Fray (Joss Whedon -graphic novel)
1602 (Neil Gaiman -graphic novel)
Absolute Sandman Vol.2 (Neil Gaiman -graphic novel, what can I say I'm on a kick right now, those things are ADDICTIVE!!!)
Crystal Cave (Mary Stewart, an Arthurian story)
A Hat Full of Sky (Terry Pratchett)
Dune: Battle of Corrin (Brian Herbert, well, trying with this one. I think Brian missed the boat a bit, so I'm just slogging through the last 1/2 so I can finish the series.)
on audiobook:
1984
Einstein
Some pahlaniuk shorts
At this point I'm starting to get a little bit confused. Usually I don't have more than 2 books and 1 audiobook going at once, but I got on this comic thing, then I read Wee Free Men on the airplane from Texas and HAD to read the next book, etc. HA!
Posts by Odrade
-
105What book are you reading right now?
by Wordly Andre ini am reading buried alive: the terrifying history of our most primal fear, it's really cool
-
-
Odrade
-
40
So, some of you know i was in a
by orbison11 invery nasty relationship, for 8 years.
about 14 days ago, i was finally able to find place to live with my dear pup:).
today i went to get my last load from the house,,,,,he was gone,,,,,but what do i find on his dresser???
-
-
Odrade
very bad idea. YOU have created a possible situation where an innocent child has to be subjected to a "very nasty relationship." Bear in mind your responsibility for it if that happens.
-
12
JW Teens Die in Accident
by Kenneson in"teen brothers remembered at memorial service.
teens killed in wreck studied to be nurses.".
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpmemorial1230pndec30,0,2937934.story.
-
-
Odrade
Spit, it wasn't higher education. The two boys were enrolled in one of the "career" high schools.
Such a shame.
-
63
I am having a bad day
by Vivamus init is wearing me down.. my constant companion in life, my skull-breaking- mind-blowing- daily migraines finally got the better off me six months ago.
i broke down, i cried and cried and cried.
not only cuz of the pain, but more for the fact that painkillers were not helping me anymore.
-
-
Odrade
I hear you, Viv. I also will mix alcohol and migraine meds. It boosts the effects (and also raises the risk,) so when in extreme pain and nothing is working, I will resort (out of desperation) to a mix of triptan, ibuprofen and alcohol. The greatest risk of this combination is actually the ibuprofen/alcohol combo, since the booze thins the blood and the heavy ibuprofen use increases the chances of a stomach bleed. Stupid, but desperation will make you do really stupid things with hardly a second thought.
That risk also makes me hold out as long as possible before taking meds, but I always end up taking them in the end.
I've also been on the receiving end of "Just don't think about it." Right. Come over here and let me hammer this nail through your thumb, then I'll tell you not to think about it. Whatever.
I've heard of maxalt, but never tried it. Sometimes my Relpax makes me feel like my head is detached from my body, and I careen off the walls when walking around, but it's better than hurting.
There's book by Oliver Sacks (the Awakenings guy) called "Migraine." It's not a treatment book, more of a dialogue about migraines.
Blurb:
"The many manifestations of migraine can vary dramatically from one patient to another, even within the same patient at different times. Among the most compelling and perplexing of these symptoms are the strange visual hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image which migraineurs sometimes experience. Portrayals of these uncanny states have found their way into many works of art, from the heavenly visions of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Oliver Sacks argues that migraine cannot be understood simply as an illness, but must be viewed as a complex condition with a unique role to play in each individual's life."I've ordered it from Powell's, it should be an interesting read.
-
63
I am having a bad day
by Vivamus init is wearing me down.. my constant companion in life, my skull-breaking- mind-blowing- daily migraines finally got the better off me six months ago.
i broke down, i cried and cried and cried.
not only cuz of the pain, but more for the fact that painkillers were not helping me anymore.
-
-
Odrade
What Gill says about magnesium correlates with my own experience. Magnesium (and calcium) is just about the only natural thing that can have any significant impact on migraine. Occasionally putting ice on my head and heat on my neck will help also.
For those suggesting comedy for migraines, it is a very sweet suggestion, but it really has no impact, and tends to minimize a very real and painful issue.
