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Living With Migraines- “The Invisible Illness”

Migraines Scanners
Screenshot from the 1981 Canadian sci-fi film Scanners directed by Canadian film maker David Cronenberg.

I am a chronic Migraine sufferer. Are you?

I was diagnosed when I was 18 and now in my 40’s I still get cluster migraines. Cluster Migraines are recurrent, severe headaches that usually stick to one side of the head, for me it’s the left. I’ve probably suffered from them since I was a very young child. Throughout my life, I have dealt with many hurtful comments from those unable to understand my affliction. Their comments used to really get under my skin. Migraines are very severe. They are not just a very bad headache. No two Migraine sufferers are the same when it comes to patterns of pain or management. To make matters worse Migraines are an ‘invisible illness’.

An invisible illness is something that the sufferer feels but no one else sees or acknowledges. Those that are afflicted with migraines are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities.

But it’s not entirely hard to understand why- these disabilities are not always obvious to the onlooker and the cyclic nature of migraines means that they are a chronic disability that are never going to go away.

To suffer with migraines is to know not only physical pain but also at times, sociological pain and even ostracization. It’s when you’ve been motoring onward through life and everybody looks at you like you are a healthy person but in actuality, there’s that one thing that keeps you from being the person you see yourself to be. This compounds your mood and may even trigger that other “invisible illness”: Depression.

Yes, migraines come with a lot of misunderstandings from critics that refuse to believe what is happening.

My favorite line has always been: “You’re young, there is nothing wrong with you…”. It’s shameful! The idea of simplifying health into a debate about youth and middle or old age. You take the time to try to explain and inform people what your life is about and yet they still believe that your suffering is all in your head. That’s when I usually hear comments like- “Get outside and get some fresh air, that’ll fix it.” or ” You just need to get over it, move on with your life”. The worse thing for me to hear is ” If you’re that sick how come you are doing that?” The sad truth is that all these phrases come from people who can’t understand what it is like to deal with an invisible illness.

Migraines occur when the blood flows through the brain causing blood vessels to rapidly expand, which in turn causes pain and other symptoms.

For me, it all starts with an unbelievable pain that can persist anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. I refer to it as having a huge Mack truck stuffed inside my head. While this happens, symptoms include: vertigo, numbness, mass nausea, fainting, blurred vision, and sensitivities to light, sounds and smells. I have been told that many of these symptoms are very close to what one would feel if they were having a stroke. Sometimes these symptoms can occur without the associated pain. I look at those as ‘added extras’. They include bright sparkles in the sky that only I can see…an added extra.

When things are at their worse and I have tried taking all the suggested and prescribed medications such as aleve, and the pain just won’t go away I plop myself in a car and have somebody drive me to the hospital.

If you were me and had experienced this you may have ended up spending four hours at the hospital on a good night. When you were admitted they may have looked at you like you were a drug addict. They may have checked you for signs of a stroke at which point they may have placed you in a bed where you wait and wait and wait. You may have been hooked up to an IV with sodium solution to help rehydrate you. Then they may have started you on the meds.

For me it’s always been 2mg of Maxeran (anti-nausea medication for people who go through chemotherapy) and 5mg of Toradol ( a strong pain medication). Perhaps it’s that mixture that worked for you and you sat there and waited, maybe even had a snooze. The nurse observed when you started to feel better because the colour flowed back into your face and you became very hungry. At this point you are finally ready to go home and start all over again knowing that the next day will always be the best day.

Perhaps you are like me- I turn into a bit of an energizer bunny… with the pain removed and the symptoms gone I actually feel pretty healthy and am ready to face the world again.

But what triggers these attacks?

This is the hardest part. These horrid brain attacks can be caused by almost anything- physically exhausting yourself on one extreme or simply walking down the soap isle in the grocery store on another. Almost anything and everything can trigger a migraine for me. The weather for instance is a trigger that I have been stuck with for years. Before a storm, a build-up of barometric pressure can be an instant trigger. Flying on airplanes is a trigger due to the change in the atmosphere.

If you want simpler triggers how about MSG, Artificial Food Colourings, Caffeine, Red Wine or Preservatives? Even certain veggies tend to make the list. Other things that are triggers can be strong perfumes/soaps, too much stress, bright lights and loudness. Basically anything that could possibly cause a disturbance to my personal inner balance. It is consoling to know that not all of these are triggers for everyone who suffer with migraines. Somethings effect more people than others. Trying to maneuver between what does and what doesn’t trigger is a battle in itself.

This invisible illness leaves me helpless.

The idea that it can pop up at any point in time means there is no space for future time planning. Making plans in my life is non-existent. I can say I am going to go here or there but in the long run until I get up that morning I will never be sure. Then there are the times that I take the chance and go out because I am just so tired of my couch no matter how bad I feel. Other times I stay home and safe.

