Friday, December 15, 2006

Probably Not Funny.

So. I'm looking for advice here after I tell my little tale. No knitting or gifty content in this post, I'm afraid - though I do have some knitting fresh off the needles and blocking wires and I managed to get some photos of cool gifts that were recently received...so stay tuned.

I've been having some issues with my head of late - not that I'm crazy or anything ;) well, aside from the running anyhow - it's more that I've been plagued by headaches. It seems they started as sinus headaches, which were treated by switching up my allergy medications along with a battery of antibiotics. Several other allergy prone folks suggested the use of a neti pot instead of adding on additional medications of the decongestant/mucus clearing variety. The good news is with the neti pot and the antibiotics, the sinus pressure appears to be under control though. The bad news is the headaches are still with me - though now they appear to be more of a migrane/tension headache nature. I'm getting rather tired of it - and I prefer to treat without drugs. One would think the natural endorphins from running would kick those headaches right quickly, but alas.

Anyhow, what's not funny? As a part of the whole diagnosis bit, I received a voicemail from my dr's office regarding a CT scan of my head (you know - just to make certain it isn't something more serious)...it went something like this:

Hello, this is a message from your dr's office regarding the recent CT scan of your brain...

...Nothing was found.

pause

Uh. Hmm. That is, nothing Abnormal was found.

*click*

They really need to work on their message delivery. In any case, I laughed and laughed and just couldn't stop giggling over that voicemail.

Anyhow, if anyone has suggestions on what I might do to relieve these headaches, it would be appreciated. When I last had these problems I used to see an acupuncturist (yeah, me who is afraid of needles let someone stick em in my head...that goes to show how bad the headaches were). Sadly, my acupuncturist moved and I haven't found a new one. Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

6 comments:

Wannabe said...

My first inclination would be are you getting enough minerals and vitamins in your diet? When you get the headaches is it at a certain time of day/month...like after a run where it could be caused by dehydration or during PMS? Also, with being on antibiotics it affects your healthy gut flora which can lead to headaches as well because it sets your body all out of whack...try taking probiotics first thing in the morning on an empty stomach...Nature's Way makes a great one I take daily. The last thing I would suggest is a chiropractor. Most of my migraines are caused by my neck and TMJ issues and teeth grinding at night. :) Good luck. Migraines suck!

Unknown said...

Okay right after I had my last kid I got migranes. Drugs didn't really do anything other then make me really sleepy. I'm talking the narcotic vareity here not asprin. Anyway when I got a headache I would just nap anyway so who needed the nracs. My headaches were always over my eye and I found counter pressure with something hard and cold really helped. i used ice but as ice is ice it melted and I neededt to get up for more ice. Then i started to use my rocj. I know stupid but I had this smooth piece or rose quarth that I kept in the fridge. It was hard and cold and didn't melt. Although you will look very strange walking around with a rock pressed to your forehead. it works for me what can I say.

Kirsten said...

So sorry to hear about your headaches. I get them from time to time too, and I know first hand how horrible migranes can be. I usually try to catch them before they get too bad. If I let them go too far there's nothing to do but go to bed and wait for them to go away. My headaches are often hormonal. You may want to keep a headache diary, paying attention to what you have eaten,and where you are in your cycle.

My doctor had perscribed some pretty serious meds for mine, but I have found that if I catch them early enough I can often get away with just Motrin and a large cup of coffee - caffiene seems to help me - for some people though it is a trigger, so be careful. Good Luck.

YarnB said...

I have horrible headaches daily. In my case, they are from my neck. Do you have any neck / spine problems? A CT scan will not show what an MRI will by the way. Don't give up trying to find a cause or treatment! For me, ice packs helps, or stretching. Acupuncture helped but the headaches came back...Sorry you have this. It is awful.

Anonymous said...

Have you changed any of your eating habits recently? Sometimes food allergies can cause migraines.

bittenbyknittin said...

Here is my headache advice:

I have scoliosis, which was causing the dull ache behind my eyes that felt like a sinus headache. Some yoga-like physical therapy helped a lot.

I also suffer from work-related stress, which has been helped by hypnosis. The therapist recorded the session and I listen to that tape when I am feeling tense.

As I age, I notice that I get headaches when I get less than or more than a certain amount of caffeine, or if I get even slightly dehydrated, or if I drink wine :-(

Anyway, I hope you can find the source of your headaches. Otherwise you are just treating the symptoms.

Be good to yourself!