Sunday 13 January 2008

One Heck of a Headache

I have a headache.
I know, I'm a mother, so that's not really news. But this one is really something.
It started last Sunday evening, which means I've had it for a week (!) Only it wasn't really so bad, probably related to getting my period.

So I took a painkiller, drank plenty of water and took it easy. Until... On Tuesday I went with Littletree for a swim in the pool, and coming down the stairs, which were, of course, slippery from all the rain, I slipped and landed flat on my back on the stairs :(

It was very painful. At first, I couldn't move, but at least Littletree went running to get Purple, who came with Arnica, and helped me hobble to the bench to sit on.

I got some really fancy bruises come up pretty quickly, and my headache got terrible.
(here's a shot of my lower back)
24 Bruise
I just stayed in bed most of the time, feeling awful, and having this awful headache that didn't respond to pain killers. Not even the really strong ones with codeine.

Thursday, I started feeling nauseous and getting dizzy spells :( It seemed like going to the doctor was probably the wise thing to do. So, Friday morning, we went down to town to see the doc.

I couldn't get an appointment in the doctor's office, and they recommended that in my state, I should just go to the hospital.

I hate hospitals.

Well, the emergency room of our little village's little hospital was, as usual, pretty much empty. I waited 2 minutes for the nurse to see me and put me on a bed. She took a quick history, looked at my bruises and got the Dr. who came after about 5 minutes.

The Dr's opinion is that I have tension in my neck from having so much heavy hair (for those who didn't know, I have knee-length dread locks). And when I fell down the stairs, it knocked one of the vertebrae in my neck out of place, which was compressing an artery that supplies my brain, in turn causing another artery to compensate. Hence the terrible headaches, nausea and dizziness.

He manipulated my spine; cracked every bone in my body, and gave me a shot of morphine for the pain (!) I guess it was pretty bad for him to do that. He recommended I lighten the load on my head, and sent me home to bed.

I spent the rest of the day vomiting constantly, despite anti-nausea meds Dr gave me with the morphine. poor miserable me! Yesterday and today, I feel much better, but I still have a headache :/

I guess I'll have to do something about my hair... but that might take a bit of working up to.

12 comments:

  1. Hmmm...I just had a very similar headache lasting about a week with intense dizziness and my son too. I attributed it to a virus. Wanted to share that before you cut your hair.

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  2. yeah, I'm not entirely convinced.
    I mean, the sadhus in India have dreads way longer than me and its not a problem. and women the 3rd world over get about carrying really heavy loads on their heads their whole lives, and they don't get migraines from it.
    anyway, the Dr was really saying that it would be too heavy when its wet but, while I do wash it at least once a week, I very very rarely get about with wet hair. I take great pains to dry it well and fast. (coz it is bloody heavy when its wet!!)

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  3. Yikes, that is one nasty looking bruise. Sorry to hear that you may have to cut your hair though.

    I hope that you feel better soon

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  4. Something in the air? I had a headache from Sunday-Thursday last week. It didn't want to respond much to interventions either, not for long anyway. Hope you are feeling better soon.

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  5. ouch! you have certainly had your share of crappy days lately, with the cyclone and all. I predict the next two weeks will be filled with sunshine, no headaches and lots of chocolate ;) I hope you are feeling better soon!

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  6. i'm just adding my experience - Not advice-- 1)i cut my dreads and have not had a migraine since, and have a great deal more flexibility.2) I also realized after I cut them that a huge part of my identity was being a girl w/ dreads, i had to re-invent myself and it has been a wonderful journey, although difficult at first. 3) for years i needed the roots of my hair to ground me, i cherish that path it took me, but i actually was getting "root bound" and have found great freedom.
    Dreads are beautiful, i'm sure you will know what is right for you.
    -also my 2 cents, sadhus also spend their days in deep meditation and MAY have a different reality of 'pain' as we know it ;)

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  7. The Dr. prob is correct.
    My daughter use to keep migraines and neck and shoulder pain when she had her long hair. Hers is very thick and was to her waist.
    She got a shoulder length cut with layers, her pain went away.
    I think it is good for us all to have an update in our hair.
    Good Luck, I hope you get to feeling better.

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  8. Bless your heart. Hair, cyclones, falling down stairs and having your butt turn purple...whatever is causing the pain, I hope it stops soon.

    (Came here via MDC)

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  9. I hope you are feeling much much better now and I would wait a good while before cutting your locks. Just wait and see.

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  10. www.locksoflove.org.

    If you decide to cut your hair, check this out.

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  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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Thanks for your lovely words, witty banter and entertaining discussion :)