Migraines And Migraine Art Drawn By Patients

By Sarah Chapman

Those of you that have experienced real migraines know that the terrible side effects can make normal functioning in daily life hard, if not impossible to deal with.

Classic migraines start with a warning sign called an aura. The aura often changes the way you see things. You may see flashing lights, or temporarily lose some of your vision, such as your side vision.

This is what an aura is like to one migraine sufferer.

You may also feel muscle weakness on one side of your body. You may have trouble talking or feel depressed and irritable. You could feel restless.

Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes and may occur after, before or even overlap the pain of a migraine itself. The head pain of a migraine may occur on one side of the head or both sides.

Common migraines don't start with an aura. They last longer and interfere with daily activities more than classic migraines. Usually, these are on one side of the head. The pain can last from 4 to 72 hours.

A person having a migraine may have trouble eating normal foods they usually like or keeping food down during an attack. Light and sound bother them. If you want to know more Migraine Action is a good place to start and get help if you need it.

Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice In Wonderland had classic migraines. He also had a syndrome named after him because he suffered from a very rare type of migraine aura called Alice In Wonderland Syndrome.

Now doctors are finding out that by looking at drawings done by patients having classic migraines they can learn a lot about these terrible headaches and get an insight into what migraines might be like to each patient. These stunning pictures are from different artists who experience migraines.

 

Classic migraine art takes place during the aura which changes the way a patient see's and feels things. Doctors are continuing to study this type of art to better understand migraines and how patients feel when they have one. This way new and better migraine medicines are being made to relieve the side effects of auras and migraines.

Only 1% of us escape headaches altogether. 16 to 17% of people get a migraine headache sometime in their lives. There are over 20 million migraine attacks happening every day. Some migraines are mistaken for sinus headaches. (These numbers change each year.) 

People with migraines will look at these pictures with recognition, as they know how they suffer. I hope migraine patients get some relief from these studies that are being done. New therapies are being discovered every day.

I find the art troubling yet it's beautiful too. One can pick out similar threads that each patient feels in the artwork.

I am lucky to be in the small percentage of people who don't have headaches often and I've never had a migraine that I know of. When I do have one it makes me miserable. Mine are usually from my sinuses.

The holidays are here and there's no escaping them so I hope no one is having headaches of any kind right now! Enjoy your Friday!

One more example of aura's from a patient's point of view.

Understanding My Coma

Sometimes someone is so ill they are put into a coma to save their lives. That is what happened to me. They said I had two seizures before getting to the hospital (one in the ambulance) and my left lung was filled with vomit and had collapsed. I was spiking a high fever and phenomena was setting in. The Doctor's decided that a coma was the best way to save my life. I was put into a drug induced coma. Luckily I never needed a ventilator after they cleared my lung out. The important thing is the fact that I was put into a Coma and how it helped and effected me.

Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and will not respond to voices, loud sounds, or any sort of activity going on. Not even intense pain will bring forth a response. The person is still alive but the parts of the brain is functioning at a low level. It is working to keep your organs going and such. (Fingers crossed.)

I can tell you from first hand experience that you can't hear people when in a coma like some believe you can. Reading to someone in a coma from a book is just for your own comfort not theirs. All I remember from being in my coma was my never ending, very strange dream that I had.

My dream was unlike any other dream I ever had while sleeping normally at night. The dream was probably based on my brain reacting to the seizures, fever and trauma. It was very eerie, not unlike being in Wonderland itself. I would of never known I had passed away nor that I had a had somewhere to go back to. I dreamed about people in my life, and some that weren't yet or at all. I wish I could of recorded the imagery it was very spacy kind of creepy yet very comforting. Then I woke up. I was totally freaked out until I realized I was awake.

My dream drove me to question what really happens when you die? If I would of passed away would I have dreamed until the very last brain cell gave out? And then what? For me, being so close to death was not an empty time where I couldn't remember and ever since then it's caused me to rethink my prior beliefs. But to what?

Then there's the way I have felt since being out of the coma and hospital. As soon as I came out of the coma and the doctors started telling me what happened it was hard to believe it was so serious because even with the tubes sticking out of every orifice and then some I felt surprisingly well. I even left the hospital faster then they wanted me to. I really shocked my doctors especially since they still can't find out what caused all this to happen!

I remember reading stories about coma patients who claimed that being in a coma 'reset' their brains and bodies in a new way that hadn't been expected. I felt this way too and after having people who knew me well tell me I was like a 'new person' I decided to look into this. Unfortunately for me I couldn't find much. Most of the articles were just about comas and were all very similar. People awaking from comas did not feel this way, often having to relearn even the most basic of functions. I had been extremely lucky!

