Migraine

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-virtually...prove-your-life.html


Apropos Teri's article on quitting DQing and whining, I came across this helpful piece today. There's some very useful points in here I think!

Reckon I might be referring to this little list again and again!!

enjoy!
sammyxx

Sammy,
that is amazing!!!! There are so many things on there that my husband is always telling me off for. I guess I have a few lessons to learn. Thanks for that.
Love,
Sarah

I agree not to dramatize but..........

When you've got a disease that gets 0 respect,when you live in fear of the next migraine attack...when you don't want to seek help because you don't want to deal with the noncare you'll be getting...when you look forward to the nurse who rolls her eyes in triage as you say the words migraine attack...

When you've been put in a room where they put on casts,the brightest room they have,say you can't be there,only to be moved 5 minutes later,only to then have them move you because they need the bed there,telling the nurse I'll get sick if I do,they make me get up,I start convulsing & hyperventilating,passing out falling backwards,having the dr come over & shake me & yell in my face "Now you stop that!"

Being left unconscious in a wheelchair for 3hrs in an er that wasn't busy.

Seeing the same dr that shook me come in,giving him a chance because I heard the staff had been thru "attitude training." He came in,turned the light off,talked softly.Relieved,I sighed,then a couple of minutes later a very loud nurse flies in,flips the light on,And Announces "Oh a headache!?" She proceeds to start beating on my wrist(I have very small wrists)to do the iv.Any other time they did it in my arm.She kept saying headache,I kept reminding her migraine attack.My daughter was so upset she was crying.

Between the fear,the pain(which some of us have nonstop)the dread,the losing of important parts of our life,the
DISRESPECT,I have been a drama queen.

However,there are many,many,many,many times I've eaten the pain.I've put on that smile,or at least hidden the pain for other people.
I didn't want to worry other people.I didn't want to ruin their moment,their day,the visit.
We have a weird disease.So I think we may have weird reactions. A reaction that causes drama.
We need to be careful not to take each thing and blow things out of proportion.Not to magnify things,look for attention.
It's a tough situation,because we have a disease that's not really thought of as a disease.We're thought of most of the time as wanting attention....a drama queen.

My brother that had the heart attack has to take a type of nitro med everyday.It causes him such horrible migraine that he has to go in the dark and can't stand for anything to touch his face.He wishes he could get off the med.In fact he was going to ask his dr if the med was just for his chest pressure,could he get off of it.He's having a hard time dealing with the migraines.

So if we are going to be drama queens,best to do it here,maybe.Because we feel safe here,vent here,and then if we've magnified something a gentle nudge is good.

Because if you can't come here feel like you can be open,where can you?

I don't think anyone here is saying we shouldn't vent, or speak our minds, get up on our or have a good old cry on the soulders of people who understand every once in a while.
It's about not "jumping to conclusions" "inflating the small setbacks in our lives into more than they really are" expecting too much from ourselves, or "over genaralising". All of these things can and will make our lives even more difficult than they already are. I know I all too often generalise, or jump to conclusions about my migraines by assuming that because x y or z led to this outcome last time, it will this time. And it's rubbish, but just by thinking it, I could cause it to happen, because we can think ourselves into migraines- like you said it's a weird disease! As for inflating small setbacks into bigger problems, it's easy to start to see huge mountains when all there are around us are rolling hills, because we face hardship and struggle so often in our lives with this disease. I think it is important for each of us to sit back every once in a while and take stock and recognise the good stuff too. The things you mentioned, ATZ4, they are not molehills, they are mountains, and you are not being a drama queen whhen you get upset about them, you are being righteously upset, and hurt. They are the things we come to this forum to get support for, and no-one is suggesting that this shouldn't be the case. It's just that maybe we could all have a better quality of life if we learned to stop and take stock every once in a while, because no matter what these migraines do to us, it can't be one long tunnel of misery, can it?

If you had asked me the tunnel question a little less than a year ago,I would've said yes.But the support I got from this and the former forum,I was able to make it thru.
I am just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.I hope I get to the light.I've had setbacks.But I believe this time I'll get there.
I don't have health insurance,but the clinic I go to has a young woman dr,who listens and actually wants me to bring info on migraine.She really wants to help me.And I don't have to worry about losing her care because of big bills.
So,I'm grateful for that.I have wonderful grandchildren,the same for my grown chldren.And I have a 30th anniv. coming up in Oct.
I absorb every moment that is pleasant.I absorb it into my system.I go outside and most of the time I'm amazed at the mountains that surround us.And Like this morning,I saw at least 4 wild turkey.Until a neighbor's dog chased them away.I was upset.But then I saw one fly high above the trees.I never knew they could fly so high.
The one benefit of this disease for me is to take in the little things.Really breathe them in.Every positive moment to become a part of me.Life can be Amazing,and I don't take it for granted.
When I've had a setback,I try to think of those times,if the pain's not too bad.If it is,that's when I almost become bitter.Mad.Like a child teased with a toy and then having it taken away.
But at this time,my pain level is stayin between a 5&6,instead of a 7&8.So I can get thru a day.Two of my grandchildren will be here today.My daughter and them will stay the night.I hope to have a fire in the firepit.
So hopefully I can still go toward that light and reach it soon.I've come close to giving up,this place is one reason I haven't.