Thursday Thoughts - The Evolution of My Headaches

So, I'm a migraine sufferer.  If you have followed my blog from when I was writing less frequently or you know me in person or you have read other posts on social media, you probably know this already.

My migraines have a set pattern or evolution.  I'm sure everyone's own experiences with migraines or headaches are very different.  But I thought that I would talk a bit about mine because not only can it be considered predictable at times but also explains some strange things about me.

Typically my migraines begin overnight.  They can be caused by any of the following:

1 - Eating too late at night (generally past 7/7:30pm) and not taking pain killers before bed
2 - Having caffeine too late at night (see #1 for conditions)
3 - Having any drink that isn't water too late at night (see #1 for conditions)
4 - Sleeping on my neck wrong
5 - Getting overheated while sleeping
6 - Stress
7 - Dehydration
8 - Unknown reasons

I can usually time my headaches and know when I'll be completely rid of the migraine portion.  They last 12 hours on average, sometimes less and sometimes longer.  It all depends on how bad the migraine is when I first catch it.

Painkiller of choice is Excedrin.  Not Excedrin Migraine.  Just Extra Strength Excedrin.  They all have the same amount of ingredients in them - there is literally no difference.  At least from how I read the labels.  Except that you can take Excedrin every 6 hours and the other stuff every 12 hours.

If the headache is bad enough and I have time, I'll spend 10-15 minutes or so with an ice pack to the back of the neck.  Or at least a cool cloth if an ice pack isn't available.  I'll make sure to have coffee.  And, if I think it was brought on by dehydration,  I'll drink my coconut water.  There are times I will also have a peppermint because my stomach doesn't feel right.  And, for some really, really strange reason I crave crunchy snacks like pretzels.  I guess they have the right amount of salt and crunch that makes my head feel okay?

Eventually, the headache dissipates. Or, I should say the migraine dissipates.  At this point, several things happen.  My stomach starts to feel really funky.  Most times people would say this is a bad thing.  But, for me, I know my migraine is on its way out so I see it as a good thing.  Also, I start to want to eat everything.  Even if I just had lunch, I want to eat more.  Usually snack stuff.  And it's not that I'm even hungry.  I just want to eat stuff. 

I also start to get a little crazy.  It's when I can't stop myself from singing instrumental music.  I get very excited and animated about random things and will talk to anyone incessantly finding things to talk about, which is odd because I don't always like to talk a lot.  And sometimes things seem all so new and extra wonderful to me.

 Admiring the Moon post-headache

And then I get the rebound headache.  It is an annoying headache.  Not as intense or side-oriented as a migraine.  But still there.  And annoying.  And then I get exhausted.  Like very tired suddenly.  Usually by that point it is the end of the day, so I can go to bed!

That is the typical path my migraines take.  And maybe explains just a bit more about me!