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TESTING #2

Derek Lanphier — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:40:00 GMT

TEsting Again

Testing

Derek Lanphier — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:33:00 GMT

Testing!

Migraine Relief Plan for 2013

Kim Beels — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:17:00 GMT

Happy New Year! We wish you good health in 2013!

By now you’ve probably heard many New Year’s resolutions from friends, family and the famous. We’re sure it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that three out of the top 10 resolutions are health related. Not-surprisingly, many of those folks will fail to keep their resolutions for longer than a few weeks. It’s a sad, but true fact. That’s why our resolution is to help you keep yours. Please accept our invitation to attend our next Houston seminar on January 10, 2013 at University General Hospital at 7 p.m. or our next webinar on January 15th.

We want you to know that at Advanced Migraine, our mission is to help you put an end to your migraines madness in 2013. Here’s how we can help:

The Advanced Migraine Transforma Procedure New Year’s Resolution Relief Plan

Breakthrough Minimally Invasive Transforma Procedure
Partner with Advanced Migraine – experience, personal attention
Anticipate and Remove Obstacles – insurance, travel arrangements
Tools to Achieve Goal – migraine diary, journey journal, social community

We hope 2013 is the year you resolve to take the next step to find out if the minimally invasive Transforma Procedure, a neurostimulation therapy, can help control your migraines.

To really understand how this new medical procedure to help control chronic migraine works and find out if it is right for you, please accept our invitation to attend the Transforming Your Life Seminar on January 10th at 7 p.m at University General Hospital or webinar on January 15th. Registration is required.

Dr. Chapman will answer questions about the Transforma Procedure.
Several patient ambassadors will be sharing their personal migraine experience.
Learn more about the procedure you've been hearing about.

Is your 2013 New Year's Resolution to finally control your migraines? Tell us about your migraine relief plan.

3 Tips to Stay Ahead of a Wedding Day Migraine

Kim Beels — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:00:00 GMT

Can you avoid getting a migraine on your wedding day?

Advanced Migraine Patient Ambassador Jenny Got married on Friday without a Migraine, you can too!

One of the most common fears migraine sufferers have is that they will not be able to attend special events in their life. When Jenny came to Advanced Migraine to find out if we could treat her migraines with neurostimulation therapy, her wedding date was already set for December 7, 2012. However, Jenny didn't know if she would actually get to walk down the aisle on that day or spend the day in a dark room in excruitating pain.

Neurostimulation was the only hope left to control her migraines, but after years of trying to get the minimally invasive surgery covered by her insurance to no avail, she was at her wits end. Jenny eventually came to Advanced Migraine in August and by September she had the Transfomra Procedure. The Transforma migraine surgery is a new procedure based on combined, or 4 lead, occipital and supraorbital neurostimulation.

I'm happy to report that Jenny made it through all the planning, bachelorette party, bridal party breakfast, I do's, and was still going strong at midnight according to the maid of honor! Everyone at Advanced Migraine Relief and Treatment Center wishes Jenny and Chris a lifetime of happiness!

With wedding season right around the corner, here are some tips to help get you through your special day. Do you have any good tips?

Weddings are full of migraine triggers:

Smells - grandma's perfume and insense at the church
Alcohol - especially champagne
Noise - music and crowd
Food triggers
Coffee

3 Tips to stay ahead of the headache:

Step outside as often as possible and get some fresh air
Stay hydrated - drink water, water, water
Avoid food triggers and don't go more than 3 hours without eating

Transforma Procedure Migraine Surgery Experiences

Kim Beels — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:29:00 GMT

What is the permanent migraine Transforma neurostimulation procedure?

Patients share their experience getting the permanent Transforma Procedure, combined occipital and supraorbital neurostimulation therapy, to control their chronic migraines.

This effective advanced migraine pain relief procedure involves the minimally invasive insertion of a neurostimulation device that sends mild electrical pulses to the nerves responsible for your migraines and short-circuits the pain signals before you develop a migraine. Just like the volume on a radio, you can adjust the intensity as you need it.

Getting Advanced Migraine's Transforma migraine procedure is a unique experience. The folks at Advanced Migraine are patient centric and treat you as part of the family. What sets us apart from any other medical experience you have ever had is that we get to know the backstory on your pain and do our best to take care of you - from helping you decide if neurostimulation surgery is the right choice for you, appointments, transportation, hotels, to holding your hand in the recovery room. We want you to have a successful trial and permanent implant and do everything within our power to help you transform your life into a life without migraines. We hope you will read some of our patient stories in their own words.

Have you had the Transforma Procedure? We invite you to share your story by leaving a comment.

Alejandra... Just after her trial Transforma Procedure for Migraines.

Patient Ambassador — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 01:58:00 GMT

Alejandra recovering from the Trial Transforma Procedure

Alejandra's Story:

My earliest migraine memories go back to age 5 or 6. I had to miss school 2-3 days at a time and just lay in a dark room with ice on my head. I had chronic daily headaches in my teens with a couple of migraines a week. In my 20’s, I suffered from chronic migraines, plus daily headaches, intractable migraine and rebound headaches and migraines. Over the last 45 years, I have tried all available medications, including botox and nerve blocks. Nothing has provided enough relief to be able to live my life.

My worst migraine was when I was alone at home and after 4 days of being in very bad shape, I finally called 911. In the hospital I was given a lot of opiates and began to hallucinate. I’ve had so many really bad migraines over the last 45 years it’s actually really hard to pick the worst. Honestly, I can’t remember the last really good day. The best days are when the pain is only about a level 3 and I can control it with analgesics and abortive medications every 4-6 hours. On good days I am able to do regular chores around the house, but I am often too scared to go outside or enjoy anything in fear I might trigger a bad migraine to return.

I am in pain 24/7 at various levels. I really don’t know when one migraine ends and another begins. Symptoms usually include vomiting, photophobia, sensitivity to sounds and smells and a lot of anxiety and panic attacks. My eye tears, everything is out of focus and my nose gets stuffed up. I also get a tingling sensation in my fingers and my speech and thinking seems slower. I find it very hard to express myself when I am having severe migraine pain.