Few non-sufferers know that in certain places Migraines have been upgraded to a neurological disorder. Another fact that most people don’t know is that it will never go away. There is no cure only pacifiers that help you to deal with everything that transpires. Sometimes these pacifiers worsen the attack.

And the frequency of attacks?

I get them 15 days out of a month which doesn’t leave much time to actually live a carefree lifestyle. There are so many things that I and other sufferers have lost because of this illness. Jobs and career goals go right out the window. The simplest things like enjoying a movie at the theater, going to see a live band or even a family gathering are at risk. It has to be just right and on a good day. It’s very stressing trying to keep up. I haven’t even mentioned the troubles it creates within a personal relationship, between you and the significant other. Between everything you have to do and the things that you want to do. All this takes place within such limiting time frames. I almost feel grateful, to have dealt with them from such an early age because it has prepared me to deal with this kind of lifestyle. In a way it’s made me so much stronger then I ever thought I could be. I have learned how to look at life in a different way. Don’t get me wrong, I would give anything to live without them but because that is not an option…I will reluctantly settle for this.

This is a side of me that many people do not get to see.

It’s something that I have only shared with the most important people in my life. There is a huge stigma out there when it comes to diseases or conditions that go unseen. When I get an attack you wouldn’t know it, you can’t see it. You can’t see the numb and tingles that invade my body. A lot of people just do not understand nor do they really want to. In our fast paced society it gets lost. I am sharing my story because I would love to see the stigma removed. I want people to understand that just because someone seems healthy and able it doesn’t mean that they actually are.

All those comments that I pointed out at the beginning of this article are things that I have heard for years. I still deal with it to this day. People that I have had to deal with who never understood no matter how much you try to explain it. I know that other people have gone through the same things that I have and I want to let them know that they are not alone. I also want to let other people know that they need to think before making a judgment on somebody else. Keep in mind that old saying: “Do not assume or judge somebody until you have walked a mile in their shoes…” For the Silo, Dawn Bank.

Worth The Cost- Ultra Premium Champagne To Ring In The New Year

 Luxury Maurice Vendome Champagne Label1Miami, FL,  – Ultra-luxury wine and spirits purveyor Prodiguer Brands, which privately develops and markets many of the world’s finest, award-winning wines and spirits, offers a very special Champagne.  Maurice Vendôme is now exclusively available in the United States (and in select LCBO’s and liquor stores in Ontario and Canada).

This offering furthers the company’s extraordinary and revered portfolio of premium ultra-grade adult beverage brands specifically tailored for the global luxury market to meet evolving consumer desires and tastes. What better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve?

“This rare Grand Cru Réserve Blanc de Blancs champagne represents over 100 years of combined experience, expertise and leadership by our team and the Maurice Vendôme wine grower,” notes Prodiguer Brands’ Managing Partner, Noel Shu—a self-made millionaire, Sommelier and entrepreneur. ” Housed within the beautiful village of Oger in the Côte des Blancs region, Champagne Maurice Vendôme has ancestral ties dating back to the French Revolution. It’s an exquisite champagne that benefits from Oger’s rich soils that provide the perfect setting for luxury winemaking.”
Using 100% rated rare Grand Cru grapes and a limited annual production, Maurice Vendôme offers an exquisite experience of luxurious quality and exclusivity. The caliber and excellence of this rare Grand Cru Réserve Blanc de Blancs champagne is uncompromised, further entrenching Maurice Vendôme as “A Timeless Luxury.”

Champagne Chapuy in Oger

The art of Champagne is created usually with the combination of three different types of grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Champagne Maurice Vendôme uses exclusively 100% Chardonnay to create a unique Blanc de Blancs luxury cuvée. Each Chardonnay grape is delicately handpicked  from only the finest vineyards in Champagne country and then pressed to release their first juice, premiér taille.
Tasting Notes:

  • Colour: Straw yellow appearance
  • Nose: Intense white fruits, sweet on the nose, slightly floral
  • Palate: Creamy smooth refreshing palate, full delicate flavor
  • Finish: Charming fresh finish
  • Premiér taille of 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay
  • Hand-picked, sorted and pressed within 24 hours Liqueur de dosage: Chardonnay wine with melted cane sugar at 12 g/liter, this champagne then rests for a further four months after disgorgement, resulting in a luxury aroma, taste, body, and finish
  • Formats: 75cl and Magnum 1.5l – larger sizes by special order

A Prestigious Pedigree: Makers of the World’s Most Expensive Champagne Prodiguer Brands gained much notoriety for developing and facilitating the record-breaking sale of the most expensive single bottle of Champagne in the world—a limited edition bottle of Goût de Diamants, Taste of Diamonds, which sold for a staggering $1.8 million usd / $2.4 million cad.
Made from 100% Grand Cru grapes, all Goût de Diamants Champagne—available as a brut, a rosé, a Blanc de Blancs and a vintage—is produced at the 8-hectare, family-owned, Champagne Chapuy in Oger. Each standard bottle of Goût de Diamants is a chic collector’s item that’s adorned with a brilliant cut Swarovski crystal in the center of a diamond-shaped pewter design resembling the Superman logo.

