There are a lot of contradictions in migraine treatment. A pamphlet I recently received from a headache center explained that while weight loss can improve migraine, so can snacking. Sleep is very important but sleeping too much can be a trigger. Caffeine can reduce migraine or cause it. It is important to take medicine at … Continue reading Between a Migraine and a Hard Place
A Week in the Life
Through this blog I try to be an advocate and informer regarding chronic illnesses and pain. I discuss medications and treatments and their side effects, describe the physical and emotional struggles of chronic migraine, and feature other writers who tell us about their illness. What I haven't done though, is show you what an ordinary … Continue reading A Week in the Life
Playing Catch-Up
I have always been an "over achiever" (sorry to those of you who spit out your drink or loudly gasped in public, I know this is shocking). I loved school from the day I began (OK maybe not math) and worked harder than a typical student, settling for nothing but the highest grades and thriving … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up
Who Ever Said Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend?
I've been wanting to write this blog for ages and I'm so excited to finally share it! My fav guest writer, Tali Wohlgelernter, took time out of her even-crazier-than-usual schedule to talk to me about her daughter's medical service dog. Tali's youngest daughter, 6 year old Sarena, has had seizures since 7 months old. At … Continue reading Who Ever Said Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend?
a,b,C(d)GRP
A few years ago I wrote a blog called AIMing for Perfection (see here: https://goingagainstthegraine.home.blog/2020/03/17/aiming-for-perfection/) about how Aimovig, the CGRP inhibitor auto injectable, was significantly reducing my migraine count. I had been on Aimovig for about 5 months (5 doses) when that post was published and doing the best I'd done in over a year. … Continue reading a,b,C(d)GRP
המבדיל בין קודש לחול
As I mentioned in a previous blog, when I was in elementary school I suffered badly from emetophobia -fear of vomiting. I was home from school often with (what I genuinely believed to be real) stomach viruses and food poisoning, though I never vomited. I convinced myself I was nauseous and felt terrible all the … Continue reading המבדיל בין קודש לחול
Having Cancer: the Good, The Bad, and the Life- Changing
For many people cancer is a word unspoken because they are so afraid of it. Most of us know what cancer patients go through physically; the chemo, the radiation, the nausea, the exhaustion. But it’s hard to imagine what people go through emotionally when they receive a cancer diagnosis. Leora Landy Finklestein gives us an … Continue reading Having Cancer: the Good, The Bad, and the Life- Changing
Suicide Headache
It has been a long time since I have been able to write a blog. I have even had to stop posting my weekly Tuesday Tidbits on Facebook. Here's a tidbit to make up for the missing ones: apparently, migraineurs can experience unexplained shifts in triggers and changes in sensitivity to existing triggers. In my … Continue reading Suicide Headache
She’s so Hormonal
I haven’t written a blog since the new year mostly because my head hasn’t really allowed me to (ironic I know), but posting my podcast collaboration with Colleen Culley on her platform Coping With Colleen (https://anchor.fm/colleen-culley) inspired me to write a post I’ve been intending to write for a while now. It is important to … Continue reading She’s so Hormonal
We’re all Made of Stars
The other night I fell asleep thinking about all the things I can’t do (cheerful, I know). But it’s important to acknowledge that I am very impacted by my chronic migraine disorder and accept that I have limits. I can’t tell you the date I’m graduating college, nor what I’ll be doing afterwards. I can’t … Continue reading We’re all Made of Stars
Going Against the 'Graine 