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New Chronic Migraine Treatment Approved by FDA …
Yesterday, the FDA approved a new drug called Aimovig. It the first medication designed specifically to prevent migraines. Until now, the only preventative treatments were medications that are actually for something else, mostly High Blood Pressure and Epilepsy. A lot of people are not helped with these medications and are…
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The Positive Side of Chronic Illness
It is very easy to list out the negatives of having a chronic illness. The obvious ones may be high medical costs, lack of social life, not being able to participate in family functions and the list could go on and on. Sometimes it is a good idea to think…
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I Sound too Good to be Sick
When you have a chronic illness, many things are said to you that seriously make you scratch your head. I realize that the majority of people are well-meaning and are not meaning to hurt feelings or frustrate. They simply are not aware and are trying to help. Their heart is…
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The Truth about Phantom Smells
One of the Migraine symptoms that my husband and I are able to find humor in is my ability to smell the strangest things before a migraine. This phenomenon is called Phantosmia, Olfactory Hallucinations or in simple terms, phantom smells. Basically, it means smelling things that are not there. It sounds strange…
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Tapering off of Lamictal- Part 1
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about Taking a Medication Vacation. Getting completely off my 2 seizure medications, that I take to prevent migraines, will take months. This is because each one has to be tapered slowly and each medication has to be done individually. Lamictal is the…
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Light Sensitivity and the Products I Use to Help
A lot of chronic illnesses include light sensitivity as one of its symptoms. For migraineurs, this is probably one of the most common symptoms. Sometimes I am so light sensitive that sunglasses aren’t even enough. It is also one of the most difficult symptoms to control because unless you are…
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The Truth about Brain Fog
Everyone on Earth has those moments when you can’t grab the word for something or have times when you would forget your head if it wasn’t attached. But these are just fleeting moments…now imagine being that way a lot. This is called brain fog. Most people with Migraine and other…
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When Fear Takes Over
On Sunday, I felt like I was physically able to go to church. This was only the second time this year that I felt like I could go. As I started the getting ready, I realized I was afraid. Fear had begun to take over. You see, my husband and…
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New Medication Protocol …
As I said in my last blog post, I am going off of my preventative medications. Slowly tapering off will take between 5-6 months. On top of this change, my Doctor and I came up with a new rescue medication protocol. The first part of this is for migraine pain…
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Taking a Medication Vacation
By definition, a medication vacation is when a patient stops taking a medication(s) for a period of time under supervision and direction of a Doctor. On Friday, I had a follow up appointment with my Mayo Clinic Doctor. It was a long appointment that resulted in some major treatment…
