Migraines and my miracle cure

I have suffered migraines all my life. Most of them have been the kind where I can lie still in a quiet and dark room and wait (the 12 or so hours) for it to pass. Maybe even I would sleep a bit. A few of them were a bit milder and I could work. A few of them have been much much worse, where I could not stand, sit, or lie down and achieve any comfort. Instead I would go to bed, then a few seconds later sit on the edge of the bed, then get up and walk around. I often go sit in the shower and let cold water run over my head. You know things are bad when you have to take a cold shower. With these, I would often try to throw up.

I have seen a lot of doctors, but only two have made any difference. The first doctor I met while I was in graduate school in Kansas (KU). I originally saw him for some knee injuries related to my adventures on Attu island, in the Aleutian Islands. He is a sports doctor, but also a general practitioner. He was the first doctor who worked with me to isolate my triggers and treat them. At the time, I was having "cluster migraines" which I would get every other week and would last a week. That was awful. He determined that my allergies were a trigger and put me on daily regime of a antihistimine and topical nasal steroid.

He also tried some medicines that doctors noted helped people manage the pain / essentially prevent the migraines. The first one, an antidepressant in a very low dose, didn't work at all, but the second, a beta blocker, worked like a light switch. I stopped getting the cluster migraines immediately, although I still got the migraines I got before grad school--about 1-3 a month. He also identified all my other triggers, alcohol (which already knew since, ever once in awhile, when I sipped a beer, it would trigger one with in seconds--red wine was the worst). Another trigger, I was not aware of, was a neck injury. I had sprained three neck vertebrae that summer while on Shemya Island in the Aleutians doing archaeology. Two other triggers are light and changes in barometric presseure. Knowing these triggers really helped me avoid migraines, but I still got them when my allergies flared and forgot my sunglass . . .or had red wine two days in a row!

I lived with a few migraines a month until this year, when, for different reasons, I started seeing an allergist and he suggested I try Sinus Rinse. This is an over-the-counter product that is simply a salt mixture and helps drain your sinuses. It is a miracle cure for me! I have gone 6 months with no migraines. I have gotten other headaches, very minor and easy to ignore and not very often, but no migraines. I do have to use every day, but that is a small price to pay! I also continue to take my antihistimine, topical nasal steroid, and the beta blocker. So to be fair it is likely the whole package is my cure.

So, for all you migraine sufferers, go find a good doctor! You have to hunt for them because not all doctors are the same or focus on the same things. I have seen a bunch of doctors and only two ever helped me. We are all different so you need to figure out what the triggers are for you. I heard on a talk new radio show about a woman whose trigger is onions -- 72 hours after eating onions, she gets a migraine. So it may not be easy to find you triggers, but there is help and hope!

You be the baby and I'll be the momma

I was recently visiting some friends of mine in Austin--Jennifer, Samara, and their daughter Lilia Wren. Jennifer is a friend of mine from high school, although we have known each other much longer than that. I was in Austin for work and hit them up for a place to stay that is nearby. I usually stay with my brother because I feel less guilty mooching off them, but they are 40 minutes away. It was really nice to spend time with them. Samara is a welding inspector, climbs up buildings during the day, and is a really good cook at night. She cooked us up some mighty fine dinners, with 2+ vegetables every night. It was very nice. yum. Here is a photo of Samara doing something with dishes.

Jennifer teaches special education at one of the Austin elementary schools. See below . . .she looks like a very annoyed teacher. It wasn't my fault! Well, ok, it was. I like the Lilia art on the wall there to the right as well. They had all her art work low to the ground so she could enjoy it.


Both Jennifer and Samara are wonderful with Lilia, their 3 year old daughter. She is great 3 year old! That's her below wearing my shoes and refusing to give them back. She is so cute.


What I wanted to blog about is the game they play in the evening. It is absolute genius and they claim Lilia came up with it. Yeah right! She makes them lie down on their very own bed and tells them they are the baby and she is the momma. She pats them. They cry and say they want water and she gets them some. They cry and say they want hugs or pats and she gives them some. She tells them stories. She is very motherly. All the while, they get to take it easy and rest, getting an occasional pat from their sweet caring mommy-daughter. I was very impressed and think mommies everywhere (and daddies too) need to try to inspire their children to play this game. It is very helpful.

