Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #30: End of June, But Not of Awareness

Today is the last day of Migraine Awareness Month. What a journey! I've been introduced to some new people / blogs that I can't wait to continue following. I'm fighting a big one today, so I'll keep this simple (i.e., I'm kinda copy/pasting from my post the beginning of the month).

This year's theme for National Migraine Awareness Month (NMAM) has been "help make migraines visible!" Many of the obstacles facing Migraineurs have to do with myths, misconceptions, and stigma surrounding Migraine and other headache disorders. I think that we made a good start to dispelling some of these things, but we have to keep educating and sharing our stories.

Thank you to Ellen and Teri, who put together the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge - 30 posts in 30 days - to help make migraines more visible!

The NHF shares some different resources to increase awareness - including a series of NHF hosted chat webinars (you can find out more information and register at this link), which they will continue to host. July's webinars will be from 6:30-7:30pm (CDT), and the topics are:

• July 10 (Tuesday) - Ask the Pharmacist
• July 26 (Thursday) - Management of Your Headache in the Emergency Department

Please take a moment to sign the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy petition to urge Congress to hold hearings on the impact of Migraine and other headache disorders - you don't have to personally experience headaches or migraines to help support those of us that do, so please take a moment and sign this important petition.

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #29: Chronic Migraine Awareness Day

Today is Chronic Migraine Awareness Day. Apparently, I'm recognizing today with a low-grade Migraine (at least it's not full-blown, though).

According to the International Headache Society, Chronic Migraine is "Migraine headache occurring on 15 or more days per month for more than 3 months in the absence of medication overuse" (ICHD-II).

There are many different acts of kindness that can be done for those living with Chronic Migraine, including:

• Offer to go to the doctor with a Migraineur and offer to take notes for them.
• Offer to help with food - prepare and deliver a meal for their family; fix a few frozen meals that can be easily reheated; help with grocery shopping (either go with or offer to pick up a some items for them).
• Offer to help around the house (laundry, cleaning, help finishing an unfinished project).
• Offer to watch a Migraineur's child(ren) for a few hours.
• Offer to have a spontaneous outing on their next good day... whenever that might be (even if it's just a quick outing for sno-cones - mmm, sno-cones).

Many Migraineurs are dealing with feelings of helplessness, and it can be extremely difficult to ask for help. So, it helps to keep offers specific - "Let me know if you need anything" or "Can I do anything to help?" will rarely result in someone reaching out and asking for that help because they're simply overwhelming. Also, please be sincere. If you're not willing to prepare a meal, don't offer to do it - if you offer and don't follow through, think of how the Migraineur feels after allowing him/herself to be vulnerable and accept your offer of help.

Remember, even small gestures of kindness can mean so very much.

Really, I think the things Migraineurs would truly cherish most are things that we ALL need (healthy or disabled, young or old) - companionship / love, comfort, understanding, and support. Here are some ways to show the Migraineur in your life that you care:

• Be forgiving and understanding when we have to cancel (even last minute) plans - Believe me, we hate to cancel plans more than you hate that we had to cancel - many of us have quite a lot of guilt built up around letting others down.
• Have at least a basic understanding of what Migraine disease really is - it's NOT "just a headache," it's a neurological disorder that affects every system of the body - and please help us dispel the misunderstandings and stigmatization surrounding Migraine disease.
• Be mindful of our needs - to avoid bright lighting (for example, when sitting down at a restaurant), scents/smells (including perfume, lotions, candles, air fresheners, etc), noise/crowds (for example, I can't deal with going to a club or concert), food sensitivities (migraine-friendly food / drinks) - I know this is a lot to try to remember, but simply asking if there's anything you can do to help reduce some of our triggers can mean so much (and help us to enjoy themselves more).
• Keep in touch - a quick email, text message, letter, etc can brighten our day (even if it's just to let us know that you're thinking of us) - we care about what's going on in your life, too.
• Help us remember that there's always hope and we are loved, despite our disability.

A fellow chronic Migraineur wrote a letter to people without Migraine that I think is very well-written. Please take a few minutes to read it, here. I share her sentiment: "I do not want your pity or even your sympathy. I want you to have even the tiniest grasp that migraine is not a headache... [I] beg for a smidgen of your comprehension" (Kerrie Smyres).

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #28: Lights, Camera, Action

LOVE & OTHER DRUGS

A movie character that I identify with is Maggie in Love and Other Drugs - I've written about this in Movie: Love & Other Drugs.

"Sometimes the things you want the most don’t happen and what you least expect happens. I don’t know – you meet thousands of people and none of them really touch you. And then you meet that one person and your life is changed, forever" -Jamie Randall (in Love & Other Drugs)

Unfortunately, there's not a very good video of the most moving clip in the movie, but here's the best I could find.

http://youtu.be/X4kuzxY81vM

DROP DEAD DIVA

A TV show character that I identify with is Jane in Drop Dead Diva. I started watching this show on Netflix (last year), and quickly fell in love with it. The premise is that an aspiring model (Deb) that is killed in a car crash gets brought back to life as a n intelligent, overweight lawyer (Jane).

Her experience resonates with me because I kinda feel like I'm also in a new / foreign body. My migraines are so frequent and debilitating that I have so many more limitations than I've ever had before, and I'm still trying to learn to respect and live within my new limitations.

