San Diego Trip Recap

We had a wonderful time on our San Diego vacation. Needless to say I had to take it very easy and paid heavily when I didn't, but there was still plenty of time for fun, sightseeing and lots of good food.



The best part was that our hotel was this little gem about 40 feet from Pacific Beach, so when I needed to rest or take a nap, Cliff could hop down to the water and swim or hang out and people watch. We even had an ocean view from the kitchen in our king suite. It was perfect, and they gave us the most amazing deal on our room. I highly, highly recommend the Pacific Shores Inn. The rooms are nicely updated, the staff is friendly and everything was clean a a whistle.

We spent a wonderful day at Sea World, part of a very rough day for me at the San Diego Zoo (it's not a good fit for people with disabilities because of the hilly terrain) and visited Coronado, La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Park. So many beautiful places within one area!

While we were there we ate at Phil's BBQ, La Perla Cocina Mexicana, the Broken Yolk, Lucha Libre Taco Shop and the Brockton Villa. I recommend them all, but some more enthusiastically than others.

It kills me to say it since I'm from the Kansas City area, but Phil's BBQ is by far the best we've ever had in our lives. The smoke on their meat is outstanding. Neither of us cared much for the side dishes, though. It's all about the meat there.

Brockton Villa makes the most amazing souffle-like french toast. You've absolutely got to taste it to believe it. Seated outdoors overlooking the ocean and eating that decadent meal will make you think you've died and gone to heaven.

As you can tell we had a marvelous time. Our only real complaint was that the week went way too fast!

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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 101: 5 Good Reasons to Keep a Migraine Journal

While it may seem tedious and burdensome, keeping a migraine journal is one of the best ways to gather information about your migraine disease and its impact on your life.

5 Good Reasons to Keep a Migraine Journal:

(1) Without this kind of hard data it can be hard for your doctors to know exactly how you are impacted by migraine disease. It's not that all doctors are dismissive, but your idea of debilitated may be very different than your doctor's idea of it. This information can also provide support for the need for treatments to address particular symptoms, such as nausea or constipation.

(2) Having access to this information can help you and your doctors spot patterns in your attacks and identify triggers and environmental factors that may be impacting the frequency of your attacks.

(3) Keeping a journal is the best way for you and your doctor to objectively determine whether treatments are doing any good, even just a little bit. Sometimes it's easy to overlook subtle changes in your attacks.

(4) If you find it necessary to apply for disability benefits you will want to have this kind of record to show how often you are debilitated by your attacks, how often they take you away from activities like work, family time and household tasks and how long they put you out when they interfere.

(5) It's easy. I know it doesn't seem that way, and most of us are already way too busy in our lives, but there are so many pre-made journaling options these days that I have no doubt there is an existing method available to suit your needs and make it simple and fast. In no time flat journaling your attacks will be a no brainer.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series to learn about the options for keeping a journal and Part Three for suggestions of what to include and how to organize your information.

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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.

Hemiplegic Migraine Study: Is a Website and/or Nonprofit Needed?

If you or a loved one are affected by Hemiplegic Migraine, please take a moment to complete this survey: Hemiplegic Migraine Foundation: Feasibility Study. The topic of the survey is how and where you get information about Hemiplegic Migraine.

According to the Hemiplegic Migraine Foundation, Hemiplegic Migraine is migraine with aura accompanied by motor weakness. "Symptoms can include visual disturbances, sensory loss, weakness to paralysis on one-side of the body, confusion, speech difficulty, impaired consciousness, coma, memory loss, as well as several other symptoms."

The results of the study will help The Hemiplegic Migraine Foundation determine whether a website and nonprofit for Hemiplegic Migraine are needed and, if so, what services and programs are needed. Thanks for helping this worthwhile cause!

Thanks to Tonya Mork at My Life Behind Walls for the heads up about this survey!

Sources:
What is Hemiplegic Migraine?
Hemiplegic Migraine Foundation (HMF) Conducting a Survey


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.

Announcing October 2011 Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival: Call for Submissions

The theme for the October 2011 Headache & Migraine Carnival is "Scary Migraine Episodes: What is the scariest migraine attack you've ever suffered or witnessed?" As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Sconesail will host the October carnival at Falling Through Pain. Submissions are due by the end of the day on Friday, October 7, 2011, and will be posted on Monday, October 10, 2011. Please email your submissions to me at somebodyhealme AT dianalee DOT net and I will forward them to our host Sconesail.