People may emerge from a coma with a combination of physical, intellectual and psychological difficulties that need special attention. Recovery usually occurs gradually....patients acquire more and more ability to respond. Some patients never progress beyond very basic responses, but some can recover full awareness. Regaining consciousness is not instant: in the first days, patients are only awake for a few minutes, and duration of that time awake gradually increases. In reality, the coma patient awakes sometimes in a profound state of confusion, not knowing how they got there and sometimes suffering from the inability to articulate any speech, and with many other disabilities.

This is unlike the situation in my life where I awoke from my coma and was instantly able to continue my normal life. When I woke up I was up for good and didn't relapse back into unconsciousness. I was very blessed and haven't doubted that for a second since. I was anxious to walk, speak and do everything I could to go home from the hospital. The doctors where very surprised at my state after being on death's door. I was not confused in the beginning but I couldn't remember anything that happened to me and had to be told what transpired that week and why I was at the hospital.

This is a statistic that really freaked me out! The most common cause of death for a person in a vegetative state is secondary infection such as pneumonia which can occur in patients who lie still for extended periods. For me I got pneumonia right away from swallowing my vomit and an ultra high fever so I was very lucky I had the best staff working on me at Kaiser. They saved my life.

So what I did find out after researching this is that I'm a lucky person to have come out of it like I did. It was very hard on my body and I took a month to recover from all of it fully. Even the day after I came home I felt so much better than I had in years! I couldn't put my finger on it but when other's noticed it too it confirmed what I had thought had happened. I was somehow a new person! I even looked better and I couldn't believe it.! A lot of my old pain was gone and my wrist I pinched a nerve in before had healed! The numbness was gone and I could touch type again. It was like a miracle! I felt so well that I was being more active than ever before this happened to me! What a great feeling!

From what I could tell the odds had been stacked against me. The fact that I didn't go into a coma on my own and they induced one is like arguing apples and oranges. A coma is a coma and they are very dangerous. I had several medical problems that alone could of killed me, but no. I had my dream during these goings on that helped me out a great deal. I think it helped several things for me. I know that the coma reset my brain not unlike an electrical circuit can be reset and in this case it helped me. Everyone knows the brain runs on electrical impulses. I can guess that shock therapy probably works on the brain this way as well. I do feel the two day Coma helped send me to a time before some of my injuries, before I felt so bad, it went back to a happier mental pattern in my life and all I can say is I'm super lucky and it's very awesome! I am thankful to God that I'm not learning how to tie my shoes again or walk. I am truly blessed and will not squander this new chance I have been given!

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Internet Addiction Quiz

Do you feel tethered to your computer? Do you feel like you just can't pull away and unplug? Has your time on the Internet come to replace things or relationships you once loved? If you feel like your Internet use is affecting your health and overall well-being, take this quiz. Learn the warning signs of Internet addiction.

A Growing Epidemic

Studies on Internet addiction originated in the US by Dr. Kimberly Young, who presented the first research on Internet addiction in 1996 at the American Psychological Association’s annual conference held in Toronto in her paper Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Disorder. Since then, studies have documented Internet addiction in a growing number of countries such as Italy, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Reports also indicate that Internet addiction has become a serious public health concern in China, Korea, and Taiwan.

Treatment centers have emerged across the US and abroad. Dr. Kimberly Young has likened Internet addiction to addictive syndromes similar to impulse-control disorders not unlike drug addiction. She developed the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ) to diagnose the disorder. Meeting five of the following symptoms were considered necessary to be diagnosed.

Internet Addiction Quiz

1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet, think about a previous online activity or anticipate the next online session?

2. Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?

3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?

4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?

5. Do you stay online longer than originally intended?

6. Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?

7. Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?

8. Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (like feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?)

Other Symptoms Include

• Failed attempts to control behavior

• Heightened sense of euphoria while involved in computer and Internet activities

• Neglecting friends and family

• Neglecting sleep to stay online

• Being dishonest with others

• Feeling guilty, ashamed, anxious, or depressed as a result of online behavior

• Physical changes such as weight gain or loss, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome

• Withdrawing from other pleasurable activities

I know I'm in trouble when it comes to Internet Addiction! Especially the part about neglecting sleep to stay online. What about you?

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Famous Last Words

No matter how long we live, we must all die at some point in our lives. Since I had my brush with death I have often thought about what would be on my mind when my time comes and what (if anything) I'd have a chance to think or say about it.

