Good, Better, Best

An update on my post from Sunday…

Good – My blood work came back showing marginally low Vitamin D, which a OTC Vit D supplement with 1,000 iu’s per day should correct.  Easy peasy!

Better – Since I seem to get more migraines during the winter than during the summer, we’re going to beef up my preventives by adding Baclofen, a muscle relaxer.  Last March, I got stuck in a 3-week-long mega-migraine cycle that couldn’t be broken.  No fun.  The plan is to prevent a reoccurrence this year.  My neuro gave me her top 3 recommended meds and I chose to try Baclofen first.  (Have I mentioned that I ♥ my neuro?  And her PA?  And their awesome nurse?)

Best – My MRI showed no signs of MS!!  Whoohoo, non-existent bullet dodged!  They did pick up sinusitis, but that’s old news by now.  Needless to say, I’m thrilled that they didn’t find anything serious.

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Over Active Bladder/Migraine Update

I had a follow-up visit with my urologist back in December.  It was my first visit since he diagnosed me with an OAB back in October and was pretty much a quick, in-and-out deal.  The medication he put me on (Vesicare) seems to be helping, although I feel like the improvement has plateaued by now.  However, at this visit he mentioned a technique–called Timed Voiding–that’s designed to slowly retrain your bladder to have more appropriate urges.  Basically, you choose a manageable time interval, say 1-2 hours, and limit bathroom trips to that interval.  I’m not a huge fan of the name…so I prefer to call them my “Pre-scheduled bathroom breaks”.  It’s pretty much a mind-over-matter technique, and it really works for me.  Love it!

In my original post, I mentioned that I was going to follow-up with my neurologist about any connection between my OAB issue and a potential neurological link.  Last month I had a routine follow-up visit with Dr. M, my fabulous neurologist, and I asked her about the OAB link.  She was immediately concerned (making me glad I brought it up).  Contrary to what my urologist indicated,

Migraine history + bladder issues = Concern about Multiple Sclerosis

Other risk factors I have are: 

• Being female (women are twice as likely as men to develop MS)
• My age (most people who develop MS are diagnosed in their 20’s or early 30’s)
• Living in a temperate climate (MS affects approximately 1 in 2,000 people in temperate climates, while those in tropical climates have a 1 in 10,000 chance)
• Being caucasian (whites are at the highest risk for MS)

So, Dr. M ordered an MRI with and without contrast, as well as blood work to check my Vitamin D levels.  (Recent studies show that sufficient Vitamin D levels confer some protection against developing MS and/or progression of the disease.) 

Needless to say, this is all scary as hell for me.  MS is nothing to take lightly, and ever since my visit with Dr. M (which was otherwise positive), I’ve had a nice little knot of panic festering somewhere just above my diaphragm.  My gut feeling is that I don’t have MS, but I haven’t been able to shrug off the initial “holy crap, what if…” reaction, either.  

My MRI is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I should know in a couple of weeks….

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Thursday’s Thoughts

Today I soaked a kitty’s sore paw at work.  As I was doing so, said kitty looked at me with the most disgusted, incredulous, pitiful expression. 

His eyes screamed, “Hey, IDIOT, don’t you know that felines DON’T DO WATER!?!?  This stuff is wet and icky and everything that I spend my life avoiding.  You are a horrible person.” at me. 

I felt really bad…until he started doing back flips while attempting to snag me with his back talons.

~

Also, I had an awful, horrible migraine today.  I wanted to curl up in a ball and wake up in next week. 

What did I do?  Clocked in at 7:30am, clocked out at 7:21pm. 

Some days it would be nice to be weak. 

~

In other news, I’m officially at the beginning of a four-day weekend.  Heck yeah!

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A New Neurologist – Part II

I posted a couple of months ago about my search for–an appreciation of–a new doctor for my migraines.  Enter Dr. M.

To pick up where I left off in my last post on the topic, Dr. M gave me three treatment options:

1. Leave everything the way it was, including the two preventative medications I was taking daily and the migraine abortive medication I took when I did get headaches.

2. Begin searching (via trial and error) for migraine preventative mediation(s) that would be more effective at reducing the frequency of my migraines.

3. Wean off all preventive medications and begin lifestyle changes designed to minimize my migraines naturally.

I decided to give my body the opportunity to do this on its own and chose option #3.