Goût de Diamants bottle

The Swarovski crystals are pink on the rosé bottles and clear on the Blanc de Blancs and the brut, which is aged for a minimum of 40 months before release including four months post disgorgement.  In addition, borrowing design cues from Armand de Brignac, the back of each bottle also boasts a hand-engraved pewter label featuring details of the blend inside. For its part, the bespoke multi-million dollar bottle saw the diamond logo crafted from 18-carat solid white gold while the Swarovski crystal was upgraded to a 19-carat flawless white diamond. The 18-carat white gold front label meanwhile, was engraved with the client’s name.

A Voraciously Vetted Vodka  Also in the Prodiguer Brands’ preeminent portfolio is JULIET Immaculate Vodka, which is the world’s first “Immaculate”-graded vodka—ranking it above other premium, super-premium and even ultra-premium brands. Notably, this “Immaculate” rank was actually incepted by Prodiguer Brands, itself, as was required to aptly classify this caliber of vodka, and is a grade now recognized and accepted by industry professionals worldwide.

Upon its official launch in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2014 during the prestigious, Formula One Grand Prix weekend at the exclusive Ermanno Palace Penthouse, this luxury vodka subsequently appeared at a multitude of A-list events in key regions around the world, including New York City, Barcelona, Paris, Sweden and London. At that time, the brand released a range of Collector’s Edition bottles featuring artwork from renowned New York City based artist, Sue Tsai, based around the F1 and the Brazil World Cup 2014.

Prodiguer Brands expressly separated JULIET from competitors by creating a vodka using a boutique production process to ensure the highest quality vodka that boasts seven distinct unique selling propositions. For one, the vodka weighs in at 43% alcohol volume (is 86 proof), and is only distilled a single time. As the vodka is handcrafted in small batches and great care is taken to prevent impurities from entering at any point in the process, the result is an impeccably pure vodka that does not need to be distilled multiple times. In addition, the vodka is gluten free as, by using high quality sugar beet that the brand ferments in-house, gluten is avoided entirely. The sweetness of the sugar beet also levels out the strong 43% alcohol volume, leaving pleasant smooth vanilla notes. Moreover, the vodka does not require any additional filtration as it is purified in copper pot stills during the distillation process and, packaging-wise, it uses wood top natural corks and tin foil capsules to exemplify the brand’s approach to using natural, non-toxic and renewable materials. JULIET Immaculate Vodka is 100% British, created at its own dedicated distillery based in the South of England, United Kingdom.

French Champagne Grapes
Expertise Aplenty:
About Noel Shu, Prodiguer Brands’ Managing Partner Internationally-regarded sommelier Noel Shu, Managing Partner for the ultra-luxe, award-winning wine and spirts purveyor Prodiguer Brands, is a self-made millionaire since his early 20s, entrepreneur and author of the upcoming title, “China Through a Glass of Wine.”  With impeccable panache and style, Shu, has already accomplished more than many do in an entire lifetime. Shu has personally designed and sold extraordinary multi-million dollar timepieces and necklaces to China’s elite through his ancillary, highly successful luxury jewelry business.  Always striving for growth and self-improvement and with a reverence for continuing education, despite his busy schedule Shu is currently pursuing an Ivy League Master’s degree at Columbia University. As a globally-minded business practitioner, Shu understands commerce on both sides of the Pacific and brings that expertise to bear with his various ventures, including the highly anticipated upcoming release of “Regale”—an exclusive wine brand expressly developed for the Chinese marketplace, which will be exported to the region in early 2016.  Shu may be reached at www.prodiguerbrands.com.
About Prodiguer Brands Prodiguer Brands privately creates and owns some of the world’s finest wines and spirits.  With a growing portfolio, Prodiguer Brands prides themselves in creating luxury brands for the global luxury market that meet new consumer desires and tastes.  In 2016 the company will be releasing one of the world’s finest red wine offerings in the U.S. market: the highly anticipated SIA Cabernet Sauvignon. Led by Shammi Shinh, the company is predicated on strong dedication, wise investment, and offering the best consumption experiences.

Shinh has been commissioned by the likes of Hugo Boss and Christian Louboutin to ideate and help create engagement opportunities in the luxury marketplace.

Learn more about Prodiguer Brands online at www.prodiguerbrands.com.