I would like to tell the world that chronic migraine is the kind of illness that is totally misunderstood. When you suffer like I do, you stop dreaming of doing anything with your life because the pain can hit you so hard that you never can plan anything. It is a very lonely road and causes depression. Sometimes you stop having the will to live. Just imagine continuous brain freeze for 45 years, 24/7-365.

In a life without migraines I could begin to live my life instead of watching life pass in front of me. I could live and work doing something meaningful to me. I could do all the things I’ve missed, especially with my son…. maybe I could socialize and even find love??? I could finally stop being scared. I desperately want the opportunity to feel alive again. That is why I am having the trail Transforma Procedure. I can’t believe it, but there is hope.

I've been keeping a video journal on YouTube. Please watch it if you are suffering and need hope. You can also view the Advanced Migraine channel to see other people too.

Chronic Migraine Sufferers Hoping for Life Without Migraines

Kim Beels — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:56:00 GMT

Have you heard about the Transforma Procedure?

If not, maybe you have heard of combined neurostimulation of the occipital and supraorbitial nerves to control migraine pain symptoms. While there is no cure for Chronic Migraine, these ladies are hoping their lives will be transformed today by this new surgery.

Jenny is 31 years old and getting married in December. She has been suffering from chronic migraine for over four years. She has tried everything from daily medicines, nerve blockers, Botox, multiple hospital stays, bio feedback, injections, abortive medicines and countless ER visits. Melissa is 44 years old and has been suffering from migraines since she was 12 and Alejandra is 54 and has had migraines since she was 5 years old.

Jenny had a trial procedure just a few weeks ago. What's great about the procedure is that we can let the patient test drive the device for a few days to see if it will relieve their migraine symptoms. The good news is, the permanant implant works even better than the trial. Jenny is very optimistic about having a future without migraines.

Melissa and Alejandra are having the trial done together. They met in Houston for the first time last week when they came with a group from Chronic Migraine Awareness. They met with Dr. Chapman for an evaluation and he felt they were good candidates for the procedure. They decided to stay in Houston and get the trial together.

Alejandra has a YouTube channel where she has been chronicling her migraine jouney for the past year. We just met her a few weeks ago, but she's one of the family now! They all are. You can't help but be drawn in by the challenges they have faced every day trying to do all the things everyone else does but with excruitiating, sometime debilitating, migraines.

We have really enjoyed getting to know them and hope we can put an end to their battle with chronic migraines. We will let you know how it goes. You can join us on Facebook to hear the latest news as it happens. Advanced Migraine will also be hosting a webinar on Thursday, August 30, 2012 and hope Jenny, Melissa, and Alejandra will be able to join us so you can ask them questions about their experience!

To lives transformed....

Kim

What is it like to get the trial Transforma Procedure for Migraines?

Patient Ambassador — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 23:42:00 GMT

Hello, My name is Jenny. A few weeks ago I had the trial Transforma Procedure to see if combined occipital and supraorbital neurostimulation would control my migraine symptoms. I would like to share with you the trial neurostimulator process. My expectations were hopeful but also realistic. If I felt like this didn't work I was going to prepare myself for that because I would have to move on, but I was optimistic. Surgery is always a little scary. However, I knew this surgery could change my life.

All of the doctors and nurses were amazing at University General Hospital. They all made me feel very comfortable before and after the surgery. It's an outpatient surgery so I was able to go back to my hotel and rest. My head really started hurting the evening of the surgery but that was to be expected, and I did have a prescription for pain medicine that I could take to help with post-op pain. The next morning we went back to Dr. Chapman's office so they could set me up with different programs for the neurostimulator.

I had 14 different programs: 4 for front leads, 4 for back leads, and 4 for all leads together. I could adjust each lead individually. They also showed me what to do in case a lead wire became detached from my controller. After that we headed to our new hotel, I had to be closer to hospital so that I could have my PT/INR drawn everyday to make sure my levels were therapeutic because I take Coumadin. Once we made it to the hotel I was very tired and my head was hurting. I was switching programs and adjusting the stimulators but I had not received relief. Mom panicked and called the program specialist Amy. Amy said to continue trying different programs and that my body was probably tired from the past couple of days. So I took a nap with the stimulators on and I felt better after I woke up.

All of this took place on Thursday. I was a little nervous about how to sleep because I didn't want to accidentally pull anything out because you have a lot of wires on and the last thing you want is to accidentally pull one out. At first I only slept on my back but soon after I found ways to lie on my side without tugging on the wires. The whole stimulator package did not keep me from sleeping, which was important.

So what did it feel like? The way I like to describe the sensation from the stimulators is like a relaxing head massage. Friday was a good day, and I would also turn the stimulators off and on as Greg suggested, that way when I did get a migraine we could see if the stimulators really were helping. Saturday I woke up and I had a migraine. I had also noticed that when I turned the leads on a certain program that after awhile the sensation stopped going all the way back on my front right side. So I kept adjusting that lead individually and turning it up. Then when I would close my eyes my right eye socket hurt. Mom called Greg and he said it sounded like the right lead had moved a little, which is perfectly normal during the trial because the leads aren't put in where they can't move until the permanent procedure. He also said I was over stimulating that right side because my socket was hurting, so he suggested adjusting that lead until I could barely feel it and then taking it down 2 more adjustments.

This worked and my migraine went away that afternoon. I continued to turn the stimulators off and on and switch programs. The migraine came back late that afternoon, but it went away again thanks to the stimulators that evening. I had a few small migraines over the next couple of days but they were manageable. At this point I feel like the trial has been a success. We went to lunch with Greg on Monday and a woman who flew in to meet Dr. Chapman about having this procedure done for her. Greg also mentioned not to make a decision on whether or not the procedure worked until I had had the leads out for a few days. He said if I kept trying to turn on the stimulators when it wasn't there that was a good sign.

