Okay I promise I will talk more about life in the chronic migraine world, but first I have a link to a lovely (and quite pretty) website that is for women with chronic illnesses of any kind. Click Here. 

Also I wanted to share this series of questions from the site above. I filled it out, but you could send it (without my answers) to a loved one, and ask them to fill it out. Imagine how much more you could learn about them!

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know 1. The illness I live with is: Chronic Migraines

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2007

3. But I had symptoms since: 2004

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Giving up my normal life

5. Most people assume: I'm fine because I'm smiling

6. The hardest part about mornings are: The knowledge that the rest of the day is coming

7. My favorite medical TV show is: House

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: TV

9. The hardest part about nights are: The pain

10. Each day I take _6_ pills & vitamins. 

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Have tried them all. 

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Invisible

13. Regarding working and career: May not happen

14. People would be surprised to know: that I don't feel strong

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: Not getting out of the house

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Laugh

17. The commercials about my illness: Depress me

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Going to the beach

19. It was really hard to have to give up: Making plans

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Playing guitar!

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Run

22. My illness has taught me: to take life a day at a time

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: "oh"

24. But I love it when people: Hug me

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: still being looked for.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: I'm so sorry

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: how tired I am, even though I'm always resting. 

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: give me care packages

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I want to learn more

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: great!

For information on invisible illness week, see my last post. 

Have a beautiful day.

 

National Invisible Chronic Illness Week

I just found out that that  starting Monday it is Chronic Illness Awareness week. I think, as migraine sufferers, it would be really good to participate. The link for the website is here. There are live virtual conferences you can listen to, at many hours during the day. I am excited about learning more about this, one of the best things for people with chronic illnesses to do, I think, is join together. We all have this life altering thing in common, and no one but us really knows what it feels like. Also for friends of migraine sufferers, I think it would be very helpful as well. I just wanted to tell you about it, I will post again soon. 

-Oona

Post #2: migraines, TV and such

There are an incredibly wide variety of migraine symptoms. The one they all share, I would say, is the pain. For people who don't really understand what an actual migraine is, here is a link that explains the medical side of things: https://www.google.com/health/ref/Migraine. The other side of things, I am here to explain. But before I do that, I feel the need to tell you more about what category of migraines, I fall into. I am 16 years old, in case you were wondering. I got my migraines fairly young, at age 10. I don't get aura's, just migraines, and have all the usual symptoms. I go to high school very part time, which is as much as I can handle at the time. I don't get out of the house much. I rely on my family for almost everything, because about all I can do is shower, eat, sleep, watch TV, and carry on an occasional conversation. One thing I have really learned, is that with this condition, you really have to take things one day at a time. Planning doesn't work out, so it's best just to live with whatever pain you have that day, and hope the next day will be better.  That attitude definitely works best for me. One day at a time, so the pain wont overwhelm me. 

As I mentioned a couple times, I watch a  lot of TV. It is the only thing that really works to distract me. I can't read, or do other forms of normal entertainment, so TV is my pastime. I get sick of it, but it has been very helpful. Later on, I'm going to write a list of migraine-friendly TV shows. Quiet ones, that aren't too stressful, action packed or bright. If anyone has suggestions, let me know. I think they will be good recommendations for migraine sufferers, but also for anyone else who needs suggestions. 

For those of you who don't know how to comment, there is a link to the comment page at the bottom of each post. Next to the posting time, it says the number of comments. Click on that and you can add a comment of your own! It's pretty simple. And don't forget to vote in the pull in the top right corner!

Have a beautiful day...

Hello

• I have been searching for an interesting way to start this blog. So far nothing has come to mind. I am not the blogging type, nor am I aware what the blogging type even is, but nonetheless I am doing this. Why? I still haven't quite figured that out yet. My name is Oona, and I am writing this blog about my experiences with migraines. I should probably tell you  a little about my migraines now. That would be the next step on this path to something.  Righteousness, Acceptance, Understanding?.......Moving on.

•  
• A migraine is defined as, "a condition marked by recurrent severe headache often with nausea and vomiting" by the Webster online dictionary. Chronic is defined as, "always present or encountered; especially: constantly vexing, weakening, or troubling. From that description it is easy to tell they are no fun at all. What else can we tell? They are always there, they hurt, and they are exhausting. I have had chronic migraines for 3 years. It has actually been one migraine that has lasted all this time. A never-ending, one.  I have had migraines occasionally for another three years before that. Which makes 6 years of pain. I have other symptoms besides pain. Like loss of appetite, nausea, exhaustion, and trouble sleeping. I would call that the summery of my condition. The history, if you will. 

Now on to the blog. I want to make it accessible to a wide variety of people. People who suffer from migraines, chronic and otherwise, are my main priority. I also want it to make sense to people looking to understand the condition, whether they are friends and family of "migrainers" or just innocently curious bystanders. Though it will probably only get read by people I know. A girl can dream though, right? I want to talk, not just about migraines, but about my migraine world and everything that's included in it. It feels as though I have been in pain for most of my life. I can tell you the best things to do with a migraine, best places to go, best people to see, best things to eat, think about, etc. Then again, everyone is different. I can give you my view on this "thing", then you can try it on for yourself, and it just might fit. 

When people think of migraines, they think brain tumor. I can assure you that I don't have one. I have done all the tests, seen all the doctors and been diagnosed.......with migraines. It doesn't help me to have a diagnosis, because there is no cure for migraines, and every type of medicine and healing I have tried so far has not worked. I have a diagnosis nonetheless.   

This is my first post. I am not going to go too specific on this one. I hope you noticed the poll in the top left corner? If you could take I would very much appreciate it. Ill give you a second to do that.............I would like to here all about you. If you suffer from migraines, comment. If you know someone who suffers from migraines, comment. I think we could form a little community here, and it might just turn out to be something really special. 

 

If you want to know more about me, I am a "avid" reader, baker, movie watcher, animal lover, project doer, dreamer. My family gives me the most relief,and happiness I am in bed for part, usually most, of every day. I don't know how I get by, but I do, and that is the blessing. I hope that this blog is read by people of all ages. I think it would be helpful to parents with children with migraines, and children with parents with migraines, and everyone in between.  

Have a beautiful day.

-Oona