I'm alive

Wow, it's been a long time!

I wish I could say my health issues are better, but they're actually worse. I've been having some GI issues as of late and my neurologist put me on a medicine that makes me unable to take Excedrin, which has been my crutch for a while.

I wanted to tell the 1 follower this blog has (thank you!) and everyone else who might see it that I'm a member of Chronicbabe forum (a great resource and support site for people who have chronic illness.

Reglan to get black box warning

The boxed warning will highlight the risk of tardive dyskinesia, or involuntary and repetitive movements of the body, with long-term or high-dose use of metoclopramide, even after the drugs are no longer taken.

more info here.

new surgical technique to fight migraines

Article here from sciencedaily about a new surgical technique, which I've heard of, using Botox to pinpoint a muscle or a trigger point and then removing that muscle. I believe this is called occipital neuralgia surgery but I could be wrong.

I know a lot of neurologists are using Botox, mine included, and I've had it twice. It didn't work on its own. I might look into this procedure, though it's scary.

You're too young to be that sick

I want to recommend this post over at the Invisible Illness blog: You're Too Young to Be That Sick!

Serotonin: All You Need To Know

9 questions and answers about Serotonin.

FDA urges to remove pain drug

I'm not on this, but it says it's used in a lot of products: FDA asks for Darvocet to be removed from the market.

New warning about cardiac risk with antispychotic drugs

From WebMD, there is a warning out about a cardiac risk with newer antipsychotic drugs, including one I'm on, Seroquel.

The article says that there was a known risk with the older antipsychotic drugs but the same warning should be applied to the newer drugs too.

Article here.

to neuro again

off to the neurologist yet again tomorrow. Will probably have my meds switched around again and that's it.

sigh.

probably gonna watch The Dark Knight on the way when I'm not napping.

cool health tech: Rechargeable Heated Insoles Keep Your Toes Warm

I know for me, personally, my toes are always cold. I often joke that I could be walking barefoot in the Sahara and my toes would still be useable as an alternative for blue ice.

I know that with a lot of chronic health issues, circulation isn't the best and I'm not the only one with cold toes.

It's a bit expensive, but I think this is brilliant.


From CoolestGadgets:

If these are comfortable, they are by far the greatest invention ever created. No one likes their toes to be frozen and once they get that way, it’s hard for them to thaw. Then you’re stuck with cold feet most of the day. That is unless you manage to sneak a space heater into your workplace. That won’t really help you while you’re outside either though. If you are spending the day in the snow with your kids, you could enjoy warm toes, even if the rest of you is frozen.

The insoles have embedded rechargeable batteries and keep the insoles at 98.6 degrees (Fahrenheit). It will run for up to eight hours with a full charge. Which is plenty of time for you to freeze in the snow. The lithium-ion cells are said to be undetectable and could be recharged plenty (up to 500 times). To charge these up you’ll need an AC adapter. The insoles come in both men and women’s sizes and they are sadly just a bit pricey. For a pair of these it will cost you $99.95 from Hammacher and Schlemmer.

Getting Sleep, Even With a Headache

The Headache and Migraine Blog has little known ways to help you get some sleep.

Peppermint

I've heard quite often that peppermint has helped some with their headaches, and according to a new study talked about here on Discovery News, it is supposed to help IBS also. I bought some essential oil earlier and it helped a tiny bit. How about you? Have you had any experiences with products containing peppermint that worked better than others?