I went back to Dr. Chapman on Tuesday and they took everything off and out. As we made our way home I got a terrible migraine and I threw up 3 different times and had to lay in the backseat with an ice pack on my head. It was awful, but I felt better the next day. I also called Greg a few days later and said yes I want to pursue getting the permanent done. Dr. Chapman's office is going to re-file with the insurance and let them know the trail worked. Now it's a waiting game but everyone in Dr. Chapman's office and on his team are fighters just like my family, so we won’t be giving up. I feel confident that the permanent procedure will work for me and help me to live my life and enjoy it. ~Jenny Grace 08-20-12

Have a question about the trial procedure? Advanced Migraine can arrange to have a patient ambassador call you. Who knows, it could be me!

Long hair causes migraines... What?

Sherry Scott — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:06:00 GMT

I am one of the lucky ones - my migraines have decreased over the years and are controlled with minimal medication. But, there was a time when I didn’t understand why my migraines were such a mystery to my family and doctors. I remember being in elementary school and always getting a bad headache towards the last part of the day. I lived in Bangkok at the time, and we had social studies and science at the end of our school day. My teacher thought I just wanted out of those classes, so I was faking a bad headache. I must admit I didn’t like social studies, but loved science. Funny how that played out with being a nurse and helping pain patients as my career choice.

Anyway, I had long thick hair and the doctors told my mother my headaches were caused from the weight of my hair on my head! We cut my hair and moved -- we relocated about every 2 years with my father’s job. Then I don’t remember getting as many headaches for a few years. Makes me think now it was “something in the air”. Certainly couldn’t have been my beautiful long hair.

Then at 12, I grew up and got the dreaded monthly “friend” along with the migraines. We were living in Massachusetts at the time. I had vomiting, nausea, over the counter pain medication, and had to be in a dark room and no noise. They usually lasted 1-2 days and just thought that was part of the curse. As I got into my teens, I started stronger medication which didn’t help much. After the birth of my first child, they eased up a bit for a while; then started up again but with no routine. I did have a car accident and got whiplash; neck pain also triggered the migraines; or helped cause them I don’t know.

After the birth of my second child I moved to Texas. Same migraine routine except now they were soooo bad I had ER trips added to the fun. I was given narcotics and nausea medicine with each visit to even start to ease the pain. Several days in my dark, silent room. This is when I was put on the “headache list” and the ER referenced that list when I came in -- you know, she must be a drug seeker list.

Now the migraines are only about 1 every month or two. I did have a hysterectomy. I go to the chiropractor when my neck starts to hurt. and at the very beginning of the pain. Along with some Excedrin migraine over the counter; and sleep, they usually only last most of the day. Like I said, I am one of the lucky ones. I of course have several theories as to what has contributed to my migraines, but the doctors over the years did not.

I have learned that my grandmother also suffered from migraines and was hospitalized for IV medication when hers flared up. I don’t know her whole history as we lived abroad so much and she is no longer here for me to ask.

I was not aware that so many people suffer from severe migraines until over the past few years. Even though I was diagnosed with migraines, my experience does not hold a candle to the patients I help today.

Learn more about migraines:

How to get the most out of your doctor visit

Amanda Pitts — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Doctor visits can be very stressful especially for those who suffer from migraines. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked out of my neurologist's office and thought to myself, "Oh darn! I forgot to mention such and such." Or, "I totally forgot to ask this question." Here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of your doctor visit.

Always plan ahead. Prepare any questions you want to ask your doc beforehand and any goals you want to accomplish at your visit. The best way to make sure you don't forget something crucial is to write everything down. There are even handy-dandy apps that are now available on your cell phone that will generate a checklist to make this even easier. Also, make sure to bring your journal or diary that lists out when something (like a migraine) occurred, it's duration, how you felt during the episode, what treatment you attempted and if it worked. This diary will help the doctor understand the episodes chronologically. It also serves as a memory aide to provide your doctor with as much information as possible.

Make sure to always dress appropriately. Depending on what type of doctor you are going to see or what you are going to the doctor for, make sure to wear appropriate clothing so your doctor can access the parts of the body in question. For example, if you are having problems with your knee wear shorts to promote easy access. If you want to wear pants make sure that they are loose and can be pulled/rolled up easily. Ladies, this would not be the best time to wear those new skin-tight skinny jeans. The time it would take for you to change into a medical gown decreases the amount of time you will get with the doctor.

Ask the office staff the average amount of time the doctor spends with patients. When setting up appointment times, the office staff allot a certain amount of time for the doctor to be in the room with the patient and time to update charts. If you are unprepared for your visit and go over the allotted time this disrupts the doctors time schedule for the rest of the day. So the next time you get to your appointment on time and sit in the waiting area for an extra 30 minutes, remember this suggestion and be respectful of the doctor's and other patients' time. Be as forthcoming as possible with any information you can provide to help the doctor determine the proper diagnosis or solution.

Be clear, concise, and to the point. Try your best to get your intentions across quickly and in as few words as possible. For instance, if you can tell the doctor what is wrong in 10 words, there is no need to ramble or drag it out to 20 words. Also try to state the top issues that are plaguing you to better fit into the allotted time and let the doctor take it from there.

If you are worried that you will not have enough time to adequately discuss your issues with the doctor you can ask the office staff if they do extended/longer appointments. if you decide to do this keep in mind that you may be charged for two appointment slots or office visits. I have never tried this before, but your insurance company may not be willing to accept the charges for two office visits back to back. To be safe, you should probably double check with your insurance company as well to unearth any unforeseen headaches that could pop up from this scenario.

