Sunday 14 March 2010

Mother's Day is a headache....



Short post today.

Thank you very much for all your kind comments about my cushion covers.  As mentioned very briefly somewhere (in the text?  in the comments? somewhere...) that I've started making a white version of the black spotty cushion and was intending to do a whole load of them today, but the veins in my head had other ideas.

It was a lovely sunny morning so I decided to do tiny spot of pruning in the garden - we have some extremely bold brambles that need reminding of their place - so I spent a happy 15 minutes or so snipping and ripping stuff out.  Decided that was enough (didn't want to overdo it and, anyway, wanted to get started crocheting) so came in.  As I was taking off my leather gloves and changing from my gardening clogs, I noticed the telltale strip of white sparkly lights cutting halfway across the vision in my right eye.  Good grief.  A migraine.

I was plagued by these throughout my late teens and early twenties, and they were hell.  I would end up grey and vomiting and having to have two days off work - one day to have the headache and another day to recover because they were so violent.  I was sent to a Migraine Clinic and had electrodes attached to my head while they shone flickering lights in my eyes. I tried cutting out cheese, red wine and chocolate but all was to no avail. Eventually they stopped sending me appointments because they couldn't find out what was wrong.  They gave me some beta blockers to take when the headaches struck but all that managed to do was to reduce the duration from 2 days to 1.

Eventually, cutting a very long story short, I found the answer in chiropractic treatment.  So I just make sure I go for a 'crunch' a couple of times a year.  I guess I must be overdue for a visit.

I went back to bed at about 11am and slept until 1.30pm.  The immediate sharp pain had gone but it was now dissipated throughout my skull, leaving it feeling like I'd been kicked in the head.  Actually, I tell you what it feels like, a really bad hangover headache.  But I could barely see - migraines do weird things to your vision - imagine looking into a lightbulb and then looking elsewhere.  You get a blind spot and sometimes double vision, a bit like the picture at the top of the page.  Sorry if it's weirding you out but it's the closest representation I've found of what having a migraine is like but without the flashing lights, pain and vomiting.  Be grateful.

So I took it easy this afternoon, just blobbing out to whatever I could find on the telly.  I cannot bear 'chick flicks' as a rule but I am a sucker for a good Jane Austen and this afternoon they showed the 2005 'Pride and Prejudice' with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen, which is a gorgeous adaptation.  Cracking cast and beautiful cinematography.  I trust you'll forgive me - I've been ill.

6 comments:

peevish said...

Poor dear, migraines are terrible things. I've had the vomiting ones, so I know they will stop you in your tracks.

I hope you are all well now. xo

Kella said...

Sorry to hear how you spent the day, hope you are on the mend now.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, migraines are awful! I hope you're feeling better now. I get them too, and I agree, they can be very much like hangover headaches. I once actually did mistake one for a hangover headache! The vision thing is weird, too - I'm not even able to watch TV because the jumping images make me more nauseous. I've heard that chiropractic treatments are extremely effective, so I will probably go that route too, if I start getting migraines more often.

mountainear said...

That picture does 'weird me out'.

Visual disturbance is disturbing to say the least. I got seriously affected one night on the motorway, travelling at speed seeing the lights of on-coming traffic flickering through the barrier - a very frightening experience and I now know to avoid any flickering/flashing lights.

Hope you've rounded the corner and have made the crunching appointment.

(wv is malain - which sounds most appropriate.

Mrs Jones said...

Peevish - Fortunately I don't vomit anymore, which is a blessing, my teenage years were dreadful.

Kella - yes thanks, much better. A strong coffee (caffeine helps close down the overly expanded blood vessels - you will find it as the 'extra' ingredient in things like Hedex Extra and the like), a lot of painkillers spread out over the day and a bit of a kip did the trick. Still have the residue kicking around today, mind.

Pinklea - No, I can't watch the telly or read while having one, but I like to have a distraction so I'll generally put the box on, close my eyes and listen to it. But yesterday I just had to go to bed.

Mountainear - When I used to get them a lot, it used to terrify me that I might get one while driving for that very reason but, luckily, I never did. Am about to make my crunching appointment - I see a chap called Quincy Rabot and googling his name just now, found this blog about him - it tells you exactly what he's like and what happens - http://wastedchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/02/witch-doctors-telltale-pulses-and.html.

Dancing Dog said...

The only thing that has ever worked for me is 20 mgs of valium which knocks me out for about 12 hours. Usually I am better when I wake up. You have my sympathies.