It has now been almost TWO MONTHS since Novartis recalled EXCEDRIN and other over-the-counter medications, because of possible chipped or broken tablets and stray pills of other drugs, possibly mixed in with them.

Okay.  I admire that pre-emptive move to save the public.  But, it has now been over two weeks.  I can't take it anymore.  People who get migraines really, REALLY need their EXCEDRIN  It is the only over-the-counter medication that can even touch a migraine.  When people tell me they had a headache, took a Tylenol, and now they're fine, I can only respond, "You did NOT have a headache."  Okay, a headache, maybe, but not a MIGRAINE - huge difference.  Migraine is not "just a headache."  It is a cluster of symptoms that can manifest in many different ways, including, but not limited to:  Excruciating, throbbing pain in the temple or under the eye, severe sensitivity to light and sound, nausea...  The list goes on to include such obscure symptoms as temporary partial paralysis. 

Yes, most of us migraineurs do have prescription drugs we can take in severe cases.  But, the important thing is to stop the pain in its tracks, before it gains momentum and escalates to the point where we have to take our (very expensive) prescription medications. 

As I have posted on my website : 

Somehow I managed to survive a year and a half of this crippling pattern of pain. Ice packs and Excedrin became my constant companions. I had discovered long before the experts signed off on it, that Excedrin is about as effective as anything, short of a narcotic coma, for the pain of migraine.
There were at least a couple of trips to the hospital emergency room.
The worst thing about going to the E.R. is the car trip nearly kills you.

Initially, I thought this little recall thing would just last a few days.  But, I have searched everywhere - Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, some local grocery stores - there is NO Excedrin on the shelves. 

I have even googled in the hope of getting some idea when it will be back.  Honestly, nothing – NOTHING “over the counter” can TOUCH an oncoming migraine – and any headache can quickly escalate to a migraine if it’s not stopped in its tracks by the EXCEDRIN SUPER HERO – I swear – those pills need to wear little capes.

I might have to drive to Mexico!  Now I’m starting to wonder what's the “street value” of a couple of pills of Extra Strength Excedrin...

By now, if you are Catholic, you are well aware of the “new Mass” - an updated version of the Roman Missal, the text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass.

 

 

The new translation was rolled out late last month to thousands of unsuspecting Catholics, after months of preparation.  I use the word “unsuspecting,” mainly to defuse what I must admit was my own state of denial.  I mean, I knew it was coming.  The Church had been threatening – er, uh, keeping us apprised of this imminent update for quite some time.  Characteristically, I just maintained my “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it” mentality.  Well, beginning with vigil mass on November 26, we reached that bridge.  And quite frankly – I don’t like it.  The Church has made it clear the translation is closer to the original Latin text. Okay.  I can accept that.  I understand that.  But, I’ve been reciting the same thing for 40 years.  I like not having to look at anything while I robotically recite. 

 

 

After all, I grew up and was educated in the Era of Rote Recitation.  There was the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, the Gettysburg Address, Preamble to the Constitution, Canterbury Tales Prologue, and even the multiplication tables were religiously recited until mastered.  I have a certain comfort level there – in that state of oral group recitation of rhetoric and overall instinctive elocution.  

 

 

Until this blog, I was keeping my disappointment about the new Mass to myself, mainly because I did not want to come across as a fuddy duddy.  Legend has it my great uncle (who was probably in his 70s at the time) just walked out of church the first time he was subjected to a folk Mass.  It seems he didn’t think it was right for a bunch of hippies to be playing guitar in church.  I don’t think I’m that upset about the new Mass.  But, I can relate a little better now to my late “Uncle Jim.” 

 

 

Of course, I will get used to it – I have to.  Because, it’s not like the “New Coke.”  Once the Vatican makes a decision, they don’t typically do a “test market” first.  I’m pretty sure there won’t be any recall and subsequent return to the “old way,” just because a focus group gave it a low score.  It is highly unlikely the Vatican will dismiss this change just because their "target demographic" is disappointed.   The Church, albeit loving and good, dictates much like my parents' generation did - with that "Take it or leave it" - "I'll give you something to cry about" mentality.

 

 

On the upside, the New Mass has gone high-tech.  Seriously, there’s an app for that:   http://www.thefaithexplained.com/the-new-mass/iphone/

FYI – it’s not a free app.

 

 

The blog is ended.  Go in peace.

(Do we still say that part?)

Dying or (worse yet), killing someone else due to driving "under the influence" is the worst possible result of alcohol addiction.
 
Unfortunately, the heartbreak of alcoholism has devastating consequences that extend to every part of the addict's life and those who love him/her.
 
Besides the liver disease, high blood pressure, and greatly increased risk of cancer and heart disease, ALCOHOLISM means:

 * Lost jobs
 * Troubled finances
 * Failed relationships
 * Missed opportunities
 * Broken commitments
 * Ruined reputations
 
Maybe worst of all - The lies and broken promises: "I promise I will stop drinking." "I haven't had a drink today." "I can handle this. It won't happen again."
 
The results are lonely, wounded hearts, shattered families, and broken lives.
 
They don't mention these sad, ugly consequences in the beer commercials. They just show 30 seconds of beautiful women on the beach and at fun parties with hot guys.
 
Oh, yeah. THAT's what it's all about. Drunk is beautiful. There is nothing more attractive than a guy with slurred speech, who can't walk a straight line. And nothing sexier than a young woman with her face in her food, who can't remember who she came with, but is able to use every vulgar word she has ever heard just to describe someone's shoes.
Yes, indeed, alcohol seems to elevate the level of intellectual stimulation and conversation. It is all beautiful and fun.
It must be. That is the implied promise of the beer commercials.

 Add to the beer commercials the movies like "Hangover" and "Beerfest" promising that only fun and good times can come from over-indulging.

 The more realistic movies addressing alcoholism and truly illustrating its power to destroy not only the alcoholic, but his/her family and loves ones, would include:

•        The Days of Wine and Roses

·         The Lost Weekend

·         Leaving Las Vegas

·         Come Fill the Cup

·         Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

·         The Joker is Wild

·         When a Man Loves a Woman

 

Then, there are the songs (especially country songs) that seem to give hope, that tell the listener, “You are not alone.”  The chorus of Kenny Chesney’s song "That's Why I'm Here," about going to an A.A. meeting: 

 

It's the simple things in life
Like the kids at home and a lovin' wife
That you miss the most, when you lose control
And everything you love starts to disappear
The devil takes your hand and says no fear
Have another shot, just one more beer
Yeah I've been there
That's why I'm here...

 

Or the poignant lyrics of the late Keith Whitley’s “I’m No Stranger to the Rain:”

 

But when I get that foggy feeling,
When I'm feeling down.
If I don't keep my head up, I may drown.
But it's hard to keep believing,
I'll even come out even,
While the rain beats your hope in the ground.
And tonight it's really coming down.

I'm no stranger to the rain.
But there'll always be tomorrow,
And I'll beg, steal, or borrow a little sunshine.
And I'll put this cloud behind me,
That's how the Man designed me:
To ride the wind and dance in a hurricane.
I'm no stranger to the rain.

 

Overall, there are probably as many hopeful, encouraging media messages about alcoholism as there are deceptive fantasies.  Unfortunately, the deceptive “If it feels good, do it” messages seem to get more air time, because old movies and country songs don’t typically pay to sponsor sporting events.

Actor Bob Cummings was born on this date in 1910. It must be old TV show week for me (usually is). But, I best remember Cummings from re-runs of his 1950s show "Love That Bob." He was a sort of playboy photographer, who lived with his sister played by one of my fave actresses Rosemary DeCamp. Dwayne Hickman (later Dobie Gillis) was Bob's nephew, and Ann B. Davis (later known as the Bradys' maid Alice) played Schultzie, Bob's assistant at his photography studio.

The show was of the vintage of "My Little Margie," "December Bride," and "Life of Riley."
Just so you know, all of these shows were considrably before my time.

No, REALLY! They all originally aired in the early to mid-1950s - before I was born or when I was much too young to see beyond my crib or playpen rails.
I truly only saw them as after school re-runs. I was a "latch-key kid" before it was a term - long before it was illegal. When I was in second grade, we moved from Mom's tiny, safe, "everybody knows everybody" town in Kentucky to the big, scary city of Dallas. Because Mom worked and my brother was six years older (thus in a different school), I was to walk home from school and lock the door behind me. Homework came first. After that, I could watch TV. When my brother or Mom got home, I was free to play outside. Until that time, I was holed up with the "Three Stooges" and above referenced TV shows.

Other black and white, rabbit-eared, round-screened babysitters included the likes of "Father Knows Best," and an assorted cartoons from Hanna Barbera to the bizarre "Clutch Cargo." Most of my peers share these media memories of our cultural heritage. However, I begin to lose them when reminiscing about the likes of "I Married Joan," "Pete and Gladys," or even "Bachelor Father," with John Forsythe. Long before he was "Charlie" to "Angels" or "Dynasty's" Blake Carrington, Forsythe played single uncle Bentley Gregg, raising "niece Kelley," with the help of Peter, the Chinese "house boy." Don't ask me what a "house boy" is. All I know is on BONANZA, the Cartwrights had "Hop Sing," and "Have Gun Will Travel" Paladin had "Hey Boy."

You see, it is really less about age - more about a memory or penchant for the obscure.

Heads up, Mid-centurians.  Incidentally, I really like that new name historians have given us.  "Baby Boomers" made us sound like a bunch of loud brats who just barged into the world, un-invited, like a generation of party crashers.  While that may be accurate, it wasn't really our fault that women had to dance with other women until the war ended.  Millions of GI's came home, and voila, the result was US.

Heads up, Mid-centurians.  Incidentally, I really like that new name historians have given us.  "Baby Boomers" made us sound like a bunch of loud brats who just barged into the world, un-invited, like a generation of party crashers.  While that may be accurate, it wasn't really our fault that women had to dance with other women until the war ended.  Millions of GI's came home, and voila, the result was US.

But, I digress.  The point of this piece is to reminisce about products of our past, which may or may not have been intended to help us.

"BEAUTY":  Dippity Do styling gel, Butch Hair Wax, OJ Beauty Lotion, Tackle acne gel.

Then, there were those health and first-aid products:  Mercurochrome, which stained you red and stung so much you forgot the pain of the actual wound.  Grownups would also attack our cuts and bruises with such treatments as Iodine tincture and a very bizarre ointment called "black salve," which apoarently just stank out the germs with eau de tar.  Seriously, based on the tarry odor, I would think you could get the same reults from rubbing your wound agsinst a heavily creosoted telephone pole.  Two words:  P. U.!

Bearing in mind this was an era when companies were not strictly required to list all of the ingredients, I can't help but wonder if some of these so-called "remedies," like our toys, schools, and the houses we lived in, were laden with lead and asbestos.  

At the risk of sounding paranoid, were they really trying to help us?  Or was the objective to wipe us out just as we entered, en masse?

Hey, a trip down Memory Lane, by definition means you're looking over your shoulder.  Just sayin'.

Some conservative legislators are seeking to cut government funding to PBS.  They say the stations should seek their own sponsors, just as the commercial networks do. 

 

 What?  PBS has sponsors.

 

I’ve seen it hundreds of times:  “This program was brought to you by the letters L and R.”

I’m just not sure how much money “L” and “R” pay for a spot on "Sesame Street"– probably not as much as they would pay for a 30-second ad during the SuperBowl.

 

Just sayin’…

A bounce house in Arizona blew away like in "The Wizard of Oz," injuring 2 children. When a gust of wind lifted the bounce house about 80 feet in the air, it dumped a 9-year- old girl out on the yard. Her 11-year-old sister landed on the roof of a house two doors down. Maan - and to think, they did away with the steel jungle gyms and monkey bars of MY generation, because they were "too dangerous."

A Fscebook friend rrminded me we wore dresses ehen playing on the ewuipment. But, of course - dresses were the only school day attire option in those days. Therefore, if any recreational feat requiring any degree of inversion was attempted, unless one wore either tights shorts under the dress, it was: "I see London, I see France..."

I'm not saying the likes of jungle gyms, monkey bars, and spin-fast-'til-you-puke merry-go-rounds were safe. More than a few busted lips, chipped teeth, broken limbs, and skinned knees were the wages of recess. Baby boomer playground equipment, like the adjacent, very asbestos-based, lead-laden school buildings where we were educated, may, indeed, have been designed to "reduce the surplus population."

Maybe the mid-century playground was just another facet of natural selection - survival of the fittest. Perhaps those who designed to thin our ranks thought: "If they live through this, the next phase is the draft and Viet Nam war..."

Doctors:  TV Reporter suffered migraine not stroke

 

 

 This poor woman, Serene Branson, a reporter for KCBS in Los Angeles experienced a migraine, while on the air, reporting from the Grammy awards.  Everyone thought it was a stroke.  However, subsequent tests indicated a migraine, and UCLA neurologist Dr. Andrew Charles, who examined Branson, said, “A migraine is not just a headache. It's a complicated brain event,"

Thank you, Dr. Charles!  As a migraineur for 30 years, I have been saying this over and over again. 

It is NOT “just a headache.”  It is a syndrome – a cluster of symptoms that may include, but not be limited to:  Head pain, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, blurred or temporary loss of vision, and partial paralysis. 

 

 

Migraine is not a “headache” in the sense that one can take a Tylenol, and feel better in 15 minutes.  In fact, my mantra has always been, “If a Tylenol gets rid of the pain – you didn’t have a real headache – it was definitely NOT a migraine.”  The only non-prescription medication that even comes close to helping with true migraine is Extra Strength Excedrin.  Even then, it is important to take the Excedrin at the very first sign of the migraine.  It is helpful to take it with a cold, caffeinated beverage (such as Coke), and vital that you then lie down in a cool, dark, quite room. 

 

That is the best you can do without a prescription medication, and the objective here, is to interrupt the migraine – stop the momentum of the pain.  When it gains that momentum, there is no stopping it.

 

Even the prescription medications don’t always work.  The migraine is like a locomotive – it just keeps coming at you.  I typically take Imitrex, a prescription medication.  Most of the time, if taken at the first sign of a migraine, this drug will work – but, not always.  Sometimes, it simply interrupts the migraine for a few hours, and you have to take another dose, which results in only another interruption.  A severe migraine will keep on trying.  Then, the resultant complication is you have to keep taking the medication for several days, to keep the migraine at bay – and there are only nine pills in a package.  They go pretty quickly when the migraine locomotive is determined to ruin your week. 

 

I could write plenty more on this subject.  However, most of it is covered in the migraine portion of my website:  http://www.runwiththewolves.com/migraine_testimonial.htm

 

I just wanted to use this blog to address the reporter’s experience.  It sounds like it might have been her first migraine.  I will never forget my first.  I truly thought I was going blind or having a stroke. It is terrifying.  

 

I am so thankful for her it was not a stroke.  The national attention is also helpful for those of us who do suffer – it shines a spotlight on the issue – A MIGRAINE is not “just a headache.”

Texas state officials may consider a $100 surcharge on the purchase of some new vehicles that don't meet federal fuel efficiency standards.

State Representative Rep. Lon Burnam, Democrat from Fort Worth has compared the surcharge to the "sin taxes" placed on alcohol and tobacco. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he said, "People who buy Hummers should pay a conspicuous consumption tax... We construct many of our taxes on things that are not in the public interest -- against people who smoke or drink a lot. Those who consume oil resources conspicuously when they could buy a more efficient product should [be taxed] too."

Oh, really... a tax on conspicuous consumption? In the first place, who determines what is conspicuous consumption? Will the State of Texas appoint a special board or department to be the Luxury Purchase Police? If a contractor needs a Ford F-250 to do his work, that vehicle is utilitarian - not a luxury. Would Rolex watches and Oakley sunglasses be included in this "conspicuous consumption" tax? Considering the number of state officials who likely own these items, my guess is no. Besides, the alleged rationale for this $100 surcharge is the revenue could generate $115.3 million to pay for efforts to reduce pollution and comply with federal air quality standards.

If that is truly the objective, then the Hummer and other "gas guzzler" drivers are already doing their part. The State of Texas has a 20 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. So, the more gas one buys, the more he contributes to the state coffers. Granted, the state fuel tax is supposed to be used for state road and bridge repairs. Nevertheless, where would that money come from if every Texan was driving a car that gets 40+ miles per gallon? Hello, State of Texas, leave your consumers alone. Let the marketplace drive itself. Consider yourself fortunate that Texas still has citizens who make enough money to buy the vehicle they want and can still afford to put gas in it.

Oh, and shall we assume the State of Texas would just as soon let go of all the sales tax revenue from that "conspicuous consuming"???

The Dallas ice storm has snatched a lot of attention from the SuperBowl. I am picturing Jerry Jones looking as annoyed and incredulous as Jack Nicholson's Joker in BATMAN: "Can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in, where a man dressed up as a bat gets all of my press..."