I had a migraine. A horrible, awful migraine.
I don't usually get headaches, except in the context of caffeine withdrawal. And today, I only had half of my morning coffee in the context of daily strong Starbucks blends + multiple daily caffeinated sodas (which I don't usually drink but since they've been in the fridge and it's been hot.... well...)
So, by 1 pm, my head felt like a drum.
By 5 pm, since not only did I have a headache, but I had not had time to eat today as well, my head felt like it was going to explode, I felt like I was going to vomit and pass out, and I just wanted to crawl into a little ball in the corner.
But, since I was on call in the Psych ER, I couldn't.
Luckily, I ran into a fellow resident who happens to have a handy-dandy little migraine first aid kit.
It saved my head. And my night. By 7 pm, I could function normally again without wanting to die.
I am so lucky that I don't have headaches regularly.
I am so lucky that my headaches respond to appropriate treatment.
In my last month on neurology, I saw so many patients with intractible migraines.
It's good to be reminded what it feels like from their perspective.
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7 comments:
I'm glad that you didn't have to be reminded for longer than a day.
And please, speaking as your loving sister (who cares about you and your wellness), you need to make time to EAT. You are a better doctor when you are properly nourished.
Psych ER? Been there, done that. Scary. ...oh, not as a doctor, of course...okay, that was sick humor, but I couldn't resist- I don't know why I make fun of myh psycho past... :P
Seriously, you gotta eat, doc!
I can't imagine having to deal with intractible migraines. Mine are mean enough. Speaking of which, the latest monthly test will be coming up within a week, so we will see how I do. It has been a MUCH better month; however, I do get itchy from this med as well in conjunction with hot weather. I just read about an article recently relating migraines with temperatures increases. I haven't looked up the article yet, but I may track that at some point as well.
I'm very glad you responded quickly to the first-aid, and not eating makes things much worse! Don't forget to eat; especially, when you are at work.
Have a good weekend! I still don't know what's happening on our end; at least any more than what I last told you about. Still waiting for letters and assistance and such.
What was the remedy? A former colleague of mine swears by Excedrine migraine + a double espresso...
For me, all that really works is sleep. It does work every time, but it's inconvenient. And the triptowhatsits make me dizzy.
Yes, eating is important. And sleep. It's funny how much advice doctors give their patients that we don't follow.
Laura - humor is good. I hope not too scary, though. We try to make our pts here feel as comfortable and safe as possible.
Laura (sis) - I'm interested to hear more about the itching and hot weather. Helpful to know.
Jen - it was excedrin migraine. I did not use the caffeine supplement part, though. I figured if it was a caffeine w/drawal headache, I might as well not contribute to future headaches by feeding the beast. Also, for the occasional migraine, the neurologist I worked with last month swears by a combination of Sudafed (works like imitrex/triptans, but is gentler) + Tylenol + ibuprofen to stop a headache.
Wow. Sudafed + ibuprofen + Tylenol? Sounds like that would knock me out...which, of course, would achieve the desired results. ;)
Ah, coffee. The cause and cure for so many of life's problems...
I'm tempted to try this combo! Don't know much about the itchiness and heat. I couldn't tolerate the propranol due to being itchy; that's when he swtiched me. He had me increase my dose slowly from 25 mg to 100 mg; after a week of 75 mg, I began to get itchy. It got better, but flared up each time I stepped out into the heat (we had a few weeks of >100 deg) or had to work with increased behavior causing increased "heat". I'm still not completely over it, but it is quite a bit better. Showering made it better for a few minutes, but it would get worse by the end of the shower. Crazy stuff.
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