Getting Out of the Kitchen

So much for the blog challenge, eh?

I dumped nail polish remover all over my keyboard early last week and destroyed it, so finishing up the challenge I was already not doing so well at became difficult. Oh well, maybe next year... Though, I'm happy to hear that our efforts are finally starting to make an impact.

It's that time of year again where it becomes difficult to escape the heat, especially without central air conditioning. Fortunately, for whatever strange reason this year, despite the heat my traditional heat-induced headaches and migraines haven't been nearly as frequent or severe. I wonder what that's all about.

But they're not gone completely. On really bad days where it's not only hot but I also have to run around outside all day, it can get bad. It's like I wake up with it, take some OTCs along with a cool shower, and it tapers off for a while. Then I get back out in the heat and it gradually comes back. By the end of the day, I go to bed feeling about the same as I did when I woke up.

Whatever the case, it's a work in progress that's slowly getting better. What do you do to escape the heat and the headaches that can come with them?

MHAM Blog Challenge, Day 13: Sophie's Choice

What are the toughest treatment choices you face when balancing Migraine / Headache Disorders with other health conditions?

It always comes down to what will be better for my body. Unfortunately, what will be better for my body usually isn't as effective as medication.

I started taking  Topamax when I was in my third year of college. I had just transferred to a new school away from home and had just turned 21. You know what that means! I went out at least once (usually twice or thrice) each weekend, and my hangovers continued to get worse and worse morning. But I wanted to spend "quality" time with my friends, so I ignored the issue and kept going back.

Until someone finally told me how lethal the combo of Topamax and alcohol really is.

When first prescribed, no one had bothered to tell me how dangerous Topamax can be, especially when consuming alcohol. I had read the label, but it simply said, "Do not consume alcohol while taking this drug." I read that as, "If you are drinking, don't take a dose in the same night." Welp, problem solved!

When a kind pharmacist questioned my migraines and what I was taking for them, and then found out I was partying all the time, he recommended stopping Topamax immediately (and drinking for a while, too). He informed me that I was actually lucky to be alive with a functioning liver.

So I take that into consideration every time I take something for a headache or migraine, but I know that doing an alternative just won't always be what I need to get through a day of pain. There lies my biggest battle.

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June, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, is dedicated to Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache Disorders. The Migraine and Headache Awareness Month Blog Challenge is issued by FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

Walking Pharmacies

If you're like me, your purse / laptop bag / bookbag / etc. works as both its intended use as a carrier and also as a walking pharmacy. When you live in chronic pain, in fear of unexpected pain, with allergies, or whatever, you know that you've got to keep every necessary fix with you at all times. Generally, it's a HUGE pain. People hear the pill bottles shake around if your bag is jostled, and the amount of pills you need to carry sometimes determines the size of the bag you carry, which can be a big issue at crowded events.

I've been brainstorming / researching clever ways to carry around a personal pharmacy without making it known to the entire world, and here are a few I've come up with:

• Plain old Ziploc baggies. These can be a pain since you have to make sure you always have enough meds stocked in your bag, but it's more compact and doesn't allow for any maraca-like noises.
• Pack-m-Ups. These are essentially weekly pill containers in Ziploc baggie form, and are great if you have several prescription things to take a different times of the day. Each baggie has a date and time label, and some come as little mini bags all sewn together, similar to a plastic weekly pill container.
• Pillfold / Pillpouch by Sara Gorman. These are super cute and compact, and offer different ways to carry meds, based on your preference. To top if off, 5% of each bag sold goes to a Lupus charity. The Pillpouch is a great way to keep pills with their appropriate labels.
• Altoids tins / film canisters / etc. Reduce, reuse, recycle! If you only have a few pills to keep track of, and know them well, you can combine them into little reusable containers you may have laying around the house. Granted, if, for some odd reason, you were to be search by an authority, you may be questioned by the amount of random pills you have shoved together.

I guess it all depends on what you want to accomplish when packing pills. Do you want privacy (i.e. no noise), convenience, or small size? What other ideas have you tried? Which ones have worked for you?

On the Rebound

Not like that!

I know a lot of my headaches nowadays are caused by OTC medication overuse, and that this could be a theoretically "easy" fix. All I have to do is stop taking them for a few days... and feel the wrath of my brain in response.

