active days mean that my body and my brain are alert enough to participate in life, and when I do, MY PEOPLE know about it! You can hear my joy for miles! I have a bounce in my step, laugh at the stupid, joke around, and hang my head out of the car window and howl at the fresh air. Most times I'm even more gangster than that.

I've recently found stand-up comedy open mic nights. When my non-communicable disease (put smiley face here) allows me to get out of the house and there's a show, I go laugh. I laugh with others and I laugh at myself. I laugh at the absurd and the sublime. I make new friends and we laugh together, at least on the inside.

I urge my fellow migraine and invisible illness sufferers to take the opportunities they have to get out and live, when you can. Take chances. Don't be afraid or embarrassed. YOLO, You Only Live Once, so howl at the wind!

Pardon my rambling,

Shooting the Gap

We've all done it. Finally we can move and we are able to amble slowly ahead and in the right direction. Have been in the same space for what may have been minutes, hours or even days. You're not able to take off and just go because you know there's more blocking your way ahead. You're not able to move past on the right for fear of falling off the edge. There's absolutely now way you would want to go backwards and experience the same past all over again, and you can feel the space to the left disappearing fast. What do you do? Shoot the gap.

This is the migraine 'high'way of life. If you are a migraineur, then you probably more than understand what I'm trying to say. We live each day fighting the same old traffic, as the day before. And, if we are lucky, there's a small little gap between light and dark that we may be able to take advantage of, in order to move ahead in our lives, if only for a moment.

It's hard to shake the pain and make ready for an opening. You never know just when it's going to appear, but when it does, you MUST be ready to take advantage of it. You lay in wait, between the pain of the past and the pain of the future and PRAY. When it happens, you gun it, put the pedal to the metal, and shoot the gap.

If it lasts for a second, or it lasts for days, you have to live your life like there's no tomorrow. There may not be, because you may be stopped in your tracks unable to move and unable to know how much time has passed since you last enjoyed being up and running. The next you know, you look up and your moving again, slowly, carefully, and somewhat afraid. Are you still in the slow lane, with a migraine on your back bumper, or have the hours and the days passed and your about to plow into the next one just ahead?

Is that a gap just ahead? Are you close enough to your destination that you can you get out and crawl, walk or run forward? You MUST make the effort. You run, swim, bike, ski, hug your family and friends, PRAY, smile, or anything your body and mind will let you do.

This is shooting the gap.

But I Don't Look Disabled!

I have all my fingers, all my toes. I have both arms and legs as well as a torso to go along with them. If you see me out and about I don't need a wheelchair.  So how can it be that a good looking man like myself can be considered disabled? This is the conundrum of having an invisible illness!

If you you were to visit my home for a week, you would see how my migraines affect my life. Typically, you might see me (if at all) lying in bed three or more days, in a dark room with no noise and nothing to attack my sense of smell. I would be under the covers with my head covered and an icepack on my left anterior temporal lobe. Typically I am unable to function at all, but if I can... I make the effort. This is problematic too. I'm very light sensitive. My face and eye droop on the left side. I can't think straight, lose my focus and memory. I have to move very slowly because I lose strength in my right arm and leg. Forget about bending over. I can't even reach my shoes and socks.

Handicapped (Photo credit: a77eBnY)

There are even more symptoms, but you can get a pretty good idea of what I'm going through. How is someone in my position supposed to find a job? How do you get a job when you have to tell them that you  may not be able to work several days a week and don't which days they are until the last second?

AND, I'm not alone! There are somewhere around 3.2 million migraine sufferers, just in the United States. Many of these people may find themselves in the same situation that I am. I may not look like I have a disability, but I do. Non migraineurs do not have any means in which to really feel our pain. Just as men will never know the pain of childbirth. But, that doesn't make the pain any less real, or any less disabling.


People kind of get "this look" when they ask what I do and I tell them I am on disability. So, I usually start by saying that I am kind of retired. That usually points the conversation in a different direction and I don't feel embarrassed. Now, this is the point I've been leading this post toward. I/We should not have to feel embarrassed by our disability. There really needs to be a large push to provide more information to not just the public in general, but to our family and friends about the affect of migraine as well as the effect of the migraine to those who have this chronic disease. Our world close and far, needs to know that Chronic Migraine is disabling. It has to start at home!