As I was thinking about last words I decided to do the next best thing and do a search for some last words from famous people to see what they had to say about death and dying.

Famous Last Words

1." And now in keeping with Channel 40's policy of always bringing you the latest in blood and guts in living color; you're about to see another first--an attempted suicide." Chris Hubbock, who shot herself during a live broadcast.

2. "What we know is not much. What we don't know is enormous."---Pierre Simon de Laplace, French Astronomer.

3. "Give back everything to...."---Peter The Great, Tsar Of Russia.

4. "Why not, why not, why not.Why not?" and "Yeah."---Timothy Leary.

5. "Goodbye. I am leaving because I am bored."---George Saunders.

6. "Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?"---Socrates.

7. "Don't disarrange my circles!"---Archimedes.

8. "Why yes, a bulletproof vest."---James Rodges, murderer, on his final request before the firing squad.

9. "Go away...I'm alright."---H. G. Wells. (Probably would be MY last words because when I'm in trouble I always end up saying it. Lol!)

10. "I must go in...the fog is rising."---Emily Dickinson.

11. "Now comes the mystery."---Henry Ward Beecher.

12. "Friends applaud, the comedy is over."---Ludwig von Beethoven.

13. "Drink to me."---Pablo Picasso.

14. "And now, I am dying beyond my means."---Oscar Wilde, sipping champagne on his deathbed.

15. "Show my head to the people it is worth seeing."---Georges Danton, to his executioner.

16. "Don't worry! It's not loaded."---Terry Kath rock musician playing Russian roulette.

17. "Where did all these damn Indians come from?"---General Custer.

18. "Such is life."---Ned Kelly.

19. "We are born crying, live complaining and die disappointed."---The Optimist.

20. "Go on, get out. Last words are for fools who haven't said enough."---Karl Marx.

21. "I had a lovers quarrel with the world."---Robert Frost.

22. "I'm too young to die!"---A grandfather, age 94.

23. "My work here is done, why wait?"---Eastman's (founder of Kodak) last words before he killed himself.

24. "Dying is easy...comedy is hard."---Marcel Marceau.

25. "The rest is silence."---Shakespeare.

26. "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."---Richard Feynman.

27. "So are you a cannibal?"---Priyanka Bomb.

28. "More light!"---Goethe.

29. "What is the answer?...(Silence.)...In that case, what is the question?"---Gertrude Stein.

30. "God will pardon me, it's his trade."---Heinrich Heine.

31. "Waiting are they? Well, let 'em wait!"---General Mad Anthony Wayne, when told by doctors the angels were waiting for him.

32. "I know you are here to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man."---Che Guevara, facing his assassin.

33. "I wonder why he shot me?"---Huey P. Long, governor in Louisiana who was murdered.

34. "Nothing but death."---Jane Austin when asked by her sister if there was anything she wanted.

35. "Codeine...bourbon."---Tallulah Bankhead.

36. "I can't sleep."---James M. Barrie.

37. "Now I shall go to sleep. Goodnight."---Lord George Byron.

38. "Beautiful."---Elizabeth Browning when her husband asked her how she felt.

39. "I'm bored with it all."---Winston Churchill.

40. "I am not the least afraid to die."---Charles Darwin.

41. "I've never felt better."---Douglas Fairbanks Sr.

42. "I've had a hell of a lot of fun and I've enjoyed ever minute of it."---Errol Flynn.

43. "A dying man can do nothing easy."---Benjamin Franklin.

44. "I have a terrific headache."---Franklin Roosevelt, before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage.

45. "It is very beautiful over there."---Thomas Edison.

46. "All my possessions for a moment of time."---Queen Elizabeth One, of England.

47. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."---Jesus Christ.

Whether real or written in history isn't it amazing what is on someone's mind and comes out of people's mouths when they are at death's door! I never really thought about it before doing the research for this post. It turned out to be an eye-opener in a lot of ways and if anything it's important to remember that BEFORE we die you better have lived all you can. Get every last tasty bit of life before it's your turn.

Remember, none of us are born with an expiration date stamped on us!

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What A Dream I Had Last Night

I often stay up late at night or all night. If I go to bed at a decent time I'm usually an early riser. After all, I am an adult now and my cats don't seem to mind my strange hours as long as they get fed on time. Anyway, I had stayed up for a night and late the next night. When I finally went to bed I had a dream right out of Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams!

(Warning. This is a dream so it won't necessarily make sense.) 

