Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Much better.

I have tossed the term "blinding headache" around in the past to describe a bit of pain in the head. No more. This morning I experienced waves of pain that made it hard to see as each one crested and broke.

This is the second time in the past five years that I have had a headache that largely left me curled in a fetal ball and wishing I would die. It was gone by 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, but I was just absolutely drained by the experience; it was a mighty effort to drive a mile or so to the grocery store and pick up some paper towels and dishwashing detergent, and by the time I got home I was completely drained.

Hopefully it'll be another five years before it happens again. We'll return to our regular blogging schedule in the AM.
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24 comments:

John B said...

Poor darling baby, I get one of these on a six month basis. It's no fun, if Satan Incarnate offered me respite if I murdered what I most loved, I don't think I'd make too proud a showing.

I just stay in a darkened room, and far away from phones and people until the pain subsides....

9:07 PM, July 14, 2010
Joseph said...

Glad you feel better, Tam...hope it is 5x5 years before you get another one.

9:21 PM, July 14, 2010
Carteach said...

Wish there was a way to help.

9:23 PM, July 14, 2010
Hat Trick said...

Glad to hear the headache has passed.

9:30 PM, July 14, 2010
Keads said...

I wish I could help! Glad you are getting better!

9:32 PM, July 14, 2010
Fred said...

You need to switch to higher grade liquor. The cheap stuff has too many impurities and lead to those bad hangovers.

Seriously though, glad you're feeling better.

9:57 PM, July 14, 2010
Anonymous said...

Stress of "twice the snark every morning"?

Glad you're better.

FWIW I've never encountered one of those occasional searing head-splitters that couldn't be quieted with a good doob and a couple hours of quiet time in a cool, darkened room.

AT

10:33 PM, July 14, 2010
Anonymous said...

< Drug Announcer Voice>Ask your doctor about Imitrex! < /Drug Announcer Voice>

10:41 PM, July 14, 2010
Skip said...

Doctor!!

11:06 PM, July 14, 2010
Firehand said...

I had a period of about two years, a long time ago, when I'd get something like that. They'd come out of nowhere, and EVERYTHING hurt: light, sound, touch. First one I got, wife laid a cool washcloth on my forehead and I damn near went through the pillow backward, it hurt so bad.

Stopped just as suddenly as they started, never did figure the damn things out.

You have my sympathy; I'd hate to have to deal with one of those again.

WV: upharked, what I almost did a number of times during those aches.

11:18 PM, July 14, 2010
Lewis said...

Tam, I don't know if I had what you've got, or vice versa, or neither, but I've had cluster headaches on two episodic occasions, the first about ten years ago, the second this year.

Here's how mine worked. They were always side-specific, coming on from the left side, starting out as a pain in the roof of my mouth, then migrating up through my sinuses and ending up centered in my left temple, right between my eye and my ear.

Maybe I'm just a sissy, but this pain was pretty bad. Curled up in a ball, mewling, hammering fists against the floor bad.

I got these every day, about the same time, for about two months. For me, they came on in the evenings, between 10 and 12.

I found two things that helped. First was soaking my arms in the sink, in water as hot as I could stand, as long as I could stand it. Later I dunked my head into that water too, and that helped some.

The other thing? Coffee. When I'd feel one coming on, I'd go fire up the coffee maker, and have a good strong cup of joe. The caffeine helped me, and I could feel the headache draining away in about half an hour. (Otherwise, it was rolling around on the floor, mewling like a mewler, until I finally fell asleep an hour or two later.) Of course, the joe kept me awake, but I figured that was a good tradeoff.

The best news was that, after supplementing with some extra Vitty D, magnesium and 5-htp, they just went away, and ain't come back.

11:20 PM, July 14, 2010
Mark Alger said...

I get one of those and I curse the life, ancestry, and progeny unto the seventh generation of the idiotic statist who decided that Darvocet should be a prescription-only "controlled substance."