Probably the most important thing to remember is to be honest! If you have failed to mention any pertinent information your doctor will not be able to provide the best possible diagnosis or solution for your problem. If you misrepresent your problem, the doctor's solution could interfere with any other health-related issues. For example, if you go to the doctor for a cold and he prescribes antibiotics, your doctor needs to know what other medications you are currently taking as antibiotics can make certain medications ineffective. It is very common for a women's birth control pills to be rendered ineffective while taking antibiotics. The doctor should warn you of this information and suggest that you use alternative methods for pregnancy prevention.

Even though going to the doctor may stress you out, if you follow these tips and tricks you can make the entire process a little bit easier which will help overall.

Being the mom of a young son with migraines

Jen Franklin — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:08:00 GMT

My son is now nearly 18 years old and about to start his freshman year of college, but it seems like yesterday that he was just an elementary school boy wanting to play outside without getting a headache.

My husband and I first started to notice the headaches when our son was in elementary school and would go straight to the nurses office after recess. Everyday I would get the same phone call reporting my son's headache. At some point you wonder if it is just an avoidance tactic, but eventually we realized that it was much more than that. He would get headaches so bad that he would cry, vomit and eventually, with any luck, just fall asleep. It took a while for us to seek any medical attention because we didn’t have experience with migraines. We would just give him an over the counter pain reliever and wait for it to pass.

When the headaches really started effecting his life and ours we decided that something just wasn’t right and there had to be something someone could do. We took him to his pediatrician and she said it was most likely childhood migraines and that they should subside once puberty hit, but she sent him to a neurologist just to be sure. The neurologist concurred and gave us tips on triggers and staying ahead of them when he felt the pain starting. I sent a baseball cap and sunglasses with him to school to wear at recess, gave the nurse the over the counter pain reliever and put a bottle of it in my car and my husband’s car. Staying ahead of the migraines and simply knowing what was happening to our son helped us get him through the pain.

This routine continued until sometime in junior high when we noticed that the frequency was falling off and indeed as he got older the migraines became much less of an issue. He still gets migraines from time to time and now he has a bottle of the over the counter pain reliever in his car. There are still times when he just has to go to his room and sleep in a dark, silent, cool room until it passes but that is the exception and not the rule now.

Questions to ask when you schedule an appointment with a new physician

Amanda Pitts — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:53:00 GMT

When going to see a new physician, you should always have a list of questions prepared beforehand to ask once you get to your appointment. This list is essential so you will not forget something that might be very important that you need to know. There are questions you need to ask yourself when choosing your new physician, questions to ask the office staff when booking your first appointment, and questions you need to ask of the new physician upon meeting them at your first appointment.

When searching for a new doctor there are many things to take into consideration. For example, does it matter to you if your doctor is male or female? Is the age of your doctor important? Is the doctor's ethnicity important? These questions may not be important to some, but could be crucial to others. For me, I have no issues on if my new doctor is male or female, but I prefer my doctor to be in their 30s-40s and ethnicity matters. It may be true, it may be not, but I believe a doctor to be in their prime in their 30s-40s. They haven't been out of medical school for more than 10-15 years on average. In this 10-15 years, they should have been able to gain the experience and additional knowledge to treat my condition. If they are right out of medical school I think they are a little "wet behind the ears" and wonder if they have enough "real world" experience to treat me effectively as there is only so much you can learn from a text book. Younger doctors (in general) tend to be more progressive when it comes to medical treatments and know the more cutting edge information. Ethnicity matters to me in that I want the doctor to speak English and not to where I still need a translator to tell me what they are saying. It may seem slightly silly to some, but I want to be able to pronounce my doctor's name without the help of a phonetic dictionary. Language barriers can cause issues in any industry, but it seems much more important when it comes to my health and my comfort with my doctor.

Once you have found a doctor you are interested in having treat you, there are additional questions you need to ask the office staff when trying to make your first appointment. For example, are they currently taking new patients? What is the average wait time for an appointment? Do you accept my insurance and do you (the office) file directly with my insurance company on my behalf? What are the office hours/are they any extended hours/days? It's an absolute must to ask if the doctor is taking new patients, that is the first step to getting an appointment. It would really stink if you were to get your hopes set on a specific doctor only to find out to late in the searching process that they are not accepting new patients. It's also important to find out the average time it takes to set up an appointment. It is not very advantageous to get an appointment with a doctor that's six months out. This scenario is counterproductive to needing help now, as is common amongst those who suffer from chronic migraines. An equally important question is if the doctor accepts your insurance and if they file on your behalf. My insurance company is pretty obscure and doctors that meet my personal criteria are few and far between on the acceptance list, so this is a very important question for me to ask. If the doctor does not accept your insurance then the out of pocket expenses could be astronomical. It's also good to ask if the office staff files on your behalf. If they do not then you will be left with the responsibility of filing all appointment and diagnosis paperwork with your insurance company. If a document is missed or overlooked it could cause a lot of additional and unnecessary headaches for you and your treatment. I do not like dealing with insurance companies at all so I definitely would not want to add anything to my plate that would increase my talks with insurance companies.

Your first appointment is very important as it gives you a chance to get to know your new doctor and determine if they align with your personal health plan and serves as the opportunity for your doctor to get to know you and your medical history. For example, how do you keep up to date on the latest medical advancements? What experience do you have with my particular illness or medical needs? Are you board certified/a specialist my illness's field? The medical field is ever-changing with new treatments always becoming available. This is similar to the concept of buying a computer: as soon as you purchase a new computer it's already old and outdated. Would you want your doctor to be using "yesterday's" techniques and ideas to treat your condition? Heck no! You would want your doctor to be as informed and up-to-date as possible to treat you to the best of their abilities. Would you want a foot specialist to treat you for your migraines? Of course not. So this example is a little extreme (I sure hope no one would go o a podiatrist for migraine issues!) but you get the gist: you want the best doctor in your condition's field to treat you. I would also want my doctor to have an extensive amount of experience treating others with conditions similar to mine. No one's condition or experiences are exactly the same but they can be similar and one person's experiences may be able to help the next person's. For instance, this can be true in medications or treatments to try and/or what not to try.

