Migraine And Work

Migraine and work rarely go together. Working with migraine on a daily basis, is hard on a migraineur. We work so hard to balance our sanity, our jobs and our life at home . Here are some ways that aid in keeping your job. This list is not all inclusive. They are just the beginning in 'working' with your invisible illness.

•  Contact your HR department and do what you must to get FMLA.  In case you have to stay out of work for any length of time. FMLA is also good for your significant other to have set up in order to help take care of you when needed.

•  While working with HR have them document that you have a handicap. That you have special needs from your employer. Migraines do count as a handicap!

• Discuss with your superiors the possibilities available for accommodating your illness. Such as a flexible schedule, working from home, or even a change in work environment.

Doing these three things helped me extend my ability to keep my job and be able to work, until the migraines got so bad (daily) that I had to go on long term disability and eventually social security. At one point I was able to keep up 40-50 hours a week using a flexible schedule. But the monster finally caught up with me.

My next two posts will offer advice on balancing life and sanity with migraine.

 

How To Plan A Migraine

Planning a migraine is a lot like planning wedding. Albeit without setting a date, eating cake, inviting any guests, getting flowers, booking a reception hall and doing the "Hokie Pokey". 

You want to make sure you are ready when your migraine presents itself by having a plan.But, ...

Even the best laid plans of mice and men can often go astray.

Always plan ahead. If you are planning a wedding, you know the date and it will not catch you by surprise. Though your next migraine day will not be the happiest day of your life. You probably know how many migraines you suffer through each month or maybe you, like me, measure how many you have a week. With this knowledge you have the means to have a migraine plan. Planning your options and being ready for each attack can help overcome the severity. And give some normalcy to your life again.

Have a plan for several contingencies. It is unusual for a wedding day to come off without a hitch. It is wise to relax and plan for different possibilities. You have to realize that your migraine is not going to fit into tiny little pigeon holes. It's not going to play fair. You will eventually get one at the very worst time possible. So, be proactive and try to plan events in the gaps. Have a contingency plan in case your original plan falls through.

You know that in addition to having the migraine when you wake up, you are eventually, if not already, having them at work, when the weather changes, when you eat certain foods, due to bright lights and strong odors. You may have other times that a migraine may keep you from participating, and cause you to lead an abbreviated life. Be ready to not be ready.

What to include in your plan. The newlyweds always have a plan for the wedding. Dresses, shoes, bouquet, menu, and even have the suitcases packed for the getaway. You should always keep a bag packed. This should include some of your comfort items; Dark glasses and/or sleep mask, water bottle, a firm but comfortable pillow, ear plugs. You may also include an mp3 player to provide soft music to help you relax. There may be other items that you believe to be indispensable as well. Feel free to leave a comment about items you think I missed. Also, you should have a special place at home to go relax. Scope out work, the shopping center, and other places that are migraine rich environments. And, you should talk to your doctor about having a protocol for trips to the emergency room. Having your doctor prepare a plan that the doctors in the ED can follow, will cut your time in the hospital and get you the pain meds that you need more quickly.

 

Winded By Migraine

Image via WikipediaHave you been winded by your weather trigger? It's been a rough month for many migraineurs as the weather has attacked so many parts of the country. Tornadoes tearing across the middle states of the country and some have struck southern east coast states as well. All the communities affected by the storms, flooding and the aftermath, deserve our prayers.

I live in Southwest Virginia and very near my home there are two communities that have been completely wiped off the map. Members of my own family were in tremendous danger and had to take refuge as a tornado hit only a mile away. Just devastating, how the weather can turn on us without a moments notice.

Many of us migraineurs already know the dangers of weather changes. Maybe not as drastic as killer tornadoes or thunder storms, but they may sometimes seem just as devastating to our health. The weather can be a migraine trigger. For some of us very small changes in the weather can bring on a migraine without warning. High pressure, or low pressure may sneak up on us if we are not prepared.

A good source for weather changes that may affect or trigger your migraines is Weather.com, but you have to know where to find it. So, I found it for you. Go to http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/achesandpains/ .
You can see the current and future predictions of wind speed, humidity, temperature, barometric pressure and more. There is a pain index, but it doesn't seem to jive with my pain levels at any point in time. We may not be able to change how the weather affects the invisible illness called migraine, but we can be prepared with fore warning and our own preventatives.

By the way, I know that the weather can affect other illnesses as well. But, I hope that you are able to make it through the weather changes and not be winded by your illness.