Dr. M’s instructions were as follows:

1. Exercise (aerobic) 30 minutes daily.

2. Set a sleep routine and stick to it.  Determine the RIGHT amount of sleep for me (between 7-9 hours/night).  Keep the same bedtime every night and rise-time every morning, even on the weekends.

3. Eat small, frequent meals in order to keep my blood sugar level more constant.

4. Keep hydrated – drink plenty of water daily.

5. Learn–and practice–some form of stress management (meditation, reading before bedtime, etc.).

6. Read the book Headache 1-2-3.

To date, I have been better at keeping some of these guidelines than others.  #6 hasn’t yet happened, though I’ve read other headache/migraine prevention books.  #1 has been touch and go.  I bought an elliptical, but find it uncomfortable to use.  (There’s definitely a quality difference between the ones at the gym and the one sitting in my living room!)  I’ve been very good at #’s 3 and 4 (I eat every 3 hours and make a conscious effort to drink a set amount of water or Gatorade throughout the day).  I’m working on making a habit of #5 and have found that giving myself a nighttime routine makes my evening into a de-stressing time (as it’s designed to do). 

For me, #2 has proved to be the key to preventing migraines.  I CANNOT emphasize enough how important sleep regulation can be for migraine prevention.  If I don’t get 8 hours of sleep one night or stay up later than 11pm, I’m almost guaranteed to develop a migraine the next day. 

I’m happy to say that my migraines are managed equally well through these lifestyle modifications as they were through chemistry.  Meanwhile, I feel better, too!

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A New Neurologist – Part I

It’s been a week and a half now–I’m just now getting a chance to sit down and write about it–but I finally had my first appointment with a new Neurologist (Dr. M) for my migraines.  I absolutely loved her!  I’m so happy I decided to “shop around” for a doctor with whom I felt more comfortable.  I highly recommend this–it’s most definitely worth it!

To back up a little in the Saga of the New Neurologist, I decided after a visit with my original Neurologist (Dr. P) last May that I wanted to find a new doctor.  Not because he wasn’t a good doctor (he is), but because we weren’t a good match.  I felt anxious, rushed, and flustered at every appointment.  (Well, we only had two, so I should say both appointments.)  My migraines have a strong menstrual connection, and I felt uncomfortable taking to him about that aspect.  Partially due to my reluctance to talk to a man about my menstrual cycle, hormones, use of the pill, and birth control options, and partially due to his lack of sufficient tact during these discussions. 

Once I made the decision to switch Neurologists, the challenge began.  I knew I wanted a female doc, and there weren’t very many female Neurologists in Dayton, OH on my insurance plan.  One of the few (Dr. M)happened to be part of the same practice as Dr. P, so I called and attempted to switch to her.  However, I hit a brick wall in the form of the office staff.  After giving me a different run around during the first conversation, the second time I called they stonewalled me by stating that the practice didn’t allow transfers from one doctor to another.  Ladies (and gentlemen), if anyone tells you this, while it’s possible that it’s true, it’s unlikely.  So, don’t give up easily and definitely not before you’ve tried all avenues.

Long story short, it took several months, but I ended up talking to Dr. P (who happens to be the founder of the practice) and explained the situation to him (in friendly, vague terms of “I’d just feel more comfortable discussing things with a female doctor”).  He told me that they didn’t have any policy against switching doctors within the practice, unless the patient was unhappy with the type of care they received.  After I assured him that I was content with the quality of care and just preferred talking to a woman, he made the necessary arrangements for me to get an appointment with Dr. M.  See, easy as pie!  (Well, besides the endless phone calls and 6 month lapse in care because of the hang up, but I’m over being bitter.)

So, what was so great about Dr. M?  First, she took time to listen AND answer my abundance of questions.  Second, she spent a lot of time going over my history, which tells me that she wants to start at the beginning in order to find a workable treatment plan.  Thirdly, she gave me options, which gives me the feeling of active participation that I’m looking for.  Finally, I feel very comfortable conversing with her.  Plus, she happens to have a migraine pattern similar to mine, which makes me feel like she knows were I’m coming from.      

And so, I’m still chipping away at #21.

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Rain, rain go away

I feel a little blah today, probably because I had a migraine yesterday, so today I have that wonderful “post-migraine hangover”.  It has nothing to do with being hung over, but your brain feels very similar to when it’s been abused by alcohol, except instead it’s been abused by Serotonin, beat back into shape by Imitrex, and is understandably worse for the wear for a day or so.  My husband and I have been fairly motivated lately, I guess we deserve a day or two to be lazy 🙂

That’s why my blog has been neglected for the past few weeks.  We’ve been working in the barn until 10 or 11 at night most nights.  But the barn is looking great and we’re very close to having our first boarders!

