Much ado about Michele Bachmann

There has been much ado about nothing or something concerning Michele Bachmann and her run for presidency in 2012. Recently she has announced that she has a history of Migraines and since then has had quite a bit of negative publicity surrounding her campaign. It is not scrutiny against her moral character, or even her political views that have been so widely publicized. It is the fact that she has a neurological medical condition. You can Wiki her profile for yourself. But is seems to me she has had a fairly successful career as a lawyer and as a politician. 


This is something that no one can take away from this woman. 


Presently, she seems to me to appear quite healthy, and with the support of her family, and friends  seems to have her disease under control.  If I were her campaign manager, I would've had her doctor making such said statement seconds after she told the public she had Migraines. I knew a close inspection of her disease would be forthcoming, anyone who has migraines would know this. But if I were her campaign manager, I would be rich, which sadly, so, so, sadly, I am not! 

There are so many different types of migraines and each and every individual is different in how they perform under the conditions of an attack. It is upsetting to me that their is this potential for migraine disease to become generalized and fall under one category. 

There are those whose migraine disease are not as debilitating and if under the direct supervision of a medical headache specialist, the symptoms can be controlled. Then again there are those who are still finding adequate care and treatment and have not yet found any sort of consistency and relief. Still others have a type of migraine disease that is more complex and can be more difficult to control.

 So to say this candidate has Migraines is too broad and I feel that the public is being manipulated in some ways. It is like saying a candidate with Diabetes should not consider running merely because they have Diabetes. But say said candidate's Diabetes is controlled, and the symptoms of hypoglycemia (nervousness, anxiety, confusion, changes in behavior) or hyperglycemia
 ( headaches, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating) are all controlled by medication, and strict monitoring of their blood sugar. Surely, this would not be an issue if that was the case? 

But since Migraine is a highly stigmatized disease, a diagnosis so often "tip-toed around" and brushed off by much of the medical community and public, then it becomes an issue. 

I do not only speak from the viewpoint of complex migraine sufferer but from the viewpoint of a nursing professional as well. I have seen how some ( not all) in the medical community along with the public have dismissed migraine disease as a woman's disease, whose population tends to be drug seeking,  whiny,  Munchausen-like, complainers.

All aspects of a candidate are important, but accurate and updated research should also be performed, first and foremost. 
All other information should be sent to the National Enquirer.  

Just a Little Serious

When one has to live with a disorder, is there such a thing as being overly involved with it? I know in my blog posts, I try to find a way to convey educational information through some form of humor. 

But unfortunately there is a limit to the humorous aspects of Migraine disease. It is even more disheartening to see that the road to finding a cure to migraines is not to be found anywhere in the near future. That means more people will have to endure the pain and symptoms that comes along with Migraines.

Migraines cannot kill you. But there are those who suffer from depression, because there is nothing that can relieve their symptoms, or even worse, they become tired of people who do not believe they suffer, and out of frustration become suicidal. For others, the very medications that they are on to help their migraines will cause suicidal ideation. I am blessed that I do not suffer from depression, but I can understand how migraine and depression can have such a close link.

 A migraine for me, is like a growth. Sometimes it grows on the top of my head, or above my left eye, or just to the top of my left ear towards the back of my head. The growth slowly expands causing painful pressure. My left eye feels like it is bulging, and my vision to my left side becomes blurred. If you cover up my right eye, a picture of waviness forms, similar to how heat would rise from the concrete floor on a very hot summer day. 

 My neck will become very stiff along with my shoulders and the numbness to my left side follows. My lips and left cheek become numb mimicking the effects of an anesthetic after having had dental treatment. Then the numbness spreads to the left side of my body. I pay close attention to how I swallow, as I have actually choked a few times during an episode. 

My speech is slow and if I am around visitors, you may see me smiling a lot instead of talking. That is because I don't want to feel like a complete idiot when I can't remember words or events. My hand grasp is weak, and I can't trust myself to cook when I am like this. I have actually burned myself in the past. Eventually my left leg will stop working. I cannot tiptoe with my left foot as I have foot drop during an episode. If I enter a car, I must lift my left leg up with the help of my husband, or I lift it up on my own. I use a walker, a cane, or my wheelchair during an attack, depending on my level of weakness. My ears ring constantly but it will ring louder than usual and vertigo can also occur. 