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Migraines Are NOT Convenient

"How Convenient". I've probably heard that phrase a million times or more. My family notices when I miss dinner with the in-laws, going grocery shopping, making dinner or cleaning up the dishes, Church, picking the kids up from piano practice as I promised, and going to work just to name a few. But, how many times do they notice when I miss going to the movies, bowling, shooting hoops with "the boys", or watching football on TV?

You know and I know that migraines are not convenient. I can't pick and choose which events are spoiled by them. To others it may seem I control the strings, but in reality this monster is the puppeteer. My migraines determine the movement of my legs, arms, eye lids, right side and wrong side up, standing or laying down. It controls when I can eat, sleep, walk, talk, drive a car, clean the house, get dressed, and even engage in the things I love to do and with the people I love.

Everyone, other than a fellow migraine sufferer, seems to think that I can control my illness. Control when it allows me to participate and when it puts me in a choke hold. If someone does not suffer from a debilitating disease, then they have no possible idea of the limits I have on my life. No idea of how long it takes to recover from the blitzkrieg.  They just can't conceive the weight of the struggle to make it through a day.

Sometimes, I wish I could wear my pain like a sandwich board, to signal those around, that I have a disease that prevents me from participating. As if, the tears and drooping of my eye are not enough. Some might think that the fact I'm in bed with the blinds drawn and a pillow over my head might be enough. But no, those around me have seen that so many times that it has become the norm and doesn't really register with them. My friends and family have gone blind to the fact that I'm using every ounce of strength I have to keep from clenching up in a ball and screaming at the top of my lungs.

No, migraines are not convenient. Just because I cannot participate does not mean that I choose not to participate.

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25,000+ Migraine Views

Today, I have hit a milestone. I think 25000+ views of my blog is pretty special. When I started in November of 2008 I was very discouraged. I had the belief that "all you have to do is build it and they will come". Well, anyone writing a blog today, knows how funny that is. It takes a lot more than building it. It takes advertising through Twitter, Blog Surfer, and Facebook, just to name a few. This means that not only do you need to write (and write well?), but you need to do marketing as well.

Writing is a skill that is hard to master. I am not a natural writer. Before this blog the only things I wrote for myself and not a class, were poems. I started writing my blog, thinking that there weren't too many good resources of migraine information available. That I could provide information from my own experiences in a light or funny way and fill a niche. While I have written some posts that I feel met my personal expectations, I think that sometimes I write too deep. Well, at least it comes from the heart.

Accurate and reputable resources were very hard to find at first. There were a couple of good sites and blogs back then and now there are many more valuable sites for finding good straight information. Now there are migraine news sites that report in accurate terminology and are readable, insightful and relevant.

I have a much better understanding of blogging and still think that I can provide information that encourages my readers. Blogging between migraines can be a challenge, but I have found it totally invigorating for me. Thank you to all my readers. I hope that I that I am able to continue providing a reason to return and maybe for a different point of view.  Take a look below right, for a list of some of the blogs I read. Thanks again!

 

Decrease Migraine Down Time

Who wouldn't prefer a natural remedy for their migraines? Here are five life changes that could naturally reduce the number of migraines in your life. The practice of  living a healthy lifestyle is difficult if you try to take it all on at once. So, adjust one item at a time.  Altering some bad habits may be what is needed to decrease the number and severity of  migraines in your life.

Using natural remedies may be more effective than over the counter drugs or hardcore prescriptions. Some of the medicines taken as prophylactic, designed to prevent migraines, may even lead to more migraines and unwanted side effects. The side effects can feel as bad as a migraine attack itself. By changing aspects of your life and the way you live can decrease the down days of most migraineurs.

Get More Winks

Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep each day. We each need to assess the amount we, as migraineurs, require in order to make it through the work week. It is very easy to get your days and nights reversed, when your body doesn't get enough sleep at night, or gets too much sleep during the day. Trying to make up for lost sleep is said to be useless and may set off another migraine attack.

Sweat More

Everyone can benefit from exercise. Those with migraine may need to work up a sweat as much as anyone else, in order to relieve stress triggers in their lives. The amount and type of exercise is different for each individual. A simple 30 minutes of exercise, three or more times a week, will definitely help reduce tension and stress in your life. Endorphins, released during exercise, reduce pain and inflammation in the body. A little sweat can go a long way.

