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So here is an update from my little corner of the universe. it's been 2 weeks now and i've been off the Emsam -- the side effects are going away. my sleep is still getting back to normal. once in a while i'll wake up at 3 or 4 and not be able to get back to sleep, but it's the exception instead of the rule now. thank goodness. that kind of nonsense is unacceptable.

so the headache clinic told me to call yesterday and they would start me on the new preventative....soooo i call them up. leave a message of course. they call me back and say that my dr. doesn't want to start me on anything until i come in for an appointment. ooookay. i'm thinking why did you tell me to call? i say that i have an appointment on the 30th of june and since i'm in UTAH i can't come in any sooner (are you even looking at my chart or what?). so i'm somewhat irritated because this just continues my time being off any anti-depressant. which, frankly is somewhat sucky. i've been on an anti-depressant for 10 years. the last 3 years the dosage has been double the previous 7 years. so to be on nothing ... it's difficult to stay on an even keel.

so this little video cheers me up. it's a video of jason castro on american idol. talking about and singing memory from cats.

my favorite part (ok, the part with the talking is much better than the singing IMHO...) is at about 1:25 when he says 'this is kind of a popular song'.

ahahahahaha. so funny. i laughed till i cried.

mostly because that's just about the understatement of the century. ooh hoo hoo.

Labels: headaches, meds, music, pain, update

The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind. -- William James


am trying to keep this idea ^ in mind and keep my attitude positive these days! this past week has been one storm after another. additionally, my anti-depressant dosage (which is also the MAOI) has been cut in half. this is a good thing, as i am weaning off of it. that's what i wanted, but i need 2 weeks of nothing before i can start onto another anti-depressant. and that leads to me feeling more down than usual.

if you don't see me around your blogs - that's why. i'm just kind of meh. not a lot to say. i am going out to lunch with some friends tomorrow, hopefully that will help.

Labels: meds, mood, pain

hello again internet pals!

i'm glad you all enjoyed the bounty cat as much as i did. sometimes all you need is a laugh.

well my decision is made and i'm moving forward. it's something of a compromise, really. the thing is, my doctor (who really is quite an expert, and whose opinion i greatly respect) wanted me to try another MAOI, one which is older than the one i am on now -- Emsam. So they have had better results with the older MAOIs, but the patients also have more side effects, which is why they typically start out with this newest formulation, the patch. One example of an older MAOI (which you may be familiar with is Nardil.

so there are two big reasons i'm not jumping up and down to go onto an older MAOI drug - #1 is the side effects. i don't usually get many side effects, but i got a boatload with Emsam. dizziness, increased appetite and weight gain, and sleep problems. the sleep problems was the most problematic, but the other two weren't great either. if the older ones typically have more side effects....well, i think you see where i'm going with that. no thank you.

#2 is that they require a 5-6 day hospital stay to go onto the MAOIs. they want to monitor my reaction to the drug and particularly my blood pressure. i'm realllly not thrilled about that either. it sounds really immature, but i feel like i just got out of the hospital, and was not planning to go back anytime soon. i certainly wasn't planning to be back within a few months. i just....pfft. the IVs, the needles, the nurses waking you up all night, no privacy. etc. etc. you know, it's just the hospital. they do all they can to make it pleasant, and i recognize it could be much much worse. it's not chemo - it's just the headache and migraine ward. it's just that i really thought i wasn't going back for a long time. the idea of going back SOON is a little disheartening.

SO. my decision. my decision is to try something else first - which is, in this case a tricyclic anti-depressant. if this doesn't work i will try the old MAOI my doctor is recommending. this will give me some time to get used to the idea of going back to the hospital (for less than a week!) and get some sleep stored up before i go back to an MAOI. hopefully i can get my body back to normal for a bit in case it goes all out of whack again. this time, if i see things getting messed up, i think i'll just ask to stop immediately.

has anyone made it through to the end of this marathon blog post? wow, that was long. a gold star for you!

Labels: meds, migraines, pain

Labels: funny, meds, pain issues, pharmacy

so far, this has been the most bothersome of the side effects i've experienced. my headache doctor just (at the last visit) bumped up my emsam patch dosage to 12 mg. it is an anti-depressant that is, in this case, acting (or supposed to be acting) as a migraine preventative.

however, it's messing with my already low blood pressure and giving me dizzy spells, especially first thing in the morning, and when i get up from sitting or laying down. i do a fair amount of 'sit down before i fall down' these days, which is annoying. but better than fainting and bonking my head. i also drink as much water as i can stand -- the nurses at the hospital said that helps.

really, i am lucky -- when i think of the dozens of pills and things i have tried for preventatives over the years, my side effects have been few. some nausea, a little weight loss, some weight gain.....but this has been the most annoying. it's been less than 2 weeks now, so i'm hoping my body will still adjust itself to the dosage and the dizziness won't be a permanent part of taking this dose!

