Monday, May 25, 2009

Fun with riddles!

Q: How are headaches like potato chips?
A: It's impossible to stop at just one, no matter how much you want to!

Okay, not such a funny joke.
Saturday, the day of my last post, the Relpax never really did the trick. I suspect it kept the migraine from developing to its full, vomit-inducing potential, but it was still bad enough that I spent most of the day -- from about 2 p.m. on -- laying in bed, sleeping off and on and reading when I could.

Sunday was okay. I woke and rose from bed rather gingerly, waiting to see what my head was going to do. There was a bit of an ache, but I think it was mainly a leftover kind of deal. So I went about my day, got some things done, laundry, dishes, feeding the plants. I even went out for a bit in the late afternoon to fulfill a social obligation.

But by about 8 p.m., a very definite pain was developing. Hoping for the best, I went to bed about 11. When I got up to pee around 5 a.m., it seemed like everything was fine.

I woke around 8 a.m. and lay in bed reading for nearly an hour. By the time I got up it was clear that the headache was still hanging around making a nuisance of itself.

I have so many things I wanted to get done today. If I take the Relpax, I might dodge the pain, but it usually zaps any motivation. If I don't... well, who really knows?

The trouble is, if I'm going to have any reasonable expectation of the Relpax working, I have to take it before I eat. But that means I either have to fast until I decide it's warranted, or take it before I'm really even sure I need to.

Honestly, I think one of the most annoying things about my migraines is all the choices I have to make. I'm really not very good at decisions.

This morning I said to Hell with it and took a risk.

I decided to see if I could knock the sucker out with exercise before I gave in and drank the Koolaid (so to speak).

I needed fuel to exercise, and I decided a smoothie might be a good compromise. Unfortunately, all I had was chocolate soy milk (bought in a weak moment, it has been sitting in my fridge unopened for months). Now, I don't think chocolate is a "trigger" for me, but since it is for some people, I'm a little superstitious about it (another bad effect of migraines on me -- I've been meaning to write about that for a while now -- sigh...)

But by this point I was all gung-ho on my plan. I'd made a decision and I wasn't going to be derailed by details.

I made the smoothie, laced up my running shoes and headed out into the sultry late Southeast Texas spring. I decided to walk at a brisk pace to a running/walking track about a mile or so from my house, run around that, maybe twice, then run home.

On the way there, I could already tell that my body was not really up for a run. For one thing, I'd strained my back a bit hauling around bags of mulch for my garden and shoveling the same.
So as I was passing the nearly empty parking garage at St. E, I had a brilliant idea: I'd walk up the levels -- it would be nearly as strenuous as running, but without the impact.

So I did that. Just to up the ante, I even walked up the stairs a time or two. Then I continued on to the walking track, breaking into a low jog once or twice, then backing down when my lower back throbbed in protest. All through this, my head still hurt.

I got home and it still hurt.

Paid some bills, sorted through some papers -- still hurts.

Well, I tried.

I think the exercise cure works best for tension headaches -- though I was really hoping a good endorphin release might do the trick. Maybe I didn't go long enough or hard enough, but it was getting rather hot and exhausting myself in the heat might backfire and just make it worse.

So now I'm back to square one. Take the Relpax? Or risk it?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

And on the 26th day...

A headache.
I'm inclined to be a little superstitious. Surely I brought it on crowing about not having one for nearly a month.
But it's really not that uncommon for me to have a headache around "that time of the month." And I don't think I helped matters by getting up before 7 this morning to go pick up another load of mulch for my garden (which I now don't feel up to working in, alas).
I took a nap hoping for the best, but woke up with that nagging pain just starting up.
I waited perhaps too long to take Relpax and now I'm wondering if it's going to kick in at all. I should have taken it before I ate, because food seems to slow its absorption, but I hoped that eating would help.
Feel nauseated, the pain ramping up.
Really not too much to say about it. I'm grateful -- I really am -- that I had 25 days blissfully headache-free. But the truth is, I'd rather never have one at all...
I promised a friend I'd go to his play tonight and I stood him up for lunch yesterday, so I'm hoping the Relpax will do its trick.

Friday, May 22, 2009

25 days (and counting)

Don't really have time for a proper post -- tons to do at work today so I mustn't dawdle (is it just me or am I sounding oddly British all of a sudden?) but I just wanted to say: 25 days all but headache free! (I might have had one or two rather mild pains in that time -- but nothing worth mentioning)
Don't know why -- I'm just grateful.