 The past two days I’ve come home from work to find my adorable, innocent kitty locked in the bathroom by my exasperated husband.  Now don’t get me wrong, the bathroom is Mick’s domain–he eats there, his litter box is in there, and God forbid anyone think they’re allowed to close HIS door–with him in or out–and limit his freedom in or out of HIS bathroom.  But when he’s in trouble that’s where he goes for ‘time out’.  Tim’s been finding a teddy bear that generally sits on a shelf above the refrigerator in the middle of the living room floor, covered in cat hair.  Dead giveaway.  Besides the hair, Mick’s the only one with the run of the house during the day while we’re gone.  That crazy cat had to jump on a very tiny little counter, then jump straight up to the top of the refrigerator, then reach up onto a 6″ by 4″ shelf for the bear.  I should explain that my cat has an inexplicable obsession with beanie babies, teddy bears, and all things soft and plush.  Oh yeah, and he likes to chew them open and eat the stuffing out.  Damn orphan kitties and their weirdness. 🙂

Today I went in for my allergy shots and the nurse asked me if I was allergic to Benadryl.  I almost laughed out loud!  It’s really not funny, but wouldn’t that be awful to be allergic to the drug you’re taking to help STOP an allergic reaction?  I’ll tell you what else is funny.  The same nurse and I were discussing why I seem to break out in a rash after some of my allergy shots, but not all.  I mentioned that sometimes the rash is in the shape of the band-aid, but that we’d already ruled out my latex allergy because they use latex-free band-aids.  The nurse thinks I’m allergic to the adhesive on the band-aids.  They have another patient who is.  Now why didn’t I think of that?  But then again, who ever heard of something so silly?  And–worse–if I confirm said allergy, how does one avoid band-aids for life?!?

 It’s rained so much for the past so many days that I can’t even remember when it started raining.  Sunday?  Monday?  I think?  When I woke up this morning I could see more muddy water in our yard than solid ground.  Our little Ms. Swamp Dog loves it.  Kori the Corgi thinks we’re torturing him when we let him out to do his business twice a day.  If I try to get him go out a third time he glares at me.  I swear this morning he asked me with his dark, sad eyes to buy him doggie diapers so he doesn’t have to go out in the rain any more! 

My husband and I have been married 10 months today.  I gave Tim a kiss and wished him a “happy anniversary” when he got home from work this afternoon.  He replied, “I knew there was a reason today felt special.”  I love that man so much!

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Allowing myself some ‘rant time’

A kind stranger sent me an email today and told me he thought my blog was “refreshing”… 

I thought it was quite a nice compliment. 🙂

Well, I apologize, but I’m putting “refreshing” on the shelf for the evening and giving myself a little ‘rant time’.  I deserve it.  See, I’ve had a lousy week. 

First, our bosses were in Florida Friday thru Tuesday.  Then, I had a flat tire on my way to work on Friday,  had to call AAA, the whole thing.  I got to work about 10am.  Blah. 

Saturday I had to drive to the far side of Columbus (an hour and a half drive) for a trade show.  No problem, I like working trade shows–the whole meeting people and talking about what our company does agrees with me.  The whole getting up at 5am to be there at 7:30am to set up on a Saturday morning doesn’t so much agree with me. 

Monday was the kicker.  I woke up with one of the worst migraines I’ve ever had, but I had to go to work because my bosses were out of town.  I prefer not to take Imitrex (my abortive of choice) when I drive, and we had one of the busiest mornings so far this year, so I didn’t get a chance to take my “miracle pill” until lunch.  By that time the pain was throbbing/shooting through my temple and down my left nostril.  It felt like someone was sticking a fire poker up my nose, and my left cheek was numb.  Since I’d waited so long to take my Imitrex, it took THREE STINKING HOURS to take effect.  What can I say–they tell you to take it asap.  User error…but I’m me and I have to take care of the company before I take care of myself.  I can’t help it, that’s the way I am.

