Migraine Chick

State of the Migraine Nation

2009-01-29T03:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent developments in my migraine land.

1) When people ask me �??How are you?�?? in passing, I get so tired of answering �??fine�?? or �??good�?? when that is the farthest thing from the truth. I�??ve learned that if I just say, �??How are you?�?? right back to them quickly, they don�??t even notice that I haven�??t answered them. I�??ve been doing it all the time at work, and it works.

2) I�??ve given up napping when I�??m home sick from work with a migraine. My napping nightmares are far too stressful to even deal with anymore, so I would rather stay awake and just watch crap TV with one eye open.

3) I�??ve been eating really well since the New Year, with lots of servings of fresh fruit and veggies, and I�??ve been eliminating overly processed foods, too, and I don�??t feel one smidge better.

4) I�??ve learned that if I feel like screaming at work, because of my migraines, and I go out to my car at the end of the day and actually scream, it makes my head hurt far worse.

5) So far, due to my migraine fog and general loss of concentration, I have lost three pairs of gloves. I think I need to start buying them in bulk.

Migraine Squirrel Chuck Exposed!

2009-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

I think I may have discovered where Migraine Squirrel Chuck has been getting all his bad ideas about terrorizing the inside of my head. Outside in a tree next to my house, I spotted him having a secret meeting with another squirrel, who I believe is an evil dark squirrel, much like Darth Vader. I captured this nefarious exchange with my trusty camera!!

Another Migraine Work Saga

2009-01-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

At work, they recently decided to send out a daily staffing email, letting everyone in the office know who was out of the office that day, on either paid time off or sick time or a FMLI (family medical intermittent leave) day.

I really felt like this was an invasion of my privacy. I don�??t need the entire office knowing that I�??m taking an FMLI day. I get enough friction from my immediately co-workers on the topic. Therefore, I wrote my team leader an email about how I felt this is personal business between the company and me, etc...

Well, he wrote me back a huge email about how this wasn�??t an invasion of privacy, that only if they gave the details of the FMLI day it would be an invasion of privacy. He felt if everyone is provided this information on a daily basis it would showcase the time available and how it was being utilized, positively and negatively. In addition, he forwarded this email to the big boss in our office.

Not being daunted, I replied to him that if this was the case, why were the names still being used. Couldn�??t they simply list four employees out on paid time off and exclude the actual names?

I didn't hear anything back that day.

All this took place on Monday. Then of course, I was out sick with a huge migraine attack from Aunt Martha, who decided to kick my ass for two days in a row.

When I got back to work on Thursday, I found the daily staffing email had changed. Now it just lists names under Paid Time Off and Out Other. Apparently, I had caused a kerfuffle while I was gone, and at least there was a compromise.

Notes on a Migraine

2009-01-22T03:50:00.000-08:00

Recently, I saw the movie Notes on a Scandal for the first time. I love Judi Dench. She is one of my favorite actors. After I saw the movie, I learned it was based on a book by Zoë Heller, and I was interested in reading it.

The last time, I went to search for a book from a movie was That Forsyte Woman, which ended badly. This time, I checked out the book at the library. I was pleased to see it wasn�??t a huge English Literature tomb with tiny print. It was a normal sized book with normal sized print, so I checked it out.

After a week or so, I gave up trying to read it at page 68. I had to put the book down for two to three days in a row due to head pain and I couldn�??t figure out where I was at in the story when I picked it back up. This shouldn�??t have been a problem since I saw the movie, but it was still giving me concentration problems.

Ugh, I became so frustrated. Sigh.

Most days, I feel like someone has done a Freaky Friday on my brain, and I�??m left with a tween brain that only wants to read trashy teen novels with huge print and all of my emotions are controlled by my rampaging hormones, but at least, I�??m not plagued with zits!

Operation Cheer Up

2009-01-19T03:53:00.000-08:00

I really tried to beat The Winter Blues this weekend with some of the lovely suggestions in my comment box from my last post. I went to Barnes and Noble, and I picked up some new magazines. Then, I went to Whole Foods where I bought some summer time salads, like macaroni salad, coleslaw and potato salad. Next, I picked up an inexpensive bouquet of flowers to cheer up my house.