 

Migraine Out Of Kilter

Managing your medications is an important a task, as you have in your life. If your meds are not managed properly, it can mean your life.

Last week was a rough one for me, to say the least. It seems that I did not load my medication dispensers correctly.  I missed a certain medication for a day or maybe two, and the result was NOT a party.

It is so important to use medications as prescribed, being careful to not under medicate or over medicate. The effects of under medicating can be as serious as over medicating, and may result in changes in blood pressure as well as changes in mood and appetite.

Changing medications or prescriptions can be tough enough. But, accidentally missing doses of my meds really threw me out of kilter. I was definitely out of balance, disoriented, and agitated. I definitely intend to monitor my medication dispensation a lot closer.

 

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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Hobby Horsing Around

Image by Fozzeee via Flickr
It's not easy to have and hold onto a hobby while dealing with migraine disease. The shackles that restrict us from going to work or visiting with the family, also prevent us from having much time for leisure. We that are afflicted with this invisible illness suffer many losses, not the least of these is time to pursue something for pleasure. Our hobby horse may be kept in the stable for much of the time.



It is a pleasure to be free from pain, even if only for a moment. Choosing to just relax or pick up our favorite pursuit can sometimes even cause us more stress. That is why we must make a decision to work or play before the opportunity rears it's head. Waiting till the moment is at hand can mean missing the moment all together. Be "ready" and also have a plan for "not".

Include your interests, what you enjoy doing the most, in your overall planning, so that you are ready when the opportunity is afforded. I enjoy playing basketball. A group of friends try to play weekly. I include this in my weekly to-do list. If I am able to play each Wednesday evening, then I show up. I always include it in my plans, even if at the time of planning I am down for the count. There have been times when I didn't think that I would be able to before hand, but showed up without the migraine monster on my back. I play when I am able and I am ready and willing even when I am not able. This goes for my blogging as well. I may have days at a time that I am unable to even look at the computer screen, but I have it on my to-do list and keep the tools I need at the ready as well. Whether it be my basketball shoes or my personal computer,  I like to keep the horse out in the open and not hiding in the back of the closet.

In this way, no matter what your hobby may be, keep the tools you need at the ready. Out of sight is out of mind. We have to use these fragments of time as they are given.

Always keep your hobby horse out and ready to ride.

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Setting Spiritual And Leisure Goals

 There's a lull between this and my last post, due to a minor family emergency that took me away from home for over a week. If you are following along at home, you know that I am currently setting my personal goals on my blog.
I am doing this, not because I love to share my personal life, but because I wanted to make myself accountable. By stating in my blog that I am going to do this, I am setting myself up to succeed!
After writing about setting goals and Goal Setting Tips, I realized that I was having trouble putting my own goals down on paper. So, in order to motivate myself, I decided to post them. Today, I am working on my spiritual and leisure time goals.
Remember that your goals have to be taken in small steps in order to reach a larger goal and dream.

II. My Spiritual Life

• I want to become closer with God
• I will do my best to attend church every Sunday.
• I will read my bible daily.
• I will pray daily.
• I will give God credit for every blessing in my life.

III. My Leisure Time

• I want to take better advantage of the amount of leisure time I have between migraines.
• I will keep a consistent bed time.
• I will not go to bed just because I am bored.
• I will spend more time with my family.
• I will spend more time outdoors.
• I will spend time each week to pursue my hobbies.
• I will use more time to prepare timely blog posts.

• I want to get into better shape and be healthier.
• I will exercise at least 3 times a week.
• I will change my diet and eat better.
• I will maintain a low carbohydrate diet.
• I will eat fewer sweets.
• I will eat smaller portions.
• I will lose 25 pounds by implementing the above changes.

I don't know that this is the perfect outline for my goals. After letting this sit for a week, I am having a mental block. I hope that, this in some way, inspires your to create a statement of your goals. Take time to ask yourself, "What are my spiritual and leisure goals?"

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Setting My Personal Goals

I am adamant about setting my goals for my life, so I set myself up in my blog. As I shared in my post, Goal Setting Tips, I am sharing my goals as I make them and hoping that others will take this challenge to sit down and set goals in their own lives in order to reach their dreams. Today, I am working on my Family, Spiritual and Personal Goals.

Our personal goals are those outside of our career path. They often have to do with family, friends and personal growth. In order to set these goals I need to list specific objectives I want to achieve in:

1. My Relationships
2. My spiritual life
3. My leisure time

It's best to focus on activities and the amount of time and effort you want to give to these activities. It's important to be reasonable and live up to your plan. Take the steps - not leaps - needed to meet your goals. So, today, I am focusing on goals for my relationships.

