Greta
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Posts posted by Greta
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I have to run an errand, but I don't want you all to think I'm ignoring you. I appreciate all the replies, and will post again as soon as I can!
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I don't know if it would help your type of migraines at all or not but Lamictal has really helped one of my girls with her migraines. It is another seizure med but far less side effects than Topomax fir most people.
Thank you, I will ask my neurologist about it.
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As I've mentioned (whined about) before, I developed chronic migraines a few years ago. Chronic means 15 or more migraine days per month, but in my case it's almost daily. In the past ten days, I've had one day without a migraine.
Over these three years I have tried a lot of things. Mainstream medical things:
Beta-blocker
Calcium-channel-blocker
Tricyclic antidepressant (amitriptyline)
Anti-convulsant (topomax)
Botox injections
And supplements:
Feverfew
Butterbur
Magnesium
Most of these did not help one iota. The tricyclic antidepressant helped for a few months, but then stopped working. My neurologist increased the dose, but that only increased the side effects, not the desired effect, so I ended up with a heart arrhythmia and had to go off of it.
The combination of three or more hours of aerobic exercise per week AND a low-tyramine diet AND taking ginger and turmeric reduces the severity of the migraines significantly. So they are mostly livable, and I'm usually able to function. But they still are not fun!
I'm not sure what to try next. I'm not a believer in alternative medicine, but I'm desperate enough to consider it. My only ideas at this point are:
Try a more modern antidepressant such as citalopram, which as far as I know doesn't have any evidence indicating that it will help migraines. But if it affects the brain in a similar way as amitriptyline, maybe, just maybe it could help (without the arrhythmia)?
Ketamine injections?
Medical marijuana? (it is legal in my state, but I'm really not sure I want to go there. I've never taken it, so I just have no idea how it will affect me. I have a genetic tendency toward addiction, so I'm more than a little hesitant.)
If you know anything about these options, or can suggest other options, I'd be most grateful for any advice.
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I've had these thoughts before. I pretty much never buy lottery tickets, but when they had the nearly billion dollar jackpot I bought 1 ticket. I literally had nightmares about winning. Not a happy dream about winning...a nightmare. It stressed me out! LOL
So I have to ask, what is it about it that seems so terrible? For my husband it was that if we were that rich, then someone might kidnap our daughter for ransom, and it would ruin our friendships because people would always want money from us, and things like that. Those things never even occurred to me! My thinking is more that if we were that rich we could hire a bodyguard for our daughter, and we could afford to help out friends in need, which is a good thing, right? :lol: I don't know, maybe I'm just naive.
Well, to be fair, many lottery winners lives do get all kinds of jacked up and in the end they end up broke again anyway, so your DH has got a point...
DH and I had the same discussion when the lottery was over a billion dollars... And I’m generally the annoying silver-lining finding optimist in almost everything!
Yes, I've read that lottery winners end up no happier, and that some of them end up broke. So I definitely get that. But still, I can think of so many fun things I would do with a lot of money, and not all of them are selfish, by the way. There are some people I would love to help, some charities I would love to be able to give more generously to. But he doesn't see any of those positives, just the burdens. That's an Eeyore. But I married him, so I must love Eeyores! :D
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Once, my husband started explaining how terrible it would be to win the lottery, how it would utterly ruin one's life.
(I get that winning the lottery is not the key to happiness, but I still think it takes a true Eeyore to think that being handed a massive amount of money would be awful. And it was especially strange coming from a guy who worries about money constantly!)
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I don't quite get this. The TED talk came earlier than the later studies and it was based upon earlier studies. It made a point of saying moderate is enough and never once said relax and eat your bon bons. He made a point against that view.
Since then more folks have tuned in and done what science does - more studies - trying to see what is true or not based upon previous correlations and trying to pinpoint solid statistical advice for those interested in it. There will always be anecdotes that don't fit stats. That's the way stats work. But for the majority looking to plan their lives, stats give a good guideline about things.
Yes, he updated his recommendations as new information became available, so I respect that.
Plus, the advice to not exercise vigorously for 20 hours or more per week is still relevant to some people. True, they are a minority, but since I personally know a few people who could benefit from that information, it doesn't seem crazy to me to make that information available. Professional athletes too. My guess is that many of them will not choose to back off, and that's their choice to make. But they have the right to an informed choice.
Even though I'm in no danger whatsoever of exceeding the recommended limit, I still find it interesting! I find the topics of diet and exercise and how they relate to health and longevity to be fascinating. I was chatting with my husband about this over breakfast, and he doesn't think there was a time when he was ever exercising vigorously for 20 hours or more per week, even when he was younger and was exercising harder than he does now. But he mentioned several friends by name who do exercise vigorously for more than 20 hours per week. He said he thinks that 10 hours of exercise per week is his ideal. I'm doing great if I can get in 6 (I'm not counting walking in this, but activity that puts me in my target heart rate zone, plus weight-lifting). So I still have lots of room for improvement!
