Other Headache/Migraine Blogs

HRSA Health Centers – Basic Care for Migraine Patients

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:02 GMT

Increasingly, people with Migraines are reporting that they have no health insurance and can't afford to go to the doctor. Although we try to answer questions and share information, there are times... READ MORE

Migraine & The ER – A Follow-Up Interview

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Ellen - Hi Dr Kingsley, and welcome back to the Migraine.com community! First I would like to thank you for volunteering to contribute your expertise and knowledge to help Migraineurs better understand... READ MORE

Nationwide Medication Shortage – Diazepam Injectable

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Diazepam (Valium) is a class IV medicine. It is a benzodiazepine sedative that has many applications including the treatment of Migraine symptoms, usually used in combination with other helpful medicines. See also... READ MORE

Shocking Medication Shortages – A Migraineurs List

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

If you aren’t aware, you can’t prepare. Never before have I seen a drug shortage list with so many injectable medications which Migraineurs may need if they find themselves with serious, intractable... READ MORE

Are you an early jumper or a waiter?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Some people with migraine like to treat their attacks as soon as they first recognize symptoms. Others tend to wait and watch their migraine develop, waiting to see if it's going to... READ MORE

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) & Migraine

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

My son is a Migraineur and a high school athlete who has had a relatively safe athletic career; no concussions or traumatic brain injury that we are aware of. See also Chronic... READ MORE

Update on Interventional Therapies For Migraine

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Just back from the 6th world congress of the World Institute of Pain meeting in Miami. I was excited to attend a symposium dedicated to interventional approaches to headache, including migraine. The... READ MORE

Expert Answer: Birth Control & Migraine Prevention

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Question: Can birth control help treat my migraines? Is there a particular type of birth control I should consider? If it helps, will I have to keep taking the treatment forever for... READ MORE

Migraine and Brain Fog Tips and Tricks

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Difficulty concentrating and brain fog are big problems for many Migraineurs, both as symptoms of their Migraine attacks as well as symptoms of potential co-morbidities. (See Part 1) Compensating is a difficult... READ MORE

Migraine Symptoms: Brain Fog

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

I’m reading a book – one of my very favorite things to do. I read the first sentence of a paragraph, and by the time I’m to the end of the sentence,... READ MORE

Feb 10, Could Sinus Migraines?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:28 GMT

I am a 47yr old female that had sinus surgery 7 yrs ago on my sphenoid, and turbates. I have never experienced migraines until after my surgery. I have

Feb 9, 8 weeks post concussion

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:55 GMT

I am a 30 year old female. I got a concussion from a horseback riding accident in November 2011. At that time I lost five days of memory including the

Migraine Pearls or Onions? 2/9/12

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:27 GMT

Looking for Migraine information online? You'll find it in abundance! The question is whether it will be accurat and unbiased.

Online infomation can be bright, polished, and valuable - like a pearl - or it can be... well... rough and stinky - like an onion.

This feature, "Migraine Pears or Onions?" highlights both the gleaming Migraine pearls I come across and the malodorous "Migraine Onions."

Today's Migraine Pearly goes to Tammy Elder Rome for proactively seeking information and answers about Migraine disease and speaking up when she sees online content that's wrong or could be better.

I met Tammy on Facebook, and although Migraines have a significant impact on her life, she works at staying positive and proactively learning about the disease and working toward better Migraine management. Brava, Tammy!

Yesterday, Tammy pointed out a piece on FoxNews.com that's today's Migraine Onion. Dealing with migraine headache in children is an answer to a mother with an eight-year-old child with Migraines written by Dr. Manny Alvarez.

Dr. Manny refers to Migraine as "an 'adult' illness that affexts a young child," in the beginning of his article, and that's the first problem. Migraine isn't an adult illness; nor is it an illness of childhood. It's a disease that affects people of all ages.

