Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving with family! I had a few productive days leading up to Thanksgiving day (thankfully!). I tried to be mindful of my stress and pain levels - this included frequent rest breaks. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I got done (I'm starting to really re-define my definition of "productive"). I rested quite a bit the days before Thanksgiving, so that I could make it through the long day (spent several hours at my family's house, and then the rest of the day at the in-law's house).

I actually did pretty good at my family's house. I wore my sunglasses, made sure to stay hydrated, stayed away from the loud football games on TV, and snuck away to my old bedroom for some quiet time away from all of the people / action. My head was slowly starting to get worse through the day (though still bearable), but it worsened quickly a little later in the afternoon. I ended up taking my migraine meds (when we got to my in-law's house). Thank goodness! My head got significantly worse, off and on through the rest of the evening / night. I was able to really enjoy visiting with everyone, though (there were a lot fewer people at my in-law's, so it was easier to visit and not feel overstimulated and overwhelmed).

To be continued [here].


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Jeremy and I stopped at a Mrs. Baird's Bakery Outlet the other day. We've been meaning to stop in for a while because it's only a few miles from where we live. We were both dumbfounded by the deals we got. A lot of the bread products have "best by" dates that are in the next few days, but it still felt fresh and was sooo much cheaper than the regular grocery store. So, we're definitely going to start going there for our baked goods.


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Thankful

There are so many things that I'm grateful for. I've been blessed, and I really need to remember to be more thankful every day. Here are just some of the things I'm thankful for:

• Having the essentials (food, shelter...)
• Having a wonderful family (my family and in-laws)
• Jeremy having a good job
• Living in Texas again (near our families)
• Having a loving and caring husband
• Having an amazing, forgiving God

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, everyone!!!

This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

AHDA - Action Needed!

Help end the federal neglect of chronic disabling headache disorders

The Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) is working toward ensuring that our lawmakers appreciate the urgent need to ease the tremendous burden of migraine and headache disorders. Please take a moment and sign this petition.

There is so little funding for migraine and headache research, and yet the impact of these disorders extends to so many people.

• Chronic headache disorders, including migraine, are among the top 20 causes of disability in the US according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• 19% of Americans will experience an attack of some form of migraine this year.
• 75% of Americans with episodic migraine are women, predominantly of child-bearing age.
• 4% of Americans experience 4 hours of headaches per day, at least 15 days per month.
• Among veterans of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, 37% of servicemen and 57% of servicewomen reported ongoing migraine if there was a deployment history of concussive injury and any pre-deployment history of migraine.
• Migraine results in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease which has been linked to more than 1500 additional deaths in the US annually.
• Headache disorders, including migraine, are responsible for more than $31B in economic costs in the US annually.
• The WHO estimates that migraine causes more lost years of healthy life in the US annually than multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, ovarian cancer, and tuberculosis combined...
• ...in 2010, the combined NIH research funding for these four disorders ($684M) was more than 45 times greater than that for migraine ($15M).
• NIH funding for all research on headache disorders comprised less than 0.05% of the NIH budget in 2010.
• Only one innovative drug (sumatriptan), discovered, developed, and priority reviewed specifically for migraine treatment, has been FDA approved in the past 50 years.
• A total of only 290 American physicians have received Headache Medicine specialty training and are certified by the United Council on Neurologic Subspecialties.
• The US Congress has never held a public hearing devoted to headache disorders.

So, the AHDA is asking each of us to sign an on-line petition urging congressional hearings to be held on the impact of headache disorders. It takes only a minute to sign and they will deliver the signed petition to Congress. Please take a moment and sign this petition.

This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Be Present

Today's challenge is to describe something peaceful with as much sensory imagery as I can (describing the sights, sounds, scents, and feelings).

Rhythmic breathing, a small breeze against my skin, the sound of each footstep in succession, and pure drive and determination to complete the challenge.

While it may not sound like something peaceful, running was the best outlet for my emotions (all of them). I found peace in being out running on the road... competing, fighting the urge to quit, and working through my thoughts. There's nothing like it. I haven't been able to run in... 10 years. Can that be right?! I injured myself in 2001, went through physical therapy, and was injured again in 2002. I miss it terribly!


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Ekphrasis Post

Today's challenge is to find a Flickr Image in Creative Commons that inspires me in some way (positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes. Brave bonus: Publish your free writing without editing!

Photo by ghayty

The caption that ghayty included with the above photo was:

"We must always have old memories and young hopes" (Arsene Houssaye)

I think that those living with chronic pain tend to try to hold tightly to their memories of a time without pain (or at least when it was more manageable). It can be difficult to come to terms with having to face life with chronic pain, and we shouldn't abandon our memories, but we mustn't live in (or stay in) our memories. We need to live in the moment. We can look toward the future... from where we are now, not where we'd hoped we would be. Our hopes from before the chronic pain may have to be changed or adapted... some may no longer be possible... but, we should continue having hope.

There's another quote that would work beautifully for this photo:

"God gave us memories that we might have roses in December" (J. M. Barry)

I love this quote. I absolutely love roses, and this quote paints such a lovely picture... roses in the cold, harsh winter months. Our memories are extremely powerful. They can bring us to tears, make us laugh, or otherwise re-live that moment.

In the photo above, the brightness of the roses beautifully contrast the black and white beneath them. I think it's important to remember that, even in the darkest times (e.g., pain, depression), there is always hope and beauty... if only we look.

This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).