Sort. Variety. Species. Manner.
My types of headaches are all kinda different. I figured that this was the next port of call in explaining and conveying to you exactly what it is to have Chronic Daily Tension Headache. For myself, in any case.
1. Constant, dull ache: this is the 'base' headache, the headache I have every minute of every day. The headache I have had to get used to. I suppose if I have gotten used to it, it can't be that bad. And compared to what I get sometimes, it isn't. It's pretty self explanitory - I feel a dull ache constantly in my head. I usually feel it around my head like a band, but sometimes it intensifies and its a strong dull ache all around my head.
2. Throbbing: I suppose this is what most people would describe when they say they have a headache. Your head throbs, and feels as if it is pulsating on it's own. For me, this situates itself in the forehead and the temples, and I supposed this is typical of headache. When you see people complain of a headache, they tend to clutch their forehead and rub their temples.
3. Inside pressure: Often, doctors have asked if my headache feels like a band around my head. I think this is what most doctors think of as tension headaches. But just as I have my dull ache which does tend to feel like a band around my head, I also get a type of headache that feels like the pressure is coming from the inside, as if my brain is expanding and trying to escape.
4. Muscle headache: Again, I think this type of headache might be particularly symptomatic of having a "tension" headache. Since I developed my headache almost 5 and a half years ago, my neck and shoulder muscles have become more and more damaged. I feel as if my shoulders are bricks that I carry - I don't think my shoulders have been completely loose for a very long time. Every masseuse I see comments on how big my knots are, but they never quite get rid of them. In an hour session there is only so much they can do. But I think a headache has developed from this muscle tension. I feel the tension in my neck and shoulders everyday, but some days it feels worse. And I feel a headache creeping all the way up from the base of my neck. This kind of headache makes me feel more positive, however, because if I can solve the muscle tension problem properly, I could certainly have an impact on my headache. It's just that I don't have the money (or sometimes the time) to have a massage once a week, or even once a month. I'll talk about therapies I've tried in another blog, and this includes several type of massage.
5. Stabby pains: I get stabbing pains in various places, and it's usually in addition to have a throbbing, or to having simply a dull ache. But often, if I have a dull ache and a stabbing pain on top of it, it leads to a throbbing pain or an inside pressure. I usually get stabbing pains behind the eyes, or just beside in the temples, but I have had them at the base of my neck and right at the back of my head.
6. Migraine - Migraine is in itself a whole other type of headache to Tension headache, but I thought I'd mention it in here anyway. I have had a few migraines in the past, and sometimes the headaches I get (usually throbbing) can feel like a migraine. My original diagnosis was Migraine/Tension headache. I have migraine medication to take in the event of a migraine.
As I write this, I continue a battle that has been raging for a number of hours, a headache which fits into two categories in a way. My head feels like it has a tight band around it, but also it aches from the base of my neck. I took two paracetamol earlier, but it didn't do anything, and I have had to have a nap to get rid of the feelings of fatigue that were beginning to come along with it. Sometimes having a headache can really drain me. The one thing that I don't seem to realise, is that having a constant headache really bothers me. It really upsets me. When I sit down and take stock, like today I said to someone that now I have had this for 5 years and 5 months, that's when I realise, that's when it hits me, and I get upset. I mean, what am I meant to do? What can I do that I know will work? I feel like all this information is at my fingertips, but these days I am not willing to try things and see if they work. I don't want anymore trial and error, I just want it to work. And when my headache has a good period, I forget about trying to cure it, I just get on with it. In all honesty, I do just get on with it. Maybe that's what's wrong.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Monday, 20 December 2010
Origins
5 years and 4 months ago, August 2005, I was about to start Sixth Form. I'd done ok in my GCSE's, well enough to get into the Sixth Form at Overton Grange to do the A-Levels I wanted. I was leaving behind the friends I'd had for 5 years at my old school.
It was in this August I noticed the headaches. I've always been a headachey person, but the last time I'd noticed headaches so regularly I was 8 and it turned out I needed glasses. But this time, I went straight to the opticians and they said I was fine, that I didn't even need the glasses I had. But I continued to get the headaches.
