Tuesday 26 February 2013

Getting fit despite (to spite) my migraines.

A recent problem I have noticed is that I seem to get migraines after vigorous exercise.
To often to ignore, my vision will flick into the classic migraine aura roughly two hours after staggering back through the front door post a hard cardio effort.
Worse than that, I have found that the threat of getting a migraine has put me off exercising at all. A bit too convenient for a self professed couch potato.
Migraines can be triggered by exercise
Not now aura, I've got my burn on!
This can't go on for ever, or I will become one of those individuals that has to get a crane in to pry their body out of their bedroom to transport them to hospital.
You guessed it, I have found something else to change in my daily approach!
It seems to me that joining a gym or the like might be counter productive as well as (for me anyway) boring. Most classes offered would be out of the question as they (rightly) push participants well into the huffy puffy zone.
I have decided rather to incorporate incidental exercise into my life, aiming for a minimum of 30 minutes of incidental exercise a day. With a bit of planning this is a target that I should be able to blast through (at a steady pace) on a daily basis.
Walking the kids to school, riding my bike to the shops, squats and lunges on my bosu, mowing the lawn, dancing around to boppy songs. These are all options I enjoy and can be incorporated into my day with no real impact to either my schedule or my head.
The genius who discovered that incidental exercise minutes are as effective as block exercises, is now my new official hero.

Sunday 24 February 2013

The Migraine Zombie

I have recently developed a very 'under the radar' kind of obsession with Zombie books. I love the way Zombies aren't at all appealing, have no sex or sex appeal and cannot be brought over to the good side.
They are the epitome of the 'lost cause'. There is nothing romantic or glamorous about them, they just run around moaning and groaning and gnawing on the odd bit of human flesh.
Aside from the human flesh bit, I think I might relate a bit the poor maligned Zombie. I know what it is like to not be able to communicate because the words won't form properly on my tongue. I also can relate to the whole wandering around moaning and groaning bit, often with the odd stumble thrown in as my fine and gross motor bit is way off.
I do not refer (obviously I hope) to my everyday experience, but to the 'migraine days', days where I definitely have NO good side. Just a nasty temper to match my nasty head.
My Zombie empathy has no useful purpose in terms of a wise and effective way to get less migraines, I am just entertaining myself with the thought of a world overrun with moaning and groaning migraine sufferers.
Maybe workplace and pharmaceutical companies would start taking our ailment seriously? Perhaps our sudden power base would generate respect and concern?
Or perhaps in the way of the great Zombie reads, the unaffected would triumph eventually and we would still be left out in the cold?

If you are also a Zombie fan, here is a list of my favourite Zombie reads, nothing like a bit of escapist reading to perk you up! Plus another upside, stories where the hero triumphs over really really bad odds can motivate you to succeed against your own really really bad odds:

The Remaining, By D J Molles
The Remaining: Aftermath
The Remaining: Refugees
Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the end By Manel Loureiro
No Easy Hope (Surviving the Dead) by James Cook
This Shattered Land (Surviving the Dead)


Wednesday 20 February 2013

Closing the Accountability Gap

Be accountable for you health
Lack of Accountability will shipwreck your change...
Have you ever noticed that when you are feeling your least energetic and the most confused about the way forward (which happens on a disturbingly regular basis to me anyway) there is always a BIG disconnect between the way you have decided to live and your actual life.
Hence the confusion. Your own mind and body does not know whether to trust you. 
But the mind and body are not helpless children, they are constantly sending messages, questioning lifestyle and life choices.
Usually, subtly like, WTF are you doing? We are going to shut you down until you start making sense!
Believe me, they follow through! Depression, lethargy, confusion and even physical ills such as stomach upsets, headaches and nausea
So how to trump the sneaky mind and even sneakier body when they are wielding powers you did not even know they had?
Win back their trust, be accountable for your word. If you say you are doing something, make sure you are. If you are talking the talk, make sure you ARE walking that walk.
You will be surprised how quickly your mind and body will get on board when you hold yourself accountable for your own choices.
Here are some quick accountability tools:

  • Enlist a buddy who knows what you are doing and will call you on your progress.
  • Break down your change into little steps. There are so many cliches around this one I will leave you to fill in the blanks.
  • If you slip up and step outside your area of accountability, don't torture yourself about it. Just get back on that track (and Walk that Walk).
  • Acknowledge that when you lie in bed at night you feel so much better having been accountable for your life.
Good luck, you know you are.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Trying is for suckers.