Please note: 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. 

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!



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.

Migraine Anti-Nausea Med Zofran Given New FDA Warning

Last week the FDA announced a new warning for anti-nausea medication Zofran. Zofran is FDA approved for treatment of cancer-related nausea, but is also often prescribed for migraine patients and pregnant women.

In its warning the FDA said Zofran can cause deadly changes to the patient's heart rhythms. The people at greatest risk from this drug's potential side effects are those who have existing heart problems.

The FDA has ordered the manufactuer of Zofran, GlaxoSmithKline, to conduct studies to determine how severe the problem could be and who is at greatest risk. Pending those findings the FDA has ordered a change to the product label stating the risk and recommending ECG (electrocardiogram) monitoring for patients thought to be at the most risk for complications.

If you use Zofran as a treatment for migraine-related nausea, I encourage you to discuss this new warning with your doctor. Unless you have existing heart issues, it is likely still safe for you to take the medication. But still be aware there is a certain amount of risk involved with taking this medication, as with all others. Please do not change how you have been directed to use this medication without discussing your options with your doctor first.

Zofran belongs to a class of drugs called 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. It works by blocking the actions of serotonin. The generic version of Zofran is called Ondansetron.

If you'd like to learn about other options for dealing with migraine-related nausea, please visit: Migraine Medications 101: Nausea & Vomiting.


Sources:
FDA Warns Anti-Nausea Drug May Cause Arrhythmias
Electrocardiogram

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.

Building Resiliency: September 2011 Headache & Migraine Carnival

Welcome to the September 2011 Headache and Migraine Disease Blog Carnival

You may have noticed the carnival is being published in the evening today rather than the morning, as is typical. My husband and I spent a wonderful week on vacation in San Diego, and when we got home Saturday I was so tired blogging was the last thing on my mind. I decided to let myself have some extra time to recover, so that's why I'm about 12 hours later than usual in putting up the new edition of the carnival. (Photos & stories will be coming soon!)

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 September carnival is "Building Resiliency: How do you bounce back when life kicks you in the chin? What can you share with fellow migraine & headache patients about how to build their coping skills to better handle unexpected, tough situations?" I received a bunch of wonderful entries on this topic. I'm so pleased this many migraine & headache bloggers were able to participate this time and share their thoughts & experiences on this topic!

Gretchen Rautman shared A Toothless Grin at There Be Migraines Here.

Myth shared September Blog Carnival: Building Resiliency posted at Brainless Blogger.

Lori Anderson shared An Ode to Migraines posted at Pretty Things.

Andy Honaker shared Migraine Sandwich posted at Against the 'Graine.

Jamie Valendy shared Building Resiliency posted at Chronic Migraine Warrior.

Migrainista shared Resiliency posted at Migrainista.

Sue shared Six Years posted at Inner Dorothy.

Thank you for all your submissions and ongoing support of the carnival! 

Submit your blog post to the October 2011 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: "Scary Migraine Episodes: What is the scariest migraine attack you've ever suffered or witnessed?" Submissions are due by midnight (the end of the day) on Friday, October 7. The October carnival will be published by Sconesail at Falling Through Pain on Monday, October 10.


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: September 2011 Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival

Please don't forget tomorrow is the deadline for submissions to the September 2011 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival. Our theme for August is "Building Resiliency: How do you bounce back when life kicks you in the chin? What can you share with fellow migraine & headache patients about how to build their coping skills to better handle unexpected, tough situations?"

Submit your blog article by emailing your submissions directly to me (somebodyhealme AT dianalee DOT net).

Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day) tomorrow, Friday, September 9, and the carnival will be posted here at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, September 12.

Please let me know if you are interested in hosting a future edition. Contact me any time with questions, suggestions or ideas for themes. I'm always looking for help with the carnival. Don't hesitate to post a comment or email me with questions.


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.

Reminder: September 2011 Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival

Please don't forget this Friday is the deadline for submissions to the September 2011 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival. Our theme for September is "Building Resiliency: How do you bounce back when life kicks you in the chin? What can you share with fellow migraine & headache patients about how to build their coping skills to better handle unexpected, tough situations?"

Submit your blog post by emailing your submissions directly to me (somebodyhealme AT dianalee DOT net).

Entries are due by midnight (the end of the day) Friday, September 9, and the carnival will be posted right here at Somebody Heal Me on Monday, September 12.

Please post a comment or email me with any questions you have. Thank you for supporting the carnival!


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.