Express Migraine to Congress!

Our ‘Express Migraine to Congress!’ campaign is launched at the wonderful suggestion of Vicki Gewe!

Vicki sent a book to Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, and I sent a copy to each of my senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Seven books are on their way to Congress now!

AND for every book sold in this effort, we will donate $1 to the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy. You can make a dual impact with your purchase.

Anyone can purchase a book for Congress to promote awareness and migraine research here: http://www.wordmetropress.com/congress.html. Simply make a note in the PayPal purchase form which Senator or Representative you would like to receive your book.

Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which oversees the National Institutes of Health are listed, and members of the Health Committees are indicated with an asterisk. So you can target a committee member or Congress person of your choice.

I’ll display recipients’ names or districts in blue as they’re chosen so we don’t duplicate efforts.

Along with your book we’ll send a letter (See Congress letter page) with your name, address and purpose or if you wish to write your own letter and e-mail it to me, I can include that.

The Momentum for Migraine is building! More articles appear in the media as more public people speak up as migraineurs. Cindy McCain has entered the fray as a migraine advocate, and as Teri Robert has mentioned, the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) is planning another Headache on the Hill event.

It’s a great time to help Congress understand how much migraine has been neglected and how much attention and funding it needs.

Thank you so much for all you do for migraine understanding and advocacy!

Got migraine? Got massage?

This is National Massage Therapy Awareness Week (Oct. 25-31,2009), and I know a fantastic therapeutic massage therapist in Sarasota, Florida, if you’re looking for one. Massage is great for migraine and I wish I could afford regular massage therapy! I guess my husband could learn it… 

Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week

Shared by Teri Robert (thank you) – and completed by me:

30 Things About My Invisible Illness, Migraine

Anyone who has Migraine disease or another headache disorder knows what it’s like to live with an invisible illness. People can’t see our illness. There are no outward signs. Invisible illnesses are easy for “healthy” people to ignore. This adds to the burden of disease and makes lives even more difficult.

Each year, National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is observed to educate the public and raise awareness about invisible illnesses. One of the blogging activities this year is a “meme,” 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know. So, here’s my meme… (more…)

If Women Ruled and Migraine Had Maggots

Would the migraine world be much different if migraine hadn’t been so invisible for so many years? If it hadn’t been considered a woman’s ‘headache,’ particularly because often it was wrapped around hormones and the menstrual cycle? If more men had migraine disease or more men had spoken up about it over the years? If women had been more vocal and assertive – or aggressive – about their real symptoms? If Virginia Woolf, Joan Didion and others had been men?

Yes, it would.

I was raised as a good little Midwestern girl, to be seen and not heard, to have a superwoman’s work ethic, an obligation to help others and to be responsible and accountable for my actions. Not that any of these things are bad, just that for 15 years or so, this is why I listened to doctors who said my horrible ‘headache’ attacks were just a part of menstruation, that I needed to relax and ’stroke my chin’ so I wouldn’t develop ulcers to go with that ‘headache.’

All those years of hearing in some way or another that migraine was my doing – you need more exercise, more sleep, better food, more relaxation, change your personality – blah, blah, blah… while I stoically suffered through too many two-to-three-day sick episodes per month with pain, nausea, diarrhea, and life between two sheets in a dark room with my friends, the ice packs and vomit buckets. (more…)

Migraines — All in the Family?

While I’ve never written about migraine in my family before, even in a journal entry, it’s a mystery that I and my family members have tried to solve once or twice.

As one of five girls – yes, I have four sisters and no brothers (my poor father!) – and one of the three of us who have migraine disease, naturally I’ve wondered (and lamented) over the years, “Why me/us – what’s the reason or connection?”

(more…)

Independence, Liberty Bell poem

I so enjoyed this poem yesterday from Gloriana Casey, one of the poets with work in Migraine Expressions, that I wanted to share and spread its message.

“VOICE OF THE LIBERTY BELL”
by Gloriana Casey for 7 /4/ 2009

In Philadelphia, I live,
a grand and giant bell.
And long my life, and journeys made.
the stories I can tell. (more…)

yes, we still need ‘painful’ migraine art!

Imah Widai

I’m Mad as Hell and What I’m Doing About It…

Yes, we still need painful and frightening migraine art

…and everything else possible to help the migraine awareness effort!

Well, National Headache Awareness Week (June 7-13) is reaching its end, but our efforts to promote awareness and understanding while advocating for more research and better treatments must go on!

Dedicated migraine professionals, advocates and overcomers are leading the charge online with excellent, informative migraine and headache sites, providing support and sharing knowledge and experiences. Some can be found on this blog under Resources and more will be added here soon. (more…)

Migraine Expressions milestone

Migraine Expressions has placed as a Finalist in the Anthologies-Nonfiction category of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards! I am honored to thank and congratulate all who contributed to and supported the project.

P.S. Migraine Expressions is a great gift for anyone whose life is impacted by migraine!

those sticky produce labels

Photo International Antarctic Centre

Stones in my shoes…

Along life’s road, we often encounter minor irritations – stones in our shoes – things or events that slow us down, aggravate us… in the scheme of life, they are often incidental and not all that important when compared to the serious issues mankind needs to address.

But these stones in our shoes are worth a mention simply because sometimes asking the questions prompts some solution or improvement.

My question is this… why do we have to have little stickers on our fruit? I mean, I realize they have a good purpose – to indicate whether a produce item is organic or traditionally grown, etc., but it just seems crazy to use paper, ink and who-knows-what kind of adhesive (while we’re trying to be environmentally correct) on every single piece of fruit! (more…)

calcium – the other migraine ingredient?

I’ve wondered for quite a while about this recipe of minerals and serotonin and migraine. Every time I try to add magnesium to my supplement regimen, which does include calcium, I seem to experience more or worse migraine attacks.

But that contradicts everything I read about many migraineurs having low levels of magnesium and how magnesium helps. So I have been left to wonder if this is coincidental for me and to try adding magnesium periodically to see what happens — and to suspect that perhaps I am just an anomaly in this regard!

Please read this brief article by Mamta Singh I was glad to find about the role of calcium in the mix with magnesium, potassium and serotonin. Maybe eventually I will find just the right amount of each ingredient for me!

*Obviously, I am a student and not an expert in this area, so please check with you doctor about supplements you consider taking.