Eat The Right Foods For You

It's one thing to say, "Eat right", but the right thing for one person may be harmful for another. Eating breakfast and having meals regularly are good for you. Some foods may be a migraine trigger. Foods like bread and other sources of wheat glutens, citrus, onions, aged cheeses and meats, and processed foods may be triggers for some migraineurs and not for others. Take the time to test your diet for triggers and stay away from foods that cause you to have an attack.

Watch Your Drinking

Watch what you drink and drink more water. Soda, tea and coffee are diaretics and can cause dehydration. Water is a necessity of this thing we call life. It seems so simple, yet is very hard for many to get enough water. The amount of water you may need to drink is suggested differently by different sources, but it's very difficult to get too much water unless you are drinking a bath tub full. Migraine attacks can cause dehydration. Dehydration may contribute to the migraine cycle. I've never heard of someone 'drinking' too much water.

Manage Your Stress

Stress is inescapable. Almost every moment presents some kind of stress. We need to learn to walk away, or deal with the stress in our lives. Learning to manage stress is one of the best ways to decrease the number and intensity of the migraines we endure. Try reading, meditation, moderate exercise, getting enough and the right kind of rest, and eating a balanced diet to reduce stress in your life.

Making life changes is difficult. It requires focus and discipline to make changes that become habits in our lives. Keep your perspective by looking at your changes one day at a time and carry them out every day. These changes may not be a total migraine cure, but they can only help to manage them in your life. If any of these suggestions eliminate even a small amount of down time, wouldn't be worth it?

 

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Longing For It

I've had migraine disease for over half of my life. Sometimes I can barely remember what it was like without it. It is only now in the past few years, that research has sought drugs that work on curing the disease. We still must settle for management no matter how much we long for the cure.

Just when I think I have it bad, I see others that I know with less hope in a cure for their ailment, than I have. There a many, many diseases in which there is no cure. Fibromyalgia, lung and heart disease are to name but a few.

My father-in-law is dealing with pulmonary fibrosis. Another disease without an outright cure. His options are to live approximately one to four years (yes, some do much better), steadily getting worse until he dies. Or getting a lung transplant. The lung transplant is a short term fix with approximately a 5 year survival average. What a difficult decision he has. The transplant number only counts if he is one of the 85% that make it through the procedure or he even passes the tests to be added to the recipient list. I thought I had it rough.

I went with him last week for the preliminary testing, which usually takes five days of ongoing evaluation. Unfortunately our visit wasn't typical. He had to go off his PPI (Protein Pump Inhibitor) for five days. His acid reflux was so bad by tuesday, that he was vomiting blood. He was too weak to attend the morning's first appointment and was sent to the emergency room.  The ER decided to admit him and have an endoscopy performed to look into the bleeding. He had to go without food for the second day in a row and was getting weaker by the minute. The endoscopy showed some erosion, but nothing actually bleeding. He ended up spending Tuesday and Wednesday in the hospital and missed all of the scheduled appointments for those two days. Thursday morning he was permitted to eat and was discharged. All but one appointment attended. But, Friday's heart catheter was cancelled because of his being still weak from the previous two days.

I tell you all this, so that I can keep some followers informed. But, I also tell this story to explain how much worse our problems can be. My father-in-law must now wait to find out if he will be placed on the recipient list at all. Hopefully he will be given the opportunity to have missed testing performed before the evaluation is made.

I know that no one is promised a single second of life. How much worse it must be, to have an expiration date placed on your life and to know approximately how you will expire. My heart and prayers go out to anyone in this same situation. Now, my disease, which plagues me almost daily, doesn't seem to be the worst possible situation. No matter how bad we have it, we should all count our blessings.

 

Migraine Gives Us Lives Lived In-Between

Seems I live a life (of or in) 'between'. I do live a life, only it seems to be in shorter spurts than that of others. A life in between migraines. Between pain and the dread of it returning. Between migraines and depression. Between sickness and health. Between, in bed and going back to bed.

This isn't a life that is just between me and my family. It is between me and my hobbies, my friends, my work. Between prescriptions, doctors visits, and clinics. Between enjoying time with family or friends and the inability to stand. And, I live between hopes. The hope of life without migraines, without living in a cave, without taking handfuls of medications, without wearing sunglasses day and night.