I am giving up trying. I have decided trying does not work for me.
As soon as I start to try and make a change, it seems every personal demon in my head which would make the endeavour difficult leaps into action.
Case in point, I have been trying to alter my eating habits to embrace a Primal lifestyle. No additive sugars, processed foods, or things that were not available to our ancestors from the deep dark past.
As my 'trying attempts' usually go, I got off to a very positive start with this process. Did the shop, ate the food, felt the satisfaction.
Then, as per the script, I fell off the wagon into a block of chocolate and a bottle of coke zero.
Feeling very discouraged I have been consoling myself with more of the same. In fact I have been eating a less wholesome diet than I would have been were I not TRYING to go primal.
See, trying, does. not. work.
So what are my alternatives? If I have given up trying have I also given up endeavouring to improve my health and decrease the hold migraines have on my life?
Nope, I have decided to play a tricky mind game with myself. Instead of trying I am taking up doing.
This week I am not going to try and go Primal, I am just going to be Primal. I am going to think about it less, but do it more.
I am sure this is what the original cave people would have done....
Stay tuned to see if I am successful in my trickery.

Friday 15 February 2013

Who is watching you?


As a part of my quest to get deeper into the issues affecting those with chronic migraines, I have joined a migraine sufferers groups on facebook.

One thing I have discovered I have in common with many members of this group, is the concern about how our children perceive us  because we 'always' get migraines.

Some members have even gone so far as to pretend they are doing something else to avoid letting their children know that they are dealing with ANOTHER migraine.

This got me thinking, how do I deal with this worry? Could I be doing better to help my boys understand what is going on with Mum? Am I setting them up to be able to deal well with their own and other people difficulties?

Out of the mouths of babes.

Earlier this month, I found myself lying on the couch in our lounge area while my four year old played in front of me with some lego. I was still in the aura phase of a migraine and was unable to look at what he was doing because opening my eyes made me want to chuck.
 'I'm sorry I've got a migraine' I said, 'I know it is annoying'.
Little Dude replied, 'You don't have to say sorry Mum, you're not being rude'.
So what am I telling my son through this exchange? Nothing good. Luckily he is smarter than me and didn't buy into the underlying messages of;

  1. I am being annoying because I am sick again.
  2. It is my fault.
  3. You have a right to be cranky with me because I am sick.
  4. I feel guilty because I have a migraine.
These are all completely unhelpful lessons to be teaching my children, and I am sure that this language from me is NOT isolated.
I know it is hard to be switched on mentally when suffering from a migraine, so I need to think in advance what I will say to them when they occur. 
I don't want to send the above messages, and I don't want them to see my illness as limiting me and what I can achieve. 
Problem is I am so mired in actually believing the messages I am sending I am having trouble thinking up alternate conversations. I need your help.
What do you say to your family? How does this help them to understand and appreciate how migraines work?





Thursday 14 February 2013

The 'Kick me in the pants' list

Rise above: 
Do you ever have those days where you just need that little bit of extra motivation, a kick in the pants if you will.
Do you sometimes need a hand up when things are really tough? It is tiring dealing with real life and then trying to do your best through periods of frequent migraines. Sometimes it all seems too difficult to manage.

I have decided to create for myself a list of messages to read on just those sort of days, it goes something a little like this.

  • Remember, this too will pass.
  • Draw a line and step over it.
  • What do you need to do?
  • Why?
  • Work Hard.
  • Admit that you work hard.
  • Look one year past. Look now. Do you see progress?
  • Look one year forwards. Imagine the progress you want.
  • Put some music on.
  • Plan your work.
  • Work your plan (that one's from my Dad)
  • Be who you want to be.
  • Create your life.
  • Don't listen to the bull shit. Especially from yourself.
  • Smile, now get on with it!
  • Let yourself be a bit proud when you do.