My Goals;


I. My Relationships
   My family and myself are slighted of time we spend together due to my
   migraines. I want to make sure that any reprieve time that I have is spent with
   my family and friends.

• I want to become closer to each member of my family. Even when we are all home, it is difficult to plan time together. At any moment plans may be scuttled due to my illness. A migraine usually means that I go to bed and the family goes on about their business without me.
• I will spend at least one hour a week with each immediate family member that currently resides at home. This does not mean that is all the time they get, but rather that in addition to smaller amounts of time spent together, I intend to spend at least one hour of one-on-one time each week as they are able.
• I will work with each person to plan our time together. Examples of time together could be walking, going out to eat, exercising together. Or my serving them in some way such as back or foot massages.
• I will take time (several times per week) to call, text and/or Facebook my daughter and son who are currently away at college.
• I will call my parents and my brother at least once a week.

• I want to cultivate my relationships with my friends. My relationships with my friends has suffered due to my chronic illness. I don't see them very often, and when I do they don't know what to say to me. My friends have all but stopped calling to invite me to ball games and other functions.

• I will find ways to communicate with my friends via phone,email, texting, Facebook, church  and local activities.
• I will attempt to spend time with one or more of my friends at least once a month.

If you have suggestions for things that could be added to this portion of the outline, PLEASE feel free to send me your comments. My next post will examine my Spiritual Goals.

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Goal Setting Tips

I'm writing it. I'm seeing it. I'm believing it, but, I'm just having trouble getting started. Having trouble getting my head around it. I'm trying to tell you how important it is and yet I'm having trouble setting goals for myself. Maybe my first goal should be outlining my goals in smaller pieces that will make the overall task much more manageable. Join me over the next few posts as I attempt to put my goals down.

Dr. John Ingram Walker in the Summer 2010 issue of LifeWorks, breaks the goals up like this;

Family, spiritual and personal goals
Personal goals are those outside of your career path and often have to do with family, friends and personal growth. List specific objectives you want to achieve in:

1. Your relationships
2. Your spiritual life
3. Your leisure time/relaxing/learning/volunteering

Focus on activities and the amount of time you want to give to these activities. Be reasonable with these areas and then live up to your plan. Take the steps - not leaps - needed to meet your goals.

Career goals
Career success requires a game plan and persistence. Most of us make career wishes or we follow career goals mandated by our companies. We fail to make and write down specific plans for our professional life, such as how to meet our goals and feel successful.

Ask yourself what your goals are for your career. Be specific. How can you advance your career in the next 12 months? What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? What are your lifetime career goals?

Self-improvement goals
Success in life depends on a steady pursuit of self-improvement. Read books that improve your attitude and people skills for 15 minutes every night. Reading just before you go to sleep allows the words to sink into your unconscious. Reading positive literature daily helps dilute the negative in your life. Listen to educational cassettes or disks when you are driving in your car. Join Toastmasters, or a group like it, to help set your words – and your career – on fire. Learn a foreign language.

Goal Activity List
To achieve your goals, act. Act now! Without action, your dreams are worthless, your goals are wishes and your plans are ashes. Action alone gives worth to your dreams. Your actions describe you.

Plug away at the daily activities that fulfill your dreams. Through self-discipline, you can gain the maximum benefits from your time. Cultivating a strong, healthy routine supports a successful, fulfilled life.

Your activities become habits. Habits become your character. Your character becomes your destiny. Become a slave to good habits. Doing the right things right develops strength of character that leads to success.

Routine activities develop habits that will help you achieve your goals and your dreams. If your goal is to write a book in one year, one of your daily activities would be to write a page a day. If you wanted to make a million dollars in annual sales, one of your activities may consist of making 10 sales calls daily.
Focus your activities on those things that will help you achieve your goals. Make a list of activities that you will do daily or weekly to accomplish your goals and do them every day, every week, every year.


LifeWorks is written by John Ingram Walker, M.D., director of Psychiatric Education at Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital. www.CarilionClinic.org

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Setting Goals

A good friend recently told me that I needed to set some real goals. Not just a daily to-do list, but goals for my future. It's been difficult for me to see beyond the day to day and think about having a future due to the severity of my migraines. It's too easy to let the "monster" and accompanying depression keep us from making and reaching goals, so we need to take large goals and break them into smaller achievable ones.