In the same breath, I know this is becoming very taxing on my body, and I need to get it under control before it gets any worse. So, I've been looking at a few articles that may be able to help me:

In a nutshell, here are a few things I'm going to try over the next couple weeks:

• Hydrate! I used to be really good about this, but not so much lately.
• Take something else if absolutely dire. I'll be switching to ibuprofen (and in severe cases, Imitrex) when need-be. Anything to get me away from taking so much Excedrin (acetomenaphin-based)!
• Don't give in! I know my body likes the caffeine in Excedrin, which is why it responds to it better than other drugs. If that means drinking my coffee first thing instead of second thing in morning, that's fine! I can handle that :)

Teri Robert also has a great answer to rebound headaches here.

Let me know what you've tried, or what suggestions you might have!

Mind Over Matter

This article discusses not only a few alternative ways to battle pain, but also cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT). CBT is all about thinking of pain "neutrally," rather than thinking "this is going to keep me down for the day" or "why me?". If you can train your brain to react to pain as neutrally as possible, it will be less likely to overreact to pain in the future, leaving you with more manageable pain.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/when-pain-medications-not-working

Thinking neutrally about oncoming headaches and migraines (particularly headaches) is really something I should work on. I always get a very pessimistic attitude about headaches, take medication, and then get upset that the medication isn't working. Overpowering the pain with my own mind would be a great way to get the meds out of my system, which is an ultimate goal of mine.

Have you ever tried something like CBT? Has it worked for you?

Transformed Migraine

Somewhere along the line I stumbled upon this article, which talks about a type of migraine that describes exactly what I've been going through over the past few years.

"Transformed Migraine" begins as episodic migraine attacks, which eventually become less frequent and intense, and eventually turn into daily or almost daily headaches. These headaches sometimes become migraine attacks, or are interrupted by migraine attacks. These headaches are often time tension-related (bingo), and often a result of medication overuse.

None of this article was really news to me; it's just nice to know that I can't be the only person going through these issues, since someone was writing an article on it. Now I just need to find a support group for people who need help stopping medication overuse.

Aromatherapy

I've never tried aromatherapy as a pain reliever; I've always assumed it would take too long, or is too inconvenient to be effective. But after doing a little research, I've realized I'm dead wrong. You should always try something once!

Shamefully, I'd always assumed essential oils could only be used in aromatherapy by using the tools necessary to heat the oil and scent the air. I was way wrong:

Today, essential oils are extracted from the plants used for aromatherapy, making them very concentrated. The two basic ways aromatherapy is accomplished is by applying the oils to the skin and by inhalation. The term "aromatherapy" can be a bit misleading because it's not only the aroma that is therapeutic. The oils also interact with body chemistry directly, thus affecting certain systems and organs. You can demonstrate this yourself by rubbing garlic on the soles of your feet. After awhile, the garlic aroma will be evident on your breath.  (http://headaches.about.com/cs/alternative/l/aa_aromatherapy.htm)

What? That's pretty cool.

Now I'm most interested in finding "recipes" that can be used topically to soothe and relieve pain. Here are a few blends I've found:

• Blend #1: 8 Drops Lavender Oil, 4 Drops Roman Chamomile, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #2: 4 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil, 4 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #3: 4 Drops Helichrysum Essential Oil, 8 Drops Roman Chamomile, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #4: 4 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil, 8 Drops Lavender Essential Oil, 1 oz. Carrier Oil       (http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/aromatherapy-essential-oils-for-headaches.asp)

The article also recommends that despite how strong your headache may be or feel, essential oils are incredibly powerful, and less is more.

Another great benefit of aromatherapy is that the side effects of essential oils are less intense and frequent than those of otc and prescription pain relievers, when used as recommended.

What about you? Have you tried aromatherapy in any way? Has it worked? What blends or recipes have you tried? We're anxious to know! :)

OTC Pain Relief

I ran across this little slideshow on WebMD last night. It has a few scary reminders - encouragement to find drug-free pain relief alternatives.

http://www.webmd.com/drug-medication/otc-pain-relief-10/slideshow-pain-relievers

Have you experienced any unpleasant side effects when taking OTC pain relievers? What alternatives have you tried?