Migraine Awareness Month Challenge #9 - A Day Full of Laughter

Today is #9 in the Migraine Awareness Month Blogging Challenge.  The topic for today is "Day Dream Believer.  Describe your dream day - without a Migraine to hold you back."

Just the prospect of this makes me like a little girl at Christmas time, full of anticipation and excitement.  What day should I plan - a gloriously "normal" day, a day at the beach, a day white water rafting, a day at Disneyworld, a trip to New England for continuing education with my mentors and a jaunt into New York to see a play, a trip to Italy or Africa, the opportunity to go and visit my grandmother in San Antonio?  So many enticing possibilities.  However, I think if I must choose just one, it will be the opportunity to stuff every bit of fun and laugher I possibly could into one perfectly "normal" day.


I'd awake, get dressed and go throughout the house opening wide all of my curtains - letting the sunshine spill in with no fear of pain.  I'd put on my favorite playlist and let music swell throughout my home.  


I'd then get ready for work and go and see the amazing families and children with whom I have the privilege of working as a play therapist.  Marlie, my therapy dog, and I would jump in the car, riding with the windows down, and hurry to get the play room ready for the special kids who would come.  We'd spend the day playing in the sandbox, creating crafts, playing in the playhouse, creating puppet shows, laughing loudly, and listening intently.  Noise would be of no concern, and the playroom would ring with the therapeutic sounds of children playing out their fears, their desires, their needs, and their joys.  


During lunch, I would walk Marlie around the block and then sit down with my dad, sister and brother for lunch.  I'd order a Diet Coke - the nectar of the gods -without having to worry about the aspartame.  We'd laugh and reminisce as we like to do about all the funny Jordan antics through the years, remembering mom as if she were still with us. We'd revel in being together the same unit as we use to be years ago, only older now!  


Yet because it is my dream day, there would also be time to visit and laugh with my niece and nephew and just enjoy the overwhelming joy I get from being with them and loving them! There would also have to be time to spend with my sister-in-law, maybe at Starbucks which is one of her favorite places, just because she has become one of my dearest friends, and we'd talk about the kids and my brother and other things we held dear.


After work, I'd meet up with friends for dinner - preferably sitting outside to enjoy the sunshine and the weather.  As use to be, I'd have to stifle the loudness of my laughter as I relished in the fun and friendship that abounded.  There would be stories of past escapades and ones to come.  Each of us would leave with our jaws and stomachs aching from the laughter having lost any mascara that we might have had on. 


Because it is my dream day, we would then go to a Kathy Troccoli or Chris Tomlin concert and sit down front where we could see and hear everthing without any need to worry about the lights or the sounds.  We'd stand and sing along, praising God for His wonderful goodness.  We'd laugh over my inevitable tears of joy and feel the bonds of our friendships growing even stronger.


Because in a dream day, we would have unlimited energy, we would head back to my clean and organized home and get out the coke and M&M's for a rousing game of cards complete with James Taylor and Carole King singing loudly in the background.  We'd play and laugh until one of our friends (you know who you are) fell asleep on the couch and then we'd keep begging her to play just one more round.  We'd end up in giggles that we could not stop because we were so tired but having so much fun.  


Because it would then be in the wee hours of the morning, I'd beg the one who fell asleep to spend the night rather than driving home so tired, and we'd sit in the dark and talk about the day, get into one of our silly deep discussions about nothing important, read a devotional together and then sit until she once again fell asleep on the couch.  


I'd then gather up my puppies and head for my bed where I would pull out a favorite mystery book and read until I could barely keep my eyes open.  I would sink into sleep full of joy and praise and excitement for the blessings of such a wonderfully normal day.  And as I did so, I would pray that there could be many, many more gloriously normal days full of so many of the things I use to take for granted.  

                 Babies Laughing (Click Here)          I love to laugh! (Click here)    

"I love people who make me laugh.  I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh.  It cures a multitude of ills.  It's probably the most important thing in a person." Audrey Hepburn


"Against the assault of laughter, nothing can withstand." Mark Twain


"There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor." Charles Dickens


"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for us'!" Psalm 126:2


 

Tea for Two (or Three)

Today's prompt for the Migraine Awareness Month Challenge is "If you could invite someone to your home for tea for the purpose of explaining Migraine disease to them so they would truly understand it, who would it be and why?