But the migraine wasn’t even the best part of Monday.  Oh no.  For those who don’t know, I live in Dayton and commute to work in Columbus.  Normally it’s an hour and fifteen minute drive.  In winter weather it has taken me as long as five hours to get home from work.  Monday we got winter weather.  Long story short, my husband’s car (yes–my husband’s!) and I ended up in a ditch.  I got us out of the ditch (yay for four wheel drive and off roading it!!).  However, my husband’s poor Trailblazer was, sadly, somewhat worse for the wear than I was (despite the returning migraine).  Guess what?  I called AAA for the second time in four days.  Fabulous.

The Trailblazer went into the shop, the bosses were still out of town, and I had no choice but find a way to get to work the next day.  I really would rather have taken a personal day.  But I talked to our operations manager (who’s in the field, so he couldn’t cover for me) around 6:15am and we agreed that the best thing to do was for me to drive a company vehicle from Dayton to Columbus.  Which I did.  And all that ice that put me in the ditch the night before?  Yep, it was still on the road.  Nothing like driving a company truck 80 miles through an ice skating rink full of cars with drivers who also want to get to work on time.  I got stuck behind a 10 car pile-up.  Fortunately, I wasn’t part of it. 

Almost $600 later and the Trailblazer has a new tail pipe/muffler/exhaust system.  But, she still needs new tires–which they said probably caused the whole mess in the first place–and will be another $600 or so.  Also, when they took off the old, mangled exhaust system they found another part that was bent that will need replaced, too.  There’s another $250.  How did I manage to turn Blondie’s exhaust system into an accordion, you ask?  Well, did I mention we went down a hill, through a marsh, and up a ditch–all backwards?  Yup, that’ll do it.  I did manage to miss the guard rail and two light posts, so I guess that’s a plus.

And then, just to round out my week, we had winter weather again tonight.  I got bored (it took me two hours to drive home–not too bad, but still), so I took some photos with my phone.  They’re not terrific, but they give the general idea.  At least tonight wasn’t as bad as Monday.

 

  Lots of snow, roads still OK.

Starting to get slick…

All the semi’s buzzing by me.  Yay.

Going about 25mph and the road is covered in snow.

Lots of snow on the road.

My welcome home lamp post 🙂

On the up side, I have my laptop for work with me and (unless global warming kicks in overnight) I’ll be working from home tomorrow.

Ok, end rant, resume my former self!

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It’s Time for Some Goals (101 in 1001)

It’s time for me to set a few goals in order to give myself specific targets to work toward over the next few years.  What it’s all about. 

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities. 

Many thanks to Terra for unwittingly inspiring me to get motivated… 

     “If one moves confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  —Henry David Thoreau

Start date: Today (Sunday, February 17, 2008)

End date: Monday, November 15, 2010

Striked=completed

Bold=in progress

Alverna’s 101 in 1001

Financial 

     1. Eliminate all consumer debt, including: my VISA & MasterCard, our Lowe’s card, my medical bill, and our parents’ generous “wedding expense” loans. 

     2. Put $5,000 in savings.

     3. Acquire a chest freezer so we can buy in bulk frozen foods to cut our grocery budget.

     4. Get overdraft protection on my checking account.

     5. Either expand the Wide Mouth Gifts I started or come up with some sort of on the side income. (See the results here, I’ve been working hard to make it more user-friendly.  Let me know what you think!)

Home/Farm Improvements 

     6. Replace the carpet in the kitchen with the snap together no-scratch slate look tile we’ve got picked out at Lowe’s.

     7. Replace the kitchen sink faucet with a stainless steel one (that doesn’t leak!).

     8. Install a drainage system around our barn. (3/19/08: I may not have been specific enough when I set this goal.  We’ve put in place a temporary solution–basically a sump pump in one of the storage stalls.  It’s helping tremendously for now.  However, I would like to have something better and more permanent eventually.)

     9. Replace the roof on the older half of our barn.

     10. Pick any manure in the arena and move the two sand piles that are currently in our pasture to the arena to improve the footing.

     11. Install a new wood fence section to separate the arena and the dry lot.

     12. Replace the chewed fence boards in the arena.  (March ’08; Thanks to my darling husband!)

     13. Replace the less attractive/functional boards on the run-in shed.  (March ’08; Also thanks to the Mr.–it was a joint goal!)

