The next chapter
I have not posted for a few months, so many things have been coming up. I was recovering from a 2nd hip surgery and getting back to work. Also I was considering and dealing with a retirement offer from my institution. The good news is that I am retired now as of 4/30! But boy … Continue reading The next chapter
Moving into adulthood
Working in pediatrics means guiding our patients from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. This is usually a natural progression, based on society’s norms and our schooling systems. It is an exciting and scary time for our children and for their parents. Having headaches and migraines is not something that just goes away once your child … Continue reading Moving into adulthood
My new book is available!
My new book is now available for all! I am very pleased to announce this event, a work in progress for a number of years. I hope this book will bring some well needed and up-to-date education and information to the world of pediatric headache and migraine. Here’s the press release: Getting Ahead of Your … Continue reading My new book is available!
It’s time for new book!
I have not posted in a while for a lot of reasons- big travel trip, full time work and community service activities, health challenges. But most of all, I have been working on my new book for families. It has always been my goal to write an educational book about kids and headaches. There are … Continue reading It’s time for new book!
Turning Community Involvement Ideas into Results
This post is about a community initiative I am involved with that does not concern headaches. However, so many of my patients are teenagers, turning into young adults, and their struggles are of great interest to me. I hope you find it interesting. Turning a desire for community service into action is not the easiest … Continue reading Turning Community Involvement Ideas into Results
NDPH update- lidocaine infusion
About 5 years ago, we started an initiative for the treatment of New Daily Persistent Headache. We have a large population of teens with this difficult, constant headache. There’s a reason why they call it persistent, as it is fairly refractory to treatment with the usual headache/migraine approaches, and the average lifespan of NDPH is … Continue reading NDPH update- lidocaine infusion
Dealing with insurance
Most of the time I enjoy my job as a pediatric nurse practitioner working with chronic headache and pain patients. I enjoy the relationships with the families, figuring out what can help manage the headache and life issues best to allow optimal functioning. I enjoy doing certain procedures like Botox for chronic migraine or injection … Continue reading Dealing with insurance
Hope and chronic headache
What is hope? The dictionary definition of hope is ‘a feeling of desire for a certain thing to happen.’ What does that mean to a person with chronic headache? It is neither the expectation or wish that their pain will ease or end. Rather it is allowing for the possibility that what is desired may … Continue reading Hope and chronic headache
Thriving with college accommodations
Your patient has passed the next step, by graduating from high school. They have chosen their next path- going to college. They are so pleased to tell you all about it, and you are so proud of them. This is also a time of both positive and negative stress. Perhaps high school was really hard … Continue reading Thriving with college accommodations
Visiting the ED or Urgent care
There are times when all your patient’s rescue strategies just are not working. The migraine episode is going on and on for several days, or it is worse than usual, or they are vomiting and getting dehydrated. Your patient has taken their usual rescue medications, perhaps done their usual thing when the rescue does not … Continue reading Visiting the ED or Urgent care
HeadFirst PNP 