It is a life between us, the millions that suffer from migraine disease. It is because of the 'between' that I live my life, write this blog, share my story and share information that I find useful. But, let's not keep it between us. ;)

 

Sweating The Small Stuff

There’s a ton of stuff you don’t do when you could, and so getting things done may cause you stress.

Small stuff. The stuff that accumulates during the week, can stress you out to the point of flipping out. You can embark on a frenzy of activity, to get things done. Vacuuming, getting to the dry-cleaners, dusting, and laundry all must be done before you repeat the cycle over and over again.

A lot of stuff makes your sphincters (look this up, we have many) shudder and your pulse quickens and your  brow moistens when you think about it for too long.

It is too easy to burst into activity only to bust in a matter of 10 to 20 minutes.
These bursts of activity may actually be the answer to your problems, they may just be what you need to become the person you want to be. All you have to do is
initiate the eight minute rule. I am of the opinion that most of the things that need doing around the house can be done in under ten minutes. That’s a really short period of time. If you have your snooze button set to ten minute intervals, you’ll appreciate just how little time that is. But, It’s enough time to do a lot of stuff.

Pick your tasks one at a time, and apply the eight-minute rule. Make sure you don't over do it at first by trying to string too many things into your day. This can thwart your progress and make you weary. Just try a couple of things that you feel you can do around the illness that makes you week. Try these and see if you can come up with others to add to the list:

Taking out the trash – 2 minutes
Loading the dishwasher – 4 minutes
Vacuuming one room – 7 minutes
Dusting the surfaces in one room – 7 minutes
Ironing two shirts – 8 minutes
Going around your bedroom, picking up every stray sock and t-shirt and chucking all in the laundry bin – 5 minutes
Paying some utility bills – 6 minutes
Cleaning the tub - 5 minutes
Cleaning a window - 4 minutes

How many other items can you add to this list? Remember, they must take 8 minutes or less.


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Simply Survival

Sometimes, it is not that we are not looking forward to the holidays, but simply trying to figure out how to survive the holidays. Its a time of being together, and not of "let me lie down for awhile". As is the case for most migraine sufferers. We love the holidays. Love the time spent with friends and family. And, who doesn't love getting gifts? But the holidays present a lot of problems for migraine and other chronic illness sufferers.

Having a time of year to reflect on our religious beliefs and share our God with others, is a great thing. We should not take this for granted. There are places in our world that others cannot show their religious beliefs for fear of being tortured and killed. Here in America we are tortured in another way. Christmas is commercialized and trivialized. What we don't necessarily love is the bright lights, the loud noises, and even the smells of the holidays that affect our migraines. Holiday shopping with the stress due to throngs of people vying for the best deal. Every store playing the same songs over and over and over. They even pump it out of speakers in the parking lot. And, I believe, they are wafting the smell of Christmas tree through the ventilation systems. These can all contribute to our migraine Christmas woes.

We love to have visiting time with the people we love. Sharing stories and making memories can make us feel better. But, the preparation, the stress, and late nights can affect us in a negative way. We need to control our environment, to keep our stress levels low, and getting the right amount of sleep is super important in preventing our illness from knocking us down.

It's simply survival. Plan in advance by having break times built into your day. Let others know that the camera flash needs to be announced prior to pushing the button. Find a potpourri that doesn't cause you nasal stress (I can't stand evergreen or worse wintergreen permeating my breathing air). Set the Christmas muzak to a bearable decibel level. And take any other precautions that will help you make it through the holidays. How do you plan to have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas?

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The Canvas

Think of our lives as very large canvas. The Lord is the painter with brush in hand. Sometimes He is meticulous with His strokes and the color must be "just so". Other times, He lets the paint run and mix with other colors. He has the final product in His head. He knows how it will look in the end, but he doesn't want to control every nuance of the piece.

The canvas is so large the we are only able to see the tiniest of pieces. These pieces of the mural are so intricate that it is impossible to understand even our part of the masterpiece. But we try.

We try to understand the brush that causes our illness. Albeit migraine, fibromyalgia, or another invisible illness, the canvas is to intricate to fathom. All we can do, is live this "complete" life to it's natural fruition. Let the Master be the painter. Know that in the end everything that you have accomplished, everything that has happened to you or through you will eventually be a part of the canvas and the masterpiece.





