to those who watch us suffer...

Whilst the person who experiences these headaches, whatever form they are in, is the fundamental sufferer in all of this, the families and friends of that person can’t be overlooked.  Watching a person shrivel over the passing weeks and months to a shadow of their former self is not a pleasant journey particularly when it is something that you can have no impact on.  This is not something specific to headaches either, anybody who has lived with or known somebody who experiences daily pain of varying intensity will say that over time, as strong as they may seem the pain changes them.  For me I am very lucky to have somebody who I feel comfortable enough to voice what I am feeling and ultimately this is how this blog was born.

So if you are one of those people who has stumbled upon this blog, perhaps because you've found your loved one curled up on the cool bathroom floor once more trying to find solace from the pain, then know that this painful journey would be a lot tougher without you. Your support, love, friendship, patience, smiles and laughter are what get us through each and every headache. Thank you.

the drugs don't work...

In the news this week recent research has shown that the way we think about any medication we are taking affects its effect upon us. That if we believe that it will work then it’s more likely to work. Basically the findings of the results strengthen the ideas that are the foundation to the phenomenon known as the placebo effect.

Sometimes though no matter how much we will a drug to work, it simply doesn’t and this week I have been dealing with the heartache of false hope and is a common journey for those who suffer from chronic headaches. I have been taking Topamax for almost 60 days now, it is most commonly used as an epilepsy drug but in much reduced doses has been known to do wonders for chronic headaches, so willing to give anything a go I began taking them just before Christmas.

Topamax  I am told is given the nickname Toximax amongst the medical profession owing to their 104 known side effects listed on the accompanying leaflet, the most predominant of which is weight loss.  In fact it was considered about being prescribed as a weight loss drug but I think the other 103 side effects made them think twice!  You begin by taking half your dose for a week because most people feel unwell for the first couple of weeks and I was no exception. Strong nausea, a severe bout of the blues and a general feeling of malaise accompanied me for a long fortnight and I was lucky that this didn’t last. For many they experience harsh side effects throughout the whole course of medicine but for me, apart from losing a few pounds, I have coped perfectly well since then.

So have my headaches melted away into the ether I hear you ask? Well there was a point two weeks ago where I began to notice by lunchtime my headaches seemed to be disappearing leaving perfect clarity and this seemed to be happening everyday and I really started to believe I had turned a corner. In fact I convinced myself that I could adapt to this pattern, that I could stand a couple of hours of a cloudy/sore head in the morning if the majority of the day was headache free. I felt elated that the drugs were finally working, hope was strengthened and the light at the end of the tunnel that had long since grown dim had seemed to have been reignited from somewhere.

Several days later from the midst of hope, a searing pain sprung from behind my eyes and an all too familiar dull pain radiated from under my temples, the light quenched, the hope retreating… it wasn’t the medicine, it wasn’t anything changing. It was 10 days of milder headache than usual and I did well to enjoy it.

The Topamax appears not to have worked for me but that is not to say it won’t for you.  It has been very successful for many sufferers of chronic daily migraine and headache and I hope if you are trying it you get more success than I did. Try not to be discouraged if things don’t work, there is always another thing to try and the next one may just provide the answer you’ve been searching for.

Resource for Family & Friends

If you have stumbled across my blog because a loved one is suffering from frequent or complicated headaches then take a look at the resource page I have just added for family & friends.

and breathe...

Although at times chronic migraine can seem like quite an isolating condition, I am blessed enough to have somebody's support whose compassion and understanding seems to know no bounds. When one thing fails and I inevitably get that sense that this will be a lifelong battle that I will have to manage rather than conquer; he is the first to remind me to pick myself up, dust myself off, score that thing off the list of possible solutions and move on to the next one. We wont give up until something works...

So looking into the next thing on the list I came across Oxygen therapy. 

This involves the sufferer breathing 100% oxygen for approx 10-15 mins. Whilst this is commonly used today for treatment for cluster headaches, its widespread application to other forms of headache is less commonly exploited. Research has found that oxygen therapy can provide pain relief and even completely the relieve the headache/migraine in about 80% of cases.

For further information:
http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/Oxygen_Therapy

Oxyfit often advertise on my blog, they provide 100% medicinal grade oxygen for home use.

My experience with this is that I find it useful when I get a short, sharp, stabbing pains (that sometimes accompanies the beginnings of a headache), I find the edge is taken off the pain and doesn't tend to escalate any further.

You may find relief and even a cure in the most simplest of function you perform everyday without thinking - breathing.



For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.  ~Sanskrit Proverb

your true colours...

For anyone whose wanted to reach inside their skull, tear their brain out and toss it across the room because the intense irrationality that the scale of the pain rising in your head causes makes you honestly believe that this indeed could be a real solution to the situation, if relief doesnt happen soon - well this picture is for you. Even when you feel the very essence of your life is being excruciatingly drawn from you there is some unusual beauty...

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/what-pain-looks-like-1331674.html?action=Gallery&ino=4

step away from the codeine...

I know what it's like, you've tried every natural headache remedy going and nothing is working so you decide to raid the medicine cabinet...

If you are like many chronic daily migraine and/or headache sufferers over the counter pain medication will not make the slightest bit of difference, still you live in hope that today it may just work so you try a couple of painkillers anyway as any improvement would be welcome.

A few words from the wise passed on from my headache specialist to me (note that this is in reference to chronic daily headache/migraine sufferers):

1. stay away from any codeine based medication including paracetamol with codeine, co-codamol etc.. whilst they are brilliant painkillers they bring with them an associated rebound headache which really won't help your cause (you're getting enough headaches of your own already). Don't be afraid to ask your GP if the painkiller's he is about to prescribe you contain codeine and don't be afraid to refuse them either.

2. if painkiller's aren't working - don't keep taking them, if they are making no difference, they aren't helping your cause any, it's time to see a specialist.

remedy for headache

I have updated my headache remedies page since it was first posted last month and will continue to add to it. A lot of people look for a 'headache home remedy' so I hope that some of these may prove useful for relieving your headache symptoms...