Everyone's kick in the pants list would be different I imagine and in mine, to be honest, the order doesn't matter. Just the sentiment. Be proactive. Live deliberately. Be kind to yourself. 
I would love to hear other migraine sufferers lists, what gets you going when the going gets tough?

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Migraines can be Depressing

What, I ask you, could possibly be depressing about having chronic and debilitating migraine pain? It's hard to see isn't it?
While a link between depression and migraine seems almost silly, researchers in Canada have found just that, a link! Astonishing!
Sarcasm aside, it is a little worrying to read that, according to the study undertaken at the University of Calgary, people who suffer from migraines, are up to 20% more likely to also suffer from depression. Darn. That's depressing.

The researchers were unable to determine whether the participants who had both migraines and depression, were depressed because they had migraines or had migraines because they were depressed. Which was the chicken and which was the egg so to speak. I have my own theories on that.

The good news to take out of this story, is that this discovery may open up different avenues for researchers to look into eliminating migraines.
In the mean time, at our level, what does this mean? Is this anything other than a rather obvious observation, for the many of us that have been lucky enough to hit the migraine and depression double?
I think there might be.
In the first instance, at least migraineurs now know there are legitimate reasons to be on the look out for signs of depression when suffering from migraines. A little bit of awareness, especially when family and friends are also in the know, can lead to earlier detection of depression symptoms and therefore earlier and more effective treatment.
In the second instance, perhaps for those stuck in the mire of depression and migraines, some hope can be gleaned from the link. Beating one may have double the benefits, work hard on ridding yourself of migraines may make life lighter and brighter as well.

Details for this post were sourced from  Reuters.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Mark Sisson's Masterpiece

Mark Sisson, The Primal Connection, book review
A mesmerizing read
In a first for me, I have decided to review a book, The Primal Connection: Follow your genetic blueprint to health and happiness, by Mark Sisson. I can't help it, I really want everyone to read it. I think the world would be a better place if they did. Overkill? Maybe....... or maybe not.

So why Mark's book? Why on a site about Migraine busting? I'll explain.

As those of you who have read previous posts on the topic of going Primal (Hunting the Cave ManThe Giza Approach) will already know, in an effort to banish the migraines from my life, I have started incorporating Primal Eating principles into my day. 'The Primal Connection' is one of the books I decided to read to gain some insight into the Primal approach, and wow, reading this book was like coming home for me.

Like many people I have long been feeling a disconnect with how my life is unfolding, with not so much concious interference from me but soooo much interference from my consumer tendencies. You know what I mean, constantly being influenced by media of all types that what you need is just one purchase away. Until you make that purchase that is.

Honestly, like many others in western cultures, I have been trying to buy my way to a better life. 

This is not a healthy way to live, even for people who do not have chronic health issues. The stress we place on ourselves trying to keep up with our consumer desires (which we have convinced ourselves are needs) can seem to crush our choices around life. For a person with migraines, it can increase the panic around life, born of the need to be successful in this culture, an endeavour made more difficult by poor health.

Mark's book for me, provides a framework to strip away the façade built by modern life and returns the focus back to the individual interacting with the world.

Mark discusses many ways to get in touch with the world, from the literal, bury your hands in the soil, run barefoot, bask in the sun, to the social, develop 'real' friendship networks as distinct from the 'social network'.

It's life like it used to be before everything we ate was processed and everyone thought they needed antibacterial cleaners for every room.

What is surprising about Mark's book however (though it probably shouldn't be) is the amount of research that has gone into developing his position. Page by page, the reader learns why turning back the clock to a less complicated life approach will improve their health. Banishing many modern health problems caused by poor immune systems, and improving many chronic health issues, such as, you guessed it, Migraines.

