Do I NEED a Service Dog? // My TOP 5 make-or-break scenarios + ANNOUNCEMENTS! (details next week!)
Do I NEED a Service Dog? // My TOP 5 make-or-break scenarios + ANNOUNCEMENTS! (details next week!)
Is a service dog right for you? Is a service dog worth it? It’s hard to know whether you need a service dog when “mitigates the disability” is so vague. Here are some CONCRETE examples of where having a Service Dog was a deciding factor in my life.
Then some channel news! Subscribe to get the details next week!
Chapters:
0:00-11:53 The Video
11:54-13:19 CHANNEL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!
13:20-13:30 Goodbyes
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FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM.com/mommingwithmigraine
MY TOP 2 MIGRAINE PRODUCTS:
○ CranioCradle: https://amzn.to/2FIbjvn and deep tissue: https://amzn.to/3l2UrzD
My Review Video: https://youtu.be/i4KKVhOvXqY
○ WeatherX Earplugs: https://amzn.to/31gJEtG and smaller: https://amzn.to/3l9vbI7
My Review Video: https://youtu.be/lIltbJjY1oA
OTHER MIGRAINE VIDEOS YOU MAY LIKE:
○ Chronic Migraine Story (diagnosis process): https://youtu.be/Xtu9_fozxaw
○ Symptoms & Stages of a Migraine Attack: https://youtu.be/yppiYgPJHXQ
○ My Migraine Medications (triptans): https://youtu.be/501ezhpk4S8
○ Why I’m not on Anti-CGRP’s: https://youtu.be/NjcH_WoB334
○ Buddy’s Migraine Service Dog Tasks: https://youtu.be/ldqxgoOSqz8
○ Real footage of a complex migraine: https://youtu.be/KdTR7VbkQls
○ Migraine Jen’s Cooking Vlog: https://youtu.be/7iCEfCHFymU
○ Migraine Jen’s Rules for Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZLTQkQyqew
○ Brain Fog! (a few good Migraine Jen quotes): https://youtu.be/s81wP-xok3E
MIGRAINE AURA SERIES:
○ Part 1 (visual): https://youtu.be/V0WBg3RvbPk
○ Part 2 (sensory): https://youtu.be/EYf_NFqeqPY
○ Part 3 (language): https://youtu.be/TB9vAT4kbDM
○ Part 4 (motor): https://youtu.be/7Jp78ZdY1uk
FAVORITE POTS PRODUCTS (the ones I really use!):
○ Blood Pressure Monitor: https://amzn.to/3gjXi3t
○ Weighted blanket: https://amzn.to/2Eq39Hr
○ Compression socks (looser): https://amzn.to/3j14wv5
○ Compression socks (tighter): https://amzn.to/3aSZDRV
OTHER POTS/FAINTING VIDEOS YOU MAY LIKE:
○ Buddy’s POTS Tasks: https://youtu.be/dFIozWfdFEE
○ At-home Tilt Table Test: https://youtu.be/eX7ZWWVVPXo
○ POTS fainting on camera 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/RKac3D3MiP8
○ How I Prepare to Faint (fainting on camera 2 of 2 with Service Dog responding): https://youtu.be/OWgm6ynBpuQ
○ Declining Health Announcement: https://youtu.be/OJoi0dIrPCs
OUR SERVICE DOG GEAR:
○ Gear Haul Video: https://youtu.be/HWBsp0x3de0
○ Custom Harness: The Golden Life, LLC on Etsy
○ Basic Service Dog Vest – https://amzn.to/35PSjpy
○ Service Dog Bandana – https://amzn.to/3iJTpHd
○ Doggy Backpack – https://amzn.to/2RFtwfM
○ Dog Booties (shoes) – https://amzn.to/2ZRRfOd
○ One Foot Leash – https://amzn.to/32IgiVI
○ Over-shoulder 6.5′ leash – https://amzn.to/2Ef38q1
○ Small Collapsibowls – https://amzn.to/3hNeQ8S
OTHER SERVICE DOG VIDEOS YOU MAY LIKE:
○ Buddy’s Migraine Tasks: https://youtu.be/ldqxgoOSqz8
○ Buddy’s POTS Tasks: https://youtu.be/dFIozWfdFEE
○ Service Dog GEAR HAUL: https://youtu.be/HWBsp0x3de0
○ Buddy Responding to a Faint on Camera (second half): https://youtu.be/OWgm6ynBpuQ
○ “Mistakes” https://youtu.be/Pq-WnHcwL9s
○ Buddy’s BIRTHDAY! https://youtu.be/foMB9IahkSw
○ Access Issues at the Grand Canyon: https://youtu.be/D8vqPb3Co7Q
○ Trips for Travel: https://youtu.be/_M2jV3oL-P8
○ Service Dog Training Philosophy: https://youtu.be/IrjeRasJlWo
○ On-Duty vs Off-Duty Walks: https://youtu.be/ZdhXUCvpKSY