Now here are some cute videos of Lilia

In this one, we went for a bike ride around the block. Well, she rode her bike, Jennifer walked with her and I walked their dog Sunny and took this video while walking backwards, which is why she told me I needed to look where I was going





This one is bedtime for Lilia with mommy putting on ointments for her many mosquito bites, poor thing



I just learned today that Lilia has the H1N1 virus (the swine flu) so lets all hope she pulls through with flying immunological colors and that her mommies don't get it too!

Something interesting from the interwebs

Makes me want to walk across China.

I apologize for the confusing Hindi Post (see previous post)

There I was for a brief while only able to post in foreign languages. Crazy.
Turns out it was my fault for enabling something a few days ago . . . Technology often gets the better of me and in such odd ways, but I found my way out and am wondering what it was that I was going to blog about anyway. It seems so long ago -a whole 4 hours!!

Maybe I was going to blog about how I am a big bicycle racing fan. It makes no sense since I am no kind of athlete, rarely ride bicycles, and don't watch any other sports. But I love the month long Tour de France . . .it makes my year. Is it the men in tight shorts? is it Phil Liggets' enchanting Irish accent or interesting tidbits as he announces for the race? Maybe it is the epic endeavor of human endurance and strategy. Amazing mountain climbers and speedy sprinters - my goodness, that Mark Cavendish is something else!! I guess it is all of the above, but I certainly do love watching them as they journey through France. I would happily watch more races, but America does not get many televised bicycle races. Lots of wrestling and ultimate fighting and who knows what other odd sports . . . but little bicycle racing. The Tour de Spain started a couple of days ago. I wish I could watch it - the other virtue of watching these races is the scenery. As the race through the countryside, you get snippits of history and culture as the announcers tell you what province you are in . . .what that chateau was, etc. But no Spain for us in the U.S. I can only track where various races are through twitter! believe it or not.

Maybe I was going to blog about District 9- a refreshing movie making poignant points about racism (apartheid is a major theme) and tolerance . . . and an interesting take on first contact .. . I doubt I was going to blog about that since that's about all I have to say about it.

O well, my confusing scare of Hindi-only text has obliterated any memory of anything I might have wanted to say so I will leave you with this fun video: An engineers Guide to Cats

हेल्प, इ ऍम व्रितिंग इन हिन्दी एंड इ दोन'टी क्नोव वही

इ हद इन्तेंदेद अ तोताल्ली दिफ्फेरेंत टोपिक बुत ऍम फोर्स्ड तो पोस्ट अबाउट व्रितिंग इन हिन्दी, व्हिच इ कैन'टी नोट दो।

हेल्प में ओबी-ओने-क-वेंडी, हेल्प में

Green Pea Spew

We had our own little green pea projectile vomiting incident at home today. Could have been straight out of The Exorcist. With the exception of a few things. Well, mainly there was no demon possession in play.

Judah finished eating a nice lunch of organic pea mush. Selah and I indulged in a 'healthful' chicken sandwich from Braum's. I put him on the bed beside me and placed several toys within his reach. Hamlet, our graying mini dachshund, curled between us. I was still eating my lunch and Hamlet hoped to get a nibble.

Nearing the end of my sandwich, I noticed Judah staring at my food as it moved from my plate to my mouth and back. I pinched off a small piece of bun and put it to his mouth. He gummed it joyfully for a moment. And then...

He gagged, followed by a slow, small flow of pea lava oozing from his mouth. I grabbed a napkin and swept it away. He gagged again, rocked his head back and spewed warm, smelly green . It splattered across Hamlet's face, head and back. I scrambled to grab something. Of course, all I could reach was the already used paper napkin. He turned toward me, panic in his eyes and threw up again. This time soaking my pants and the duvet. How on earth can such a small creature create such a volume of vomit?

"Please get me a towel," I hollered at Selah. "Please get me a towel."

I held the sopping napkin up to Judah's mouth just in case. Selah hurried back with a washcloth.

"Bigger, bigger," I urged and she ran back to the bathroom. I began the clean up process.

I prayed it was over. Judah giggled. Hamlet never moved.

Wedding entrance dance

Here is another wonderful video . . .this one of a wedding entrance that made me cry and laugh

Folsom Prison Cutey

This is a great video of an adorable 5 year old singing and playing Folsom Prison Blues
Here is the original link
http://www.lawrence.com/news/2009/jul/28/little-boy-sings-folsom-prison-blues/

And the video