It's been suggested that my headache is psychological - that the stress of joining a new Sixth Form created my headache, and it started to maintain itself through the muscle tension it created as a result. I can understand this theory since I do find it hard to start at new places and make friends, but Sixth Form was the best time of my life, the best two years. So any stress that I had about it dissipated quickly. Why didn't the headache go?
As my diagnosis is Chronic Daily Tension Headache of muscular contraction type, the idea that my headache started psychologically, but remains because of muscle tension is logical, but can't be the whole story. This is where the theories of the consultants come in. My headache specialist nurse and I agreed that it is likely my headache started as a mixture of tension and medication overuse.
Medication overuse is a headache triggered by too many painkillers. Painkillers are designed to turn off the pain switch in your brain, which is switched on when you are in pain. Except, when you take too many painkillers, the your brain, and the pain switch, sort of build up an immunity, and the pain switch doesn't switch off, it just stays on. So, having been someone that relied on painkillers, they stopped working, and my headache never went away.
If my headache was just caused by medication overuse, at the beginning I could possibly have gotten rid of it by going cold turkey from painkillers, that's usually the cure. But I didn't know this until 3 years down the line, and at that point I went cold turkey but nothing happened. By that point, my headache was caused by the muscle tension I still have today.
Without knowing for sure what my headache was caused by, it's been hard to get effective treatment. I had 2 MRI scans incase the headache was caused by something in my brain (the second one was requested because my 2nd consultant thought I had an enlarged pituitary gland. I didn't. I do however, have a cyst in my brain, which is apparently normal... I should probably get that checked out again soon...) I also had blood tests to rule out anything else that could be causing it.
I treat my muscle tension the best I can, but I don't get regular massage and heat rub and heated pillow don't go far enough. My own personal theory is that if I had a whole series of massages in one week, to finally get my body unknotted, then I could start again, and treat my body better in order to be sure it won't get knotted up again.
But sometimes, not knowing what to do, because of not knowing what it is, is the hardest...
It was in this August I noticed the headaches. I've always been a headachey person, but the last time I'd noticed headaches so regularly I was 8 and it turned out I needed glasses. But this time, I went straight to the opticians and they said I was fine, that I didn't even need the glasses I had. But I continued to get the headaches.
It's been suggested that my headache is psychological - that the stress of joining a new Sixth Form created my headache, and it started to maintain itself through the muscle tension it created as a result. I can understand this theory since I do find it hard to start at new places and make friends, but Sixth Form was the best time of my life, the best two years. So any stress that I had about it dissipated quickly. Why didn't the headache go?
As my diagnosis is Chronic Daily Tension Headache of muscular contraction type, the idea that my headache started psychologically, but remains because of muscle tension is logical, but can't be the whole story. This is where the theories of the consultants come in. My headache specialist nurse and I agreed that it is likely my headache started as a mixture of tension and medication overuse.
Medication overuse is a headache triggered by too many painkillers. Painkillers are designed to turn off the pain switch in your brain, which is switched on when you are in pain. Except, when you take too many painkillers, the your brain, and the pain switch, sort of build up an immunity, and the pain switch doesn't switch off, it just stays on. So, having been someone that relied on painkillers, they stopped working, and my headache never went away.
If my headache was just caused by medication overuse, at the beginning I could possibly have gotten rid of it by going cold turkey from painkillers, that's usually the cure. But I didn't know this until 3 years down the line, and at that point I went cold turkey but nothing happened. By that point, my headache was caused by the muscle tension I still have today.
Without knowing for sure what my headache was caused by, it's been hard to get effective treatment. I had 2 MRI scans incase the headache was caused by something in my brain (the second one was requested because my 2nd consultant thought I had an enlarged pituitary gland. I didn't. I do however, have a cyst in my brain, which is apparently normal... I should probably get that checked out again soon...) I also had blood tests to rule out anything else that could be causing it.
I treat my muscle tension the best I can, but I don't get regular massage and heat rub and heated pillow don't go far enough. My own personal theory is that if I had a whole series of massages in one week, to finally get my body unknotted, then I could start again, and treat my body better in order to be sure it won't get knotted up again.
But sometimes, not knowing what to do, because of not knowing what it is, is the hardest...
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Introduction
I am 21 years old, and I have had a headache every single day for 5 years and 4 months.