ETA: But since my husband did develop atrial fibrillation, which his cardiologist told him point blank was because he exercises so much, I'm not convinced it takes 20 hrs/wk to start to see damage. Maybe it takes 20 hours to start to impact longevity in a statistically significant way, but . . . I don't know. Maybe the true limit just varies considerably from person to person.
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:grouphug: I’m sorry, Alison.
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My husband has a low heart rate and it doesn't matter if he has recently been doing any exercise or not. I am super happy about this study. I cannot do vigorous exercises due to my bone conditions and RA. I am forbidden from running, for example, because one of my legs has broken so many times that I risk never having it heal if it breaks again in the same area. So I walk, garden, bike, kayak, dance, do housework, and most days, even if I do not take a walk, I get 10K steps including multiple times going up and down stairs do to the things I do at my house.
Oh my goodness! :grouphug:
See, even though I formally exercise almost every day, I rarely get 10K steps in a day because I'm not very active when I'm not exercising. I really need to try to change that. You sound very active!
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I think maybe most people need to hear both together.
A lot of people don't really get active I suspect because it seems too big an undertaking. Or they imagine that they need to get involved n something really organized.
And some people who were involved in sports get to an age where they have to give it up for a job, or health reasons, and they can't picture a healthy moderately active lifestyle.
Seeing less extreme activity as not enough makes it hard for some people to slow down.
Not knowing what that looks like doesn't serve either the over or under active.
Yes, I agree.
I find myself wishing that our culture was more geared towards activity as part of socializing. I mean, when people get together, it's usually to share a meal or to go to a movie or a performance. It would be fun to get together for a game of volleyball, or a hike, or a bike ride. I don't know, maybe in other places and subcultures people do that! But in mine, you really have to specifically seek out groups devoted to one of those things, and they are so serious about that activity that it's extremely intimidating (if not impossible) for a beginner to join in. So it would be nice to just do those things more casually with a group of people that I already know. I guess that means I need to be the one to initiate it!
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Several people have mentioned running addiction, and I just wanted to add that in my personal observations, that is a very real thing. When my husband was running, black and purple toes, and toenails falling off was routine. And didn't concern him! I thought that was weird, but some of his friends have taken it to even further extremes. One friend would get these killer headaches and go blind in one eye on his longest runs. He didn't stop. Another friend, poor thing, wouldn't even take a break from running when she had the flu, and she got so dehydrated that she died. When you can't stop running even when your body is giving you such clear signals that it needs rest, yes, that is absolutely an addiction.
So for the sake of the people in those kinds of situations, I am glad that this information exists, and I hope it might help them to find a healthy balance.
For most of us, of course, (certainly for myself) it is the message about the dangers of too little activity that need to be heard.
ETA: By "most of us" I did not mean the people in this thread! I just meant in general, the culture at large.
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Thanks so much for posting this. It makes total sense that there is going to be a point of diminishing returns, but I did not know where that point lies. It’s nice to have some guidelines.
My husband has always been an avid runner (used to run many marathons) and he has atrial fibrillation. His cardiologist said it’s common in distance runners. He has backed off and now only runs about 25 miles a week. From this information, though, sounds like he should cut back even further.
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Ah, wish I'd seen this thread a couple of days earlier (not that it was posted two days ago, but if it had been...). I was killing time in a motel (aka with WIFI) then and could have watched a video. Now we're camping and on our limited data, so videos are out. But by posting on here it makes it somewhat easier for me to find again in the future, so at some point, I should remember to watch it. I'm really curious!
There is a "view transcript" option below the video, if you'd like to go ahead and read it now. Hope you're enjoying your camping!
In general, I enjoy anything Blue Zones related and we've changed a bit of our lifestyle to match. It might not do one iota for living longer, but we like the foods and the lifestyle so anything else is a bonus. ;)I don't know that any of it will lead to a longer life, but it sure led to a fun one with tons of reminiscing now.
It seems to me that the things which increase quantity of life, also increase quality of life.
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Sugar makes me gain weight and frequently triggers or worsens a migraine. So yes, I stay WELL below that limit.
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I'm kind of the opposite. Where I live, summer is painfully hot and lasts forever. The only way to survive it is in knit mini skirts and tees/tanks, and I get so bored wearing that every single day, month after month after month after month. I can't wait for cooler weather when I can wear the kind of clothes that I prefer: long pants and long sleeves. Thanks to global warming we don't even have a real winter anymore, just a brief season of relief where it's in the 40's/50's instead of the 90's/100's. It's only February, and I'm already dreading summer!