As I have been thinking about today's prompt, several ideas have been going through my mind.  I'd love to have tea with a fellow migraineur's parents so that I might help them understand what their daughter is experiencing, or I might have tea with  a member of my own family who seems not to really understand the impact migraines has on my life.  However, as I continued to think about it, I decided I wanted to invite someone who could really make a difference in the life of migraineurs in general if they were to become passionate about the issues involved.

I decided that a philanthropist was who I would like to have home for tea.  This took a bit of research (as I don't just have a list of philanthropists on my contact list).  As I was reading about different philanthropists, a quote caught my eye.  This philanthropist was quoted as saying that his primary purpose in determining whether to fund something was if it was something no one else was doing.  This was perfect!  I decided to invite Eli and Edythe Broad (pronounced like road) to have tea with me.

(The Broads developed the Broad Foundation whose mission is to serve the public good through education, science and the arts.)  

After debating about whether or not, they should see my house has it "really" is - kind of messy and very dark, I decided I would call in a maid service and wear sunglasses so my guests would be comfortable.  Over a bit of tea and a piece of Sugaree cake, I'd share some migraine statistics with them that I gathered from the Migraine Research Foundation.  I'd be sure to include these facts:

1.  Migraine ranks in the top twenty of the world's most disabling illnesses.
2. 37 million people suffer from Migraine disease, and 14 million experience chronic daily headache.
3. Migraine causes more lost years of healthy life in the US annually than MS,  epilepsy, ovarian cancer, and tuberculosis combined and has been identified by the World Health Organization has having the capacity to be as disabling as quadriplegia.
4. American employers lose more than $13 billion each year as a result of 113 million lost work days due to migraine.
5.  Migraine sufferers, like those who suffer from other chronic illnesses, face the consequences of high costs of medical services, too little support, and limited access to quality care.
6. At present, NIH funding for migraine research is $15 million - less than 0.03% of the annual NIH research budget.

After having tea and having done my best to have appealed to the Broad's sense of business and desire to be involved with something that no one else is doing, I would then share with them how Migraine disease has impacted my life.  I'd be sure that they understood that Migraine is more than a headache and that it is a neurological disease which has dramatically changed my life in regards to my career, finances, quality of life, social involvement, community involvement, and family involvement.  I'd have a friend with me who would be able to tell them the 180 degree change in my life since my migraines have become chronic.  In addition to how migraine has  impacted my life, I would tell them stories of friends who have lost their will to live because of dealing with chronic pain and being unsuccessful in finding treatment.

Then because I know any good business person wants to know why they are being asked to be involved, I'd lay out my plan.  

1. I'd like for them to establish a scholarship fund for individuals who cannot afford treatment or who cannot afford the expenses associated with going to a migraine specialist (travel and housing, as well as comprehensive treatment).
2. I'd like for them to establish an annual scholarship fund in a major medical school of each of the fifty states which would support a medical student from first year through residency and specialized training in migraines since there are only 290 certified headache specialists in the United States.
3. I'd ask them to develop a state of the art Migraine facility in each of the four time zones so that everyone has specialized medial facility within at least a days driving distance.  Each of these state of the art facilities should have both in-patient and out-patient services which focus on the whole person and should have Migraine friendly living arrangements nearby, as well as provide transportation since many migraineurs are unable to drive.  They should also have branches which are specifically dedicated to pediatric Migraine disease, Veterans with headache disorders, and to the unique needs of hard to treat chronic Migraineurs. 
4. I'd ask them to develop medical continuing education that focuses on Migraine disease from both a medical and psychosocial point of view.
5. I'd ask that they support research towards developing specialized Migraine medications (since there is no medication that has been developed specifically for Migraines) and ask that they have a research effort to specifically look at Migraine treatment for chronic Migraineurs who are difficult to treat with standard protocols.
6. Last, I would ask that they sit with their scholarship review committee which is comprised of business men, scientists, and politicians to develop a systematic approach for raising awareness about Migraine disease.

