Progress....

I have had 2 doctor's appointments since my last update, and both were very positive. I feel renewed with hope and a good attitude for now and am excited to move forward with my treatments.

I had 11 migraines this month, so they are not slowing. I have been struggling with the medication for my migraines. The new types of medications they gave me at my neurologist appointment seems to be working better than anything I've had so far.

Although the Treximet I had been on from the beginning helped the migraines, it was tearing up my stomach because of the Naproxen in it. The Maxalt they switched me to didn't bother my stomach, but didn't touch the migraines. Now I have been given Imatrex and Naprelan. The two medications together are basically the same as the Treximet I used to be on, but the Naprelan only releases 10% of Naproxen into the stomach.

I was also given a prescription for Sumavel DosePro, which is a needle free injection of Sumatriptan. It's basically like Imatrex, but works so fast! You can use it when a migraine comes on unexpectedly or when you wake up with one. It hurts a lot, but within 5 minutes my migraine started to go away. It's definitely something every migraine sufferer should have in their arsenal of medication.

When I see Dr. Leddy, from UB, I always feel better. He helps us understand my condition better every time we are there. He has increased my target heart rate on the treadmill for the first time! I'm so excited to see a little progress. I have been able to maintain my new target heart rate of 123-128 for 20 minutes the last 3 days!

I start on the treadmill now at a speed of 2.5 and incline 0.5. Over 3-4 minutes, I work my speed up a little at a time until I reach the 120's. I steady it out and raise and lower the speed to keep me within my target range of 123-128. I go for 20 minutes total (including the time it takes to get to my target rate). If my heart rate goes above the range and I can't bring it back down, or my symptoms get to be too much, I stop.

When my heart rate goes up, more blood is sent to my brain, but it doesn't stop when there's enough blood there. My brain gets flooded with too much blood and that's what makes me dizzy, nauseous, headache, etc. The theory is if we push the symptom threshold, slowly, that my blood flow and heart rate will begin to regulate themselves automatically again.

Please pray that I will stay healthy and be able to control my activity so that I can continue to make progress in my treatment.