Labels: meds, migraines, side effects

i'm ripping off a question from my friend Kimberlie: what one beauty product can you not live without? could be makeup, could be hair product......lotion, even.

i'm dying to know.

for me, it's a tie. i wear makeup nearly everyday, but almost always just eye makeup. so i can't live without my lash curler and mascara.

now on to other business.

let me tell you about my latest homeopathic .....diagnosis.

first, let me praise sugar and flour and milk, because i am OFF THE DIET!!! hooray for eating (almost) anything i want!! no reading labels, no passing up on delicious looking desserts. hooray for being able to eat candy for christmas!!

so that obviously didn't help, which is why it's over. i went to see a homeopathic chiropractor, recommended by my homeopathic doctor for his diagnostic capabilities. and i have to say...it was interesting. i'm still not sure i really *believe* that his methods work, or are ...real. HOWEVER, i am withholding judgment until the treatments have a chance to work. if they're going to help, it will be within the next 2 weeks.

if you're interested in the diagnostic methods he used, read this - obviously a skeptic, and then this, from the International College of Applied Kinesiology. i'm not going to go into it anymore than that.

but anywho, after spending an hour with me, we did a few chiropractic adjustments, and he developed 3 diagnoses that he says are contributing to my migraines.

1 - mercury poisoning. from my fillings. and i later thought of the fact that i did get 8 or 10 (i know) fillings the summer my migraines started getting more and more frequent.... i didn't tell him that though.
2 - virus in my brain stem. would not have been detected in the spinal tap.
3 - my body doesn't make enough neurotransmitters.

and so there are homeopathic pills and capsules and such for these things, which we went ahead with buying -- i don't plan to invest any more $$ in this area if this doesn't help.

i *am* still looking for a recommendation for an acupuncturist. i think that area has some possibilities.

that's my update, folks! don't forget, tell me about your favorite beauty product in comments!

Labels: headaches, homeopathy, meds, pain, pain issues, randomness

You Belong in 1989

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

Labels: diet, meds, meme, migraines, pain

my sister was saying the other day that i'd better post something new before friday.

why can't my blog just switch from a migraine blog to a shoe blog? i don't see any problem with that.

i thought i'd link to Shannon's Works for Me wednesday -- i've never taken part in the fun, but am ALWAYS reading what's going on. lots of good tips, for mothers or just people managing a home (like me). this week people are asking questions instead of sharing tips. and the last time i looked there were 215 (!) links. check it out!

ok, back to me. i spent most of yesterday with the Edge family -- very good times were had by all. aunt emily was thoroughly worn out.

and today -- today i'm feeling poorly-- it's another weather change, woohoo! i checked out weather.com (basically my most visited website ever), and they had this to say:

A VERY COLD STORM SYSTEM OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN LATE THURSDAY. THIS STORM WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST THROUGH NEVADA...AND STRENGTHEN AS IT APPROACHES WESTERN UTAH. THIS SLOW- MOVING STORM WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION OVER WESTERN UTAH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY.

sweet. it goes on to say that the temperatures will drop significantly as this system moves out. frankly, i'm just crossing my fingers for it to move quickly. i'm glad to have the spironolactone (med for low barometric pressure migraines), but it's either not enough, or just doesn't work that well. :) i'll be back with more fun things soon! definitely Footwear Friday, if not before.

Labels: meds, migraines, pain issues, weather

the first snow of the season fell on our mountains last night. it is beautiful.

today was also another doctor's appointment -- it was at the House of Pain. so we talked over how the pain med was going -- it hasn't been having too impressive a showing. so we're upping the dosage once more, to see if it'll help more. if not, we're going to scrap it and try something else. i'm pleased to be working with doctors i feel good about.

a pretty uneventful trip today. but a good day. i'm hopeful. even if this med doesn't work out, there are 5 other (similar) formulations of the same drug. and i'm pleased to feel like we're working actively on the preventative angle with my neurologist as well.

