Because of His crown, we can have ours.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12

4.26.2012

Pain in the...

Ok, friends, I am in need of medical advice.  For about a week now (maybe almost two...I haven't really kept track) I've had headaches every.single.day.  Usually they start mid-morning, and if I take something they go away until mid-afternoon.  If I don't take anything, they'll last all day or come and go until I decide I need something for it.  Usually something mild like Bayer or Aleve will do the trick, but I'm wondering if I need something more potent and ,if so, what?

In fact, I've been feeling so cruddy that I went out and took a few pregnancy tests (my husband thought I was insane).  All of them have come back negative (as I deep down knew they would), but that just shows you how "hormonal" I'm feeling.  Sometimes I feel so nauseous that I swear it HAS to be morning sickness.  Not every time do the headaches have nausea accompanying them though.  I'm not sensitive to light anymore than I usually am, nor is my vision really affected.  I've never had migraines before, so I'm not sure if this is one or not.

Typically the headaches are on the very top of my head- a sort of crushing pain.  It literally feels like someone's sitting on my head. Of course I watch way too much medical dramas and have myself convinced that I have a brain tumor (yes, I realize I'm a total hypochondriac).

I haven't seen a doctor yet because, quite frankly, I'm not sure who the heck to see.  Do I see my primary just to be referred to someone else or be told to "wait and see", or do I go to a specialist, or my OBGYN? With our insurance it's not exactly like I have the luxury of hopping back and fourth to doctors.  Also, I don't want to jump the gun and go running to the doctor if there's something I can be doing on my own to help.  I know for a fact that I have not been drinking enough water (thanks to the nausea), nor keeping a regular sleep schedule.  Could that have an effect?

Have you or someone you know had a similar experience? If so, please let me know what you did! I am so tired to telling my kids, "Mommy has a headache".  These headaches are a real pain in the...well, you get the idea.


1 comment:

  1. Hi Erin, I know I don't really know you well (I'm Jess Brooke's sister!) but I have had some major issues with headaches in the past and thought I'd comment! During college I had over a year long stretch where I had headaches literally everyday, as you were saying. The doctors weren't much help to me but did at least check for serious neurological issues and tumors, etc which I was glad to have done for peace of mind (I started by seeing just a regular internist/primary care doctor and he ordered the tests). They found nothing wrong and in the end all they could do for me was give me a prescription which I chose not to take for my own particular reasons at that time. I eventually figured out two significant links to my headaches. The first was coffee. When I quit drinking coffee, my headaches were no longer everyday (though still fairly common). At this point, I noticed a strong correlation of headaches to my monthly cycles. I did occasionally get migraines, but even with just normal headaches I would have a lot of nausea like you were talking about (along with some back/neck pain). So what helped me the most in the long run was cutting out all caffeine, and then getting a really good nutritional base from a whole foods, vegetable-filled diet to help my hormones level out and my body recover from stress I was under during school. I'm still in the process of figuring out all of what is going on for me, but I just wanted to at least mention my story in case you may be helped by the same thing (which I know is a long shot, everyone is so different and the causes of headaches are so varied and hard to pin down!).I hope you are able to track down the cause and start feeling better!!

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