These episodes can last anywhere from 48 hours to 10 days. That is why I stay vigilant and track my triggers and avoid them when I can. Unfortunately there are those triggers that I can't avoid. My Aleeve and Reglan is always close at hand, just in case that "funny" feeling begins. 

I thank God every day for my families patience and adaptability. They live this with me. My husband becomes a gofer, a cook, a housekeeper. My daughter will sometimes lay with me when I have to be in bed, and my boys will share their shoulders with their mother as they help me up the flight of steps. My beloved dog will stay with me the entire time I am sick. 

I do not write this because I want to be pitied. For those of you who know me, this would be completely out of character for me. That is likely why I write my blog posts the way I do, with humor and always in a positive note.

I write this because I want others to continue to be aware of what a Migraineur must go through. That a migraine is not just a bad headache. It is a sadly underfunded neurological disease that affects our health, the way we interact with others, our ability to work, and our ability to feel completeness in our lives. It can strip away our dignity and our self-esteem. It has the power to make us powerless.

So I will continue to educate myself and maybe along the way help to educate others. There is no such thing as over-saturating yourself with information. There is no such thing as being too overly involved.

June is Migraine Awareness Month! I hope I helped to make someone aware. 

A Nice Cold Bottle Of SAN MIGUEL, Please.

An ice cold bottle of beer and a bag of salt and vinegar chips by my side on a hot summer’s day. Oh, how I miss it! There are two groups of HM folks I correspond with on facebook that have been such a wonderful support to me and I can’t say enough about them. One group discussed food triggers that each individual needs to stay away from in order to decrease their HM attacks. My triggers really don’t seem to be so much food related, but I do stay away from salt and alcohol. This reminded me of how much I miss the occasional bottle of beer. But, alcohol and my medications wouldn’t be a great combination. And, let’s face it, I have enough problems with vertigo that I really don’t need to add the inebriated effects of alcohol to go along with it. 

But, as I always say, such is life and you just roll with it. Adjust and move on. 

But , oh, how I would love me some iced cold San Miguel. Not so much for the said inebriated vertiginous effects it would produce, but the whole nostalgia of it all.

You get a group of people together, add a little beer, and you’ll be telling stories you have no business telling people while you’re sober. You do goofy, silly things, like paint your nails a flaming red color...seeing it was his first attempt at a manicure, I was rather impressed (no names mentioned). You sing, you dance, you laugh and life seems a little lighter a little less stressed. Then, afterwards, you walk away with fond memories. 

One of those fond memories is of my Dad and his close friends sitting around a table . Usually a strict and serious man, he always relaxed after a “bit” of alcohol. They would talk about the past, about things probably not fit for polite company, but hilarious nonetheless. Conversations would then change about how life was when they were younger in the Philippines before he came to the U.S. 

Certainly, there are those out there, in which alcohol has destroyed their family’s lives. Thankfully, I am not one of them. But I can’t always say that all the memories have been good. 

There was one New Year’s Eve party awhile ago with a group of close friends and families that I remember well. My oldest was a newborn then, and my Mom and Dad were upstairs watching him with the other family members. This was when we all still lived close enough to have get-togethers. Those were nice times. But I remember my cousin, (no names mentioned), passed out after a few hours of carousing at my old house where I grew up. All of us each took a turn watching him on the couch to make sure he was OK. The countdown to midnight started and we all yelled Happy New Year loudly in his ear when the time came. He was completely out. 

The following day we celebrated the coming of the New Year at my aunt’s house. There was a lot of delicious food and one of my favorites was hot and sour soup. But it didn’t look so delicious the next day. I remember my mother being so upset with us because we had to leave as soon as we got there. We were all so nauseated and my cousin was still at my house comatose on the couch. 

But I do have fond memories of iced cold beer. The way we lose our vulnerability, our inhibitions, and some of our fears after we consume the intoxicating beverage, is what lures some of us to drink. 

So, I raise a glass in honor of that San Miguel beer, that, every once and awhile I do crave. Too bad the glass I raise is filled with decaffeinated iced tea. Sigh.