 

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Sunshine In The Shade

In the shade of life the world can be too much. As a chronic pain sufferer, I know for a fact that some of us live in the shadows. Dark rooms, soft lights, dark glasses at all times of the day and night. Trying desperately to keep ourselves hidden from the light of day. These shadows extend beyond the light and dark on the outside to the darkness that dwells inside of us. No, I'm not talking good and evil. It's more like the difference between our feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, and the knowing of hope and happiness.

Our insides can feel cold and empty. Can feel battered and bruised. And, not just from the beating we can take from life, but also from the blows that we throw at ourselves. We might concentrate on a bleak future or the virtues we lack. Others may not see our distress, but that doesn't mean it's not there. So, we live in the shade with sunshine all around us.

All it takes is a single step to see some sunshine in our lives. It's there for each and every one of us. There is always some light no matter how dark the room may be. Keep your eyes open long enough and you will begin to see the things around you. A little longer and you will see the shadows being cast by the objects in the room. A little light can be found in any situation. Keep your eyes open long enough and even the darkest life casts shadows of it's own.

Know that as bad as it may seem there's a little light there. Grasp it, hold on to it, and pull on it toward the horizon. Let it grow in your heart till it lifts your spirits up. Use it to leave the dark, the shade, whatever pain you struggle against in your life. Make the most of any light in the dark. Take that hope and follow it toward the sunshine of your future.

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Stink'n Think'n

There are many ways that our thought processes can doom us to facing the same situations over and over again. It is the distortion of the truth that sometimes keeps us from reaching a positive mental attitude and subsequently happiness. Most of us are guilty of one type of distortion or another. Our thought processes can be altered when we know what to look for and avoid.

I'm not going to tell which of these apply directly to me, but I will say that the migraine disease that I have is not the only problem in my life. The pain can cause me to distort my view of the world and my situation in it. Then I have two problems to deal with; Migraine and depression.

This list of cognitive distortions is not of my own making. I've seen it several places online and I have tried to rephrase each idea to help in understanding Stink'n Think'n.

1. If things to you are black or white, then your thinking may be All-or-Nothing. If you are not able to do something perfectly, you think of yourself as a failure. Nothing is ever black and white and we can fall a little short and still not be a failure.

2. If you see any single event, especially negative, as a never-ending pattern then you are Overgeneralizing. Give things a chance and sooner or later you will receive the outcome you desire.

3.  You may be using a Mental Filter by picking out a single negative detail and focusing on it until your reality becomes diluted. Learn to pick out the positives as well as negatives for a positive attitude.

4.  Don't Disqualify the Positive. Let positive experiences be what they are. You may think they do not count for some reason or another, but don't maintain a defeatist attitude that is contrary to your every day experiences.

5. Sometimes events can be interpreted negatively by Jumping to Conclusions. Even when there are no clear cut facts to support our conclusions. Sometimes we Mind Read others and conclude that they feel negatively about us without finding out for certain. We believe we can tell the future by anticipating a bad outcome. By feeling that the prediction is already an established fact we are committed to  Fortune-Telling.

6. Exaggerating how important things are by magnifying your failure or someone else's achievement, or by shrinking the importance of things till they are insignificant. This Magnification/Minimizing is also called the binocular trick. Looking down the binoculars the wrong way always distorts our view of the scene.

7.  Attributing terrible consequences to the outcome of an event is Catastrophizing and prevents you from ever foreseeing a positive outcome. You feel that the slightest mistake could cost you your job. friends or even marriage.

8.  Feeling that your negative emotions dictate the way things really are. Your Emotional Reasoning is that if you feel it, it must be true. Just because you feel something is right doesn't make it so. Try not to let emotions determine whether things are right or wrong.

9.  Using "Should" statements in order to motivate yourself causing you to feel like you should be punished before expected to do anything. The emotional consequence is guilt when you use "should", "shouldn't", "Must" and "ought". Directing these statements toward yourself or others, makes you feel guilt, anger and frustration.

10.  An extreme form of overgeneralization is referred to as Labeling and Mislabeling. You attach a label to yourself instead of describing any error that you may make. Labeling (and mislabeling) yourself as a "loser" or other negative label as you overgeneralize a single negative event as par for the course.

