Saturday, April 07, 2007

Dolor de cabeza

When I have a migraine, which seems to be more often lately, there's little I want to do. Cooking is hard. I can read okay, but it's hard to concentrate on writing most anything at all, except for e-mails. So I apologize for being remiss and not posting.

My librarian said she's been to the ER three times with migraines. Mine have never been that bad, fortunately.

I also had a student who rarely made class this last session because of migraines. The best she could do was get to work. I feel for her.

Today I took Excedrin Extra Strength and the migraine is at bay. It's there, lurking, like a parking meter cop, waiting to swoop down at the first chance it gets. I even said a prayer to St. Jude, the saint of lost causes.

I cannot think of one man who gets migraines. They seem to be a female thing.

What do you do for migraines?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm lucky in that I get those flashing lights in my eyes as a warning. If I take some Excedrin Migraine when the lights are still flashing, I usually get away with just a normal headache and some fatigue. But if I don't get the Excedrin in before the lights go away, I'm down for a couple of days--intense pain, nausea, the works.

Anonymous said...

I don't see the lights. Just feel the shroud of discomfort that descends....

Today I woke up sans headache. I'm praying it stays away. I'm afraid to drink wine, now, because the last time I got one, I had a glass of wine that night after not having much wine at all for a couple of weeks. White wine, too....

Kate Robertson said...

Men do get migraines, my husband gets them and I have had coworkers who were men that got them. My husband goes in to our bedroom with all the shades drawn, the light really bothers him. He just takes advil and is out of commission for the day. He has had them since he was a kid. I have friends who do end up in the emergency room though. I hope yours is gone soon. They are no fun at all.

Ka

Anonymous said...

I take Excedrin Migraine with milk and curl up in a dark room until it goes away. No fun at all.

Anonymous said...

One of my dear friends - a man - has had debilitating migraines his entire life. He takes prescription medication to keep them away - and that is not always successful. He did help me get rid of mine completely, however, by suggesting I eliminate caffeine completely from my diet. I had migraines for 10 years - flashing lights and loss of vision - and have only had 2 in the last 6 years since I have up caffeine. The two I had were induced by accidental caffeine consumption. Just cutting down on the stuff didn't help - because as my doctor explained it can be the uneven levels (1 pop on Monday, 0 on Tuesday & 3 on Wednesday ...) that cause the migraine. Maybe this will help? I hope so, it has been life changing for me to be out from under that pain. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

But why does caffeine have to be so fun?

You're right, though. The tea I've been drinking first thing in the morning for the last week has caffeine, I just found out. (Ingredients weren't on the teabag pouch.) So I just gave that up, too. The migraine has been at bay since Saturday night (it's Tuesday now). Maybe the prayer to St. Jude worked. After the last couple of weeks, I have a greater empathy for people with migraines.

AmericanCat said...

Ah migraines. You know that I am unfortunately an expert on the pain of these. I too have given up caffeine but I haven't noticed any link with caffeine and my migraines. Unfortunately women are more prone and there are multiple types we can have--some are triggered when our hormones fluctuate. For me, I just have to take my meds and wait it out. My meds don't always work but they usually help me fall asleep and I try to sleep off the migraine. I would definitely avoid alcohol--especially wine for at least a week after the headache completely dissipates. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Anonymous said...

Barbara, the best thing I have ever bought in my grown-up life was a air-purifier. Not only have I eliminated all my swirly lights migranes, but also the bright red rash around my eyes and nose. I hope yours is that easy to solve. Good Luck!!!!

Don said...

Completely off-topic, but it occurred to me that it would be nice to have a blog post for each edition of the radio show with at least titles/authors for the books mentioned in the show if not full-fledged amazon (or powell's or whichever you prefer) links. I'm often on a walk while listening to your show (on the podcast) and it would be nice to have this information in non-audio form for later reference.

And not just the authors' books, but anything else that gets brought up during the conversation.

Jim Bohannon (aka Maché Artist) said...

Ahhh...but you now know one male who has migraines. I have been diagnosed with migraine at times and with cluster headaches at others. I have been in the emergency room many times over the years with excruciating headaches. What to do? I wish I knew. Usually the only thing that helps is getting an injection of pain medication that essentially knocks me out. Like you, I can read with a headache, but little else. Also, it's not light that bothers me when I have one -- it's darkness. Odd, but true.