Searching for and going to a new doctor can be a very drawn-out and frustrating experience. But if you are diligent and as prepared as possible you can make the experience a little less painful.

Making Sense of Migraines

Erin Cline — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:31:00 GMT

“Isn’t that Just a Headache?”

Simply put, a migraine is a headache. Not so simply put: a migraine is a very specific type of headache that occurs frequently and all but paralyzes its sufferers. Contrary to the assumptions of many, headaches and migraines are actually quite different, from names and symptoms to frequency and even the migraine’s location. Typically, migraines cause an intense, throbbing pain and are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and even vision impairment; sometimes migraines are mild and easily mistaken as headaches, and headaches can be very severe, but not fall under the “migraine” category.

The definition of a migraine is “an extremely severe paroxysmal headache, usually confined to one side of the head and often associated with nausea.” It is estimated that 20% of people in the US will experience a migraine in their lifespan, with half of that population experiencing migraines during their childhood and teen years. Migraines most commonly occur in women, likely due to the increased level of hormone activity in females as opposed to males.

Many people don’t realize that a headache is a symptom, while chronic migraines are a disease that is difficult to diagnose without the opinion of a specialist.

The WHY-factor of migraines has never been determined; however, the pain is associated with swollen blood vessels and nerve irritation around the brain. Additionally, a serotonin deficiency plays a large role in the condition of chronic migraines, much as it does in depression and eating disorders.

On the other hand, a headache is “a pain located in the head, as over the eyes, at the temples, or at the base of the skull.” Surprisingly, the brain tissue itself does not possess pain receptors; headache pain actually comes from sensitive structures around the brain.

There are nine pain-sensitive structures surrounding the brain: the cranium, muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses and mucous membranes. When these structures are disturbed, the pain centers on that location, but does not always stay in one exclusive region. A headache is considered a “non-specific symptom,” as headaches are associated with just about every ailment, from dehydration and hunger to neck strains and changes in weather.

Headaches are not migraines; however, with such intricacies involved in the condition of chronic migraines, there has been a lot of confusion about what separates the two. In the next few weeks we will dig deeper into this complicated—and oftentimes confusing—illness that affects millions of people, worldwide. Next week: “When and How did Migraines become a ‘Condition’?”

Children get chronic migraines too

Erin Cline — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:04:00 GMT

In a web search for “chronic migraines in children” you’ll find studies and clinical
information based around the early-age development of chronic migraines;
potential causes, speculations, treatments, etc. Here and there you may find a quote
from a pediatric sufferer, usually teenaged, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find any
in-depth interviews with young children who endure the same pain that millions of
adults suffer from on a regular basis.

It’s estimated that between 3.5-5% of children in the United States suffer from
migraines. Although it is considered “not serious” in children, the debilitating
condition is commonly carried through to adulthood and may progress in severity
if ignored. Migraines are most often seen in females and have a tendency to become
more severe during puberty.

Migraine Awareness isn’t just for adults, which is why the goal of this article is not
only to promote awareness among parents of children with CM, but also for parents
to share with their kids and let them know that they aren’t alone in their struggles.

Lucas is your average eight year old whose parents, Lynn and Marc, were kind
enough to let us sit down with him at a coffee shop for a chat about his migraines.
Lucas is only eight but was diagnosed with CM at the age of five. However, before
getting started, he needed a cold beverage to cool off from the summer heat.

Advanced Migraine: What’d you get?

Lucas: Mocha. But I can only get a small or I might get a headache.

Lynn: Always playing offense.

AM: Is chocolate one of his common triggers?

Lynn: Chocolate and sugar sometimes. Caffeine.

Lucas: And when I don’t eat for a while, like even if I’m not hungry, I still have to eat
or I could get a headache. And I can only have soda sometimes.

AM: How often would you say you get headaches?

Lucas: Like maybe two or three a week. But they aren’t all really, really bad. Like
sometimes I throw up but sometimes if I take my medicine before it gets really bad, I
don’t throw up.

AM: Oh man, that’s not fun. Throwing up is the worst.

Lucas: Yeah and then I sleep for the whole night even if I go to sleep at like three
o’clock!

AM: You know, sometimes people have warning signs. Some people could get really
tired or some people see spots like a camera just flashed. Do you ever get anything
like that?

Lucas: Not really. It just starts and it doesn’t stop.

AM: So once it starts, do you just tell your mom or dad?

Lucas: Yeah and then I take medicine.

AM: What if you’re at a friend’s house?

Lucas: I tell their mom or dad and they give me medicine.

Lynn: We don’t have him on prescriptions. He’s so young and they say he may grow
out of it. Right now we do a junior strength pain reliever first and if that doesn’t
work, I’ll give him half of a regular pain reliever. Lately it’s been the regular ones
though.

Lucas: They are better. I like those better.

AM: How come?

Lucas: I don’t know. They just work better and faster.

AM: Does taking medicine always make your headache go away?

Lucas: No and it sucks. I had to go to the hospital once a long time ago. They gave
me a shot, but I don’t want to do that again.

Marc: A couple of weeks ago, we were just out in the pool and he tells me he has
a headache and before I even knew what was going on, he’s throwing up and can
hardly open his eyes all the way. I think he slept for about 15 hours.

AM: So sometimes, there’s no avoiding it.

Lynn: Right. And the doctors tell us it’s pretty common. We have two children who
are grown and out of the house and our daughter used to get them when she was
Luke’s age up until she was about 13. Our older son never had them.

AM: What about you two?

Lynn: I am a migraine sufferer for most of my life. My mother was also. Mine aren’t
as frequent now that I’m older, but there was about a seven-year span where I was
just constantly sick.

Lucas: I got glasses because Mom thought maybe it was my eyesight that was
making me get headaches all the time.

AM: Did glasses help?

Lucas: Kinda. A little, I guess but it didn’t take them away.

AM: What does a really bad headache feel like? Can you describe it?