11. Seeing some negative characteristic of yourself as causing a negative event. Or, taking responsibility for things that were not your doing is Personalization. Everything that happens is not caused by you. Negative things are going to happen to everyone that doesn't mean you made it happen.

12. When you concentrate on a thought that may be true, but does not gain anything by focusing on it, is Maladaptive Thinking. Focusing on some past event will not ever change that event. The past cannot be changed by anything we do in the present and we should not concentrate on those events.

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Rods and Cones

The days are getting shorter as winter focuses it's bearings on our lives. The sunlight has a different quality as it moves lower in the sky, but it still can cause problems for a migraineur.

I feel like the sun gets in my eyes more this time of year. Maybe I just see it more clearly when I come out from my cave.

Rods of shadow speckle fleetingly through the leaves, tracking time upon the ground. Streaming waves catching the corner of an eye. The difference between light and dark shortened on the clock, allowing us to see the beginning and the ending of the day.

Cones of color float upon the wind, dancing fluid movement till they reach the ground. Whirling flotsam transitions through the act of life and death. Looking straight ahead I see the pageant rolling with the currents. Twirling to the song of Autumn's tears.

Of course, the rods and cones are only in my eyes. Eyes that must be opened to view the spectacle abounding all around us. Closed to the pain that living life provides and seeking respite from the world. Dance in the light and dark that mark the passage of our creation. Be thankful of the progression that the changes in the season afford.



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Migraine Hangover or Depression?

I have actually been migraine free for the last five days! I have been active and productive the last ZERO DAYS. You read me right, no problems with the math, I just haven't been able to get myself up and around.

My last migraine (I wish) was last Friday. Let me rephrase that. The last migraine that I succumbed to was last Friday. And, of course, it kept me from doing something with a friend. I haven't had good quality friend-time in a while, and we had planned a week in advance to go to the local high school football game. 

Saturday came and went. I don't remember much, except that my alma mater won their game. I felt like I was run over by a truck, a big truck. One of those big 'ol 18 wheelers. Thump, thump thump, thump thump! 

On Sunday, I started feeling better but, not really. I didn't even have a twitch of the migraine monster and the physcological bruising had past the purple stage going toward greenish-yellow. (if you know what I mean)

Monday through today have just been rough around the edges. I'm in no pain. I just can't get myself to tackle the list of jobs around the house that have been waiting a long time for me. They are getting restless and afraid that I will never get them done. And, so they should worry. I worry about it. But I just can't raise the energy or the enthusiasm to strike a lick at them.

I think I have surpassed the "hangover zone" and entered into the "depression zone". This zone is very hard to get out of. It's full a pitfalls and obstacles. But I've decided to take a step. Move forward and start slow. Attack a small chore, then another, till I've started feeling better about the job list and ready to tackle a bigger, and a bigger project.

But it's not all about work, I need to find my pleasure time as well. I need to pick up my hobby horse and ride it some more. I need to call my friend and schedule another time to get out and do something fun in order to break this depression funk. There are going to be times that I have a migraine hangover and others that are bouts of depression.

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Don't Call It A Headache

There are many reasons to not call your migraine a simple headache. Not the least of which is the disservice that you do to yourself. Most people have had a headache at some time in their life, but only about 10% of the US population have migraines. Anyone who hasn't had a migraine cannot really know that type of pain, just as those who haven't given birth cannot know the pain of childbirth. I am not saying that these two different types of pain are equal, as I cannot give birth (being a dude and all) and cannot know that pain.

There are so many different types of migraine and headache that it is very easy to refer to them all as headaches or migraines. A continuous headache, or Cranium Continua, is often referred to as migraine. Although, in reality, it is not an actual migraine, many people with this disease also have migraines.

As an invisible illness, people can't see or know your pain. But you know your pain. If you have migraines, refer to them as such. If you are only having a headache, then a headache it is. If it is a migraine don't let others think you are having a simple headache, and thus treat you like someone having a normal headache.

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Ode To Lonely

Everyone has times in their lives when they are alone. Some cherish this time and others loathe it. Being alone does not necessarily mean that you are lonely and being lonely is not always a bad thing.