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Thank you for giving us all a glimpse at what a beautiful, amazing person your sweet daughter was. You did not fail her. She was loved and cared for and treasured, and she knew that. You gave her a good life, and it was not your fault that it was cut short. If she could, I know she would tell you the same thing. :grouphug:
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The study of Blue Zones, people groups with higher than average numbers of centenarians, includes 7th Day Adventists, Okinawans, and several other people groups around the world. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Zones-Second-Lessons-Longest/dp/1426209487/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517510022&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+zones+by+dan+buettner
I'm in the process of listening to that audiobook right now. Fascinating stuff!
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I don't even remember now which thread we were discussing the life expectancy of people in Okinawa compared to the Seventh Day Adventists, so I thought I would just start a new one. I was encouraged to discover that I didn't just dream it up or imagine it after all, because I'm not entirely confident in my memory and my mental health! :lol:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-okinawa-diet-living-to-100/
Just below the video, you'll see "Sources Cited" where you can find the studies he refers to in the video.
Anyway, just thought I would share it with you, since I was surprised to have re-discovered it! :001_smile:
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That’s a little bit of good news! Any talk of just how he managed to get that deal?
No, just confusion and bafflement on that point.
Several people have said that this is not the first time that sexual assault has happened at Falls Creek, but I don’t know any details.
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You know. . . this makes the most sense of all to me. I don't drink milk, but I do eat cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt.
I have to admit -- I'll really miss my Choboni Greek yogurt. (I think they make vegan yogurt though, don't they?)
I worry about cutting out eggs -- because it's almost my only regular protein.
When you say "high fat, low carb" diet . . . what did you actually eat?
And thank you!
Alley
Our protein needs aren't as high as I always thought they were, so you will probably be fine. If that's a topic you're interested in, check out this book or these videos.
What I ate on my HFLC diet was: tons of meat, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, creme fraiche, nuts and nut butters, only non-starchy veggies (greens, avocado, olives, etc.) and a small amount of berries.
What I did NOT eat was grains, beans, starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, etc. and any other fruit besides berries.
I don't recommend it. :)
You're quite welcome!
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Regarding the case in Oklahoma that was mentioned.... I have a lot of friends and family from OK in my FB feed, one of whom is a local tv news reporter, so I've been reading a LOT of outrage about that story today. And according to my reporter friend, the ADA who arranged that deal has stepped down. I think the judge should be investigated/censured too, but hey, at least that's something!
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I think if you practice this activity specifically a little more (as there is a degree of skill involved to do the action quickly), psych yourself up more with some high-energy music you enjoy, have someone else time you, and perhaps try the test again with someone else doing it at the same time so it's fun and competitive, you could do it faster. Most people aren't used to doing an unfamiliar action at their maximum intensity. There is a definite learning curve involved that is unrelated to your fitness level.
I'm so used to doing really deep squats that I slammed my bottom down on the chair really hard the first time, and kind of stumbled a bit. :lol: So yeah, I think I could do better on a second test! I'm going with that, anyway. :D I'll try it out tomorrow.
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Any advice very appreciated.
Since you said "any" I'm going to give you some advice that's different from what you were asking about. Obviously you should feel free to ignore this if that's not what you meant! When I entered perimenopause I started gaining weight, and I was eating a very low-carb ketogenic diet at the time. I lost the weight again within weeks of going vegan (very high-carb!). And even before I went vegan, I had learned that dairy influences my weight more than what you would expect from simply a calories perspective. (I had gone dairy-free while eating a low-fat semi-vegetarian diet, and I had gone dairy-free while eating a high-fat, low-carb diet, and both times I lost weight.) So, since you are already vegetarian, I would recommend that you consider giving up dairy rather than giving up carbs. I no longer believe that carbs are the enemy, and I say that as someone who ate low-carb for 12 years. But whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck!
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They only decided that AFTER being told he wouldn't get jail time even if they did go to trial.
Thank you for pointing that out. Somehow I had missed that.
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Oh, it gets worse. There is a civil suit and the defendants, all church organizations, are engaging in victim blaming. Typical, but disgusting.
They've made it this far. They're going forward with a civil suit, but they don't want to drive? I think there's more to it than that:
Oh dear lord. I hate my home state so much right now it hurts.
Migraine treatment options - what else can I try?
in The Chat Board
Posted
Wow, thank you guys so much for all of the replies! I will check into everything mentioned. I forgot to mention that tried B2 and it didn’t help. But I may not have given it long enough, so I’m willing to try again.
I’ve also had some negative experiences with chiropractic which make me hesitant to try that, though I don’t wish to sound ungrateful for the suggestions.
My migraines first presented during puberty, stopped temporarily during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and became chronic with peri menopause. They include photo-sensitivity and really bad phono-sensitivity along with dizziness and brain fog. And they do respond well to triptans, but of course you’re not supposed to take those more than twice a week (some even say twice a month). Alcohol, MSG, sulfites, high-tyramine foods, and loud sounds are definite triggers. Since all of this is typical of migraines, do you still think cervicogenic headaches are a possibility?