Monday, November 24, 2014

The Four Week Migraine

I did do some sewing about a month ago, took some photos and wrote a draft blog post . That's as far as I got before I got the headache from hell. Actually, I had been having week long headaches and dizziness all summer and had been working with my doctor for a solution to them. He put me on a medication to prevent migraines but it didn't work. Then I got the worst headache ever. And it just kept getting worse. I was in a lot of pain and very worried. My blood pressure was ridiculous. I went to the ER, then spent a couple days in the hospital. Thankfully the CT scan was clear. I didn't want to see, hear or smell anything and I couldn't think straight. I couldn't tolerate the second medication but the third one seems okay so far. It's to prevent future attacks. I've spent a lot of time on the couch, more and more of it in the upright position everyday. I still have a bit of headache and dizziness and will still need to get an MRI to be on the safe side. I'm determined to not spend the whole day on the couch--I have over one hundred unread blog posts to catch up on!
So what caused this? Our old friend: Mrs. Menopause. Seems that if you had severe migraines in your teens and twenties they can come roaring back when you enter peri-menopause. So as I skipped along all through my 30s and 40s with maybe two migraines a year, counting down the months until my periods would be over, I had no idea what I had in store.

6 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear you have been ill. Should you need anything at all, let me know. I know what those migraines are like. The good thing is they really do stop again. I know this being ever so slightly older than you.

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    1. Thanks, Jan. I feel a bit better. Hopefully the medication will keep it at bay for now. See you soon.

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  2. This is terrible! I am so sorry to hear it. I control my migraines with beta blockers but I had to try a couple before I found one that didn't turn me into a vegetable. I hope your medication works for you. There's increasing evidence for magnesium plus vitamin B something helping too. It's hard when you feel crappy but do keep seeking solutions till you get to something that works. Anyway too much advice, just want to send heaps of encouragement.

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    1. My doctor initially put me on a beta blocker and that totally made it worse. The second drug made me feel foggy. The third one seems to be better. They did also tell me to take magnesium. I know i'm likely to have 5 years of this so--- whatever it takes!

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  3. We wondered why you had been so quiet in the blog world. Glad it's improving finally. If you want a ride to the Christmas party for DG3, I can come and get you. If I can help in any way, just call.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. You know it was bad if I couldn't sew, right? I did manage to cut something out last night, but the old Katherine would have gotten it sewed also. I'll let you know about the ride. It's weird-- I haven't driven in almost two weeks, but its cool because I've got people doing stuff for me. See you next week.

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