Headaches are like werewolves

[thewhitelily]

Headache from Hell is back, which makes it only two days out of the last thirteen that it's not been around.

Had to leave work early because the aura was flashing all sparkly rainbows in front of my point of focus and I couldn't read. Have decided this is probably what the painkiller packet means when it says "if pain persists, see your doctor" and have made an appointment for Monday.

Expect to be told what I was last time: dehydration, blah blah, bad posture, tension, blah blah, red wine, caffiene, blah blah, lack of sleep, skipped meals, blah blah, monthly hormonal fluctuations, blah blah blah. I'm a walking collection of possible triggers.

And unfortunately, I can't come off the pill again (which made all the difference last time) because I'm already not taking it.

Honestly, where's my silver bullet?

Comments

[thebellman.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a wooden steak instead?

[thewhitelily]

Perhaps treated pine. Safest to poison it as well, methinks.

[rchevalier.livejournal.com]

Try looking at yourself through a stone with a hole in it. And then make shooing motions at whatever you see in the mirror. [/useless]

Um.... decaf!tea?

There was a funny link on slashdot a few days ago that made me think of you:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/green-reapers-grave-new-world/2008/04/19/1208629703961.html

Don't let the headache kill you, of course, but if it does, this would seriously pwn.

[thewhitelily]

Stone with a hole in it? Not sure I know that one... *shoos violently anyway*

Decaf tea might have to be the go, as I've given up coke again and am looking for a replacement drink of choice.

And you are so right, that would be a seriously cool burial. :)

[rchevalier.livejournal.com]

If you look through a stone with a hole in it, you see things as they really are. Obviously there's some malevolent ghostie taking up residence in your skull, and if you can see s/him, then you can make s/him bugger off. :D

Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea!

[thewhitelily]

*keeps eyes shut in case cause of problem is actually multiple snakes protruding from the skull* *glares at assumed!ghostie in the hopes (s)he buggers off*

Teeeeeeeeaaaaa!

Are we talking migraine?

[(Anonymous)]

I'm so sorry Lily. I've never had a migraine go for longer than half a day so weeks sounds terrible.

I trust that you pointed out to the doctor that a monthly hormonal fluctuation by definition cannot last a fortnight.

If it really is a migraine and you have already checked out your diet , seen a physio to check for problems in your neck, then perhaps it is time to consider medication, perhaps Topamax.

Best wishes,
TPWFL

Re: Are we talking migraine?

[(Anonymous)]

Ripped off! My blah blah blah tags around the diet and physio didn't make it through. :( Such is life on the web. :)

TPWFL

Re: Are we talking migraine?

[thewhitelily]

Fortunately, the pain isn't at a consistent level the whole time - there's been three main peaks where it's been actually debilitating, but they were only for half a day each. The rest of the time it's been aggravating and distracting, but not all-consuming.

It's sort of up in the air whether it's migraine. The pain seems closer to tension headache - bilateral, hat-band pain, no throbbing - but the doctor says that if I'm getting aura symptoms, that makes it vascular no matter how the pain's presenting. Then there's always the possibility that it's a combination, that the tension headache's the underlying problem and that's putting the migraine (which I do get occasionally, but generally only when I've been silly and gone a couple of nights without sleep or something) on a hair-trigger and that's what I'm seeing as the peaks.

The doctor was less worried about my diet than I expected, but I'm to keep a diary for the next month or so of when the headache peaks, what drugs I took at what stage, and whether they worked, as well as the rest of the possible triggers, including mood and what my day at work's been like. Depending on whether things become obvious from the diary, I'll go on to get my neck checked out, etc. before considering a more long-term medication. In the meantime, she's given me some extra strength pain-killers for the peaks, which should hopefully at least let me sleep through the darn things, rather than just taking the edge off like over-the-counters were doing.

</blahblahblah> :)