As the man himself say's, '...life is simply a matter of making choices'. I love the choices presented in this book, and while I don't think I will ever be a barefoot marathon runner, or be able to permanently eschew sugar, I do believe that inspiration should be taken where you find it and there is plenty of it to find between these pages.


A Reason to Succeed

Yesterday I found myself entertaining doubts. Big nasty poo brown doubts that undermined my mission and motivation. The biggest and most cunning of these doubts sounded so real in my mind that I could literally feel my confidence deflate. Have you heard this one?

'You know you can't actually beat these migraines, you just need to accept that they are a big part of your life and move on'

Go on.... leap into action!
See what I mean? It sounds very reasonable doesn't it? More disturbing than that, it might actually be true. 
Doubts and truisms can slow our progress and sometimes, stop us in our tracks, and in doing so our doubts become our reality. See, you were right all along!
Luckily for us however, life is made by choice. A wonderful sentiment from the equally wonderfully book 'Eat Pray Love'  by Elizabeth Gilbert refers to the necessity of 'participating' in your life. Don't just drift in the easy direction, often easy drifting will lead to a difficult life.

To shore up my choice to take action, I have created a list of life experiences I am no longer willing to tolerate. Next time these doubts try a take down on my motivation I will point at this list, shake my head and say 'Not today loser, not today.'


My 'No more!' list

  • Missing social events because of migraines.
  • Sacrificing financial freedom for fear of migraine troubles.
  • Dealing with other people's disappointment when migraines arise.
  • Feeling unwell for days on end in the 'Migraine Hangover' stage.
  • Worrying about what people think because I am frequently unwell.
  • Worrying how my children will view my effectiveness because I get migraines.
  • Being depressed, anxious and unhappy because of cluster migraines.
  • Trying to not be offended when people make thoughtless, ignorant and snide comments about migraines.
  • Listening to my own judgement on why I get migraines.
I could keep going with this list, but there are enough 'NO MORES' there to stiffen my spine.
Perhaps I also need to work on identifying the corresponding positives to this list of 'No mores'?

I would love to hear your 'No mores' or better still your 'More ofs!" What are your reasons to succeed?

Monday 11 February 2013

Not Now! Migraine Interference.

I don't know if it is a migraine thing, or just a me thing, but I have a unhelpful belief in 'Murphy's Law'.
Following are some examples, cases in point if you like, of Mr Murphy in action in my life;


Migraines get in the way of fun
Work it girl.... just not too hard
  • I have started a new job ..... therefore it is obvious I need to get LOTS of migraines, preferably in my first week, so that my employers know right off the bat how I roll.
  • I am doing a four hour trip, alone, with the kids, so now is the perfect time for an aura, right?
  • Dinner party, my house? Sure, bring it on migraine genie.
  • Just had a great long bike ride, really pushed hard. Feel wonderful, I am going to start on marathons next.... what's that strange smell? Oh, that's right, exercise gives me migraines , I forgot. Lead me to the couch.
  • Can't wait to see my friend who has flown in for one day.... on my way out the door, aura. Maybe she wants to come to my house and talk to me in a dark room while I keep my eyes closed?
  • I am having my annual performance review, now is the perfect time for a migraine hit, just in case my boss had forgotten all my days off!
Mr Murphy, you are NOT my friend. 

Okay, that's my weekly complain session over. Now its your turn, let me know the most inconvenient migraine you have had.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Under Construction

Warning: life under construction
Have you ever noticed that pulling on loose threads often results in clothes with holes, or that when tidying out a cluttered cupboard, there is a significant period of time where the cupboard (room, house etc.) looks far worse than the original problem. Often this period coincides beautifully with the moment when the energy and motivation that sparked the endeavour begins to wane.
I am finding this cause and effect paradigm rings true now I am pulling on the 'loose threads' of my health and mind. Thinking about one topic for improvement has spiralled into thinking about everything.
I call it six degrees of life separation (patent pending... ha ha).
A case in point, all this talk of work has me thinking. Have I really removed myself from the (outside of the home) workplace as a result of migraine stress overload? If so, does this mean that if I can remove or manage them better I can go back? Do I want to? Have I really let migraines sabotage my career and finances to that extent?
Significant as this topic is, it is only ONE of the subjects to emerge from the depths of my mind, stirred into action by errant deep thoughts. Talk about opening Pandora's box.
Looking at the situation from a positive perspective, I am taking all this frenzied thinking as a sign that my subconscious mind is completely on board with the idea that change is coming.
I'll just have to get used to the idea that I might be living in a mental construction zone while work continues.




