Day 17 after Botox Treatment for Migraines

So, today is day 17 of my first Botox experience.  I intended to write a day 10 article, but life got in the way.   Day 10 is the day when you are supposed to see and feel some results.  So, here are my results thus far.

I didn’t realize how much effort I was using to keep my eyes open.  I have deep set eyes and as I age, it’s getting harder and harder to see without forcing my eyes open wider.  That has gone away!  Yay!  I’ve had a total of 2 migraines.  One right after my treatment, which I expected and another after a long stressful day.  HOWEVER, the 2nd one, went away with plain Advil.

My WTF lines in my forehead are barely visible now.   That’s cool.  Rarely are there “good” side effects when you take a drug!   My temples feel more relaxed than ever.  I still have the bruise next to my eye.  Yesterday I thought I was on the verge of getting a migraine all day.   I took some Advil and after a few hours, it didn’t help.  I had my Imitrex waiting for me and I was getting ready to take it.  The pain was tolerable, but it was slowly increasing, and then it just went away.

So, I’m leaning towards saying that this is helping me so far.  I will write another follow-up article to see if my progress continues and what happens when I get the second round of Botox.  They said they could give me more if necessary, and I think I do need a little more above my right eye area, which is the area that always hurts the most when I get a migraine.

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First Botox Treatment as a Preventative

So, on Tuesday my dentist of all people was able to give me Botox for my migraines.   She said that as long as I’ve been diagnosed with migraines my insurance should cover it.   I’ve asked my neurologist and she doesn’t do it.  I asked my dermatologist and she only does it for cosmetic purposes.  I asked the migraine clinic I had been going for a study, but I HAD to become a patient.  They are a 45-minute drive from my house on a good day, I wasn’t that impressed with them to begin with, AND they don’t do emergency shots for when I’ve had a migraine for 5 days!   Rock (ME) Hard Place.

So, it’s day 3 after the shot.  I had a screaming migraine the day after.  Luckily Imitrex helped the pain but I was bedridden all day because of the side effects.   By the end of day two, my eyes felt so heavy it was exhausting to keep them open.  Today, day 3 my right temple feels like it’s being pulled into my ear.  I have a bruise by my right eye and all the injection spots still hurt.   My face hurts, but right now it’s tolerable.

I was told that it would take 2-10 days for any noticeable difference ie, maybe my WTF lines will be gone!  Finally, a side effect I can deal with!  LOL!   So, I’m going to give it the full 10 days to see.  I know many migraine sufferers say it can take several treatments before they notice a difference with their migraines.   So, I’ll keep ya posted!

 

Could Baobab Fruit Powder Help Provide Relief For Your Migraines?

So, I try to follow the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan.  I fall off the wagon, but then I try my best to get back on it.  What usually throws me off the wagon is lack of energy and my chronic migraine condition.  When you don’t feel good, and your stomach is not at it’s best, you tend to eat what sounds good, like Saltine Crackers, or white bread (gasp!).

Recently I was on the Trim Healthy Mama shopping site buying some more of their Super Sweet Blend Packets to go.  Which are awesome to keep in your purse, use at work and they also help you measure out how much you are putting in!   I saw this Baobab Boost Powder that has a ton of anti-oxidants, more than Blueberries, Acai Berries, and Pomegranates!   It’s also supposed to give you more energy!  So I was up for anything that might give me more energy!

It’s also supposed to help with blood circulation, blood pressure, and many other things.  If you go to the bottom of the Trim Healthy Mama’s website about the Baobab Powder you will find a list of benefits.  There are also a few other sites that list the benefits as well.

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/baobab.html

https://www.betternutrition.com/checkout/baobab-health-benefits

https://www.myprotein.com/thezone/nutrition/baobab-powder-multiple-benefits/

I’m not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one on the internet or on T.V.!!!   All I can tell you is that I’ve been drinking this powder mixed in with Lemons with THM Super Sweet Blend and in my favorite English Breakfast Tea for 30 days.  I’ve only had 3 migraines that actually weren’t that bad and that only took a couple of Motrin to help them go away.  Now I could be having a really good month, it’s hard to tell.  I generally have 10-15 migraines a month.  It doesn’t take much to trigger them, a little stress, a change in the weather, certain lighting, smells, barometric pressure changes, altitude changes and the list goes on and on.

Here’s a video from Trim Healthy Mama about it.   I’m not an affiliate for them so I don’t make any money from this if you buy it.   If you are like me and willing to try just about anything to help you with your migraines, for $13.99 which is a month’s supply it can’t hurt to try it!

#MeToo -My First Experience With Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

I have been the victim of sexual harassment twice in my life.  Both times were at a previous job.  The first time I was 24 and didn’t know what to do. A female co-worker approached me and asked me if this man was doing the same things to me as he was to her.  When I told her yes another woman overheard and said the same things happened to her.  We were all in our early twenties and this was our first full time job.  A fourth woman overheard us and reported it to my boss.   My boss reported it to the CEO and the CFO.

The CEO and CFO brought each of us into their office and I watched the other two women deny anything ever happened and I was stunned. When they asked me what happened, I wasn’t going to lie.  I told them exactly what happened.  I don’t know where that courage came from, and I certainly didn’t think they were going to believe me, but I told them the truth anyway. They told me they were thankful that one of us was brave enough to step up and say something.  They also told us this hadn’t been his first offense.  They have a three strikes and you’re out policy.  That may change in light of all that is going on right now.    I asked the other two women why they lied about what happened and it was because they feared losing their job and they feared they wouldn’t be believed.