Labels: etc., headaches pain clinic, meds

This week is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week.

what a mouthful.

but seeing as how migraines (esp. daily ones) fit well into this category, i'd like to acknowledge it. more information can be found here, here, and here. Plenty of good reading about this week, and invisible chronic illnesses in general.

on a totally related note, i thought i'd give a little summary of my most recent doctor's appointment, to see a headache and migraine specialist. thankfully, this was not just a consultation (like last time), but she's going to continue to see me. hallelujah!

so the things we changed were these:
1- back to only treating w/meds a maximum of 3 migraines per week. sad but true.
2 - changed the tegretol to tegretol extended release. hopefully this will keep a more consistent level of the drug in my blood, and therefore help me feel better more consistently. we'll see.
3 - added nortriptyline. i can take it at night and it makes me sleepy, also she is hoping it helps my mood. could possibly help prevent migraines. we'll see.
4 - i need to spend five minutes 4 times a day exercising - on top of my pilates. usually i walk for 5 minutes. it's such a short time, it's hard to even get into it. she wants me to be more active, and believes it will help me to do more, and possibly help prevent migraines (are you seeing a theme here?)
5 - keeping a headache journal. i hate these, but am willing to do it.

soooo that's a lot of changes. but you know me, i'll try anything if i think it'll help! so far the nortriptyline is definitely improving my sleep - getting to sleep is easier. i feel like i've been able to do more, also. truly, the thing i'm most excited about is that she said she's going to continue to see me - and that she also believes (like me) that migraines which are difficult to treat are not necessarily a result of psychological difficulties. thank goodness.

she also mentioned (as i have been told several times before) that the longer i go on in daily pain, the less likely we are to be able to 'fix' it. that's somewhat discouraging, but honestly i would be ok still being in -some- pain everyday. i just would prefer much less. :)

Labels: headaches, meds, neurologists, pain issues, pain relief

this entry's for you, Migraine Chick!

thanks for all the feedback and ideas on the last entry! i found some more pain/headache blogs that i'll be stopping by again.

there was a request made for me to expound on my nausea tricks and fixes. i will GLADLY share what i've found, and welcome more ideas in the comments section. it's been 2 1/2 years that i've had this daily pain, but i know that compared to many, i'm just a beginner. ;)

so here are my favorite nausea fixes:

1. 7-up (many people use ginger ale, i've also heard flat coke and the like)
2. ginger tea
3. peppermint gum, mints, etc. something that keeps the mint flavor going.
4. cool pack on my forehead, doesn't necessarily get rid of the nausea, but helps me feel better while i'm working on it.
5. OTC - Emetrol. it is sickly sweet, but if you can choke it down, it often does the job. there's also generics at most drugstores.
6. finally, i have a prescription anti-nausea drug - i take reglan. but of course, there are many different drugs to help different ppl., so check with your doctor. this is my equivalent to a 'rescue drug', i rarely have to take it, but when i do, i'm so glad it's there.
7. i've also gone to the urgent care w/migraines - my main concern being not the pain but that i hadn't been able to keep anything down for a few days. they filled me up w/fluids and found an injectable anti-nausea med for me.

hopefully this helps - maybe there was something in there you hadn't heard about before?

what do you do for nausea? what works and what doesn't?

Labels: ideas, meds, nausea, pain

well, no HCJ pictures today; but soon, very very soon.

today is just a migraine update. i'm still taking the longer-acting painkiller, but it doesn't work very well. it may knock a little bit off the top, but not nearly enough. *and* it comes with side effects (of course) -- the only one that's stuck around after the first week is the woozy/tiredness. it's like any time of day i could just nod off for a nap. the wooziness is kind of like, have you ever found yourself staring at something (like really nothing) but you can't pull your gaze away? that's me.

so i got all ready to go out and get my grocery shopping done this afternoon. the pain was pretty bad, but i figured i've gone grocery shopping w/worse than that before! so off i go. and as i'm driving along the freeway, i realize that i'm not feeling really safe to drive. i'm having trouble focusing. needless to say, i get off the freeway and drive home posthaste.

looks like i'll need my chauffeur (spencer) to help me out on these errands. it's just frustrating to feel like i can't get anything done on my own.

Labels: frustration, meds, pain, side effects

my body seems to be adjusting to the new meds pretty well. i only have bouts of dizziness and wooziness. most of the time, i feel pretty normal. the nausea comes and goes, but is gone more than it was!

the pain control is still nothing to write home about. it's better than nothing, but not as good as i'd like.

aaaaaand i had a 1/2 a cinnamon roll w/breakfast today (courtesy of my SIL jenny), and my migraine almost immediately took a turn for the worse. everything else this morning has been completely routine, so i'm thinking maybe too much sugar triggers them? or worsens them?

i'm going to start tracking sugar in my diet, and how it affects my pain levels.

that's all for now - it's been so fun having my SIL jenny visiting. i'm going to miss her when she goes to school! just a couple more days left w/us.