○ Dog Training with Structured Play: https://youtu.be/AdhW_frX0TE
○ Buddy does the LEAVE IT Challenge!: https://youtu.be/xz8tU8EJZfg
○ The Unexpected Benefits of having a SD: https://youtu.be/2aNrhBwufE8
○ The TRUTH about having a Service Dog: https://youtu.be/taazLuYZdqo
○ If you see a Service Dog in Public: https://youtu.be/Ov9YUE1kRUs
○ Working my Service Dog during COVID: https://youtu.be/wkRDI1we64o
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DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting Momming with Migraine so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
I’ll spill the rest of the [SPOILER ALERT] ANNOUNCEMENT TEA NEXT WEEK!!! Make sure you’re subscribed with NOTIFICATIONS ON, or you may miss it!! In the meantime…What were the "nails in the coffin" for your service dog journey?? Curious whether you decided a SD was right for you or not!
I decided a service dog was for me before I had a lot of details about the downsides. It worked out because while I was training him I got a concussion that caused my silent migraines that were undiagnosed and once or twice a month became daily. His natural alert ended up getting my doctor to take me seriously because obviously I couldn’t fake that my dog noticed a scent change but I could have been over exaggerating without it. Insert eyeroll. During his training I had to really weigh out whether it was worth it to have the downsides be acceptable because the upsides were greater. I seriously considered whether having him only at home was the best thing for me. It turns out that the alerts pre-migraine are the only thing that keeps me from being stranded some place with no way home or falling over with seemingly out of nowhere vertigo. My boy Eli is my lifeline and your videos helped me figure out what exactly was happening to me. I didn’t know migraines weren’t just a headache but seeing your videos actually helped me get a handle on what was going on with my body.
I do have a Service dog, lol as you can see……I have a question that you can probably give me some in put….I have Cluster headaches, Migraines & Tension headaches….I just recently was seen by my neurologist, he is thinking of putting me on Lyrica or Gabapentin, do you have any thoughts on either one of these drugs? I don’t know what to try & Im very Paranoid of taking a med I have never taken, I have lots of drug allergies…i mainly would like to know, have you tried either drug & was either one more helpful than the other?
Thank you! Much Appreciated!!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I’m considering a service dog and these points (plus your video about the reality of having a service dog) gave me a lot to think about.
Thank you for sharing ❤️♥️❤️♥️
There is a new channel member feature directly through Youtube that you should check out too. It just creates a "join" button next to "subscribe," very convenient. Personally I’m reaching a saturation point in hearing Youtubers talk about their Patreon, so a change of pace would be nice. I hope one of them works out for you though; do what you need to do!
Party rock is in the HOUSE TONIGHT
I’d love a video on how you taught Buddy to associate the smells of your migraines with the alert. I would also be grateful if you have any resources you’d suggest to train a migraine alert service dog.
#notificationsgang
This is a really important video. Thank you so much, Jen! Have a wonderful weekend! Hugs from Norway.
It isn’t a surprise to me that Buddy has a wonderful sense of smell and can figure out what each smell means.
It *is* a surprise to me how disciplined and dependable he is with his alerts.