One of the most frustrating things about this "disease"- suffering from migraines, is well-meaning people (who have never had to deal with chronic migraine) giving you all sorts of advice.
I have heard:
1. cut back your meat
2. don't eat cheese
3. eat cheese
4. watch a funny movie
5. go for a walk
6. get more exercise
7. take a bath with lavendar
8. take: feverfew, butterbur, multivitamin, neutriceuticals, apple cider vinegar, vitamin B, eat a vodka raisin, etc, etc ad nauseum
9. get a massage
10. try drug x, y, z.
11. talk therapy
12 drink wine
13 don't drink wine
14 have a shot of brandy
15 steam tent
16 drink a glass of water
17 try benadryl
18 eat less salt
19 eat more salt
20--- and so on.
My favorite is the one my mother used to say:
"Tell your headache to go away."
Others have also told me this, suggesting that it is the power of the mind, and if I can't do it and resolve the pain that I really must want the headache, or be getting something out of it.
My husband will well-meaningly ask me if I have taken something, (meaning pills.) More about this later.
At one point or another I have tried every single one of the above suggestions, including probably 3x that many more "remedies."
Currently, my migraine ritual (when you have chronic pain, you develop a ritual to help you cope,) looks something like this:
3am wake up with blinding migraine.
lay there for 2-3 hours perfectly still, in denial.
get up at 5am, get ice pack, lay left side of head on ice pack until pack is warm
get up, take a handful of magnesium (sometimes with calcium based antacid- they dissolve quickly,) get in HOT bath.
stay in bath until the water goes tepid
get out of bath
take migraine pill*
lay in chair (laz-y-boy) for 1 hour to see if drugs work
if not:
get back in hot bath
take advil
drink gatorade
drink coffee
put ice on head
get out of bath
get back in bed and lay perfectly still
take more advil
take more magnesium/calcium
Hopefully, at this point, things are starting to ease up, but not always.
This routine is what I went through this morning. Fortunately, this is one of the days where I only had to go through one round of ice/bath/migraine pill/advil. I feel like I got hit by a cement truck, but as long as I'm careful, I don't feel the pain in my head.
*Why didn't I take the migraine pill at the first sign of migraine?
Good question.
I get 6 pills per month covered by insurance. Out of pocket cost for these pills is $30 each. Not 30 cents. That's dollars. I tend to hoard them, some migraines last 2-3 days, and I need to have a little stash of them for these occasions, or I may end up going for another trip to the ER. Some months I need one, others I take all 6 and then dip into the stash.
The pills are Relpax (Eletriptan HBr) which is in the same drug family as Imitrex (sumatriptan). Triptans work by binding to the serotonin receptors in the brain, preventing the release of peptides, which are responsible for some inflammatory reactions, particularly in nerve endings and blood vessels. They are highly effective for intermittent, "normal" migraine. They are not that effective with long-term migraine, so are not a good choice for someone with daily pain.
When I have a headache, I have to decide if it is a normal headache, normal migraine, hormonal migraine or muscle tension. My migraine pill will only work for one of these. If I don't take the right drug, it limits my options for other medication. For instance, a muscle tension migraine can be resolved by using an anti-emetic, since it relaxes everything. If I take the migraine drug, I can't take the anti-emetic for 12 hours.
Sometimes deciding on the type of headache can take several hours for other symptoms (besides pain,) to emerge.
Triptans can cause heart attacks. It is very rare, but a known risk. So everytime I take a pill, a part of me wonders if this is the time that could kill me. It's a small price to pay. Perhaps that puts it in perspective.
Fortunately for me, I now only suffer occasionally, and I'd rather deal with that, than a daily and chronic pain condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis. But when they come on, they are horrible. Having migraines has affected my life's choices: I have no children because I do not think I could survive nearly a year of no access to heavy-duty pain medications. A critical component of all traveling is making sure I have enough medication hoarded to last an entire trip, even if I need daily use. Also, I usually schedule massage, chiropractic and acupuncture for the week preceding each trip, to be sure I am in the best possible condition before leaving. I never, ever "let loose" during parties, because having that "one last drink" could put me into a migraine episode.
