Head games
I’ve posted about my migraines recently. Lately they’re out of control. I’ve been getting incapacitating headaches around 2 times a week now. It used to be that I would get them twice a year. I’ve tried all of the new migraine drugs – frova, zomig, imitrex, relpax; the old reliable that used to work, midrin, heavy amounts of advil and caffeine; elavil and muscle relaxants to take at night. My lord, that is an insane amount of medication, all taken in trial and error form, and nothing working.
Last night I had a brainstorm. After my second daughter was born I was getting occasional migraines, a little more often than usual. I changed my Pill to a different kind. I called the nurse at my doctor’s office today and after hearing what I had to say about the migraines and some other stuff, she agreed that something was woefully wrong and that I shouldn’t take it anymore. I’m so glad it only took me over a year to figure that out.
What’s awful is when I get one of these headaches and guinea pig my way through the new medications I’m supposed to try. Nope, relpax didn’t work, wait an hour, try another. That didn’t work either, wait an hour, try midrin. Nope, that’s not it either, wait an hour, try a pain pill. Now I’m woozy and my eyes are rolling back in my head, guess I’ll just sleep through the pain as best as I can. It’s scary. I don’t like taking all that crap. What if I have a reaction to something? Bad juju.
Max the kitten is amazing. He’s stuck to me like glue. He follows me everywhere I go and jumps into my lap while I’m still in the process of sitting down. He looks and acts a lot like Gus, with some of the same weird idiosyncrasies. Like digging underwear out of the dirty clothes pile and running around the room with it on his head. That’s weird. And gross. But Gus did it too, when he was a kitten. I did a little research – cat gestation times are 57-65 days. Max was born 57 days after Gus died. Hub thinks Gus was a Buddhist. Which makes me feel pretty good, I think. Following that line of reasoning, his reward for a good life (and it was good, he was in every way a wonderful cat) is to come back and spend another lifetime with me?
Not to say that I think I’ve replaced Gus. Max is definitely his own little cat. But he does remind me of the good times with the kitties who have gone before, and I’m remembering the cute things they used to do before getting elderly and ill. I think of Gus and Lilly with more smiles than sad now.
Of course, the only problem is that Max has a godawful case of the farts today, and if you have never smelled a cat fart, you don’t know from noxious. That’ll teach me to switch his food.
I think I’m going to join the panel at the Journalcon this October. I’ll find out some more about it tomorrow at the Meetup (barring unforeseen circumstances; I’ve been adding that caveat to just about any plans I make recently because of how often I get migraines).
August 20th, 2003 at 7:50 am
the pill i was on after e. also gave me migraines. mine were only once a month, but they were like clockwork and came right near my period, and they lasted for two full days every time. i never realized that until my supervisor pointed out that i took one sick day every four weeks and it was usually a thursday or a friday. i started paying attention then and noticed the pattern. i stopped taking the pill (because we wanted to get pregnant) and i don’t have them anymore. when i go back on it i’m going to pick the brand i was taking before the one that gave me headaches (orthotricyclen), that one didn’t have any side effects (triphasil 28) at all.
it took me like two years to figure it out, so don’t feel stupid.
August 20th, 2003 at 12:10 pm
we need more Max pictures! At least one for every creepy crawly pic you’ve posted over the last year! lol
August 20th, 2003 at 2:42 pm
QUIT screwing around with this medication stuff! I firmly believe that self medication was responsible for mom’s untimely demise. Go get a full physical from a doctor to include all the stuff no one wants to talk about. DO IT SOON IF NOT TODAY!!!!!
August 20th, 2003 at 3:42 pm
Michigan – Triphasil is the one I used to take, too. I think I’m going to go back to that.
Jen – I want to take pics, but it’s hard to get a good angle when he’s constantly on my lap!
Brother – I have a referral for a workup with a neurologist in the works, but specialists take something like 6 weeks for an appointment. Believe me, I’m not self-medicating. Apparently with the new class of migraine pills you go through trial and error until you find one that works. However, I’ve stopped the pills that might be responsible and my ob’s going to prescribe something different.
check out http://www.migraines.org/treatment/treatctm.htm
Luckily I’m not having to deal with any narcotic/habit forming crap, which I wouldn’t do anyway. But yes, I am waiting on a referral from the neurologist and a an appointment with my OB; I’m not dropping this.
August 20th, 2003 at 9:43 pm
i think that triphasil is pretty much the perfect pill. for me, anyway. there is a history of migraines on my mother’s side, and s. exhibits some of these signs rarely (she gets it from d. too, he gets the sudden ones that knock you down with no warning). fortunately i do not get them often, maybe twice a year or something if i am not on that pill.
also, the migraine drug thing was always trial and error, i think. i recall my mother doing the same exact thing before she came across one that worked for her. same with her heart medication, actually…
since you’re in the business of following-up, make sure to remind me to see a cardiologist about the fainting thing after i have the baby. it’s easy for me to put stuff like that off.
August 22nd, 2003 at 7:31 pm
GET OFF THE PILL. That stuff is evil….makes me see stuff when I shut my eyes at night. (SHUDDER) Now I just count on my fingers and skip the right days! So far so good with that method.