The problem I would have expected is that a false positive alert should be likely to win for him praise. We see this in drug-sniffing dogs. There’s an incentive to report a positive, because positives are rewarded. Negatives are only figured out later. Sometimes days later! People have been jailed for having innocuous substances in their vehicles which a dog reported as positive. (Or a portable drug kit. Now that’s a scam if ever there was one, those portable instant-results drug kits. False positives galore. Scammers are making millions off of those useless kits. Oops, off topic.)
How much of Buddy’s discipline is trained? Why are you able to achieve so much dependability in alerts when cops with drug-sniffing dogs fall off from dependability because of the reward system they use?
Enquiring minds wish to know!
Your openness with your journey, both with migraine and with a service dog, is so wonderfully valuable. I truly believe you’re helping so many people with this.
Thank you for your hard work on your videos.
I have a multitude of bizarre health issues and getting a service dog was actually my husband’s idea. Watching your video, some things you said really hit home for me. My husband has had to take time off work to rescue me because my health put me into situations where I wasn’t able to be home alone. I’ve wondered many times wether or not I am “sick enough” and I’ve had reservations about having a service dog due to the fact that it makes you stand out in public places which I’m not comfortable with. However, the benefits of being able to take a walk alone, being able to be home alone with confidence, and not having to rely so much on others is what pushed me to talk to my doctor about it. My doctor wrote up a formal letter, I hired a professional trainer, and picked my puppy. I’m nervous because this is just the start of a long journey, but I’m hopeful.
I am a dog raiser/socializer for a program that trains PTSD service dogs, partially in order to see what it is like to be a service dog handler full time. I was stuck on the misconception that if I "really need" a service dog, I would need them to accompany me everywhere. The reality is that my PTSD and other psychiatric issues limit my independence about 80% of the time, even though I can do certain things like horseback riding, where I can’t have a dog with me. It is a quality of life issue for me to only be independent 20% of the time on a good day. With a service dog, I am able to participate in life more than I have in the last 5 years, and that is with a dog that is only trained in broad tasks not specific to my needs. I am considering applying through the program I volunteer with.
Will you train another service dog when Buddy gets too old to do his job?
be careful not to overcommit on patreon, having to fulfill backer rewards can be very taxing and take more time than youtube if you overcommit on them.
This video was so so so helpful. I am getting a medical alert service dog soon. My puppy will be here in July. I am 20 and in college. I’m hoping to move out on my own in the future and this is the first step towards that.
When you said "so you dont need to depend on other people" I immediately thought "well I can just get my fiance to take care of me" and I guess I have my answer now. Didnt even need the 5 reasons. I didnt realize how much I depended on him for support and what Id do if he wasnt there
I always feel like a fake bringing my SD into stores because I can keep up with blood sugar and pressure by other means and don’t generally get bad enough to faint without warning in a cool building but I get cognitively impaired and don’t notice until I’ve done something stupid that could cause injury then I’m like "oh crap I do not need to be in public or driving right now".
I once didn’t notice until I spaced out while driving, drove off the road and into a small ditch, luckily there wasn’t any injury to me or anyone else.
I need to know in advance so I can get home or get somewhere to wait it out away from everything.
I tried to explain that once and they said I didn’t need a SD walking through the store and that I just wanted an excuse to bring my dog everywhere.
As someone who has only recently decided to do the go-ahead from her doctor and thoroughly second guessed herself on getting a service dog… deciding to do has one of the most stressful things I have ever done. But watching you and other here on YouTube helped. I wanna be independent and if I can get even just a bit more independence and gain a friend along the way, sounds like a win.
Well said. I’m excited for the announcement!
My decision to get a service dog was made when I realized that living on my own is terrifying and unsafe for me. Along with that I realized that I wasn’t living my life.
If love to know your thoughts on service animals for children? It was recently recommended we get my infant a service animal. Although its not necessary for survival, it could really save us. They recommended it now cos waitlists are over 2yrs apparently and a service dog won’t be fully trained until at least two. But it could save him from a lot of issues. He was born with some mystery disease; he was born in kidney failure, with cysts in his kidneys (hes been tested for ADPKD and ARPKD. Came back negative) as well as large fontanels and something with the sutures and osteopenia of the skull. He also appears to have an ASD (but were hoping thatll correct itself.) Their idea is with a dog meant to alert for blood pressure and blood sugar we can hopefully catch when these become issues without having to check him several times a day as we dont know when they’ll hit. They don’t want us to have to check him frequently but also dont want to leave it til it becomes an issue or even his quarterly tests/echo and create other problems because they were left untreated for "too" long.