Also, I called a dear friend, who I haven't seen in a while, and I made a lunch date with her in the near future. Plus, I looked into taking Vitamin D supplements for my migraines, but I learned I was already taking it because of the calcium supplement I've been taking.

So overall, I think I was rather productive. I'm feeling a little better, but then this morning I woke up with a real head banger. Ugh, I thought, not another week of this! Why is there no escape! This is really like fighting a constant up hill battle!

Beating The Winter Blues

2009-01-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

I think this is the most snow we have gotten in Michigan in a long time, and it�??s doing my head in. Every time a snowstorm comes through the area or the temperature drops, etc�?� my migraines go whacky.

Not to mention, the snow started early this year in November. Usually, we are wondering if we are even going to have a white Christmas or not, and this year, we were already wearing winter coats and gloves before November ended.

I think I�??ve transitioned from Holiday Depression into The Winter Blues. I�??m trapped in this cycle of winter weather patterns and unstable hormones. In addition, I think hardly ever seeing the sun isn�??t helping.

Does anyone have any tips on how to beat The Winter Blues when you�??re a migraine chick? I�??m trying to come up with a list. A good friend suggested trying to find glimmers of something good each day. Any other ideas?

Not Quite Right!

2009-01-13T03:44:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was trying to come up with the words about how my brain was feeling. My holiday depression is still lingering and now it's been joined with some anxiety issues along with my migraine pain. I felt like my head was going to pop! So I tried to collage the sensation. I think this image conveys it. I'm calling it "Something not quite right in the brain."

Migraine Not Listed!

2009-01-11T06:20:00.001-08:00

I went to the Ann Arbor Reuse Center the other day to look for collage materials. This place is awesome with "with more than 20,000 square feet of retail space, accepts donations of reusable household goods, office supplies, and building materials that it resells to the general public at affordable prices."

For my collage making, I found some old valentine day cards, music sheets and a deck of old maid cards. Also, I found an elementary dictionary from 1986. It's called Webster's Elementary Dictionary and its described as "a brand-new dictionary designed for children in the elementary grades." I really liked it cause the text was big and there were lots of pictures that I could cut out for collages.

Guess what I discovered when I got it home. It didn't even have Migraine listed in the book and under headache it only says "pain in the head" and "something that annoys or confuses." I don't know why the lack of the migraine definition bothers me, but don't elementary kids get migraines, too??

Here is a picture of the headache definition.

I do quite like the picture of the headdress. It looks like how my migraines feel sometimes with pressure stacked upon my head.

Haiku or Senryū??

2009-01-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

I learned something about my bad migraine haiku through a friend on Myspace. They might not actually be haiku, but more of a form of Senryū.

"Senryū (literally 'river willow') is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer "on" (not syllables) in total. However, senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious."

But then I was reading further into the Wikipedia definintion and I became even more confused because it said "any genuinely personal experience would be haiku and not senryū in the classic sense."

My poems are all about personal experience. Trying to figure this out was making my head hurt worse, so I just gave up. They are what they are. Bad poems about migraines.

Here are some new ones:

Leaving my work sick
I push through air to my car
Pain jet streams follow

Banish the hormones
Then will migraines retire
Who in the hell knows

After the pain wanes
Picking up fragments of life
Shell shocked battleground

Skull might be worth more
If covered in rare diamonds
And sold off as art

As I child I thought
That only true pain lasted
As long as a scab

My poor tattered brain
I used to write love stories
Now it�??s bad haikus

Looking for my mind
Pain has made it a stranger
Where did it go?

Would my head hurt less
If I was a Barbie doll
Nothing but plastic

Pets and Migraines

2009-01-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

I�??ve been meaning to write a year-end round up about my Migraines in 08 and what my Migraine Plan is for the coming year, but then my hamster died over the holidays and it�??s totally derailed my intentions.