When I was 19, my migraines went into remission. I didn't have a single headache of any kind for 7 months. I always hope that it will happen again. Since I was 20 years old, the longest I've ever gone without a headache or migraine was 5 weeks.
If you have never had migraines, you probably know someone who has. I hope this helps you understand what a typical migraineur goes through. -
15
Are WT security staff armed?
by Gill inis any jw who works at brooklyn, patterson or the wt farms as a security guard armed with a weapon?.
i just wondered if they actually rely on the police to turn up in an emergency or what they plan to do to protect themselves when armageddon actually arrives or.....if there are intruders.. i wondered if arms were 'slightly' acceptable and if in the near or distant future another waco was in the making.. anyone know if the security staff are armed?.
-
-
Odrade
No they are not. Unless you count the NWT.
-
24
Does your belief system make you nicer
by Satanus inor, does your nature help determine the belief system that you choose?
if you lose your belief system, do you become worse, better, stay the same, happier, sadder?
is it better to have a system imposed on you in order to control you, or is it better to be yourself?
-
-
Odrade
I think that my current belief system doesn't necessarily make me nicer, but abandoning the JW beliefs definitely made me less "fake-nice." Now if you get "nice" from me, it's the real deal. :)
-
63
I am having a bad day
by Vivamus init is wearing me down.. my constant companion in life, my skull-breaking- mind-blowing- daily migraines finally got the better off me six months ago.
i broke down, i cried and cried and cried.
not only cuz of the pain, but more for the fact that painkillers were not helping me anymore.
-
-
Odrade
Sorry Sparky, I should not have made such a dogmatic statement about migraines and emotion. I was speaking out of my own experience, which is that I had a physiological problem that was causing constant pain, but could not be read on a test. Several healthcare providers told me to see a psychologist, not to help me deal, but because they were saying that my headaches were because I was mentally ill or unstable.
I am aware that PTSD, emotional trauma, constant stress can be the cause of migraine, but I think that some medical providers may be too quick to latch onto that "cause" just because they can't find a "reason" that shows up on a lab test.
I apologize for suggesting that emotional stress is bullshit, or not a real reason for migraine. I truly hope that things ease for you and anyone who suffers this. Regardless of the reason for the migraines, nobody should have to deal with that much pain.
-
63
I am having a bad day
by Vivamus init is wearing me down.. my constant companion in life, my skull-breaking- mind-blowing- daily migraines finally got the better off me six months ago.
i broke down, i cried and cried and cried.
not only cuz of the pain, but more for the fact that painkillers were not helping me anymore.
-
-
Odrade
Sorry Viv. I've been there. Lucky for me, it only lasted for 8 months, and I had days when the migraines were easier. There have been a few times that meant a trip to the emergency room because I knew that if I didn't go there I'd take every pill in the house just to make the pain stop.
Blaming constant migraine on repressed emotion is BULLSHIT! It's just another way to blame the victim when they run out of medical things to try. About 10 years ago I had an MRI because of the constant, unrelenting nature of the pain, and of course it came back: "We can't find anything wrong. Do you want to try these drugs that might kill you? You could drop dead, bleed out, or just kill your liver, but well give you the pills anyways..." Yeah, give me the pills.
I manage now with regular acupuncture and chiropractic, but still occasionally get a blinder (about 1-4 times a month,) and have to take the "drop dead" pills. Still, it's so much better than what you're experiencing, and I'm so grateful that something worked. Before my current combo (which I hope will work forever,) I tried everything except botox. Herbs, food combos, (I have no known food triggers,) other acupuncture, vitamin therapy, some dubious crackpot health products, massage, exercise, more herbs, other drugs (when it's bad, even morphine won't touch it.) The combo they give me when I go to ER is Toradol, Atavan, and Compazine. Of course I can't self-administer such a drug combo. Pot works for the nausea, which sometimes disrupts the headache, but I rarely have nausea with migraine, just pain, and I rarely have pot around anyways.
I hope you find something soon. Don't let them tell you you're mentally ill as a reason. That's a doctor cop-out. Hang in there.
-
-
-
Odrade
good review. Thanks.