Saturday, May 18, 2019

Author Headaches

I read somewhere that General Grant (later President Grant) suffered from debilitating migraines. The thought of conducting a battle with cannon-fire, guns barking, men and horses screaming with a migraine makes me shudder. Also makes me respect the man's intestinal fortitude because when I have a migraine, even the sound of my own breathing is too loud.

Headaches--I got 'em. Headaches from allergies, tension headaches, and if I eat the wrong foods or have a sudden upheaval in my life, I have crippling migraines. The migraines are the worst, because as my doctor said some years ago, mine are (his words, not mine) "Bass-ackwards." Cold applied to the head and neck usually offers some relief for migraine suffers. Cold applied to my head and neck during a migraine intensifies the pain and if I wasn't vomiting before from the pain, I immediately will be. I lose sight in my right eye. It feels as if an ice pick has been slammed through my head above my right eye and emerges out the back of my skull just above the first neck vertebrae and someone is hitting that ice pick to make it vibrate.

Prior to a migraine, I do get the "warnings"--I smell what can only be described as copper wires burning (Ever have an electrical fire somewhere and smell those overheated wires? That's what I smell.); I see halos around lights and if I close my eyes, I see bright flashing lights; and oddly enough, I have a completely detached, disjointed sensation in my whole body, as if nothing is properly connected. If I can take my meds soon enough when I get the warnings, I can avert the worst of a migraine.

That didn't happen yesterday afternoon. I sat down to write my blog post, booted up trusty ol' Red (my lap is a bright, shiny, metallic red color), and smelled burning copper wires. My heart sank. I thought Red was giving up the ghost. And, then the migraine hit. I didn't get all the warnings. My body betrayed me. I couldn't get the migraine meds onboard because this one was a "puking until I was certain I saw my socks come out of my mouth" migraine. (Sorry about the graphic mental image there.)  

I crawled into bed and prayed I could fall asleep so maybe--just maybe--this one wouldn't be long in duration. So much for that hope. I'm writing this blog post through a migraine. I'll have a better post next month.


4 comments:

  1. Oh, Lynda. I feel for you. I see auras before mine, and they can be debilitating. Only people who get migraines understand what a unique type of pain they bring. Feel better soon.

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  2. Oh Lynda: so so sorry for your suffering. Have only had two migraines in my life,thought they might kill me and then wished they would. Hoping more advancement in treating them will soon be forthcoming.

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  3. Sorry to learn you have migraines. I used to but mine were caused by allergy to two specific foods,cabbage and Coca Cola. My sister-in-law's were caused by hormones. A change in the weather triggers our daughter's. There must be dozens of triggers. I hope you can find yours and avoid the migraine.

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  4. Sorry you're suffering so much, Lynda. I remember my dad getting migraines when I was a child. They were triggered by driving home from work facing the late day sun. I don't recall how he treated them other than collapsing in his easy chair and closing his eyes. Maybe he swallowed some aspirin. That was probably the only medicine available back then. Feel better soon!

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