This blog will be a diary of my explorations into curing, or managing at the least, my headache. In addition to charting any progress made, I will give you the back story into my headache, which started in August 2005.
My official diagnosis is that of Chronic Daily Tension Headache of muscular contraction type. My previous diagnosis to this was migraine/tension headache, which sounds a lot more vague and was inaccurate in that although I have had suffered from migraine's in the past, I don't suffer from them regularly.
I hope with this blog that I can articulate my exact thoughts and feelings about my headache, and provide details for people who may have similar problems. To fill in the back story, I will tell you about the treatments I have had, such as Osteopathy and Acupuncture, as well as the different drugs I have taken, and the lifestyle changes suggested to, and sometimes made by, me.
Currently I am not on any medication. I take a fair amount of painkillers - some weeks, I can get away with only 2 painkillers, some weeks I take 2-4 everyday.
I try to live an active lifestyle, but I do not do any sport, and the most regular exercise I get is walking for 45 minutes to work, which is 3x a week. I do walk a lot in addition to this, but I gave up running/jogging a while ago. I have also not been swimming for almost 3 years because last time I tried to swim my headache was so bad I thought my head was going to cave in.
The type of headache I experience is hard to define. I have been asked many, many times to describe it, tell them where it happens, or whether it does this or that. It always does both. My headache can sometimes feel like a band around my headache, and sometimes it is a crushing pressure going inwards towards the brain. Sometimes I get stabbing pains in my temple, or behind my eyes, but also at the back of the head, or at the very top. I always have a dull ache, I can always feel my headache, but everyday it gets worse at some point. It feels like a rollercoaster: there are ups and downs, but I am always on it.
I have had 4 consultants, and a Headache Specialist Nurse, been on 6 different drugs (but not 6 different types of drugs), seen a Headache Psychologist, and another Psychologist at The Priory of all places. I've had 2 MRIs, 2 or 3 blood tests, and tried a range of alternative therapies and massages. Off the top of my head these are: Osteopathy, Acupuncture (twice), Acupressure, Kinesiology, Herbalism, Tui Na massage, Hands-Free massage, Shiatsu, Raynor massage, Ear-Candling and Reflexology. There are things I have found work, and some that don't. In the 5 years of having this headache, I have had what I call some "headache-free" sessions. These usually occur after having a particularly good and thorough massage, before I return to full-body awareness (for those of you who have had a really good massage, particularly Shiatsu, Tui-Na and Raynor, the types of massages that are very rough and strong but do wonders for actually getting knots out instead of just relaxing you you'll know that feeling where you feel just that little bit spaced out). Almost like before the blood rushes to my head again. These typically last about 15 minutes. I savour them.
I have at various times made various lifestyle changes, but there are things that trigger my headache that are typical, and things that generally should trigger my headache that actually don't.
(NB. When I say "trigger", I mean make it worsen.)
For example, chocolate (and I eat a fair amount of it), doesn't necessarily trigger a worse headache. I have cut it out before, and it made no difference. I did the same thing for caffeine (I don't drink tea or coffee, but I love Coca-Cola/Pepsi), no difference there either. I had a food intolerance test and they identified Cheese, Monosodium Glutamate and Saccharin as my problems foods. I avoid squash and saccharin in general because I agree with that, it does worsen my headache. I don't like cheese, but when I have it in foods it hasn't made my headache worse, and although I avoided MSG for a while, having had it since I noticed no problems.
The only other food I avoid because I know exacerbates my headache are Sesame Snaps. I used to eat these all the times when I was a kid, but after a break away from them, and then a return to packed lunches, I ate one and it triggered a migraine. It was horrible. I haven't touched them since.
Right now at this moment, I would say my headache is at 5 on a 1-10 scale (1 lowest, what I would call me "headache-free" sessions, 10 being so bad I want to die.)
I shouldn't use the words "want to die", because in general I am quite a happy person and I have no real desire to die. But I'm not going to lie - this headache gets me down sometimes, and when it gets so bad I can't think or see or function as a person, I wonder why I bother. I might have this for the rest of my life - why not just call it quits now?
Except I won't. I might have been cursed with this headache, but I am positive I can do something to sort it out. I might, after all, have caused it (more on that in the next blog, which I will probably call 'Origins').