I was driving my sports car (named Blue) with the top down and as usual it was shinning and we were both looking hot. I pulled into a parking lot that seemed very deserted for the time of day it was and I go into the store to get a few things. When I come out there was a pick up truck parked right next to my car, too close for comfort. I look at my car and it had a big dent in it from the pick up trucks door and I start to freak out! Then the guy comes out and gets in his truck. The first thing I notice is he's a fox! So I go up to his window and nicely ask him why he wasn't more careful about parking his truck. He smiles an awesome smile that makes me melt and tells me to; "Fuck off!" Taken aback, I tell him I still want his insurance information and added that he was an ass and to fuck off himself. As I started to get back into my car I see him start his humongous gas guzzling, 4 wheel drive, truck and pull out of the spot; still not giving me his insurance information. I scream; "You can't leave, it's your fault and I need your insurance info to fix my car!" He looks at me and gives me a big smile revving his eight-cylinder truck engine. All of a sudden he drives his truck into the front of my car. Awestruck, I figure I just have to fix my front bumper and the dent so I ask him to stop this madness and please let us exchange insurance info. He revs his engine and hits my car on the side. I am getting really mad but no one is around to help. I frantically try to dial 911 but my cell phone won't work. As I'm doing this he is still smiling that damn smile like he thinks he's Fabio or something and drives over my car as he continues destroying it. I stand in front of my car pleading with him to stop but I can tell he isn't going to and I get out of the way at the last minute. He almost hits me! This just makes him start laughing as if he's enjoying it. All of a sudden his truck is a convertible and I throw myself on him, hugging him and begging him to stop. Of course he throws me off and continues until my car is nothing but a blue pile of metal trash. So I beg him again to exchange insurance info so I can get my car fixed. He was covered but he just grins, then gives me the finger and takes off in his truck. I can see as he's leaving that only his front bumper is messed up. I try 911 again but my cell phone is useless. By then I am getting so upset I'm feeling crazy. Even though my cell never worked the police show up. I am now so upset that I'm screaming at the police about the guy and I can tell they just think I'm crazy and of course he is nowhere to be found. They don't believe me and as I turn around there’s my car with nothing wrong with it. I get handcuffed and taken to jail. By then I am totally angry at the police, spitting at them and flipping out. They end up putting me in one of those bad behavior chairs with a spit guard on my head. I am trying my best to make them believe me but they won't so I have a total meltdown. They don't believe there was another person and it just makes things worse! My court date comes up and the guy shows up with his girlfriend in tow and of course he and his girlfriend (who wasn't even there) say I'm crazy and did it all myself because I wanted to go out with him and he turned me down. I am so angry I get taken out in restraints while I watch the guy and his girlfriend smiling at each other and laughing. They start making out in the courtroom as the judge states I'm to be put into a mental hospital and treated until I come to terms with reality. I can't believe this is happening and all I have in my head is the mental image of my car flattened into a blue metal mess and that couple making out. I scream at the judge on the way out. When I get to the mental hospital I really get violent and bang my head on the wall. They give me a knock out shot. When I wake up I'm in the mental hospital in a straight jacket. The male nurse takes me in to see the psychiatrist and he asks me why I think I'm in there. When I tell him the truth he says I'm delusional and I'm put on a suicide watch and force-fed heavy duty med's. I fight against them and get put in a straight jacket and thrown into a padded room. I am so upset because no one will believe my side of the story and I've lost my wonderful car on top of it all! When they let me free I throw feces and spit on the doctors and nurses. I also abuse my time with the doctor and it doesn't make things any better for me. The guy and his girlfriend visit me at the hospital making like they're sorry that I have to be in there but they just have sex in front of me and laugh at how clever they are. After their visit, I try to escape and get caught. I am so sedated I have trouble following things. As a last resort, they schedule me for shock treatment. I feel the coldness of the conducting gel as they apply it. It feels nice. As they are strapping me in for the shock treatment I burst open with the frustration, the fear, and anger. But everything is so blurry. Then I woke up because I was talking in my sleep and heard myself calling out.

Lol! What a dream huh? Almost textbook in so many ways. Also, it's an extremely personal dream showing me many paths. Like I said earlier Freud would have had a hay day with this one, as I can see some of his ideas in my twisted dream.

When I told my roommate that morning he actually went outside and checked my car. Of course, it was still there with no damage! It still made me laugh that he did that but he has had dreams like that and it must have touched a nerve in his psyche.

I wouldn't want to lose my beloved Miata, I own it and enjoy driving it so much. All I can say is thank God it was a dream! Glad I woke up too! The weirdest thing of all is when I woke up, my temples had some kind of gel on them......

Have a good Sunday my friends and I hope you have some great plans for tomorrow!

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