Lucas: Like knives in my brain. Like this [Luke takes the empty plastic drink cup and
crushes it, mocha drops spilling onto the table] and that’s my brain.

AM: I think I’m finally understanding. Do you remember when the headaches first
started?

Lucas: Yeah I remember the first one when I was four or something and I woke up
in the middle of the night and started throwing up. I remember thinking that it felt
like a guy was in my stomach just punching his way out.

AM: You know that there are a lot of kids out there who get headaches too. Do any of
your friends get them?

Lucas: No just me, I think. But the doctor did tell me that a lot of kids get them and
then they go away. I hope that once I turn 10 they will stop.

AM: Why 10?

Lucas: Because that’s when I turn double digits!

AM: I think that is a great goal. So is there anything you want to tell other kids who
get headaches? Some kids out there probably don’t know as much about them as
you do.

Lucas: When you get one, eat an apple. That helps me sometimes if I haven’t eaten
in a while.

AM: Great advice – and how about any advice for the parents?

Lynn: Keep an eye out on their diet. Identify triggers and do your best to limit any exposure to triggers. It seems like a simple concept, but you’d be surprised how many triggers there are that you’d have never even considered. And if your child is having migraines, get a CT scan as soon as possible.

What are you child's triggers and how did you discover them?

Self Diagnosis of Head Pain Can Cost You Your Life.

Donald Hulen — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:01:00 GMT

Most mornings I watch the Today Show while I read through my emails and get ready for the day. Yesterday was one of those mornings. I was busy with my normal routine when I heard the first few words of the segment. I immediately stopped what I was doing to listen. A 29 year old pregnant women was seeing her 6 week old baby for the first time. Amber Scott, the Miracle Mom, had suffered a blood clot in the brain when she was nine months pregnant.

Having lost my mom at the age of two, my heart immediately went out to her family. I immediately started to think of all of the emotions that were effecting Amber's loved ones. While I was too young to remember, I have relived that moment more times than I can count through the stories that I heard growing up. Amber's had many similarities.

My mother was only 26 when she went into a coma, while she may not have been pregnant, she had two young children at home. I was just shy of my third birthday and my sister had just had her first birthday.

In addition, there was one more thing that hit home, Amber thought it was just another migraine. My mom had also suffered with Chronic Migraines and dismissed her symptoms as just another headache.

I don’t know when the last time my Mom or Amber had seen a neurologist. What I do know is that I listen to migraine patient stories on a regular basis, and it amazes me how many have not seen their specialist in years, or even worse, have never spoken with anyone besides their general physician.

While Migraine Awareness month has just ended, I believe everyday should be Chronic Migraine Awareness Day. Please encourage those you love, those you know, or those you meet to get regular checkups. In doing so you may save a life.

Don Hulen
Advanced Migraine Relief and Treatment Center
www.chronicmigrainehelp.com

Migraine Awareness Month # 30

Amanda Pitts — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:37:00 GMT

Blogger's Pick. Choose your favorite blog from any of this month's prompts from someone else's blog to share with us and tell us why it's your favorite.

My favorite blog prompt from Migraine Awareness Month was probably from Day #12, "Let’s Do
the Monster Mash – choose a movie monster that reminds you of your Migraines and tell us why.” I enjoyed reading many peoples' blogs from that day because I thought it was very creative and interesting. I truly enjoyed TheDailyHeadache.com's Kerrie Smyres's "Monster" blog as she associated her migraines with zombies (I likened my migraines to vampires, werewolves, Tyrannosaurus from the Jurassic Park movie series, and the alien from the Alien movie series).

Kerrie describes zombies as being slow-moving, not easy to grasp, and brain eaters. She then correlates zombies to migraines in that you often know a migraine is coming on before the full attack, you try to take some sort of abortive action (usually some sort of medication) in order to avoid the migraine attack, and how a migraine can leave you feeling brain dead, unable to think, and barely able to function until the migraine fully passes.

I think Kerrie was very clever in her monster assessment, and I completely agree with her reasonings. You might know a migraine attack is coming on, like an aura, but they tend to be slow-moving and building in intensity. As soon as I realize I've got a migraine starting I immediately take something, whether it be Tylenol, Advil, etc. This evasive maneuver rarely, if ever, works. I simply go through this step out of habit and always with the hope that it just might help, even if it's only a smidgen. When I have a migraine I prefer no one speak to me as I feel that I cannot trust myself for what comes out of my mouth. I feel completely brain dead and often have difficulty forming coherent sentences. I also do not like to make any important decisions while under the migraine influence as my brain function and judgment should not be trusted in my "inebriated" state of mind. Even once the migraine has passed, I tend to feel worn out or drained of all energy and feel like I need to go through a "sobering", or recovery, period to get back to a functioning state.

Migraine Awareness Month # 29

Amanda Pitts — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:38:00 GMT

"More Often than Not." Today is Chronic Migraine Awareness Day. People with chronic Migraines have a Migraine more often than not. Think of and share a random act of kindness that you could do for someone with chronic Migraines.

Since I am well-versed on the subject of chronic migraines and know all of the drills, I have quite a bit of sympathy when I find out someone else suffers from them.

If I were to find out someone was suffering from a migraine I would ask if there was any type of medication that I can get them as I carry a pharmacy everywhere I go. If we are in a car, I will turn down the radio so the bass in the music and the noise will not contribute to the migraine's intensity. I would try not to talk or speak in hushed tones as to not add to their discomfort or pain. I will also turn the temperature of the air conditioning down to make it colder and much more comfortable for the migraine sufferer. I would also ask if they would like the window rolled down as the fresh air can sometimes make a difference as well as the movement of the air against your face.

As a fellow sufferer, I try to do anything I can do to ease someone's suffering as much as possible because I know how it feels.

Migriane Awareness Month # 28

Amanda Pitts — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 05:39:00 GMT

"Lights, Camera, Action." Pick a movie character you can identify with, talk a bit about them and why you identify with them.