I came across the video interpretation of "How to Be Alone" by Tanya Davis, and it touched me. There are so many ways to make alone time more productive to your state of mental health.

You, like me may get a lot of alone time, but it doesn't have to be lonely time. Check it. I hope you enjoy and share this.



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Related Articles

• Live longer - with help from friends (guardian.co.uk)
• You: Failure to connect (guardian.co.uk)
•  Keeping Hope (againstthegraine.blogspot.com)

Overcoming Procrastination

Many of us, especially myself, put things off or do little unimportant things rather than work on the important tasks in our lives. This is procrastination. Putting off until tomorrow, causes us to worry. We worry about the priority activities that we have put aside that aren't getting completed. And, worry in our lives is a stressor that may lead to depression and/or an increase in our chronic pain.

"Procrastination or doing low priority tasks before high priority activities, robs us
of valuable time.", says Dr. Ingram walker of Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital, in the Spring 2010 issue of LifeWorks.

Dr. Walker says, "There are four major reasons for procrastination:

1. Laziness – To defeat laziness, begin. Once moving, you'll tend to keep going.
It takes greater energy to start an activity than to sustain it. For example, if you're writing a screenplay, put something on paper. Forget about sharpening pencils, arranging paper, reading one more script for inspiration. Write. Writers write.

2. The quest for perfection – Nobody is perfect. Nothing created by anybody is
perfect. Stop fretting about getting everything just right. Learn to do your best
and accept the results. Expecting perfection never gets anything accomplished.
To continue with the writing analogy, get that first draft done. Get something
down on paper – you can revise and rewrite the screenplay later.

3. Indecisiveness – To overcome indecisiveness, use the “ready, fire, aim”
approach. Fire it up there, and then aim it. Make some mistakes, learn, adjust,
move on.

4. Difficult tasks – Break down a difficult task into easy steps.
Just do a little at a time. You write a screenplay or a book one
page at a time. Write one page a day and at the end of a year,
you will have written 365 pages."

I intend on getting started with all of these tomorrow (just kidding). Take the time to put these four reasons to rest. Let's overcome each of these in order to take control and live happier and healthier daily lives.


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Life Changes That May Help With Migraines

Who wouldn't prefer a natural remedy for their migraines? Here are four life changes that could naturally reduce the number of migraines in your life. The practice of living a healthy lifestyle is difficult if you try to take it all on at once. Altering some bad habits may be what is needed to decrease the number and severity of some migraines.

Using natural remedies may be more effective than over the counter drugs and prescriptions. Some of the medicines taken as prophylactic, designed to prevent migraines, may even lead to more migraines and unwanted side effects. In most cases these natural changes can decrease the down days of most migraineurs.

Get More Winks
Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep each day. We each need to assess the amount we, as migraineurs, require in order to make it through the work week. It is very easy to get your days and nights reversed, when your body doesn't get enough sleep at night, or gets too much sleep during the day. Trying to make up for lost sleep may set off another migraine.

Sweat More
Everyone can benefit from exercise. Those with migraine may need to work up a sweat as much as anyone else, in order to relieve stress triggers in their lives. A simple 30 minutes of exercise, three or more times a week, will definitely help reduce tension and stress in your life. Endorphins, released during exercise, reduce pain and inflammation in the body. A little sweat can go a long way.

Eat The Right Foods For You
It's one thing to say, "Eat right", but the right thing for one person may be harmful for another. Eating breakfast and having meals regularly are good for you. Some foods may be a migraine trigger. Foods like bread and other sources of wheat glutens, citrus, onions, aged cheeses and meats, and processed foods may be triggers for some migraineurs and not for others. Take the time to test your diet for triggers and stay away from foods that cause you to have an attack.

Manage Your Stress
Stress is inescapable. Almost every moment presents some kind of stress. We need to learn to walk away, or deal with the stress in our lives. Learning to manage stress is one of the best ways to decrease the number and intensity of the migraines we endure. Try reading, meditation, moderate exercise, getting enough and the right kind of rest, and eating a balanced diet to reduce stress in your life.

Making life changes are difficult. It requires focus and discipline to make changes that become habits in our lives. Keep your perspective by looking at your changes one day at a time and carry them out every day. These changes may not be a total migraine cure, but they can only help in managing them in your life.

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