It�??s amazing how even a little hamster can make a difference in your life, especially when you have a chronic illness. Pets are so important. They don�??t judge you. They always listen. They are happy to see you with or without a Migraine. They accept you for who you are.

I think hamsters are a good Migraine Sufferer�??s pet. They are quiet. They are not high maintenance. It doesn�??t take much to make them happy. They each have a distinctive little personality. They are not too stinky. In addition, if you keep a hamster, you are rescuing them from the clutches of possibly evil children, who might not appreciate them like you do.

I was trying to think what makes the best pet for someone with Migraines, but it is so subjective. My cat and my guinea pig seem to fit the bill for me, and so did my little ham. What do you think makes the best pet for Migraineurs?

The Monthly Visitor

2009-01-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

I've been having hate/loath relationship with my period for quite some time now, and I've been calling it Aunt Martha since all this perimenopause migraine stuff started, so I decided to make a collage about her.

A New Migraine Mascot?

2008-12-29T04:13:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about adding The Nail Figure, who I saw at the art museum, to my list of migraine mascots, but I'm not sure how well he applies. Apparently, he did serve as some sort of doctor because he was carved to capture the power of spirits who were necessary for healing and judging disputes. The large cowrie shell in his stomach held strong medicines which gave him power, and the nails were driven into him when an agreement was made to seal the oath.

The haunting part comes from the rumors that several security officers, who work the afternoon and midnight shift at the museum, have reported that when the lights are out, they have seen him performing a tribal dance.

I checked him out for a long while and I did get some heebeejeebee vibes off him, but he didn't move at all. My head didn't feel any better while I was near him either.

Do you think he makes a good migraine mascot?

Modern Art Migraines

2008-12-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

I think I�??ve narrowed down my migraine trigger problem at art museums. I went to The Detroit Institute of Arts to see a show called Monet to Dali: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. I really wanted to see this show because my favorite aunt, who has passed away, used to work at this museum as an editor for years, which means she saw many of these paintings and she probably edited the catalogs for them.

My head behaved during the exhibition, and I was feeling halfway human until I decided to go upstairs with my friend to try to track down this African Nail Figure sculpture, which is supposedly haunted. Well to get to the African American Art,(where we thought it was) we had to go through the modern and contemporary galleries, where my head starting popping off, and I realized something. It is not the paintings that bother me so much. It�??s these huge modern and contemporary installation art/sculpture things that do it.

We ended up asking a security guard where the Nail Figure was located. Turned out it was downstairs in the African only section. I really needed a sit down at this point, so we had lunch in the cafeteria where some Mac-n-cheese and carrots helped me feel better.

Afterwards, we found the Nail Figure, a quite scary dude, and we stopped at another exhibition called Jane Hammond: Paper Work. In this gallery, I practically forgot my head was hurting me for twenty minutes because it included all sort of provoking mixed media like stamping and collage.

Migraine Barbie's Christmas Cookies

2008-12-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Migraine Barbie decided that buying store made Christmas Cookies was far less stressful than making her own!

Christmas Migraine Mascot

2008-12-22T03:49:00.001-08:00

I was trying to find a good Christmas Migraine Mascot for this year, but I was having a heck of a problem. First, I tried to find some artwork of grumpy elves, but I couldn't find any. I didn't like the Scrooge ones, but then I found some reindeers with lights in their antlers, which to me represent an aura kind of thing and the lights flashing inside my head at times. What do you think?

I dream about migraines

2008-12-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

I had a dream about migraines the other night, so I made this collage about dreaming about migraines. I tried to go for a vintage look. I found the antique photo of the girl at a flea market, and I felt a little bad about putting the migraine hat on her, but even pretty girls get migraines. The "M"s are typewriter keys.

Battling Holiday Depression

2008-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

I know I've been nattering on about Holiday Depression for weeks, but the dreaded monster will not go away, just like my freaking migraines. Here is a list of things I've done and not done so far with the holidays. It's become a balancing act. Also, I've really been trying to do the "one day at a time" type thinking when I feel overwhelmed.

