Migraine Pain Cap

 After having to get back on BC powder, needless to say I'm disappointed.  My sister friend Jameian and I   were talking about how bad our migraines were. For months I'd been looking at a product called the IceKap http://www.icekap.ca, and so when I thought about it, I sent her the link. I didn't think about it again for another week when I was outside my hotel room earlier today talking to a neighbor Jacqueline about massisve migraines. Its more common than not.

My conversation with Jacqueline brought up the fact that doctors will prescribe you sometimes multiple pills and/or several dosages just to keep the pain managed. She just went to a Colorado hospital for a few days of illness and they prescribed oxycotton for an upset stomach, severe abdominal pain, and no appetite! What are they doing to us? Smh

The concept of the ice kap is promising for patients like me and others like me who want no more pharmaceutical treatments and more of a natural organic alternative.It's made so you can Ice it For Migraines, Headaches, Hangovers, Chemotherapy, Cold and Flu symptoms, and  Concussions ( the Medical grade gel packs hold temperature up to 45 minutes). It is also made so you can Heat it for Muscle Aches, Fibromyalgia, Stress Relief, Chemotherapy, Cold and Flu symptoms (Medical grade gel packs hold temperature up to 45 minutes). The Ice Kap uses essential oil liniment, which is great. On my own, I've been dabbling around with essential oils. Peppermint seems to help with headache. I'd probably use that, as well, if its not included.

"How your Icekap works…

Icekap uses a combination of cryotherapy, aromatherapy and pressure therapy to treat symptoms. Cryotherapy is the general use of cold temperatures in medical therapy or the removal of heat from a body part. During a migraine the blood vessels in the head dilate causing pain. These vessels become swollen with blood and thus put pressure on the nerves surrounding the vessels. Both heat and cooling therapies use temperature manipulation to reduce migraine/ headache pain.

The use of cold therapy (Cryotherapy) is believed to cause the swollen blood vessels to constrict, thus reducing the pressure of the migraine/ headache pain. The use of heat therapy increases blood flow, increasing the amount of fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to the head."

So what's the cost for non pill pain relief?
Icekap kit including 01 - Icekap - Small
Icekap $59.99, 02 - Essential Oil
Essential Oil $12.99, and 03 - Extra Gel Packs
$19.99 Total $92.97 Shipping $9.00 $101.97 Sales Tax    Grand Total $101.97

I totally think it's worth it. I'm putting it on my wish list.

MS Headaches are the worst Migraines Ever

I had had it up to here (imagine me as i stand on tip-toes in a chair on top of a building with my hands outreaching high into the sky) day eight of an annoying head pain. I remember taking three or more headache powders a day in the past. It was not easy. Knowing that I was potentially damaging my stomach and so much more didn't easy my worry.

I was able to get off the headache powder once when I went to an all raw diet. The headaches had gone away and I was so very happy! Once I went off the diet, though, the headaches returned and I was once again using headache powder to dull the pain.

July 3, 2015 was the last time I had headache powder. That was in Atlanta. The very next day I landed in Denver and began the treatment of tincture and Phoenix Tears (both cannibus products). So far they have been helping with symptoms but now the headache is back. And along with that is the stress of money being low and the sad reality that I may have to come off the cannibus treatment if I can't afford it. I got word about the cost of it recently and without funding, I have to go without.

According to the National MS Society's website, " Although headache is not a common symptom of MS, some reports suggest that people with MS have an increased incidence of certain types of headache.

One report noted that migraine headaches were more than twice as common in a group of MS patients than in a matched group of people without MS. Other investigators found a prior diagnosis of migraine in one-third of the MS group being studied. A third study found that 20 percent of a sample group of people with MS had a family history of migraine, compared to 10 percent of controls, suggesting that there may be a common predisposing factor to both MS and migraine. Vascular or migraine type headaches have even been reported as the first symptom of MS."

The good thing is there is always a bright side. My headache has been so aggravating that honestly I may feel relief going back on meds if I have to. I hate thinking that way but I need to be able to go back one day and see my journey. My stress level has been to the roof: trying to get my son into college, making sure my daughter is adjusting, keeping an ear out for my oldest and my soon to arrive grandson, and wondering when we will be reunited with my husband's other two children. Coming out here feels like the right thing, but being out here with no transportation in a rural area is far from a practical situation for gaining funds. We will have to figure something out.

TRAPPED

It's funny, I've always been such free spirit. Being human and having Multiple Sclerosis, however, has grounded me. I'm humble. I've fought for this. I fight for this. LIFE. ALIVE. AWARE.  AWAKE. INVOLVED.

Sometimes I think of how lucky I am. My middle son just graduated from high school and though he's a bit upset with me, he know's how much I love him and I know that I'm doing the right thing. My oldest son is 23 today, and though he has to spend this day in a time where the struggle is real, he knows we do our best with what we have and that we will be here for him in the end.  My daughter is still sleeping, and I want her to get some rest because the day may be long and worn.  My other daughter is having breakfast, and getting in gear for the day.  My girlfriend is here beside me working diligently on her phone.  My husband is off to the market to help us get restocked on food.  This is calming me...the fact that I know where everyone is and I know that everyone is safe.  When I don't know their status, I feel ill.  Isn't that crazy, that my body would attack me for not knowing that my family is alright?

Even with all my loved ones near my side, I cannot get rid of this headache.  My prescription headache medicine costs too much.  My insurance company won't cover the full cost of my medication,  Fioricet. which costs $145.79 with my insurance. We've taken cut-backs and done what we can, but affordable health care is still an issue.  I'm still trying to come up with utility bill money because where we live there's a leak that the landlord has not fixed yet.  With so much going on it's a wonder I'm not in more of a relapse, but I'm thankful and I appreciate GOD's grace.  This is hard.  And it hurts.  I'm not talking about a regular headache/head pain, either.  These are pains that go through my head like an electric lightening rod.  Surges of pain (like brain zaps) go through my head and I can't afford treatment to stop it.  Vascular or migraine type headaches have even been reported as the first symptom of MS.

When you have multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, the signals between your brain and spinal cord go awry, which can result in pain, fatigue, and reduced mobility as the disease progresses. Some people with MS have only a few symptoms of the disorder, while others have many. You also may find that your MS symptoms come and go while others find them long-lasting. "What's surprising about MS symptoms is that they can affect so many different functions that people rely on every day in their lives," says Rosalind Kalb, PhD, a clinical psychologist and vice president of the Professional Resource Center at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in New York. "Some are physical, some emotional, and some intellectual. We tend to focus on the ones we can all see, but many people may be living with a variety of symptoms that just aren't apparent." Here are some less obvious signs of MS.

People don't realize how hard having Multiple Sclerosis is. Alongside it, I have chronic pain that keeps my pain level at at least an 8 at any given time.  And fatigue.  And emotional ups and downs.  My entire body hurts, so i'm on all kinds of pills for pain but none of the pain pills stop my head pain.  For three years straight, I had headaches and took BC powder three times a day or more to ease the pain.  I went on a 45 day organic raw diet and poof: headaches were gone.   Money got tight and I had to eat a lot of non-organic foods, and now the headaches are back.  I'm on six different medications and not one will ease my head pain. I don't have money to buy BC Powder.  This is not a good day for me.  This is not how I wanted to spend my son's birthday, but this is where I am.

I feel trapped inside of my mind.  I used to be able to afford having Multiple Sclerosis, but now it's hard to earn any money while being disabled. I'm praying someone will help me pay for the headache medicine.  I'm trusting that my doctor is recommending the best treatment for me.  I just need a little help getting it.