Thursday 7 February 2013

Mayday Mayday....

I have a son who is obsessed with lego.... he would spend every waking moment constructing lego machinery if he was allowed. Earlier in the week he spent an afternoon making a squadron of various flying machines, none of them standard but all pretty cool to his mothers eye.
Migraines can make you crash and burn
Made for a demolition derby
Of course, as happens with lego in the hands of a little boy, pretty soon these marvellous flying machines had all crashed and burned, been rebuilt, modified and crashed and burned again.
It is a bit unfortunate when you have a day that is analogous to broken lego planes, but I have to say I managed to do my own bit of crashing and burning this week. Bits falling off all over the place!
What could trigger a bit of good old fashioned falling apart...... cue the migraine.
I know I have written a little about the mental side of being a part of the long term migraine afflicted population. The feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and guilt that have slithered into my mind over the years. Perhaps not surprisingly I have found writing about this side of the condition enlightening and empowering, which is why I was taken by surprise when all these feelings ambushed me after one measly migraine. One. Oh dear.
The details of what I was thinking are unimportant, what is important however is the bounce back. Bouncing back because I recognised the migraine mind in action. I heard the odd and nasty things my migraine affected mind was whispering in my ears, and while it was not immediate, I am quietly pleased that awareness helped me to turn that bus around. No more one way tickets to the dump I call negative valley.
Hey, awareness may just be King. Long live the King, and long live those friends and family who support you through these times and give awareness a helping hand. (You know you are:)

Small things.

I have always been a person who takes great pleasure out of the 'small things' in life.
You know, when all the songs on the radio happen to be favourites, the shirt I want to wear is mysteriously already ironed, my car seems to have decided to drive like a top gear dream and all the lights are green.
This morning, my small pleasure was breakfast. Out. In a cafe. Alone. So good!
The even better news was that I discovered 'Primal food' was made for breakfast. Eggs and Ham and a cuppa while reading a magazine.
Maybe this Primal thing won't be so hard after all?

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Step 1: What can I eat?

Well, I have had another whole day with my nose buried in all things Primal, excluding perhaps a cave man's armpit.
 It is sooo interesting, who would have thought looking backwards through time would seem to hold so many of the answers to moving forward?
As they say, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and with just a day's worth of information I am fired up to change EVERYTHING!
As they also say, 'Whoa there Tiger, one thing at a time!'
Luckily I decided yesterday to make food my starting point for making the change, so here is a quick overview of what I have discovered about the diet.

1) Lots of things I love to eat... are off the menu! Sigh. A basic list of things to avoid/ exclude is shown below:

    • Grains (including wheat, oats, corn, barley etc)
    • Legumes
    • Dairy
    • Refined sugar (uh oh, I am addicted to this one)
    • Processed foods
    • Salt
    • Refined vegetable oils
2) Some things I love to eat..... are still on the menu:
    • Grass fed meat
    • Fish
    • Fruits and vegetables
    • Eggs
    • Nuts and seeds
    • Some oils including coconut, macadamia, olive and avocado.
Hmmm, as you have read this is quite the overhaul from the usual western diet. Certainly from my usual diet. But I am determined to break through my long held belief ('I won't be able to stick to that!) and give it a red hot go.