It's a coincidence that I have been struggling with setting goals for myself and the topic of the latest publication of LifeWorks is titled "Setting Goals To Achieve Dreams".LifeWorks is written by John Ingram Walker, M.D., director of Psychiatric Education at Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital. He has the following advice;


In establishing goals, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Goals should be for you and not for someone else
• Goals should be realistic and believable
• Goals must be achievable,so attack big goals in short steps,one at a time
• Goals should allow you to enjoy life - don't tackle so much work that you don't
   have enough time to relax

Follow these steps in making your goals useful:

Write your goals on a single sheet of paper and read them every day. Remember, unwritten goals are simply wishes. Forgotten goals are lost dreams. Review reinforces commitment and successful achievement depends on your commitment to your goals. So focus your energy by asking yourself daily: "Am I doing those things that will help me achieve my goals?"
One more thing...dreams are not always written in stone. As you change, change your goals to meet your dreams. Life is a trip. Directions and destinations can be altered. But with goals set, you will seldom be lost.


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Easing Migraine Hangover

I'm going to get the hangover, there's no way around it. I just can't go from 0 to 60 like I used to be able to do, as a younger man. The migraine lets up and I feel it sitting on my shoulder ready to pounce on me. Any movement of my head causes stiff muscles to ache, some light headedness, and sometimes pain.

I feel better. The stabbing pain is gone. No nausea. I almost feel human. But, if I try to hit the ground running, I only invite the monster to attack me that much sooner. I have to treat my retreat from the pain as a prize that I want to keep as long as I can.

To do this I need to treat the hangover that follows the migraine. The first step in accomplishing this, is to drink plenty of water. I know that my migraine leaves me dehydrated, and I have to replenish the liquids in my body. I will sometimes (when I have it) drink a Gatoraide which returns electrolytes back to your body. Water is the best medicine.

I need to rest. It feels so necessary to launch into the new day like a rocket. I feel so much better, with the weight lifted from my head. I want to pursue my normal life. To return to work, my chores, my hobbies. But a period of rest really does help prevent the subsequent return of the migraine.

I have to take my time and keep away from all my migraine triggers. Even the least amount of glutens, onions, or even bright light can start the pain all over again. I must take precautions to prevent the return of the monster.

Preventing the premature return of a migraine is very important to each sufferer.  Taking in plenty of fluids, resting, and avoiding other triggers can ease the pain of the migraine hangover and allow for the easy transition into normal life.
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Please Bear With Me.

Please bear with me as I transfer graphics and other web information to another service provider. I should have this cleared up as soon as Monday, Oct. 26th. 


I thank you, and my analytics thank you.

P.S. I like this image so much, I just may have write an article around it.

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Next Good Day

Here I am again, in bed, doing my best possum impersonation. I wake each morning.with my own personal cloud hanging over my head.

Though I'm awake, I lie in bed for several minutes with my eyes closed. I lie there taking inventory of each ache and pain. Specifically determining the level of pain in my head.

This diagnostic helps me to know what I can expect for the day. I've planned this day in advance based on what I was or was not able to get done during the past few weeks. And, today I am going to begin staining the front porch that I pressure washed a couple weeks ago. If I don't finish, it will be on my to-do list for my next "good day".

-- Andy

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Vacation

Vacation

It isn't hard to remember how great a vacation can be. Sun and sand, cookouts and picnics, family and fun. These are all nice times, that I sometimes miss because I don't feel good enough to participate.

It is impossible to plan a vacation from a chronic illness. It can hit without warning and then leaves the same way. If I tried to plan a real vacation around a vacation from my illness, it obviously would never happen. There are times I question if I should even be allowed a vacation, since I'm not working a regular nine to five job.

Everyone needs a vacation! A break from the norm. Even If I don't feel like I deserve one, the rest of my family, surely does. My wife especially needs to get away from work and home, to get some well deserved rest.

My family is leaving on vacation tomorrow morning. I am going with them. I am going, no matter how I feel. I will suffer in the car if I have to. If need be, I will find a place to lie down and confront my migraine where ever I am. I will try my very hardest to participate with everyone else and have a good time. Everyone deserves a vacation!

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Using Twitter to Keep a Pain Log

I have questioned whether Twitter could be a valuable tool beyond marketing, and now I have found an answer. "Now is the time for those of us who have a chronic illness to let Twitter worked for us!", Lisa Copen Writes for "Chronic Illness and Pain Support".

A Private account on the social networking tool, Twitter is perfect for chronic pain sufferers to keep a pain log or daily diary. Lisa gives 5 steps for using Twitter.