Career/Educational

     14. Find a job I love…or come to a place where I’m 100% happy with the one I have.

     15. Attend at least four continuing education seminars, at least two being equine-industry related. [0/4]

     16. Start our business, officially.  (3/19/08: It’s very,very close to becoming a reality…)

     17. Move the Bugh Equine Center website from Freewebs to a “real”, hosted website.

Self Improvement 

     18. Re-register to vote–once my name change becomes official.

     19. Locate a nonprofit organization with a cause I feel motivated by and volunteer with said organization.

     20. Lose ten pounds, and keep it off. [10/10]  (3/19/08: I actually lost ten pounds without really trying just because of all the work we’ve been doing on the barn…but I’m not crossing this one off because the goal was to lose AND keep it off.)

     21. Work with my neurologist to figure out the migraine prevention & treatment protocol that works best for me and I’m comfortable with using.

     22. Keep a headache journal for a year.

     23. Find a birth control method that I like.  (Suggestions are welcome ladies!)

     24. Write an article & get it published.

    25. Blog twice a week for at least one month. [2/8] (1, 2)

     26. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy.

     27. Climb a rock wall.

     28. Read the (Catholic) Bible from cover to cover.

     29. Read 25 other books–that I’ve never read before–in 2008. (Book suggestions anyone?) [1/25]  (3/19/08: Completed so far: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Steven R. Covey.  In progress: Equinomics: The Secrets to Making Money with Your Horse Business by Lanier Cordell, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, and THINK and GROW RICH by Napolean Hill)

     30. Read 30 books in 2009. [0/30]

     31. Read 25 books in 2010. [0/25]

     32. Visit the library down the road.  If it’s “safe”, get a library card.  If not, continue going to the library by our old apartment.  (February ’08; The security guard at the front door made me nervous, but it turns out our local library is OK.)

     33. Check out eight books on tape/CD in 2008.  Listen to them while driving to/from work. (These can count as the books I’m reading.) [2/8]  (3/19/08: 7 Habits & White Oleander are on CD.  I love this arrangement except–and this is no offense to the book/author–I had a little trouble staying awake while driving while listening to 7 Habits.  Apparently between 7-8am is not my optimal hour for self-motivation, which is good to know!)

     34. Do 100 sit-ups a night for two weeks. [0/14]

     35. Pray daily for a month. [0/30]

     36. Attend mass every Sunday for six months. [1/24]  (Mass 3/16/08)

     37. Attend mass for all Holy Days of Obligation for one year. [0/10] 

Personal 

     38. Take ballroom dance lessons with my husband (his idea, not mine 🙂 ). 

     39. Find (and buy) a pair of sunglasses I actually like (and that fit me!).

     40. Remove clothes from my wardrobe that I don’t like or don’t fit me.  Replace with clothes I like and will actually wear.  The end result should be a wardrobe I love!

     41. Find and buy functional and attractive sleepwear…then throw out all of the old, over-sized tee’s I usually wear.

     42. Find and buy a dress I can wear in the winter.

     43. Find and buy something slinky and sexy to wear for my husband.

     44. Find makeup that doesn’t make me break out and matches my skin tone.

     45. Mail a postcard to Post Secret.

     46. Get a massage.

     47. Get a facial.

     48. Take a cooking class.

     49. Travel outside the continental US.

     50. Take my husband whitewater rafting.

     51. Go horseback riding on the beach.  Somewhere warm.  Anywhere.

     52. Call or email my mom at least twice a week.

     53. Become a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

     54. Make at least two new, permanent friends in Dayton. [0/2]

     55. Have lunch with at least one “long lost friend”.

     56. Go to a concert.

     57. Have our wedding photos printed & put them in an album.

     58. Put together my cookbook.

     59. Cook 20 new recipes. [0/20]

     60. Visit either NYC or Chicago.

     61. Learn & practice monthly breast self exams for a year. [0/12]

     62. Find 10 new restaurants, coffee shops, or hang out spots within 15 minutes of our house. [0/10]

     63. Go on an overnight mother/daughter trip with my mom.

     64. Give blood at least four times per year. [0/10]

     65. Try five new foods, preferably foreign. [0/5]

     66. Take my husband to a strip club, just for the heck of it!

     67. Join a local hobby group.

     68. Buy a quality digital camera.

     69. Go to a drive-in movie.

     70. Buy a new lap top.

     71.  Plan a girl’s weekend road trip.

     72.  Plan a romantic trip for my husband and I.

     73. Go snorkeling.

     74. Golf 18 holes…note I don’t have any performance goal!

     75. Write and mail 2008 & 2009 Christmas letters.

     76. Show Pea (my OTTB) in-hand and under saddle.

     77. Take Pea to either a RPSI or a Trakehner breed inspection.

     78. Get Pea in foal to a warmblood stallion.

     79. Send a non-special occasion card to someone who’s family and someone who’s not.  (3/17/08: I mailed a “Hope” card to my Grandpa, who’s 82 and fell last week.  He broke a bunch of little bones in his hand…and now he’s grouchy because Grandma’s “making” him walk with a cane so it doesn’t happen again!) 