I will let you know my first shopping list and menu on Thursday, until then I have a lot of naughty foods in my cupboard to eat my way through (waste not want not!):)

PS: Here are some links I used to get some of the dietary information over and above 'It starts with food'



Monday 4 February 2013

Hunting the Cave Man

I am starting the working week by looking into the Paleo diet and lifestyle, in line with my desire to start at the 'bottom of the pyramid', or the basics if you like, in my search for a migraine free life.
I have decided to try 'Paleo' after reading some really compelling success stories from migraineurs who have experienced significant relief from taking on the approach.
If you are interested in reading some of these success stories, I suggest looking at Mark's Daily Apple. Authored by Mark Sisson, one of the 'founding fathers' of the Paleo or 'Primal' lifestyle. Mark's Daily Apple is the 'go to' Blog for people interested in all things Paleo and one of the main resources I am using to investigate going 'Primal'.
In my last post 'The Giza Approach', I noted that I am not a trained expert when it comes to reviewing or analysing medical or lifestyle choices. I do however consider myself the biggest stakeholder in my own life and as such I choose to be active in finding a better way of dealing with my health. (So there!)

The paleo approach embraces the outdoors
Primal Beings loved nature and sunshine
So what is 'Primal Living', and where to start? There are a lot of holistic aspects to living Primal, but the beginning point for me is going to be what I eat. I am hoping this will be the most direct route to migraine and health improvements.
As a certified book worm, I find that knowledge and information delivered to my mind regularly is the fasted way to keep me motivated. With this is mind, I have gone back to school and am studying up on the Paleo diet, referring to Melissa Hartwig's Book 'It Starts with Food' and Mark Sisson's latest, 'The Primal Connection' to help inspire me further.
Tomorrow I will list for you what dietary changes I will need to make to go Paleo. I will also create a new page to track my changes and diarise how I am feeling during the process.
I hope that I will be documenting something positive in my life, but as the wise say, 'nothing changes if you change nothing'. Reckon, results aside, taking action is always worth doing.

Sunday 3 February 2013

The 'Giza' approach

What do Pyramids have to do with Migraines I hear you ask.... well probably not much if you are thinking of mystical Egyptian Princes with cat fetishes exerting influence over your head. I believe however, that there is a key link between achieving great improvements in your head health and the construction of a pyramid.
I have tried lots of tricky, technical and 'far out' things to try and get rid of migraines from my life. I have had my brain scanned, tried acupuncture (with some success), under tongue sprays, myriad preventative medications (with side affects from weight gain to night terrors), cranial sacral therapy, used chiropractors, physiotherapists and naturopaths.  Surprisingly enough after all this effort... I STILL get Migraines. Weird huh?

Looking back at this list, it is clear to me that I have been concentrating many of my efforts towards to top of the pyramid of migraine health. Perhaps it is time to start from the base.

Medical 
Intervention
Medecines
Mental Health
Physical Health
Basic: Sleep and Food

Now, to be clear, I am in no way a medical expert, and these are merely the ideas of a migraineur who has long thought about this issue.  This pyramid order approach is how I choose to crack on in the mean time, but I assume it will not suit everyone's situation. 

OK, all disclaimers aside, I am excited to have a reason to look hard at my diet and sleep. I am hoping improvements in diet will equal improvements in sleep as well.

From tomorrow I am going to have a look at the 'Paleo diet'. I don't know if the hype, expectations and reality will align, but I will take one for the team and give it a go!

Friday 1 February 2013

Ooops, I did it again

I just had a rather disturbing/ telling realisation. Earlier in this blog's history, i.e as long as last week ago (I know ancient history), I decided to take up some new activities to help with my migraines and anxiety issues.
Sadly, my realisation is that I have done absolutely NOTHING about it. Not a thing. Nada.
How could this happen? How could I announce to the world (well potentially the world) I was going to take action and yet do nothing?
After some panicked and recriminating thoughts, I have moved onto trying to turn this rather disappointing outcome around.
Perhaps I didn't set my self up for success? After all, apart from writing about what I was going to do in this blog I did no other planning to integrate the changes into my day? (Is this what I normally do?)
So here is the new deal, step two if you like, in making the changes stick.
For each idea I have to try as a part of this blog I am going to diarise it on another page, so step by step we can see what is happening.
Promise.
Keep posted to see my brand new 'Action Pages'.