1. Create a private account just for your pain log.

2. You can send posts of 140 characters or less from your cell phone as well as computer.

3. Start by sending posts about anything you want or answer the question, "What did you do today?".

4. Print out your posts before your next doctors appointment and highlight any changes in pattern or pain.

5. Use a program on your computer to manage more than one account, so that you can keep personal and non-personal Twitter accounts.

These ideas make it much easier to keep my daily diary. It is sometimes very difficult to find the time each day to write things down, but Twitting is something I already do. Maybe it is something you may want to do now, as well.

-- Andy Honaker

Chronic Pain And Computing

It is important for pain sufferers to practice safe computing. Using your computer with improper posture, incorrect keyboard and monitor setup, or even the wrong type of chair, can cause pain and stress to anyone, especially a chronic pain sufferer. If you are a chronic pain sufferer and a blogger it is especially important to make sure that your blogging does not contribute to your torment.

Everyone should make their work setting as comfortable as possible. Many times our bodies will trick us, make us feel like we are comfortable, when we really are not. This is why computer users get sore necks, back pain, eye strain, and carpel tunnel. These things can take time to develop in normal people, but suffering from chronic pain is anything but normal.


Stick with me, for the next five posts (Subscribing is good too!), as I share some of the keys to shaping a pain free computing environment.

Most of us buy our computer furniture based on price or looks, but not ergonomics. It's important to remember that standard furniture cannot accommodate the needs of everyone. If you are taller, you may need to have your work surface raised somewhat; a shorter person may need a footrest.

The desktop work surface should have a matte finish to minimize glare or reflections. The area beneath the desk should be clean and tidy to provide the user’s legs with plenty of room and allow for stretching. If a fixed-height desk is used, add a keyboard tray that adjusts vertically to provide added adaptability.

If you share the work area with others, go ahead and spring for adjustable furniture.
The pain you save may be your own.

Migraine: Make It Easy on the Family

I found a series of videos sponsored by Zomig about planning ahead. I tried this medicine, but determined that it was not right for my migraines. Even though this series is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company, the information contained here is priceless.

The video below is about dealing with family. This one hit pretty close to home. I have been trying very hard to make each moment with my kids, and wife, as positive as I can. Everyone in my life is affected by my migraines. I need to remember each of these five things as my family and I cope with this illness; communicate, make peace, stick to routines, love them, and have an emergency kit.



These things are a little different for me; my family is made up of adults. My youngest is 15 and she is much wiser than her age, and my other two are in college. In my communication with my family, I try to keep my pain out of my conversational voice. Too often, the pain in my voice seems as if I am mad at the one I am talking to. My tinnitus doesn't help. I sometimes talk too loud, because I can't hear my own voice over the buzz in my brain. My family may take the loudness in my voice to mean, I am mad at them. I need to always communicate my true intentions and feelings.

Making peace, for me, means retreating to my lair. While at the same time, not disturbing the other activities in the house. If I need to go lie down, I just excuse myself and go. The rest of the family knows that I am in pain and they seem to turn down the volume without anyone having to ask (or decree).

Sticking to routines is very hard when my ability to participate is so sporadic. For me, establishing routines for myself helps to survive the daily headaches that have plagued me for so long. I try to go to bed at the same time each night, and wake at the same time each morning. I take my medications at the same time each day. I need to implement a work out regimen that I can keep on a continual basis. Making sure that my inability to participate does not affect the routines of the rest of the family is just as difficult. We incorporate extra time into preparation for our day, in case dad wakes with a headache or has had a headache all night (or all day, or all night and day). The rest of the family works hard at keeping to their own routines despite me.

I love my family. I tell them how much every day. We have little rituals that we use to tell each other how much we love them. Saying, "So Much", in my family will result in a kiss on the forehead. It's a tradition that we have had for a long time, and those two words mean a lot more than "I Love You". I never leave or let my wife and children leave home without telling them that I love them.

Having an emergency kit means two different things to me, the tangible and the intangible. I have a toolbox of items, some of which are intangible. Some of the physical items that I keep prepared are ice packs, medications, and a quite room. The intangible items include a positive attitude, relaxation techniques, and hope.

Making plans is important. I have plans for how to deal with each migraine. As the pain level increases, so also, does my steps and tools for dealing with it. My family makes plans for themselves that do not require them to be at the mercy of my headaches. If dad can participate, fine. If not, I know they are thinking about me and miss me.

Especially when they return with a chocolate milkshake.