I put up a small fake tabletop Christmas Tree instead of a real one.

I did manage to get my Christmas cards addressed and mailed in a timely fashion.

I skipped the Christmas reception in the lobby of my work building thrown by the building's management company. It was after work and I was too knackered to deal with it.

I did all my holiday shopping online.

I'm deliberately not listening to Christmas music in my car.

I only brought potato chips to my work's Christmas potluck.

I'm still not sure about baking Christmas cookies this year.

The Woes of a Migraine Bear

2008-12-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

I was just reading about the lovely Nap products on Migraine Community, and I was totally agreeing that they are something a migraine chick cannot live without, when I decided to go to the Brookstone website to see if there were any new products.

I came across The Dream and Cuddle Bears. I've had a Dream Bear for a couple years and it has been my constant Migraine companion. I've still yet to come up with an original name for her. She is still just called "Migraine Bear." But the shocking thing was the contrast between my bear and the new ones. I've mangled this poor thing to death!!

Here is proof what a migraine chick can do to a poor teddy bear. I'm surprised she hasn't reported me for teddy bear cruelty.

Kitty Christmas T-shirt

2008-12-11T03:57:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be the holidays if I didn't try to make my cat wear something festive. This year I bought him a small dog Christmas t-shirt from Target. The first time, I tried it on him was at night. He actually walked around in it for fifteen minutes before he collapsed in shame. Then the next morning when I wanted to take a picture of him wearing it, he acted like he was lame from the get go, like it was strangling him. He must have forgotten his performance the night before where he was walking around in it, so I knew he could move. This is the best shot I could get.

Laundry Detergent Migraine Cure??

2008-12-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

I've been noticing that the longer I have migraines, the more bizarre things I dream up for possible migraine cures. This is my first attempt at a 4x6 collage.

Migraine Barbie VS Christmas Barbie

2008-12-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

Migraine Barbie views Christmas Morning Target Barbie with some skepticism.

The Christmas Haggis

2008-12-07T04:19:00.000-08:00

Since I've been suffering from Pre-Holiday Dread, I've been a little bit of a Grinch and a Scrooge so far this Holiday Season, but a good friend of mine is tired of my grumbling. She said that even with my migraines I still need to celebrate Christmas on some level, and she said that if I don't cheer up she is going to buy a Haggis from a local Scottish Bakery and make me eat it for Christmas. Nothing against the Scottish people or Haggis Lovers, but a haggis to a vegetarian is a terrible threat. I can't even write the description here because it is making me nausous.

So I've been trying to drum up some Holiday Cheer. I actually bought myself this year's Christmas Barbie from Target and I put up my small fake Christmas Tree yesterday. I'm still not sure about baking cookies, etc...

Do You Smell Something?

2008-12-04T03:39:00.000-08:00

Since reading all the comments on my last post, I've realized that shopping in Bright Lights/Big Stores aren't the only culprits in ruining a Migraine Shopper's experience. Smells are a huge factor. I'm not sure if there is a nicer way to say it, but the trigger happy scent farms often send me running too.

Here is my list so far of stores that break the odor barriers.

Bed, Bath and Beyond
Bath and Body Works
Crabtree and Evelyn
Body Shop
Sephora
Yankee Candle
The baby aisle in grocery stores-diapers and baby powder combo
Used Bookstores-the old musty books

Does anyone have anywhere else to add to the list??

Target=Migraine

2008-12-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

I managed a full day of shopping on Saturday with a medium pain level migraine, but I figured it was easier to just get it all done in one shot. One thing I noticed was that Target was the least migraine friendly store. Maybe it's all the red and bulleyes and bright lights, but my head definately was pounding by the time I left. It reminded me a lot of the experience I had at the art museum with the modern art.

I didn't have the same reaction at Borders, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Petco, Dick's Sporting Goods or the mall. Has anyone else noticed this Target=Migraine effect??

Holiday Stress

2008-11-27T05:13:00.000-08:00