Posts filed under “Migraine”
Life’s sharpest rapture
Last week, I plodded slowly up the hill below my house, grunting with relief when my run timer went off before the steepest incline. Another runner bounded by me, and I had a moment of jealousy. But then I saw where I was standing and a different feeling overwhelmed me. On a cold, rainy day […]
Dating (or not) with a chronic illness
Today I had a first date. I put on a sundress and eyeshadow to match. I ignored my slight headache. It wasn’t so bad and my new medicine has been keeping the pain from growing to incapacitating levels. Perhaps a healthy person would have cancelled immediately, but if I cleared my schedule every morning I […]
This is what it looks like when a migraine drug is working
In mid-April, I started a new medication for my migraines. I actually tried topamax almost 15 years ago, but had to quit due to the side effects. My current neurologist dosed me up very slowly and took my concerns about being able to speak and read seriously, both minimizing the side effects and making them easier […]
I can’t learn this pattern
Some mornings when my alarm goes off, I find it impossible to get out of bed. This shouldn’t happen. As part of my strict migraine prevention routine, I go to bed at the same, social-life-killing time every night. But the fatigue is so overwhelming that I turn my alarm off, roll over, and go back […]
When your meds make you fat
I like to think of myself as accepting of all body types, not discriminating based on someone’s size or shape. Then I started taking flunarizine in an attempt to get my migraines under control. A side effect of flunarizine is weight gain. (Some research suggest it does so by causing leptin resistance.) My doctor told […]
How to make the most of medical leave
I went on medical leave this semester because of my migraines. As I get ready to go back to work, I have some advice for others who are going on medical leave over on Tenure, She Wrote. It might also have some useful tidbits for people who are struggling in their program and want to […]
February Migraine Log
I can’t seem to get the frequency of my migraines down, but the severity seems to be improving with my new abortive meds.