Here are some other problems with Dr. Manny's answer:

He advises the mother to have her child seen by a board certified pediatric neurologist for diagnosis. A specialist isn't always necessary for a child to be appropriately diagnosed. Depending on the child and the doctor, their pediatrician or family physician may well be able to handle this. If a specialist is needed, a pediatric neurologist may not be the best choice. Neurologists aren't necessarily Migraine specialists, and Migraine specialists aren't necessarily neurologists.
Dr. Manny comments that it can be difficult to get a proper medical history from children. OK, but the accompanying point about medical history that he ommitted is that it's important to get the child's family medical history too because Migraine is genetic. Big omission.
He states, "Most likely, a physician will prescribe a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug such as Tylenol." Seriously? Tylenol isn't an NSAID. It's a simple analgesic.
His statement, "Prevention, of course, is even more effective than treatment," is quite accurate, but he had to go on to saythat there tend to be two cuprits in pediatric Migraine - nitrates and MSG. Again, seriously? Although those are fairly common triggers, to only mention these two triggers in relation to pediatric Migraine? Any doctor should be able to do better. Many children (and adults) have no food triggers whatsoever. One would hope that he'd mention other triggers including dehydration, irregular sleep patterns, and several others.

In the end, this answer just plain stinks - definitely an onion. Dr. Manny might do well to consult one of his pediatric neruolgist friends OR a Migraine specialist.

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Last Call: February 2012 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:30 GMT

Tomorrow (Friday, February 10, 2012) is the deadline for submissions to the February 2012 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

Submit your blog post to the February 2012 edition of the Headache and Migraine Disease Blog Carnival by e-mailing your submissions to me directly (somebodyhealme AT dianalee DOT net). The theme is: "Tales from the Trenches: Experiences (good & bad) on the road to finding the right migraine doctor. " As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day), tomorrow, Friday, February 10, and the carnival will be posted at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, February 13.

Additional information about the carnival can be found at this link: http://somebodyhealme.dianalee.net/p/headache-blog-carnival.html.

If you are interested in hosting a future edition, please let me know so we can talk details. It's not only a great way to support the carnival, but also to drive new traffic to your blog! As always, please feel free to contact me at any time with questions, suggestions or ideas for themes.

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Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation.

Judgement, Paula Deen & Type 2 Diabetes

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:30 GMT

Much more so than other diseases, type 2 diabetes is one more likely to be thought of as something you brought on yourself. True, there are many important lifestyle factors that make you more susceptible, but there are also incredibly unhealthy, overweight people who eat foods that aren't good for them who never develop it. It's just not that simple. It's actually because of this judgment that I think I can relate to why Paula Deen chose to wait to make her type 2 diabetes diagnosis public.

This is one article about her announcement. I tried to pick one that wasn't especially inflammatory or hateful toward her situation.

Paula Deen Says She Has Type 2 Diabetes

There is usually a period of grief after we learn about our type 2 diabetes diagnosis. It's scary news, and for many of us that fear is compounded by the shame of believing we brought it on ourselves. If this is true for the average joes and janes among us, can you imagine the fear and shame someone in Paula Deen's situation might experience? She's made her career and fortune cooking food that is incompatible with the day-to-day safe management of type 2 diabetes. And if outsiders were quick to blame her for her own diagnosis, you can bet she was the first to blame herself. We're so often harder on ourselves than we are on other people.

It's hard enough to get up to speed on blood glucose testing, A1C testing, what to eat, what to avoid, medications, etc., when you're first diagnosed. Knowing this would likely lead to a necessary change in the recipes that have made you famous and are so closely aligned with your identity must be even harder.

So, yes, it's easy for people who've never been through this process to harshly judge Paula Deen and to blame her for her own problems and her apparent contribution to the American obesity and diabetes epidemics. But let's be real: Paula is probably like the rest of us. She knows what she should be eating, that she's carrying at least a little more weight than she should and that the foods she most enjoys aren't very good for her. Making changes is hard and sometimes it takes a serious wake up call to start to make those changes.

Hopefully she'll get there as she grows more comfortable with her new-ish identity as a type 2 diabetic. How awesome would it be if she was able to use her notoriety to inspire and educate others about how to live a satisfying life as a person who loves rich, buttery, sugary, indulgent food and has to adapt to a new way of living? Pretty great, I think. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.

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Content by Diana E. Lee.