Waiting for Superman

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This morning I awoke—not to my alarm, but nearly an hour earlier—to the throbbing pain in my skull. My head was pounding, and it felt like someone had been using my brain as a punching bag.

In fact, do you remember that scene from The Wrath of Kahn? You know, the one where Kahn puts that little worm into Chekov’s ear and it burrows its way into his brain?

Yeah, you could say that it felt something like that.

Prognosis negative

Pin It Chronic Mastoiditis

Yep, that’s what they think.

Now, you’re ready to run to the search option of the internet to look up just what Chronic Mastoiditis is, aren’t you?

If you really want to know, feel free. At the time there is not much else to say…time will tell. However, didn’t I say it would be fine?

Now I get to see a neurologist instead.

Thanks for the concern.

However, I’m thinking that it might actually be a brain cloud…

The Scan

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I went to the hospital today and found out that I didn’t need an MRI, but instead, I needed a CAT scan. As I walked along the hallway with the nurse, I jokingly asked, “Is this going to be a problem? I’m allergic to cats.”

She burst out laughing and proceeded to tell this little comment to several other people on our journey down to the room where I’d have my head examined.

It didn’t take nearly as long as I originally thought; and since I went in early, I was on the road to southern Utah a few hours before I’d originally intended.

I’ll know on Monday.

I couldn’t handle it

Pin It The pain stormed through my head like a cyclonic shock wave.

I switched off the light and cradled my head in my hands. The pain was more than I wanted right then…or ever, to be honest.

I wanted to find someplace cool to sit, maybe like the walk-in freezer I’d often used so many times before at my old school. I’d go in and sit in there with my head up against one of the frosty shelves…anything to ease the tormenting pain.

The door opened and the doctor walked in. Out came a file as he began to question me. How long had it been like this? How often did they happen? He swam in and out of my consciousness as my stomach churned violently.

“Since I was five,” I responded, making a dive for the wastebasket and beginning to vomit spectacularly.

I think he was impressed; it was clear that I was not acting.

He paused his questioning until I’d finished.

“Have you ever had an MRI for this? Any type of blood work done? Have you ever seen a specialist?”

I wiped remnants of stomachness from my mouth and responded; the answer made me realize how stupid I’d been for a score of years…there was that simple fact that I’d had migraines for years and had never once consulted a doctor about it.

“No, no, and no.”

He made a note on his clipboard.

I was reminded of the episode of Seinfeld when Elaine went to see a doctor and happened to look at her chart; she noticed that a previous doctor had written, “Difficult” in her file. She then tries to steal the chart so that future doctors won't know about this little entry.

I was an idiot. I hadn’t sought out medical help from something which had been an affliction in my life for decades? Here is the beginnings of my own 'Elaine' file.

I had no answer, however, at this time I really didn’t care, it hurt too much to even think.

After another series of questions, and an additional vomiting episode, the doctor gave me some Rizatriptan Benzoate. What is it? Not sure, but it is supposed to work wonders. I am to give it a ‘test run’ the next time a migraine threatens to take over.

I came home and fell into bed, waking up some four to five hours later. Which brings me to my present ‘awakeness’ at nearly 1:00 in the morning. I’ll probably be up for a few more hours as sleep won’t come to me now.

So, final prognosis? As of right now there is none. I will have to get an MRI done…the doctor said he’d like to get a good look at my brain.

Hope he’s not too impressed…

The first day...for a teacher

Pin It Today was the first day for teacher meetings. Back to school orientations. Schedules and headaches.

Really.

I went to the school today and thinking that the meetings would all start at 8:30 because that’s the time school will start. I arrived at 8:30 to find a parking lot full of vehicles and a meeting already 30 minutes into progress.

What a fabulous way to make an entrance to a new faculty and principal. I could not have planned a better introduction.

As the meeting progressed, I was feeling a tad overwhelmed. The schedule was not what I anticipated and I would need to rearrange times for a lot of my teaching…ah well, such is life.

At a break, the computer lab teacher pulled me aside and introduced herself as “Joey’s Mom.” “Joey” I’ll choose to call this student, is in my class this year.

“He’s here right now…do you want to meet him?”

I admitted that I would, as they were on a camping trip when I made home visits last week. We walked to the computer lab and Joey met me at the door.

