balivatn

In light of the recent LJ change, I'm asking people to please not crosspost comments they make on any of my entries to Facebook or Twitter. Especially Facebook, as I have family members there, and I do not want them to have my LJ name.

I will not be crossposting any of my entries or comments to either platform.

I'm feeling a bit blocked. There's some good, or at least distracting, things going on - shelter stuff, theoretically new job (I was hired, I just haven't heard anything), standard kitten stuff. But there's other things I'm not really sure how to follow up on.

There were some small breakthroughs a couple of months ago, but I feel as though I didn't follow up on them well enough, and I'm not sure how to, or if I should, remedy that. Or even if I can.

I guess I want to get deeper than kitten discussions and talk about the weather, but the deeper stuff does still involve some uncomfortable territory, and... yeah. Just not sure how to progress. Things aren't really being helped by daily reminders of what's missing and having the sense of time slipping away. If I can't follow up soon, there's going to be anniversaries, birthdays, holidays... just one thing after another that's just going to present even more obstacles.

It's obstacles I'm thinking of. Thinking of how I'd prefer things to turn out, how I'd like the obstacles that have occurred so far to be dealt with instead of avoided, how I like people I love to handle obstacles in general. I mean, obviously I'd rather not have any mishaps, but neither I nor they are perfect, and mishaps happen. It's how people handle those mishaps that make a difference. Or don't.

I just feel sort of lost.

Still alive. Have had some good things happen. Still dealing with other things.
I'm in a place that really feels like I need to be doing something, but I have no idea what, or how.
Also have a sense of time running out, which isn't helping.

It's kind of amusing. Pocket is named after the fool in Christopher Moore's Fool, which is a retelling of King Lear through the Fool's point of view. Very funny, very much R-rated. At any rate, book!Pocket is a fairly skilled climber. Apparently kitten!Pocket shares that quality.

So this is our new kitten. He's currently chilling in the bathroom (not terribly thrilled about it, but we're making sure he and Atia only see each other in tightly controlled situations for the time being). He is three months old.

So far, we're going with Pocket as his name. He is wriggly, so only one picture so far:



Atia did hiss once - we had them both in our arms and showed them to each other. Then she went and hid behind the dresser. Currently she is lying by my desk, so I'm hoping that in a few days we'll be able to make them a bit more visible to each other. I have an old cloth shower curtain that I cut up and will tack up to help keep them separate. But for now, there's a door between them.

Having a rough day. Still no progress on the Bulgaria, Pierce or job thing. A lot of frustrations and feelings about relationship stuff, but I can't really say anything because even if I preface it with a hundred disclaimers and best intentions, it won't be taken that way. Or will be met with more disapproval.

I wish there was an impartial mediator or something we could sit down with. The only thing I've found that's close is $175 a session, and I doubt all parties would agree to it.

From The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health by Carolyn Bernstein and Elaine McArdle, Kindle edition

There is a good discussion about prescription drugs, and what to look for in a headache specialist in the book, and if someone wants that info, I'll be happy to look it up for them. But a lot of people might not have that access, so here's a few things you can try to treat migraines that don't need a prescription:

Caffeine - if it's not a trigger for you, the constriction of blood vessels, assistance in absorbing other meds, and brain stimulating qualities of caffeine can make it useful to treat a migraine in the early stages. A cup of strong black coffee, tea with caffeine, or a caffeinated soft drink without aspartame are all options. As are caffeinated candies, caffeine tablets, etc.

The "standard" analgesics (aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen) might provide some relief, but obviously that does vary from person to person. The "migraine" versions of a lot of these drugs have been combined with caffeine.

Some of the CAM methods that the authors find effective:
biofeedback and relaxation techniques
yoga - the authors recommend a gentle form of yoga to start out with - they specifically mention Hatha yoga or Iyengar yoga - obviously it would depend on how comfortable you are with yoga already
hands to feet (pada hastasana)
child pose
warrior pose
triangle pose (trikonasana)
standing side stretch
meditation
acupuncture
acupressure - the soft area between your thumb and first finger can be pressed and may help provide some relief from headache - the authors state that acupuncture may help a bit more, because some of the migraine relief points are precisely located and really don't get hit as well with pressure
massage
ice massage
grab a bag of ice, a bag of frozen peas, or a coldpack, place it on your head, scalp, wrap it around the back of your neck, or side of your face, go with what hurts most... they also make migraine gel stickies that I personally have tried and do work for me... they don't help my mom, though, so again YMMV
nutritional supplements: magnesium, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10
magnesium - 320 mg for females, 420 mg for men is the US daily recommended allowance - the author recommends 400 mg/day, and recommends giving it about two months before saying if it does / does not help - i actually do this as well, because of the blood pressure and muscle issues... the fact it might help my headaches is a bonus I was unaware of :)
riboflavin (B2) - authors recommend 400 mg/day
coenzyme Q10 - authors recommend 100 mg, 3x / day
energy healing
deep breathing
sex, if it's not a trigger and you can stand it, might also help break a migraine