Labels: family, meds, pain relief, side effects, sugar, triggers

well hello party people!

i thought i'd share an update on my pain clinic appointment yesterday. things went pretty well at the House of Pain, they saw me quickly -- i think b/c i had the first appointment of the day. the schedulers messed everything all up, so i ended up with a 7:50 A!M! appointment yesterday morning. whew. it's honestly been a while since i woke up so early. i'm just keepin' it real here.

so i went in feeling pretty craptastic, and as the day continued only felt more craptacular, b/c i got up so much earlier than my body's used to.

pain doc decided to move me to a longer-acting painkiller. that will be great if it works - b/c the painkiller was working, but only for 2 hours. and i only could take them every 4 hours. you see the problem. that's pretty much the only thing we decided - we talked more about the seriousness of using these meds, side effects, etc.

so last night i slept pretty well (once i got to sleep, that's another story). and this is my first full day of the new! longer-acting! painkiller!

unfortunately, it doesn't work that well. we started off at the lowest dose, so it may just be that it's not enough. what it DOES do pretty well is help me to have nausea and dizziness. my eyes feel tired, like i can barely keep them open. so that makes reading a little tricky. hopefully these will improve. i'll stick with it for a week, and then give my doc a call. see if we need to adjust the med or the dosage.

th-th-that's all, folks!

Labels: headaches pain clinic, meds

your words of encouragement are exactly what i needed. i think i'll print them out for another rainy day. thank you.

in other news, life rambles on slowly but surely. the new pain med helps more than the last. still not (in my estimation) taking most of the pain away, but at least it's more than before. i'll see the pain doc in another few weeks, and we'll see if he wants to adjust it.

i'm getting the last class arranged for an august graduation. :) i'm very excited, and don't feel the sadness over what could have been (college degree-wise) that i thought i might. as my sister said, a lot of times it's heart-breaking to make a difficult decision, but once you've made it, it's easier to move forward. that is how this has been.

Labels: graduation, headaches pain clinic, meds, pain

this is something i'd never really thought about.

until it happened to me.

which it has.

it's like my mouth is furry and i am THIRSTY all the time. but 10 seconds after i drink something, my mouth's all dry again. what the heck?

it's just another friendly side effect brought to you (ok me) courtesy of Desipramine.

man, i LOVE trying new drugs out. love it!

Labels: dry mouth, meds, side effects

did you hear? i've been elfed!


also, the lyrica isn't doing anything so far except making me dizzy and tired. keep those fingers crossed. ;)

Labels: funny, meds

it went well - i was feeling pretty low beforehand, so i'm glad. i needed it.

we talked about pain control, and also talked about trying lyrica. decided we would start the lyrica at a low dose, stay there for a month, and see how it goes. if we need to go up, we'll go up next month. the 'hope' is, that the nerves are firing for no reason (obviously we don't really want that, but if that's the case, lyrica will supposedly help). already, i am a mystery. *sigh*

i also asked about the possibility of a daily pain control med. she gave me tramadol to use for the worst pain, to see how it works for me. i am no limited to only 3 per week, which is fabulous. what is NOT fabulous is that it doesn't seem to work at all for me. i had a monster of a headache going, so once i filled the script i took one. it's now an hour later, and i can't tell any difference. :( bummer. the idea was to see how it worked, and then if it helped, we could work out a daily 'schedule' of sorts to take it. i guess now we'll have to find another pain med.

i'm just hopin' that the lyrica can work some miracles. i could really use one.

Labels: headaches, meds, pain clinic

i just realized (at dinner tonight) that i've recently been taking 2x my prescribed dose for tegretol, my anti-seizure med.

how stupid am i? pretty stupid.

the thing is.....i HAD been taking the 100 mg pills, and then when i switched back to the 200 mg pills, i somehow FORGOT to change back to the right # of pills per day.

if that makes sense to you.

maybe that's why i gained weight? here's hoping.

Labels: meds, stupidity

previous

• onward and upward
• something big is coming.....to a sassy lime near y...
• Hard Conversations and Tough Choices
• starting off with some random movie quotes
• Father's Day
• I Won!?!
• schtuff
• About four years ago this week, Spencer proposed t...
• the spotlight is on me!
• The greatest discovery of my generation is that ma...

archives

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Links to Blogs I love!

• Consider This...
• Crib Ceiling
• Daring Young Mom
• Diary of the Nello
• Don't Try This at Home
• HolyMama!
• It's not the volts that kill you...
• Juggling Sanity
• Lupe's Spot
• Magically Mama -- Now, where did I put my wand again?
• Mental Excrements
• Mothering on the Edge
• Muum's Musings
• The Osh Kosh Chronicles
• Owlhaven
• ParisDailyPhoto
• ...peanut tales in a nutshell
• Pink Chihuahua Princess
• Princess Mom
• Richard & Gretchen
• Rocks in my Dryer
• Save Leigh Ann
• Say la Vee
• Snickerdoodles
• The Big Trade-Off
• The Big Yellow House
• The Book Lady
• This Fish - Needs a Bicycle
• Tripping over Cobblestone
• Walking Kateastrophe
• Wind Lost
• Weathering Migraine Storms

credits

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