“Hello, Joey. I’m Mr. Z. I’m going to be your fifth grade teacher.”

He shook my hand. “I know. I’m excited.”

“That’s great. We’re going to have a fun, challenging year.”

Joey looked at me, cocked his head to one side, and asked, “Are you a tough teacher?”

I looked back. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, my teacher last year was…well…” he rotated his hand in a flip-flop motion. “He just wasn’t.”

“My old students would probably agree that I’m a pretty strict teacher.” I paused. “Does that worry you?”

Joey shook his head, smiled, and rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait!”

So tell me…should I be worried?

I’ve suffered from migraines most of my life

Pin It When I say suffered, I mean it.

I can remember being a kid and getting these headaches which were so bad that light seemed to cut through my retina and into my brain with all the intensity of sunburn. One memory I have is when I was in the fifth grade. I was taking part in puppet shows my class was doing for our parents. We’d spent weeks writing scripts, creating Paper Mache puppets, drawing and coloring backdrops, and practicing these plays over and over again.

One of the dads had built a small theatre which the students could hide behind, complete with a cutout “stage” with hooks to hang our various backdrops. I remember that the curtains even worked.

The night of the shows came and I found a migraine coming on. This one was relentless. It was terrible! Only, my teacher didn’t believe that I really had a headache, and wanted me to perform my play with my partner, Daryl. I remember crunching up into a little ball behind the ‘theatre’ and crying. There was just no way, I would never be able to do it.

My teacher was irritated. She was upset to the point that she refused to let me call my parents to get a ride home after the shows were over. I guess she’d felt I’d ruined the evening she’d put together for the parents, and she was determined to make sure that I knew it.

Luckily, my best friend’s mom, Joni, was there and offered me a ride home. The whole way I felt queasy…my stomach turning over and over. Even the slightest bit of light seemed as if it were destroying my insides and racking me with relentless agony.

I threw up.

Luckily, it was halfway out the window and most of it hit the road, however, a portion of it ended up all over the station wagon door.

These were the intensity of headaches I’ve endured my whole life. Usually hours of tormenting pain followed by vomiting. To tell you the truth, I often welcomed the vomiting simply because I knew that the headache would soon leave me, and I’d feel better.

This happened about three times a week while I was growing up.

Now today, as an adult, I still get these migraines. I wish they’d have gone away altogether, but they haven’t. I feel fortunate that they rarely get me to the point where I feel like I am going to throw up anymore—but it still happens sometimes.

So, why am I blogging about this? It seems such an off-the-wall entry. No, I’m not looking for sympathy (though if my mom had taken photos of me vomiting or lying in bed crying I’d probably post them for dramatic effect). I share this with you because I have learned some secrets throughout the years. I’d like to share these with you in the event that they could make you feel better when you have a migraine. However, let it be known that these are not fool-proof and there are things out there which might help out even more than what I am sharing (if you know of any, I’d hope you’d share).

1. Hot or cold shower and pull your hair (it feels better, don’t ask me why).
2. Pressure points on the side of your head or between your index finger and thumb.
3. Put two tennis balls in a sock and lie on your back with the tennis balls under your neck where it hurts. This really does help.
4. Two Excedrin Migraine and a Dr. Pepper.
5. Two extra-strength Tylenol and three Advil.

Remedy number 5 I only learned about a few days ago from a friend of mine. She told me that her doctor claimed that it had the strength of a prescription remedy, but could be purchased over-the-counter separately and put together.

I didn’t believe her though…Tylenol never seemed to work for me, and Advil was a joke. My headaches laughed at these.

Tonight I started to get a headache…like a performer waiting in the wings for his cue to take center stage, I could feel it coming on…waiting, patiently waiting. I put off trying a remedy, hoping—perhaps—it would go away on its own.

It didn’t.

I could feel the horrible monster beginning to awaken and move about my head. I decided, for the first time, to try remedy number 5.

It worked.

I couldn’t believe it.

I found myself amazed.

In the space of about 10 minutes, my migraine was completely gone. I could feel it flowing away, like morning dew burned away by the sun.

I am now a believer in the power of two weak things put together for the strength which they have when combined. It is truly a power not to be reckoned with.

When I was a kid, I had to endure the agony because I had no known way to stop it. Now that I’m an adult, I choose to suffer no longer.