I can't get motivated!

At 2:19 a.m., I turned in my most recent work assignment. While working on it this past weekend, I thought about all the errands I could run, all the little chores I could do--if only I didn't have an editing assignment looming overhead.

Well, now I'm free as a bird and have only done a couple of meaningful things today:
1) went for a long walk
2) took a shower

Oh, yeah--I almost forgot! I made lunch and dinner. Impressive.

So am I having a lazy day I'm entitled to, or am I a no-excuse sloth who could be doing Real Things but is instead writing a blog post using her iPod because the computer is too far (read: 5 feet) away?

Blah.

new record?

I'm 12 hours away from a record: my last migraine attack was in the first couple of hours of January 15! This means I'll have had two weeks of feeling awesome (minus two only partly-blah days during my period).

Am I jinxing myself by celebrating this record before it's achieved? If this had happened months ago, I would have said yes and probably would have had a migraine pretty soon. But this is happening now, and I'm more hopeful.

The end!

Grand Rounds posted!

Check this out--what amazing blog posts from all over the web. Ladybloggers are awesome. Please excuse me for using the nonexistent word "ladybloggers."

a quick stumble off the wagon

Today I grabbed a roast beef sandwich from a local bar/restaurant and went to another bar to hang out with Handicapped Twin, who just started bartending. I scarfed down the delicious sandwich and enjoyed every bite.

Hours later, as I was getting up to leave, I had an epiphany. "Oh my god!" HT: "What?" Jan: "I just realized I ate white flour and cheese for lunch--and I didn't even think twice about it. It didn't even occur to me that I was not following my diet!"

Oops.

Perhaps it's coincidence, but this afternoon my tummy has been jumpy for the first time in many days.

therapeutic yoga!

I'm going to my first therapeutic yoga class in a few minutes. The teacher called me a couple weeks ago to discuss my needs, my health, etc.--so all the activities I do will be centered around what I need most.

Despite the teacher's friendliness and my excitement, I feel a little nervous...

something else I've noticed about the cold fingers & toes...

Today I returned from my walk. Though the sun had already set before I began my 50-minute stroll, the air temperature was pretty warm. Frat boys walked in shorts in long-sleeved shorts; some folks walking dogs had on jeans and T-shirts (but looked cold). I had on two pairs of exercise pants (cozy), a long-sleeved T-shirt, and two sweatshirt hoodies. Plus my cotton stretch gloves!

When I got back to my neighborhood, I slowly peeled off the gloves. (I was moving in slow motion, trying to make the walk last as long as the PRI Selected Shorts program lasted.) I noticed two things:

1. The air felt warm to my pointer fingers!
2. My pointer fingers on each hand were markedly, dramatically colder than were my other digits. I put my pointer fingers on my cheeks and felt the cold; I put my ring and pinkie fingers on each cheek and felt warm, warm, warm.

#2 has happened once in awhile, but only since mentioning the possibility of my having Raynaud's phenomenon did I really think too much about the discrepancy in temperature among fingers.

Now I know lots of you migraineurs wrote back about having cold fingers and toes--anyone else feel some digits go cold while others stay warm?

P.S. Check out the information Ellen posted about Raynaud's on her wegohealth blog!

P.P.S. If I remember, I'm trying to include photos in each post. Often they're related; sometimes they're not. I noticed that on my wegohealth.com page there's always an image added to each post even if I haven't included one--and I don't usually like the photos they attach to my blog. SO I'm including my own pictures to beat the system! The end.

blurry vision day + screen smarts

From the moment I woke up today, my head felt funny. Stuffy and tight, dizzying and borderline-achy. For some moments, it felt as if my sinuses were slowly and painfully trying to press at my skin and burst out. (Gross, I know--but the truth hurts, kids.)

I've mentioned before how going into brightly lit megastores or driving down a rainy road can make my vision go a bit wonky. Today I was having a less-than-stellar vision day--thank goodness for glasses! Things looked hazy, and squinting to look at faraway objects merely irritated my head, face, and sinuses even more. Street signs were blurry and I had to be much closer to them than usual in order to read their words. (Again I express gratitude for my glasses, especially the rose-tinted ones that are especially pleasant on overcast days.)

After I write this blog entry, I'm going to close the computer and not open it again! You hear me, young lady? (Yes ma'am.) I've been spending way too much time online lately, and it's not been for any real reason. Checking my Facebook page every hour is quite unnecessary, as is feverishly looking at my four (4!) Gmail accounts and my bank account information. I feel almost compulsive in my internet behavior this week, telling myself I'll shut the laptop after I check all the accounts and my Facebook account one last time before finishing up with computer time.

Because the computer oozes an eerie glow that's not so pleasant to the eyes, I should be further motivated to shut the darned thing off more often than I do. On a day like today, when I'm feeling a bit under the weather (aforementioned vision blurriness and head stuffiness combined with some back pain), it's easier yet more harmful to keep the laptop in my lap instead of getting up and being a little more active. Bleh.

Today I also had some fast food, which I've not done much in 2009. For weeks I've been eating well--lots of veggies and good-for-you fresh foods. To suddenly indulge in salty French fries and chicken is, in three words, numbing, gross, and heavy.

So Lazy Monster bids you adieu. Time to shut the computer and drink a tall glass of water. Time to listen to music and tidy the house. Time to finish that letter I started last night. Time to stop staring at screens. Time to stay at home and relax despite the fact that some friends have shows (music shows, that is) tonight. Time to not make myself feel guilty for missing friends' shows. Time to say goodnight.

Goodnight

while we're on the subject...

I found this video on YouTube.com. The narrator, Michael Shermer, seems to approach the subject with a healthy skepticism--I like how he doesn't dismiss acupuncturists (and patients) as fools. He seems to take the most issue with practioners' claims that acupuncture can help alleviate certain conditions, conditions that have not been shown to improve at all due to acupuncture.

What he does allow is that there seems to be some relief for chronic pain patients--and this is why it seems appropriate to post the video here.

acupuncture post part II

Here's an article my dad asked me to read last month. (We often get in debates about so-called "alternative" medicine, acupuncture, etc.) It's from Skeptic Magazine.

Then take a look at this entry on HealthCentral.com.

These are but two examples of the acupuncture debate. With all these educated and well-intentioned folks on both sides of the issue (or somewhere in the middle, like me), it's hard to know what to believe. If acupuncture works for you, that's wonderful. I'm pleased to hear it. If it doesn't, I'd like to hear from you, too.

As for me, it's not an affordable option right now, especially since I've been finding success with other lifestyle changes.

Read on and let me know what you think!

cold fingers and toes!

Until I read the much-talked-about The Migraine Brain, I hadn't realized that lots of migraineurs report frequently having cold hands and feet. I've often joked that from October to May my extremities are ice-cold, figuring it had something to do with my height, my circulation, my lack of exercise, and/or my tendency to feel faint rather easily. That being said, I never really thought of it as something "real"; I figured instead it was just one of those bothersome things about being skinny and lanky. Whatev.

But now I wonder if there might be something I can do to warm up! Even with socks on, my toes are frigid; when I go to hug the kids I babysit for, they shriek in delight as they run away from me, thinking I was trying to trick them by putting icy fingers on their skin. I've read a bit about Raynaud's Phenomenon, but I'm not sure if that is what plagues migraineurs or if there's something else going on all together.

In the meantime, I'll wear my hat and gloves outside even when others look at me like I'm a bit crazy. (I get cold even when it's in the 60s!)

Anyone else have cold hands and feet more often than so-called "regular" folks?