A lot of the show is Jane's journey to figuring out who she is now (she's a combination of Deb and Jane). She also has to deal with others' expectations. I definitely relate to her struggle with others' expectations, but I write about that a lot (such as, Expectations and Relationships).

A quote from the show that really hit / touched me was: "It's been nine years. The world that I lived in has moved on without me; and if I want to move on, I guess I just have to let go" - Jane (in Drop Dead Diva)

Here's a clip that includes the show opening and "Saying goodbye to the (old) Jane."

http://youtu.be/_ruqlHg9c6U

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #27: In My Head & Heart

There are several people that inspire me to keep trying and not give up, despite my Migraines.

My Husband - Jeremy has always been a huge support and encouraging partner. He tries his best to understand my Migraines. He goes with me to doctor appointments. He's truly seen me at my worst... and he loves me anyway.

He knows that in my heart, I don't want to give up... and he reminds me of that. He cheers me on, even when the achievement is seemingly minor. He helps me so much (with tasks around the house, etc), but he encourages me to do what I need to so that I can live the best quality life I can with this disease (sometimes that means challenging myself to do something I haven't done in a while). He doesn't make me feel bad for my memory problems, my inability to help more around the house, having to cancel plans at the last minute, and so many other limitations I now have.

He helps me hold onto hope, and I'm so very grateful that he's my life partner.

My Family - My family has always been behind me, supporting and encouraging me. I lived with my parents for a little while following the accident, so they've seen me through some very dark times. I don't really remember much about the months after the accident (I literally had to write things down as they happened, or they'd be gone forever), but I know that I couldn't have made it through without them.

My mom went with me to all of my doctor appointments for at least the first year after the accident, and always asks for updates on how appointments went. My dad is always such a calming presence in my life, and I know that he knows and understands me in ways that many others don't. My sister has also been a so supportive and encouraging, and it means the world to me.

My family is my solid foundation and constant in the midst of life's storms, and I'm so very blessed to have them behind me no matter what.

My Friends - I rarely communicate with most of my friends. But, I do have a friend or two that have taken some steps to try to better understand Migraine and my experience living with it - and I'm so grateful that they have. They don't mind if I need to keep the lights low, keep my sunglasses on, and they show compassion (but, thankfully, not pity). I know that they're busy with their own lives, but I cherish the times I get to chat with them (in person, on the phone, texts, email, snail mail - any way that we can communicate). 

Online support communities

My Online Friends - I've met some dear friends in the online world, most that I probably never would've been blessed to know without the common link of Migraine. They have provided me strength, support, hope, prayers, and friendship. I can always count on them to understand and accept me the way that I am. They've helped me through some of the roughest times; but they're also there to cheer me on, celebrate achievements (no matter how small), and to offer words of kindness and love.

My Stubborn Self - I've always been a persistent and determined person. I won't stop trying to find relief. But, meanwhile, I'm trying to create and maintain a life that includes living within my current limitations. I'll never give up hope - I may have trouble holding on sometimes, but I have a support system that will hold onto hope when it's slipping from me.

My Faith / My God - I put up a wall and was so angry with God for some time after my accident. But, at some point, I came around and have been trying to trust Him more (this isn't to say that I never feel frustrated or angry with God, but it's much less frequently and shorter-lived).

God has provided for me / us in so many different ways. He provided for us financially through times with mounting medical costs and Jeremy being unemployed. He continues to give me the strength to make it through each moment. He blesses me in so many different ways, despite my chronic Migraines.

I don't understand why God brought me to this place of chronic pain. But, I'm trusting Him to work in and through me. I can't say that I'm happy to be a chronic Migraineur, but it's bringing me closer to my God and some of my family... it's made me slow down and live more "in the moment / in the now"... it's helping me to embrace and cherish the good moments, and try hard to let go of the moments that try to consume me... and it's reminding me to be filled with gratitude, even for simple or small blessings.

I believe that sometimes the greatest blessings are born out of brokenness.

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #24: Dear God

"God, be my guide, fill me. lead me. mold me.
make me pleasing to Your eyes. hold me.
be with me, always."

A prayer for my life:

To live a life worthy of my calling

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:1-6)

To have peace and hope, even in the midst of life's storms

"Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

To lay all of my desires and hopes at my Father's feet

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42)

To be more fully present in the moments of life

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34)
"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 NKJV)

To know and trust God more with my life

"I want to know you
I want to hear your voice
I want to know you more
I want to touch you
I want to see your face
I want to know you more" (Lyrics of Hillsong's song, I Want To Know You More)

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge #23: Mild Head Trauma

I just read an article that was very interesting and applicable to me - Headaches Worse With Mild Head Trauma Than More Severe Trauma: Researchers say even seemingly mild head injury should be taken seriously.

The study found that "those with mild injury were more likely to report new or worse headaches than those with moderate to severe injury."

The study is to be presented this week at an American Headache Society meeting - the data and conclusions of this study should be viewed as preliminary until they're published in a peer-reviewed journal.

This really struck a chord with me because my auto accident didn't result in a "severe" head injury. And, yet, here we are approaching 4 years since my accident, and I'm still trying to get my chronic, debilitating Migraines under some kind of control.

Please take all brain trauma very seriously, regardless of whether it seems mild, moderate, or severe.

This post was written as part of the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge (MAMBC), which is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com and the National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).