What is it Called? A Migraine.

If blogging daily was a New Year's resolution, I would have already failed. But I have a valid, yet unfortunate reason.

**DUN DUN DUN**

Photo by Deborah Leigh (Migraine Chick)

A migraine attack. The worst kind. The migraine that wakes me up in the middle of the night, holds my sleep hostage and smacks me upside the head with unbearable pain. I wrote a poem for Migraine Page that was originally published on September 16, 2000 (my 19th birthday). More than 11 years later and it still accurately describes my migraines. 

What Is It Called?

  I have been diagnosed with migraines ever since the age of 4. It is hereditary and hopefully they will cease when I reach the tender age of 30, like the previous women in my family.

Oh God--not another painful day
I took Excedrin Migraine but it chose to stay
The aura began thirty minutes ago
No more vomit--that's when I was four
Nausea, sensitivity to sound and light
Confusion, depression, and no appetite
Can't hardly see because I'm so dizzy
Everyday one out of seven Americans stop their activities
My prescription Elavil is making me drowsy
How can one function feeling this lousy
Time to get the icepack and lie down
Lord give me strength--it's starting to pound
ThrobbingPulsatingBuildingInSeverity
Excuse my jibberish--my words are slurring
Have you experienced this excruciating pain
What is it called--a MIGRAINE

One Year Blogoversary

Today is my one year blogoversary!

To start the 2nd year of my blogmoir off right, I am doing a 12-day blog challenge. Let me keep it all the way funky and warn you. I will more than likely skip days because {insert lame excuse here}. But I will not deprive you of posts. Here are the 12 topics you can look forward to:

Day 1: Spirituality
Day 2: Meaning Behind Blog Name
Day 3: What's in my Bag
Day 4: Song Lyrics That Describe Me
Day 5: My Last Purchase
Day 6: Brit Chick in My Head
Day 7: Something I Will Never Get Tired Of
Day 8: Something I Don't Leave The House Without
Day 9: Something I Miss
Day 10: First 10 Songs on iPod Shuffle
Day 11: This Very Moment
Day 12: My Epitaph

Chill with the Resolutions, Bro

 

Today is December 31, 2011. The last day of the year. The day that most people reflect on the past year's events, triumphs, successes, losses, etc. The day that most people make a list of what to improve on or change in their life. And the dreadful day that people pull ideas out of their arse and make resolutions.

Well, not this chick. I think resolutions set you up for failure. Resolutions are usually too high of a goal(s) and are too much pressure. Think about it. The most common resolution is to eat healthier and lose weight. You start off the new year not eating fast food, cooking healthy meals and exercising. Then slowly but surely you start slacking off. A late night snack. Skipping a day at the gym. Indulging. Then you step on the scale and EEK! You haven't lost any weight. God forbid you've gained pounds! Now you're disappointed in yourself. All because you set a new year's resolution and failed. Miss me on all that.

So I just promise to BE A BETTER ME in 2012.

Jagged Little Pill

It's the weekend and I haven't been able to sleep in AT ALL. Yesterday I woke up at 7 a.m. Today I woke up around 8:00 a.m. I was never the type to watch or read the newspaper. It is quite depressing and full of politics. However, I've downloaded a cool app (Taptu) onto my NOOKcolor. So yeah, I'm reading the news now. And might I mention that my bones ache; my knees crack. Also, heartburn is expected when I eat certain foods now. Is this what post-XXX is about? 

In addition to the changes above, it seems I have also developed a strange gift. When a life-changing event is about to happen, I get a weird feeling. I'm not sure if it's anxiety or intuition. (I doubt it is psychic abilities, so stay out of my comments asking for a reading.) That feeling hit me unexpectedly this morning. I'm not sure what is to come exactly. I'll just wait until the dust settles. But oh, what I wouldn't give for a jagged little pill...

It's a New Life For Me

This may be the deepest blog post I will ever write. I'm hoping by writing these thoughts that I'll reach a decision. So grab a beach chair, refreshing drink, and ponder with me.

I've had migraines since the age of 4, on prescriptions since the age of 11. I'm almost 30 years old. You do the math. I've been suffering in pain for way too long. I have tried just about every migraine medication on the market. My Neurologist uses me to test new products (approved by FDA of course). Just when we think the perfect drug has been found to alleviate pain and aura, it stops working. For the last two weeks, the migraine level was high.  Way higher than normal. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my Neurologist.

Could it be stress? Well, I don't feel stressed. Nothing in my life is stressful. It has actually been carefree as of late. Could it be caffeine withdrawal because I'm slowly decreasing my Pepsi intake? Or maybe it is my sleeping or eating habits? With the exception of indulging in a Magnum ice cream bar, I stay away from chocolate. I get at least 8 hours of sleep. Going through my migraine journal, I couldn't determine the cause. I really couldn't understand why my injection was no longer as effective. It's a shot for goodness sakes. It goes straight to my blood stream and should work instantly. Not so for the last two weeks.

After visiting the doctor, it turns out my blood pressure is high. Blood pressure is the silent killer that plagues most blacks. You can't necessarily feel your pressure rising, hence why it can be deadly. Thankfully, it wasn't at stroke level. But definitely high enough to monitor. The downfall is I cannot take my injection with high blood pressure. Let me help you understand the severity. Because of high blood pressure, I cannot take the injection when I get a migraine. So I basically have to suffer through the pain. Weigh it out. Sleep it off. Hope it goes away on its own. It could take hours or even days. What an interruption of life!

Women's hormone levels change when giving birth. The hormone change could potentially relieve me of migraines for good. If you're a good friend or family member, you know how I feel about children. But lately, the idea of pushing out a crumbsnatcher is looking better and better. Yes, it would be for my own personal, selfish health reasons. But it could be a blessing. I still have a couple more options before resorting to child birth. One option being botox. FDA approved botox for the treatment of migraines. At this point, I am willing to look like a rejected B-list celebrity with a tight forehead and permanent -__-.  But frankly, I am tired of being a guinea pig playing trial-and-error with heavy drug dosages. Something has to give. New life or a face so tight you don't realize when I'm laughing? Decisions, decisions.

Of course I have WTT in heavy rotation. One of my favorite songs on the album is New Day. Jay and Ye rap about their unborn sons. It made me think. I don't want my unborn children to suffer from migraines either. It is a pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I certainly wouldn't want to pass it on to my children. And it is selfish to bring a new life into the world just so I wouldn't be in pain anymore. On the other hand, I hear a lot of new parents say how a child saved their life. Do I want to make that commitment and let a child save mine?

The Butters

Hey, my hearts! I know it's been a minute, but hopefully your heart grew fonder with my absence.

Anyhoot, every once in a while a video on YouTube will strike my fancy and inspire a post. You probably read the post title and wondered what "The Butters" are. Well, check out the video below first.

Now do you understand what "The Butters" are? I understand the sprites may be clueless, but it's not too late to join the bandwagon and dump your "flavored waters" also known as lotion and reward your skin. I personally keep cocoa butter and shea butter (whipped white & raw yellow) on hand at all times. If you're crafty in the kitchen, I suggest whipping up your own natural batch.

**in my best Talking Tom voice** Lift those ashy hands and give 'em some butter!

Think Pink: Race for the Cure

Today, I am walking 5K for the cure of breast cancer. I'm walking in celebration of survivors and in memory of my grandmother, Cookie. For more information, visit Detroit Race for the Cure online. To learn more about the founder of Susan G. Komen for the cure, I recommend reading her memoir Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer.