Pets As Therapy: December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival

Welcome to the December 2012 edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

Our theme for this edition is: "Pets as Therapy: How our pets help us cope with our migraine and headache disorders."

A sincere thank you to those that submitted posts for this edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival. I enjoyed reading everyone's submissions, and I hope you do too!

• Cyndi Jordan shares how therapeutic pets are and how her precious dogs help her cope in Why My Dogs Make all the Difference! at her blog, Grace for the Storm.

• Diana Lee shares how her sweet furbabies bring her so much joy in Furbabies as Therapy for Chronic Migraines & Depression at her blog, Somebody Heal Me.

• Emily shares about how her pets provide her comfort and laughter as members of her family in Ode to our Animals at her blog, Migrainista.

• Gretchen Rautman shares about how her sweet dog has been such a loving companion for her in Pets and Reality at her blog, There Be Migraines Here.

• Katharine Hope shares about the love and comfort she's found in her cats in Wolf, Rocky,Lotus: Loves of My Life at her blog, Healing My Migraines.

• Kelly Lynn Thomas shares how her precious corgi takes care of her in so many ways in CORGI! at her blog, Miss Migraine.

• Kelly Wahle shares how her precious furbabies have helped and continue to help her through so many difficult times in Therapeutic Companions at her blog, Fly With Hope.

• Jamie S shares a conversation between her two cats in We two cats are purrfect therapy (as transcribed by Jamie) at her blog, ncrainbowgrrl.

• Jamie Valendy shares how pets have brought her comfort through some of life's biggest challenges in My Shadow & My Honey Bee at her blog, Chronic Migraine Warrior.

• Rosemary shares how our dear pets bring us comfort, laughter, and love in Me and You and a Dog Named Boo at her blog, Seeking Equilibrium.

Here's what you need to know about the upcoming January 2013 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival:

• Theme: New Year, New Chance to Adjust Your Migraine Treatment Strategies
• Host: Teri Robert at Headache Disorders Blog Network
• Submission Deadline: midnight, Friday, January 11, 2013
• Carnival Posted: Monday, January 14, 2013
• More Information: bit.ly/migrainecarnival 

My Shadow & My Honey Bee

I grew up having pets - primarily horses and dogs. They've always been a source of comfort, love, and laughter. Since my car accident, there have been two dogs that have really helped me a lot with living life with chronic pain.

Shadow
© 2012 Jamie V.

Shadow

When I had to move back in with my parents, following my car accident in October 2008, I found great comfort in their dogs. One of their dogs, Shadow, became my personal shadow. She followed me around the house to make sure I was okay; and if I was gone "too long," she would come looking for me. She cuddled with me. She protected me. She was perceptive to my needs. She listened to me and sat with me as I cried, trying to grieve the life that I had before the accident. She helped me through some of my darkest times, and I'm so very grateful for that.

When I moved to Tulsa to go to graduate school (about 8 months after my accident), I tried to explain to her that I'd be gone for a few weeks, but that I'd be back. But, she wasn't too happy with it. She shunned me for a few hours, whenever I would come home for the weekend or something.

Now, Shadow is getting older and has injured herself so much that it's hard for her to get up and move around too much. I always try to spend some time with her, when I visit my parents' house. There's no way that I can show her how much she's meant to me over the years, but I'll continue to love on her every time I see her loving face.

Honey Bee
© 2012 Jamie V.

Honey Bee

This summer (July 2012), my husband and I adopted a dog, Honey Bee. She has brought us so much joy and comfort over the past 5 months.

When we adopted her, I was actually in the midst of a horrendous status migraine that lead me to the ER just a few days after we got her, and then to an emergency visit the following week. I wasn't able to spend much time with her - I was at a point where I was so sensitive to anything even touching or being near me. But, she's such a sweetheart, and our relationship is only just beginning.

She's had a difficult past, but she's in such a loving home now. She's actually more responsive to Jeremy, which can be heartbreaking sometimes. She's home with me every day, but I don't feel that she's very perceptive of me. But, I find joy in seeing her and my husband play and spend time together... I find joy in their joy.

Honey  Bee
© 2012 Jamie V.

Honey is a very quiet dog by nature. She mostly minds her own business. She'll snuggle, play, and has been showing more and more of her silly self. She's such a beautiful girl, and her soft, sensitive eyes show such a lovely soul. Her fur is so very soft, and she loves being pet. She reminds me that great things can come from difficult times - she was hit by a car a year and a half ago, and had to have her back right leg amputated... but that hasn't slowed her down in the least!

I do my best to play with her, take her for walks, and train her. She may not always want to snuggle, but neither do I - we each like our space sometimes.

Honey has been such a peaceful and calming presence, and I know she shows her love in the ways that she knows.

Pets have such power to change our moods, help keep life in perspective, and feel unconditionally loved. When I see Honey so excited over something little (like when we get home from a short grocery visit, we give her a new toy, we feed her dinner, etc), it makes me smile. Her kisses are healing. And, I know that I can face the hardships in my life and come out on top.

Last Call: December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival

Tomorrow, Friday, December 7, 2012, at midnight, is the deadline for submissions to the December Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

The December theme is:

"Pets as Therapy: How our pets help us cope with our migraine and headache disorders." 

As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Please include the following information with your submission:

(1) Your name as you would like it to appear in the carnival.
(2) The title of the blog post you're submitting.
(3) The url of the blog post you're submitting.
(4) The title of your blog.
(5) The url of your blog.

The December Carnival will be published on Monday, December 10, 2012, here at Chronic Migraine Warrior.

Please email your submission to Diana at somebodyhealme@gmail.com (and she'll forward them to me).

For more information about the carnival visit the overview page here: http://bit.ly/migrainecarnival.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Ten Years Without a Tree

© 2012 Jamie V.

In a very welcome break in the full-blown migraine pain, my husband and I managed to get some Christmas stuff up around the apartment.

We put up our Christmas tree (that my sister so kindly gave us before she and her husband moved). It's not all that large, but it works for us right now.

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall" (Larry Wilde, author 'The Merry Book of Christmas')

As I looked at our tree, I realized that I haven't had a Christmas tree up in my own home in nearly TEN years! My parents always have a Christmas tree up at their house, but I haven't had one up in the apartments that I've lived in (thinking about it now, my roommate might have had one up one year... but that would've been about six years ago).

So, I'm very much enjoying having a Christmas tree up in our home. There are no ornaments on it right now, but we do have an angel (seems a bit too large for the tree, but it's our angel and it's staying up - lol). I still have a way to go before I get all the Christmas decor up, but I'm definitely enjoying the season thus far.

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air" (W. T. Ellis)