I’ve heard that many YouTubers have found Patreon to be really helpful so that they can make videos and earn a living.
Being paralyzed and mostly independent although still living at home with my parents has made me want to look into getting a service dog and this video was very informative for me. Thanks Jen.
I don’t think I need one. However, I am three months away from turning 16 and I have gone severely downhill in migraines, I recently had three of them in two weeks. That’s never happened before. Every time I think about migraines I just get depressed and start crying. It’s AWFUL. I feel so weak and worthless sometimes idk what to think of myself anymore.
I love the way you use the word "immaculating" in a gender neutral way. I feel the most understood by that.
This is an awesome video! I often question if I need my service dog, but if I didn’t have Louie to mitigate my psychiatric disabilities I would not be leaving the house. Louie also, is a migraine alert SD and he has been a life saver, but it is a pain to take him everywhere. I am so grateful for him though it makes staying at home alone less scary when my husband is at work. Thank you for continuing to share your journey with us Jen! 🙂
I liked you swimming around the screen!
Just paying my internet service bill so I can "watch" videos & ads is a financial burden. Internet is not cheap. 50% of the people I watch have a Patreon & I just can’t add that on to the monthly bills that I already have. The C0vid situation has not been kind to many of us financially. (I lost my job & living in a small town has not fixed that) Since you mainly only post once a week… if you add Patreon I would assume that would mean less regular videos?? But it is obviously your decision to make. I don’t know how many of your subscribers are in my same situation…..
We love you buddy! You are such a good helper! ❤️
Get some counseling and keep your head problems to yourself.
Love the party rock, my aunt used to have one in her bedroom, and I thought it was very valuable, but she did not seem to care about it and so I took it and wanted to sell it, but when I plugged it out the light went out, and I thought had broken it.
How long was your longest migraine?
lollll that f-bomb xD
I love the Patreon idea! Some things you could include would be: early access to new videos, live streams (once a month maybe?) Q&As exclusive to patreon, end screen credits and a discord/fb group for patrons only. Just some ideas, hope you’re having a lovely day ☀️
The being alone factor is the worst thing for me. I live "on my own" with my 2 kids unless they are with their dad. I hate it.
BTW you kept saying click here and pointing but never put anything to click on
Very well explained video Jen. It makes sense that having buddy at home and in public increases your self-confidence as well as the safety aspect. And that’s great that he was able to help you come to the decision that you could start trying for baby
This is a great video! My mom, therapist, doctors and I are trying to convince my dad into a service dog. I’ve lost almost all of my independence from my fibro, migraines, and unknown reason as to why my blood pressure drops suddenly. I get confusion and brain fog, go deaf and blind, I just want my independence back.
How did you decide ok s golden retriever vs another breed
I don’t often comment (but watch each and every one of your videos, and follow you on IG). I found your channel by chance about 6 months ago, and am so happy that I did. While I too suffer from migraines, mine are not complex, but my biggest medical issue is dealing with metastatic breast cancer and several autoimmune disorders. Your honesty and openness about your medical struggles has really given me a boost I needed to accept my situation as “my normal” and keep fighting. I also need to thank you because it is your discussion around POTS that helped me realize my seemingly random rapid heart rate and dizziness to the point of fainting, was actually POTS. After seeing your video on the poor mans tilt test, I discussed it with my cardiologist who then tested me and agreed I indeed have developed POTS. I could go on about how much I look forward to your videos and Instagram stories, or fan girl over your channel, but I’ll stop rambling and just say THANK YOU.
Thank you so much for this video! I’m still really early on in my SD and POTS journey and I think I’m at the point where I want to talk to my doctor about getting a service dog. Always helpful to hear about how others made the decision too! Love your channel 🙂