     80. Finish a knitting or cross stitch project.

     81. Have one of our wedding photos blown up to 16″x20″ and framed…and hang it above the fireplace.

    82. Write my husband a love note every week for a month (email counts). [1/4]

     83. Buy a cute corset–and wear it.

     84. Visit Cheryl, Scott, and the girls in Cleveland.

     85. Learn how to make at least one fancy dessert.

     86. Take a completely spontaneous getaway trip.

     87. Go bowling at least four times. [0/4]

     88. Take my little brothers on a day trip.

     89. Spend a weekend with my oldest brother.

     90. Go to a wine tasting event.

     91. Give a massage.

     92. Ride in a “Hunt” at the Miami Valley Hunt.

     93. Get tipsy in good company.

     94. Ride at least twice a week for six months, providing the weather is decent.  [0/48]

     95. Face a fear. 

     96. Go naked for a day.

     97. Make love outdoors.

     98. Learn one good joke.

     99. Leave work on time every day for a week. [0/7]

     100. Figure out which charity is most meaningful to me.

     101. Donate $5 to that charity for each unfinished item on this list.

        

    

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Hello, my name is Alverna

and I am a migraine sufferer.    

There, I said it.  It’s something not many of my friends may know about me, though my utterly devoted husband has become all too familiar with my migraines (especially during the past few months).  Call this the beginning of my coming out, if you will.  It’s really not something I’m very comfortable with, frankly.  I’ve always been a tomboy, and lately I feel like my body is failing me.  I don’t like being labeled as ‘sick’, though it’s nice to finally have a ‘diagnosis’ for several years worth of pain, nausea, asking Tim to turn down the TV, cringing at oncoming headlights when driving, etc.  At my husband’s urging, I went to see my general practice doctor a year and a half ago for my severe, almost daily headaches.  And after going through three different doctors, several other diagnosis, a nasty car accident that certainly didn’t help matters, and finally seeing a neurologist in November, I’ve been diagnosed with chronic migraines.  It turns out I’ve had them for at least three or four years.

How can you not know you have migraines?, you ask.  I should clarify.  I’ve had several what I would consider crippling migraine attacks–horribly throbbing head, severe nausea, intense photophobia and phonophobia–that put me in bed for the day.  So yes, I knew I had migraines.  I’d get them once or twice a year, until this year.  This year I’ve had five or six of those.  However, I was under the impression that the daily headaches I was getting where “regular” headaches.  Yes, they were bad and I wanted to puke and crawl in bed when I got home at the end of the day, but I was under the (misguided) assumption that you had to be in an immense amount of pain for the headache to be a migraine.  Migraines are actually defined as vascular in nature, not by the amount of pain they generate, though they generally are quite painful.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine)

 My diagnosis leaves me working towards findings a treatment program that works for me.  Unfortunately, this is a frustrating, trial-and-error process.  My doc originally put me on Topamax (another story) as a preventative, and has now added Pamelor.  I take Imitrex as an abortive (i.e. when I feel a migraine coming on).  I also get to make lots of fun lifestyle changes, like limiting how much cheese, pizza, and wine I eat.  Of course, all my favorites!  Meanwhile, I’ve done a lot of research and found out how scary migraines are.  From a physiological standpoint, a migraine is very similar to a stroke, and migraineurs are more likely to suffer a stroke at some point in their life.  What the medical community doesn’t agree on is how much more likely, but it’s between 50-80% vs. those who don’t have migraines.  (http://headaches.about.com/cs/education/a/hp_ingore_not.htm)

On the upside, I have a wonderful, supportive husband who loves me very much and will stand by me through anything.  They say the first year of marriage is often the rockiest (if that’s a word).  Time will tell if ours has been, but we’ve grown a lot together.  Our families (and friends) have helped us a lot, too, but mostly it’s just been the two of us.  We rock!  And I’m looking forward winter being over (I’m not a fan of winter, it’s a blue, cold time of year for me), and spring to be here!

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