When I began blogging I had one blog specially to post about my health. By the time I’d done about four postings even I got fed up of the whingeing so I got rid of it. Nevertheless, I have found the occasional post on the sites of other chronic sufferers (of all sorts) to be quite helpful. They either make me realise how fortunate I am or they make me think – Hey, I’m not alone in this!
So, here’s my blog posting about health for today. And it’s a positive one! Amongst other things, I suffer from around fifteen migraines a month. Sanity (such as it is) is only retained thanks to Imigran (Imitrex in the States, Beckiwithani informs me) which kills off many of them quite quickly so long as I take it early enough. They are brought on by lack of sleep, heat, various foods (all the best ones of course, like cheese and chocolate) and some other cause or causes that even after fifty years I haven’t managed to determine. Mum always consoled herself that they would go when I was middle-aged as hers did – no such luck.
I have tried various medicines which are designed to stop them coming along in the first place. The latest on my agenda was Pizotifen (which brought my tablet consumption up to 26 or so a day – poor system!). At 1.5mg a day it was having no effect so my Doctor upped it to 3mg last month. It may or may not have had much effect on my migraines. They have been less this month but since they come and go in clusters to some extent this is not a reliable measure as yet. What the increased dosage has done is improve my sleep pattern. I’ve had a few nights when I slept for much longer than normal. Normal for me being about two hours at a stretch on a very good night. Last night ,for example, I went to bed at 10.30 after a fairly tiring day and got straight off to sleep. I woke at 5.30 for a quick trip to the loo and despite being in a lot of pain got straight back to sleep (and lots of strange dreams – or, as GB would put it, night ponies). The next time I woke it was 8.30 a.m. Wow! I don’t think I’ve slept that long for years. The sun was up – I missed the dawn.
The fact that I awoke in agony is nothing special but then again it’s nothing unusual either so I can live with that. The only problem I foresee is a complete revision of my computing habits could be necessary. No more posting and reading in the middle of the night. That would be really strange!
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I have just read your Blog about your "new" medication and your migraines. Puts things into perspective alright. How could I moan about having had a cough that turned into pneumonia. I shall think "John" the next time I think I am unwell.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't get worked up about it, Spesh. Everything is relative. My problems are put into perspective by looking at the blog of someone who has terminal cancer and keeps having pieces chopped off to stem the tide of the disease.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think of it as what are you are used to + the new health issue. If what you are used to is fairly good health then the new issue is just as unpleasant as to you as a new issue would be to me.
(PS And I've not heard you moan, your emails always seem fairly factual rather than seldf-pitying. I suspect its the man about the house who gets an earful.
Enjoyed the post. I slept well last night (two or three 2 1/2 to 3 hours blocks). Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteIn my forties I was somewhat concerned about losing the ability to sleep well. (I listened to the moans of my elders. Now, I am that elder.) So I chuckled to see that you 1) were blogging about sleep, precious sleep, and 2) that you had deleted your health blog, and 3) that you've explained where you "find" time to blog.
My list of personal heroes include my former assistant who shared my classroom for eight years. She was in chronic pain, eventually enduring two hip replacements. She, like you, maintained a positive outlook and demeanor despite inhabiting a body that was less than neutral.
Thanks for sharing.
Don
I've had only about three or four migraines in my life. If I catch them early I take a handful of acetamenophen (sp? I'm too lazy to look it up) and can sometimes avoid it. Mine, so far, have been brought on by exercise. How convenient an excuse!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear yours are so awful. Mine, I think, have been only medium-ish and don't last all that long, comparably.
I don't think many people can be worse off than a long time, long suffering, migraine sufferer-with frequent attacks.
ReplyDeleteI am one of them, and my life is run by the migraines, I cannot work, I cannot make definate plans, I can't do any of the things I enjoyed once.
I am 35 and have been getting them more and more often, one attack can last for two weeks for me. I used to feel that there were many people worse off, and although I know that there are- I guess right now- (cold as it may sound) I don't care. My aunt- whom I am very fond of has cancer- but she is rich and has lead a lovely life- I have not.
I cannot find any main triggers, I've been put on beta-blockers, several times with no effect. I take naramig at the moment- they remove the migraine- but it will always come back the next day- or later in the night. I am on pizotifen now- after having to change my GP, due to their lack of help...Been on it just over a week and had only one day clear from a severe headache or migraine.
I know this might sound really bad to say- but I often just want to die- just so the pain will end.
Oh Susie, What can I say. You have my deepest sympathy. I just hope that you find something that works for you. Once you do - and I'm being positive and saying once you do not if you do - then your life will go back to being rich. There have been plenty of times when I felt like giving up but I'm glad I didn't - not just for my own sake but for that of those around me. That's easy to write because I haven't got a migraine at the moment. I know how hard it is to be positive when one has got a migraine so all I can do is let you know I'm thinking of you.
ReplyDelete