This blog topic has really got me stumped. I've been looking at the computer screen for a while now and have been having trouble coming up with a movie character that I can identify with. The best character I could come up with is Rogue from the X-Men series as she constantly felt the need to prove to everyone else that she was a good person and that she never meant to hurt anyone. This correlation isn't exact in that I do not feel the need to solidify that I am a good person (I've also never "sucked" the life from someone just by touching my skin to theirs), but up until my neurostimulator procedure in August 2011 I
felt a constant need to prove that my chronic migraines were real and debilitating.

Fellow migraine sufferers know what it feels like to have to prove themselves and defend their disorder whether it be to doctors, loved ones, or employers. Any time you go to a new doctor the first couple of appointments are always on the defensive in that you feel the need to defend all of your claims and statements about your migraines. Unless they themselves have suffered from a migraine, loved ones don't seem to get it. They don't understand why you are constantly messing up plans or ruining outings just because your head hurts. Unless you've experienced it, you don't know how the light in the room can make the pain in your head more piercing. Or how the slightest humming noise can reverberate in your head causing additional extremely painful pulsations. Or that the temperature in the room can cause your stomach to violently churn adding another uncontrollable migraine symptom. Most employers simply do not care, as they are concerned only with productivity and making sure the job is done. However, a good employer not only cares about productivity but their employee's life as well and being accommodating as necessary. (And no, I'm not saying that an employer should accommodate
someone's ailments just because they have an ailment but show an interest in their employee and what's going on in their life and be empathetic, if not sympathetic, to their ailment.) Everyone has their own issues and a little bit of understanding can go a long way for someone that has had to deal with the constant need to prove themselves for a very long time.

Chronic Migraine Awareness Month # 27

Amanda Pitts — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 02:25:00 GMT

"In my Head and Heart." Who inspires you to keep trying and not give up, despite your Migraines?

Even though I think my migraines totally suck, I always try to tell myself that things could be worse. Other than my chronic migraines, I like to think that I am a fairly healthy person. I'll catch a cold or the flu every year or so, but nothing too terrible. There are some people that have it much worse than I do: people battling cancer, people that have lost limbs, people fighting cerebral palsy, and many others.

When I see someone that is fighting something I consider to be worse than chronic migraines it makes me appreciate that the migraines are the only ailment I have to deal with. I don't have to endure rigorous chemotherapy or radiation treatments to combat lung cancer. I don't have to have help drying my hair because my arms were blown off by an IED in Afghanistan. I don't have to live my life confined to a wheelchair never experiencing the freeing feeling of running through the park. All of these scenarios make me thank God that I am fortunate enough to only suffer from chronic migraines.

When I go with my husband to his doctor appointments at the VA hospital and see all of the men and women, young and old, that have lost limbs, lost their eyesight, or had their bodies burned beyond repair, I send up a silent prayer of how lucky I am. When I see people who are pushing through and living their life despite their ailments or hindrances, that's the kind of thing that makes me continue fighting vowing to never give up on anything I want out of life.

I know it sounds very simple, but if everyone reminded themselves that things could always be worse or there are those less fortunate, the world would be a much different place. People would not feel sorry for themselves or as helpless.

Migraine Awareness Month #27

Amanda Pitts — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:32:00 GMT

"In my Head and Heart." Who inspires you to keep trying and not give up, despite your Migraines?

Although living with migraines is not ideal, I know that things could be worse. Without the migraines, I like to think that I am a fairly healthy person. I'll catch a cold or the flu once a year, but nothing too terrible. I consider myself so fortunate; with so many people battling cancer or fighting cerebral palsy, I know that I should always remember to count my blessings. I don't have to endure rigorous chemotherapy or radiation treatments to combat lung cancer. I don't have to live my life confined to a wheelchair. I have a family that loves me unconditionally. All of these scenarios make me thank God that I am fortunate, no matter how hopeless the migraines make me feel at times.

So, to answer the question: The people who inspire me to keep fighting and never give up are the people who overcome disabilities or illnesses or living without a family. They are the strongest people in the world and I learn from those incredibly brave individuals everyday.

When I go to the VA hospital with my husband, seeing all the men and women of all ages who have lost limbs, or their eyesight, or have severe burns covering their bodies, I am thankful. When I see people who are pushing through and living their life despite their hindrances, that's what makes me continue vowing to never give up on anything I want out of life.

I know it sounds very simple, but if everyone remembered that things could always be worse or there are those less fortunate, the world would be a much different (better, in my opinion) place.

Migraine Awareness Month # 26

Amanda Pitts — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:42:00 GMT

"From the Outside Looking In." Write about what you think your family, friends, and others think a day in life, a day with Migraine disease, is like.

Truthfully, unless someone has experienced a migraine, then they have absolutely no idea what it is like. I can tell my mom or my husband what it feels like or how the symptoms make me feel, but they will never fully understand unless they had a migraine. Of course, I would never wish my migraines upon anyone, but sometimes it would be nice for them to understand what I have dealt with for the past 24 years.

I found it kind of odd when I told my family about the surgical procedure I was going to get for my migraines in August 2011. In particular, my dad and my brother seemed really surprised. They both had similar reactions of shock and awe. They both said things like, "Wow, I didn't know your migraines were that bad that you would need surgery for them." Um, hello, did y'all think I like to curl up in the fetal position complaining that my head felt like it was going to explode? Or did you think I liked to vomit for fun? Come on now, I'm a healthy girl and I like my food, why the heck would I enjoy throwing it back up? I'm pretty sure they thought I was being a "female": complaining all the time and trying to get out of doing things. However, when I told them I was going to do this surgery I think it finally clicked and they started to understand that I wasn't messing around and that I really had been in pain all of those times the family's plans had to change because of me. In a way it was kind of refreshing to feel a sense of validation in that they finally understood I was suffering from chronic pain not that I was trying to be a chronic pain in their butts.

Migraine Awareness Month # 25

Amanda Pitts — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:38:00 GMT

"Through My Children's Eyes." Write a letter to yourself from your children.