I'd then like to arrange a dinner with them and other migraineurs and leaders in the Migraine community, as well as some of the best Migraine doctors in the United States, to answer any further questions that they have.  My desire would be that they would catch the vision of what needs to be done for Migraine disease and be inspired to work to make millions of people's dreams come true and help them once again become active, productive, involved citizens who can pay forward all that they have gained through the work and vision of the Broads.

One can dream, can't they?!


National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by  www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.

Migraine Awareness Month: Share the story of your first Migraine

I have had headaches for as long as I can remember.  My mother use to call them "sick headaches" and would lead me to my bed in a darkened room where she would put a cold washcloth on my head.  For years, my headaches were attributed to sinuses or my "sensitive" personality.  My mother also experienced sick headaches, but I never remember the word "migraine" being used in relationship to them.  

There are two childhood experiences regarding migraines which stand out in my mind.  When I was in about the third grade, a much beloved aunt came to visit from out of town.  I was excited about all the fun things that we would be able to do with her.  However, apart from my excitement over her visit, the one thing I vividly remember about it was standing in a room with her and my mom and feeling so sick that I thought I was going to throw up or pass out from my headache.  That afternoon mom took me to the doctor as I watched my sister and brother walk with my aunt downtown to get some ice cream.  (Oh, the funny things we remember as children!) Yet, this was the first of many, many things I recall missing as a result of my migraines.)

Fast forward to the summer before tenth grade when I went with my church group to Montreat, North Carolina. I recall having a constant throbbing headache for the majority of the trip.  When my friends asked what was going on, I remember telling them that I had a "mack truck sitting on my brain."  Shortly after returning, a friend was apparently so worried that she called my mom to tell her about my headaches.  

At about this same time, I had an appointment with my optometrist.  My recent bout with severe headaches was mentioned.  Within twenty minutes into the appointment, he looked at my mother and I (a sixteen year old) and told us that he thought I had a brain tumor.  The next thing I knew I was in the hospital having the first of a myriad of tests run to find out why I was having such horrible headaches.  I clearly remember how grim my family and friends were at this time.  In looking back at letters I received, it was clear that many of them felt that it was inevitable that I did indeed have a brain tumor due to the intensity of my headaches as well as some suspicious findings in my eye exam and my MRI.

Everyone let go of a great sigh of relief when the neurologist determined that it was "only" migraines that I was experiencing.  "Only migraines" have followed me for over 45 years, dramatically changing the way I have been able to interact with life and with people.  Although I have many wonderful childhood memories, one of the ones which I can see most clearly in my mind's eye is of me lying in the middle of my bed with a cool wash cloth across my eyes in a dark room too frightened to move because of what it might do to my pain level.  

As I mentioned, I was frequently regarded as an overly sensitive child.  I was overly sensitive to smells, frequently roaming the house with my mother (who had the same problem) looking for the source of the smell of natural gas or fire.  I also complained to my parents about how loud the television was in their bedroom.  They had a hard time believing that I could actually hear a TV that they thought was set so low until I could recite the dialogue from a show they were watching.  My head was extremely sensitive to touch at times, and I disliked having my hair brushed as a result.  I was frequently nauseous without any vomiting (another indication that I was making this up).  I would also have periods when I was ultra sensitive to any movements, light or sounds around me and would become easily irritated.

My greatest hope in writing this is that no child will be viewed as having "only" headaches or migraines.  This is a serious life changing disease.  Although it rarely leads to death, it frequently makes the one who has them wish that death was an option.  I can remember being treated by doctors as if I was exaggerating, malingering or emotionally unstable.  At times, I wondered if they were right - if there was something wrong with my character or my faith because I could not control these horrible headaches and the accompanying symptoms.   Although my parents were generally supportive and loving, there were times when they also wondered if my "headaches" and their symptoms might not be the result of my being "too sensitive."

Statistics indicate that 9 percent of American children between the ages of five and 13 experience migraines (Migraine.com). If you believe that your child might have migraines, please seek the help of a migraine specialist.  There are medications and treatments that can benefit children.  Research indicates that the more frequently one has a migraine the more the brain "learns" the pattern of migraines.  Untreated migraines may over time lead to more frequent and even chronic migraines.  

If you would like more information about children and migraines, please check out these links.  Migraine Research Foundation  Migraines in Children are Frequently Overlooked

National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by  www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.