I would wish for you that yours NEVER return. To hell with this five years crap. NEV-VER.

M

11:46 PM, July 14, 2010
Shawya said...

"Lewis" is on the right track. My mother-in-law has had migraines all her life and when she gets them, she immediately drinks one or two Cokes. It's the caffeine, opens up the blood vessels, same reason pain relievers have caffeine in them, so they work faster. Hope you never have to worry about it again though.

1:48 AM, July 15, 2010
Will said...

Mark Alger:

Darvon works better than Darvocet, in my experience.
With my shattered wrist in a cast, with two cross pins going side to side, it was like someone had flipped a switch to turn on the pain. Would start at 8 pm. Tried Percodan, and Codeine, but neither had much effect. Could munch on them like candy. I knew Darvon worked for me, so got that. Ended up taking 4 Darvon and a Tuinal at 8pm, and another 4 Darvon and a Tuinal at Midnight. Did that for 3 months, and then the Doc and the Pharmacist cut me off cold. Found out years later that stopping like that can kill you. They didn't think I could take them like that, and accused me of selling them. Idiots.

4:38 AM, July 15, 2010
Anonymous said...

I hope you're feeling better now!

Jim

6:37 AM, July 15, 2010
Mark Alger said...

Will;

Agreed. Didn't know Darvon was still on the market.

M

9:02 AM, July 15, 2010
Anonymous said...

Tam, women tend to have common and classic migraines at greater frequency than men because often they are hormonally triggered. Other "triggers" that are common, but vary in effect among individuals, are: Nitrates and nitrites (think hot dogs, beef jerky, bologna, bacon, etc.). Fortunately, some companies are addressing this, if belatedly. I found Oscar Meyer "Premium" hot dogs that are "nitrate free" recently. Other common triggers: Fermented/cultured stuff like beer, certain wines, certain cheeses; nuts, especially Cashews, and also chocolate. These triggers (for me) seem to be "dose dependent" a little is OK, but too much results in a migraine. It has also just recently come to my attention that a subset of people who get "classic migraines" (with visual aura) may also have a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Google it for more info.
Lewis, your headaches sound suspiciously like cluster headaches. That type can be the MOTHER-OF-All-HEADACHES and tends to affect men more than women. Hoping for long-term relief for you both. Kentucky Jones

9:53 AM, July 15, 2010
staghounds said...

Mi casa su casa.

10:07 AM, July 15, 2010
Lergnom said...

I had those a couple of times a year for years. OTC pain relievers wouldn't touch it, only thing helped was sinus meds. I carried Sudafed and Sinutab everywhere until someone suggested an old-fashioned nasal irrigator called a Neti pot. I bought one but couldn't handle the thought of waterboarding myself until I felt the start of one I knew was going to be epic. I used the Neti pot and the headache was gone in 20 minutes. I haven't needed sinus medication since.

12:28 PM, July 15, 2010
Stretch said...

My sister used a bonnet style hair dryer set on High. The warmth and 60 cycle hum seemed to relieve the pain.

5:39 PM, July 15, 2010
Lewis said...

Kentucky Jones: I started out thinking they were migraines, then researched more and concluded that they were probably clusters. They're gone, and that's what matters some, and what matters more is that I know how to deal with them when/if they come back. Another way to live in something besides condition white!

7:09 PM, July 15, 2010
JoeKujo said...

Anything less than what you described is not a headache.

8:15 PM, July 15, 2010
Anonymous said...

Get a prescription for Midrin (or the generic). Works wonders.

12:13 AM, July 16, 2010
Anonymous said...

i feel for you Tam. I get them bad sometimes. Never any rhyme nor reason either. Sometimes go blind and the pain is so bad i get the dry heaves. tried every trick people have suggested and prescription medecine and no relief just a dark cool quiet room and time. sometimes it's 2 or 3 days before i'm completely over one

1:20 AM, July 18, 2010

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