My Dearest Emma,

I know you are still cooking in the womb, but I wanted to take a minute to tell you about mommy's headaches and migraines.

According to most studies and research, migraines are more prevalent in females and are hereditary. Unfortunately, this means you have a higher chance that you will suffer from chronic migraines as well. For that I am so sorry, more sorry than you will ever know. I don't ever want an ounce of pain to come to you, and I will do my best to shield you from any unnecessary pain, but if you end up suffering from migraines always remember that mommy has been there and I will do whatever is in my power to help you cope with them.

If mommy is suffering from a migraine and is short or cross with you, please know that I didn't mean to be that way, the migraine pain is so excruciating that I don't always know what I'm doing, what I'm saying, or how I'm saying it. If mommy is laying down in bed with the fan on and the curtains closed she is probably suffering from a migraine. She really wants to play tea party with you but she simply can't at the moment.

Always remember that mommy loves you no matter what and she will do everything she can to make sure that you are safe and happy. I cannot wait to see the woman you will grow up to be.

Love you forever,

Mommy

Migraine Awareness Month # 24

Amanda Pitts — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 03:38:00 GMT

"Dear Genie." Put together a wish list for your life.

I wish for world peace!

Ok, not really as I am a realist, and no matter how great that would be, lets just say I won't hold my breath.

At this point in my life I am fairly content and not really sure what I would wish for. I've met the love of my life who absolutely adores me and puts up with all of my attitude and our darling baby girl, Emma, is due to grace us with her presence this fall. And since I had my neurostimulator implant surgery in August 2011 my migraines are extremely manageable and in check. My main goal in life has always been to be a mom. That goal is currently in the works as she is cooking along. I could always wish for such things as a new house or a new car, materialistic things, but those seem very egocentric. However, honey, if you're reading this I would have no problems getting that new car or moving in that new house! Wink, wink! I'm sure this has all come across very cheesy and cliché, but I'm pretty happy with the things I have accomplished thus far in my life and the people I surround myself with.

I guess if I had to come up with one life wish it would be that a scientist pinpointed the exact causes of migraines and a way to reverse them permanently so everyone can be migraine free! Geeze, I feel like I'm turning into a cheese ball over here!

Migraine Awareness Month # 23

Amanda Pitts — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 23:14:00 GMT

"I Drank the Kool-Aid!" We all try things out of desperation, even when our common sense is telling us they're not going to do anything. Share your experience with this.

The dumbest thing I've ever done to try to combat a migraine is to take a prescription strength pain killer before I remembered that I had to drive home from work. Yeah, not the smartest thing I have ever done.

There was a point in time where I worked about 45 miles from home, one way. I know that doesn't sound too bad but it actually took about an hour and a half to make that drive. Needless to say, I felt like I lived a huge portion of my life in my car and I had some serious road rage! I was always worried about getting a killer migraine while I was at work because I wondered how the heck am I going to get home. My husband worked about 15 miles north of where we lived (I was to the south) so it really didn't make a whole lot of sense for him to drive all that way to pick me up and take me back home. Plus, how in the world was I going to get there the next morning? So even though it was not the smartest or safest thing to do, I tried to power through my migraine and hit the road all the while praying to the traffic gods to have mercy on me and my head.

One day I was suffering from a raging migraine and must have been pretty out of it because I took the wrong medication. Instead of taking an OTC medication like Advil I took my prescription Ultram. This might not sound like a big deal but I am a weakling when it comes to prescription pain pills and they knock me out cold. About 30 minutes after I took my pill my head was still pounding so I let my supervisor know that I was going to head home. About five miles into my journey my vision started to get a little fuzzy and my head started bobbing. I was wracking my brain trying to think why this was happening, wondering if these were new symptoms of my migraines. I'm not sure what made me think about what pill I took but I looked in my purse and realized I made a big boo-boo. Thank goodness traffic was light and I made it home in one piece where I promptly did a face plant on to the bed. (Yeah, I know, I shouldn't have kept driving, but all I could think of at the moment was my TempurPedic
mattress at home.)

Because of my little pill switcheroo I learned a very valuable lesson: don't carry my prescription pain pills when driving somewhere!

Migraine Awareness Month # 22

Amanda Pitts — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:34:00 GMT

"The Game Changer." Tell us about a time your plans changed due to either an unexpected Migraine or an unexpected Migraine-free experience.

If I had a nickel for all of the times my plans had to change due to a pesky migraine, I would be a gazillionaire! Ok, maybe not a gazillionaire but I'd be rolling in some serious dough. Looking back over the years I feel kind of sorry for my husband as so many plans have had to change, or be squashed completely, because of me and my migraines. This could have been as simple as going out to dinner, to meeting up to grab drinks with friends, or having to scrap tickets to a concert or the theatre because my head hurts.

A couple of years ago my hubbie and I went to see Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley in concert with my brother and sister-in-law. We had awesome third-row seats. So good that we got high fives from Rucker as he walked by us. I made it through the opening act and maybe three of Paisley's songs before I absolutely had to leave because my head hurt that bad. Of course my husband was having a great time: drinking a few beers, singing and dancing along to one of his favorite artists, and spending time with our friends. Because of a stupid migraine, I had to take him away from that. I felt terrible (and still do to this day!) but I had no other choice as none of the medicine I took was helping, not even a smidge. All because of my migraine, I made my husband leave from having a good time and my brother and sister-in-law had to pay for a cab home as we were their ride. Of course I didn't blame them for wanting to stay and enjoy the rest of the concert and their kid-free evening.

Since I had my neurostimulator device implanted in August 2011 I have had very few instances like these. It's been wonderful! There have been only a handful of plans that I had to alter so I could get a little rest before hitting the town. I feel like I can do so much more now than I ever could before. People don't get as mad at me for bailing on plans. I must admit it has been very freeing to be able to simply follow through on plans and actually do the things I say I'm going to do.