Later that day, the man who harassed me actually came up to me and yelled at me for not telling him directly.  It’s not like they were teaching young women in high school or college at that time how to handle that type of situation. He told me he could have lost his job because of me.  I was shocked that he had the audacity to yell at me and yet I still felt guilty for some reason. He was a 64 year old man who had two daughters my age, and he should have known what he was doing was wrong.  I asked him if he would want someone his age doing the things he did to us to his daughter’s and he got very upset and walked away.   I am very grateful that the CEO and CFO believed me and took action.  It meant a lot to me.

How Chronic Migraines Changed How I Live and Parent

Recently, I got an article published on GrokNation’s site.   Please read all about it here!

http://groknation.com/parenting/living-chronic-migraine-pain-changed-live-parent/

Physical Therapy for Migraines

Some of my migraines stem from neck issues.  Specifically between the C1, C2 disks in my neck and the base of my skull.  Poor posture, injury and scar tissue can cause these to cause more tension and pain that radiates into your head.  I’ve started some physical therapy for those headaches/migraines.  I slash headaches/migraines  because some of the time I get headaches that start in the back of my neck, however if I strain my neck I will get a migraine that lasts for a minimum of 4 days.    Until recently when I went to my neurologist she just gave me Imitrex and I was on my way.   Until I really started taking detailed notes about my migraines and headaches did I notice that some of the worst migraines stem from the back of my neck and last for days, usually after I’ve done something dumb.  You know not wanting to make more than 2 trips out to the car for groceries so I tried carrying most of them in one hand so the other was free to open the door!  Some not so dumb, I have a 3 1/2-year-old that weighs close to 40 pounds and I tend to carry her on one side all the time!  She gave me a prescription for Zanaflex, which does help, but when I’m having a multi-day migraine I have to take them every day.  I can’t really do anything but sleep when I’ve taken one.

So this week I started physical therapy.  They told me to switch my pillow to a down pillow.  If you suffer from migraines, you too could probably call yourself a pillow collector!  I have so many because I’m always searching for the right one!   The therapist told me for my neck I should get a down pillow because they are easier to mold under your C1 and C2 spinal disks.    Here’s where they are:

 

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The therapist had me simply take my chin and touch it to my chest and asked me how it felt.  It felt super tight but I could tell it was helping to relax the muscles in my shoulders and neck.

He told me to buy a lumbar support for my back for my chair at work and practice sitting up.   I’m supposed to be doing an exercise for about 3 minutes every couple of hours, and I need to check my posture every 10 minutes to make sure I have a neutral spine.   I found this video online that seems to be as close as I can find to show you what exercise you may want to try if your migraines stem from the back of your neck!

 

OnZetra Xsail Review

Unfortunately, I had to try OnZetra Xsail yesterday.  Unfortunate because that meant I had a migraine!   Here is a brief review of it from only 1 usage, please keep that in mind.

The packaging was a pain to open but it could have been worse.  It was very easy to use, unlike the Imitrex STATdose pen.  One end goes into your mouth and the other end goes up your nose, then you blow out your mouth and essentially blow the medicine up your nose. I kind of felt like I was doing cocaine…never actually done it, but I would imagine this is how you kind of do it!   The theory behind this is, if you have a headache, why are you treating it with something that goes in your stomach, why not directly to the source of the pain.  Makes perfect sense!    I was told that people had reported it working within 20 minutes but it could still take up to 2 hours.

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After 20 minutes no relief, but now on top of a migraine I had a sore throat because the medicine was draining down my throat.  Yuck!  The dosage is much smaller than I’m used to taking when it comes to the Imitrex pill.  I’m prescribed 100 MG of Imitrex and can take up to 2 of those in 24 hours.  I usually cut them in half because if I can get away with less, why wouldn’t I?

After 2 hours I still had NO RELIEF.  I had taken an Imitrex pill at midnight because I felt it coming on then.   I figured if I woke up and it wasn’t better I would finally try this medicine.   Well at 6 a.m. I still had a migraine and I tried it.   It didn’t work so I was bedridden the rest of the day.  Not fun!!

So, I cannot recommend this for myself. Let me know if it has worked for you!!!  I’d love to hear back from other people who have used this!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Migraine Medicine Looks Promising!!

Dr. Joel Saper from the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan has found a possible drug , currently named ALD403 that prevents migraines for up to 3 months!! Not FDA approved yet, but several studies are in the works.  You can even sign up for these still!!!    The worst side effect reported is a little irritation around the vein that the medicine goes in.   Watch the video from WXYZ.com!

Meditation and Migraines

So, our office let us test a  10-week trial of guided Mindful Meditation through Meditation Works, a Troy, MI-based company.  Meditation Works is a company that owns trailers that come to YOUR office and allows you to let your employees participate in a guided meditation.  It was awesome to get out of the office and relax for 10 minutes.  I was especially happy on the days we had Meditation Works come out and then our office also offers on-site chair massages.  Those TOTALLY help with my migraines by the way! The best massages for my migraines have been trigger point massages and craniosacral therapy.  Craniosacral therapy isn’t as hocus pocus as it sounds!!!

At the end of the 10-week trial, we took a survey to see if it helped us be more mindful.  I was also testing to see if it helped me with my migraines.  While it did help me become about 20% more mindful than I was previously.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see a decrease in my migraines.  It did lower my stress levels!  So, though it didn’t help me with my migraines, it helped me be more relaxed and more mindful of my state of mind.

I’m currently trying out some apps that will help you meditate, and once I have a list of apps I like I will let you know! If you have an app you like, let me know and I will try it!!!