Tell me about your headache

[kate_schaefer]

Okay, this isn't about me. This is about you. What was your worst headache ever? Do you know what caused it? Did anything you did to get rid of it have an effect? How long did it take to go away?

There is no downside to being told that whatever made my head hurt, it wasn't going to kill me. That's totally a good thing. There is a downside to having my head still hurt more than a week later. There are no monster explosions inside my head; it doesn't hurt that appallingly intense way still. It does hurt, though, and it makes it hard to think. It's hard to do anything. I cannot possibly have been sympathetic enough to people with headaches in the past. I am so sorry, you all.

Historically, I don't get headaches. I didn't, anyway; I guess I have to change my perspective now. We didn't even have ibuprofen in the house. If I'm going to have this unwelcome addition to my life, I'm going to have to learn how to live with it.

So tell me stories, please. I feel your pain.

Dammit.

Comments

[janetl.livejournal.com]

Was it a migraine? I went through a spell of having them a lot, and developed some strategies for reducing the frequency and coping when they came. I recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060953195/migrainesurvival/102-2600335-4134522

Of the over-the-counter pills, napoxen sodium (Aleve) works best for me with bad headaches.
For flat-out migraines, I use prescription pills. There are several of them, and different ones work for different people. MaxAlt works best for me.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's a migraine, but I'll take a look at the book. Thanks for the recommendation. I suspect that reading several books about headache in general will provide me some perspective.

I was using ibuprofen, but I think I will switch to Aleve. I generally use it for joint pain, and it's quite effective for that, but I had the idea that it wasn't as good for other aches. Since it's possible that this ache comes from pressure on the skull suture, which is a joint, Aleve might be just the right thing. Thanks!