The primary author does mention herbal meds, but she's wary of them due to lack of regulation - she does recommend GelStat Migraine, which is composed of feverfew and ginger (not for pregnant people)
Feverfew is commonly recommended by herbalists - assuming you get a good source,aren't pregnant, and do not have any issues with blood thinners, it might be helpful - she does not list a dosage amount

Butterbur is another common herb recommended for migraines - she's even more wary of this one, as some formulations contain high levels of carcinogens, which if you're taking daily, isn't good. She does mention Petadolex Butterbur Gelcaps as having less of those carcinogenic chemicals, although I wouldn't say she recommends either of the herbal remedies.

Some of those are more for general wellness, which does help reduce the occurrence of migraines. They may help you sleep more, relax muscles, reduce stress, etc.

Other general wellness suggestions:

Two and a half hours of exercise per week (half hour a day, 5x a week)
eight hours of sleep a night
healthy eating: high-fiber, high-protein, foods, small amounts every four to six hours, keeping your blood sugar even
stay hydrated - she recommends at least six eight-ounce glasses of water per day, more if you're exercising or live in a hot climate
stress reduction
social relationships and emotional connection - in my case, my cat, as frustrating as she is, and as much as her peeing on the bed might be a trigger due to lack of sleep, may help my emotional state a lot, which helps reduce my likelihood of stress-triggered migraines
altruism
some sort of connection with something bigger - art, religion, teaching, connection with nature

Migraine Treatment Plan:

This might be helpful to have on hand, once you've gone through the process of making a headache diary, keeping track of what sort of migraine symptoms you have, etc.

1. What are my migraine triggers?

2. What is my MIDAS score?

3. Am I wiling to take medication? Am I able to take medicines? To I need a daily preventive med? What abortive meds will I take during a migraine attack? Am I able to take triptans? What rescue meds will I take when I get a painful migraine?

4. Do I want to use complementary and alternative treatments? If so, which ones will I use?

5. Exercise half hour/day, 5x a week will help. How can I do this? Do I like to exercise in groups? Alone? Mix it up?

6. I need to put nutritious food into my body every 4 - 6 hours. Do I eat healthfully now? Do I need to lose weight to be healthy? If yes, how will I do so without having more migraines? Do I have an eating disorder? Do I have any particular food triggers? If yes, what are they?

7. Changes I can make to my bedroom to improve sleep. Changes I can make to my routine to improve sleep.

8. Steps I can take to help avoid migraines when I travel:

9. Steps I can take to help make my workplace as migraine free as possible:

10: Steps I can take to help my family understand that migraine is an illness, and though it isn't curable, they can help me have fewer migraines:

11: Steps I can take to make my home as migraine-free as possible:

12: Steps I can take to find time to relax or be alone at least three times a week:

13: Am I in good spirits and feeling energetic? If not, have I taken any sort of depression test? Do I have other mental or emotional issues I might want to get help with? Would therapy be helpful to me?

14: Am I safe in my home? Am I happy in my relationships? If not, is there something I want to discuss with a therapist, counselor, minister, etc?

15: Other things to consider to take care of my migraine brain.

Quick List:

1. Did I get enough sleep last night? If not, I will have the abortive plan ready.
2. What will I eat today and when? Do I keep water and healthy snacks available?
3. I need to drink 6 - 8 8oz glasses of water throughout the day.
4. If I take a daily preventive, did I do so today? Do I have my abortive and rescue meds with me?
5. When will I exercise today?
6. When will I build in at least 10 minutes of relaxation today?
7. Am I facing any particularly stressful events today? If so, can I avoid them? If I can't avoid them, how can I keep my stress to a minimum?
8. Am I facing other triggers today? What are they? Can I avoid them? If not, how can I minimize exposure to other triggers?
9. Other daily reminders: