Announcing February 2012 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival

Submissions for the February 2012 Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival are due by midnight Friday, February 10, 2012. The topic is "Tales from the Trenches: Experiences (good & bad) on the road to finding the right migraine doctor." As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome. Email submissions to somebodyhealme@dianalee.net by midnight on the deadline day.

The January carnival will be posted here at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, February 13, 2012.

For more information about the carnival visit the overview page here: Migraine Blog Carnival. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns or are interesting in hosting a future edition. I'm always looking for participants who are willing to volunteer as hosts. It's not only a great way to support the carnival, but also to drive new traffic to your blog!



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Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation.

Narrowing the Search for a Local Migraine Specialist

Since 2008 my best migraine care and treatment has come from Dr. Krusz in Dallas. While traveling seven hours each way for that high level of care has been more than worth it, the goal all along has been to find and build a relationship with a migraine specialist in my geographic area.

I've been working with a neurologist in my hometown, but he's not a migraine specialist and he's well past the limit of what he can do for me. The relationship is still worthwhile because he can get me in to the infusion center at the local hospital for IV treatments to break intractable migraines. But I'm still trying to find a true specialist in my area.

A while back a doctor who practices at the University of Kansas Medical Center spoke at a migraine support group meeting I attended, and I really liked her. She's knowledgeable and seemed like she would have an excellent bedside manner. Just the fact that she was willing to come to a support group to educate and encourage patients speaks volumes to me.

For a long time I was under the impression that she only sees children because she's also on staff at Children's Mercy Hospital. But I don't see any reason not to try to get a referral to see her. I saw a doctor for a while at KU Med right before I went to Dallas for the first time, but I grew discouraged because they only saw me once every three months and I was suffering so profoundly that I needed more intensive care like what I got at Dr. Krusz's clnic. I think this doctor may be the answer I've been looking for. And if I can't get in to see her I think a trip back to Dallas will be in my not so distant future. I would imagine Dr. K has new ideas for me because he always does.


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Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation.

Migraine Management in 2012: January Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival

Welcome to the January 2012 Headache and Migraine Disease Blog Carnival

The Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival has been created to provide both headache patients and people who blog about headaches with opportunities to share ideas on topics of particular interest and importance to us.

The theme of the January carnival is "What will you do differently to better manage your migraines in 2012?" Please keep reading for the submissions on this topic.

Teri Robert shared Migraines or Not - Best Wishes for 2012 posted at Putting Our Heads Together.

Jamie Valendy shared I Will...In 2012 posted at Chronic Migraine Warrior.

Gretchen Rautman shared 2012's Migraine Resolutions posted at There Be Migraines Here.

Nancy Harris Bonk shared What is Your Migraine Plan for 2012? posted at Migraine & Other Headache Disorders.

Kelly Wahle shared AHDA Petition Signing Brainstorm posted at Fly With Hope.

Thank you for all your submissions and ongoing support of the carnival. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to sign the Alliance for Headache Disorders petition asking Congress to hold hearings on the burden of migraine disease: AHDA Petition.

Submit your blog post to the February 2012 edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival by sending your submissions to me by email. (Unfortunately some of us have had problems with the submission form on the blogcarnival.com site from time to time, so I suggest you just avoid it. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience.) 

The theme will be: "Tales from the Trenches: Experiences (good & bad) on the road to finding the right migraine doctor." Submissions are due by midnight (the end of the day) on Friday, February 10. The February carnival will be published right here at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, February 13.


Subscribe to the Somebody Heal Me feed: Subscribe in a reader or subscribe by e-mail. Follow me on Twitter @somebodyhealme. 

Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation. 

Last Call: January 2012 Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival

Today (Friday, January 13, 2012) is the deadline for submissions to the January 2012 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

Submit your blog post to the January 2012 edition of the Headache and Migraine Disease Blog Carnival by e-mailing your submissions to me directly (somebodyhealme AT dianalee DOT net). The theme is: "What do you resolve to do in 2012 to better manage your migraines?" As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day), today, Friday, January 13, and the carnival will be posted at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, January 16.

Additional information about the carnival can be found at this link: http://somebodyhealme.dianalee.net/p/headache-blog-carnival.html.

If you are interested in hosting a future edition, please let me know so we can talk details. It's not only a great way to support the carnival, but also to drive new traffic to your blog! As always, please feel free to contact me at any time with questions, suggestions or ideas for themes. 

Subscribe to the Somebody Heal Me feed: Subscribe in a reader or subscribe by e-mail. Follow me on Twitter @somebodyhealme. 

Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation.

Two Safety Alerts for Chronic Pain Patients

Two drug companies have reported safety alerts in the past few days on products frequently used by people with chronic pain. Both recalls arise out of incidents that occurred in the same Nebraska manufacturing plant.

The FDA warns that specific opioid products packaged by Endo Pharmaceuticals for Novartis may have been mixed up and packaged with incorrect labeling. The FDA chose not to issue a recall on these medications because of the need for patients to have continuous access to these medications and a low likelihood of mix-ups.

Additionally, Novartis issued a recall of over the counter medications Excedrin, Bufferin, NoDoz and Gas-X. As part of an internal review process the company discovered broken and chipped pills and improper labeling. They issued the recall voluntarily to be sure no customers are exposed to anything they may be allergic to or that may cause them problems when mixed with other medications.

The FDA believes both issues were caused by improper clearing of packaging machinery in the packing plant between handling of different products.

Tips:

• The opioid medications affected include: Percocet, Opana ER CII, Opana CII, Percodan CII, Oxymorphone hydrochloride CII, Endocet CII, Endodan CII, Morphine sulfate ER CII and Zydone CIII.

• Be aware of pills that look different than the pill you're used to receiving. Ask your pharmacist if you're unsure.

• The over the counter medications affected include: Excedrin and NoDoz products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2014, or earlier; and Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2013, or earlier.

• Contact Novartis for a refund if you purchased one of the recalled over the counter medications. Call the company at 1-888-477-2403 Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET or visit their website: Novartis Drug Recall

Sources:
Excedrin, Bufferin OTC Drugs Recalled
Why Excedrin, NoDoz Bottles are Being Recalled
FDA Warns of Opioid Drug Mix-Up


Subscribe to the Somebody Heal Me feed: Subscribe in a reader or subscribe by e-mail. Follow me on Twitter @somebodyhealme. 

Content by Diana E. Lee.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site constitutes medical or legal advice. I am a patient who is engaged and educated and enjoys sharing my experiences and news about migraines, pain and depression. Please consult your own health care providers for advice on your unique situation.