Anyway, with this level 5 headache, I am going to go to sleep. Too little sleep - headache. Too much sleep - headache. And whenever I wake up - headache. Figure that one out.
This blog will be a diary of my explorations into curing, or managing at the least, my headache. In addition to charting any progress made, I will give you the back story into my headache, which started in August 2005.
My official diagnosis is that of Chronic Daily Tension Headache of muscular contraction type. My previous diagnosis to this was migraine/tension headache, which sounds a lot more vague and was inaccurate in that although I have had suffered from migraine's in the past, I don't suffer from them regularly.
I hope with this blog that I can articulate my exact thoughts and feelings about my headache, and provide details for people who may have similar problems. To fill in the back story, I will tell you about the treatments I have had, such as Osteopathy and Acupuncture, as well as the different drugs I have taken, and the lifestyle changes suggested to, and sometimes made by, me.
Currently I am not on any medication. I take a fair amount of painkillers - some weeks, I can get away with only 2 painkillers, some weeks I take 2-4 everyday.
I try to live an active lifestyle, but I do not do any sport, and the most regular exercise I get is walking for 45 minutes to work, which is 3x a week. I do walk a lot in addition to this, but I gave up running/jogging a while ago. I have also not been swimming for almost 3 years because last time I tried to swim my headache was so bad I thought my head was going to cave in.
The type of headache I experience is hard to define. I have been asked many, many times to describe it, tell them where it happens, or whether it does this or that. It always does both. My headache can sometimes feel like a band around my headache, and sometimes it is a crushing pressure going inwards towards the brain. Sometimes I get stabbing pains in my temple, or behind my eyes, but also at the back of the head, or at the very top. I always have a dull ache, I can always feel my headache, but everyday it gets worse at some point. It feels like a rollercoaster: there are ups and downs, but I am always on it.
I have had 4 consultants, and a Headache Specialist Nurse, been on 6 different drugs (but not 6 different types of drugs), seen a Headache Psychologist, and another Psychologist at The Priory of all places. I've had 2 MRIs, 2 or 3 blood tests, and tried a range of alternative therapies and massages. Off the top of my head these are: Osteopathy, Acupuncture (twice), Acupressure, Kinesiology, Herbalism, Tui Na massage, Hands-Free massage, Shiatsu, Raynor massage, Ear-Candling and Reflexology. There are things I have found work, and some that don't. In the 5 years of having this headache, I have had what I call some "headache-free" sessions. These usually occur after having a particularly good and thorough massage, before I return to full-body awareness (for those of you who have had a really good massage, particularly Shiatsu, Tui-Na and Raynor, the types of massages that are very rough and strong but do wonders for actually getting knots out instead of just relaxing you you'll know that feeling where you feel just that little bit spaced out). Almost like before the blood rushes to my head again. These typically last about 15 minutes. I savour them.
I have at various times made various lifestyle changes, but there are things that trigger my headache that are typical, and things that generally should trigger my headache that actually don't.
(NB. When I say "trigger", I mean make it worsen.)
For example, chocolate (and I eat a fair amount of it), doesn't necessarily trigger a worse headache. I have cut it out before, and it made no difference. I did the same thing for caffeine (I don't drink tea or coffee, but I love Coca-Cola/Pepsi), no difference there either. I had a food intolerance test and they identified Cheese, Monosodium Glutamate and Saccharin as my problems foods. I avoid squash and saccharin in general because I agree with that, it does worsen my headache. I don't like cheese, but when I have it in foods it hasn't made my headache worse, and although I avoided MSG for a while, having had it since I noticed no problems.
The only other food I avoid because I know exacerbates my headache are Sesame Snaps. I used to eat these all the times when I was a kid, but after a break away from them, and then a return to packed lunches, I ate one and it triggered a migraine. It was horrible. I haven't touched them since.
Right now at this moment, I would say my headache is at 5 on a 1-10 scale (1 lowest, what I would call me "headache-free" sessions, 10 being so bad I want to die.)
I shouldn't use the words "want to die", because in general I am quite a happy person and I have no real desire to die. But I'm not going to lie - this headache gets me down sometimes, and when it gets so bad I can't think or see or function as a person, I wonder why I bother. I might have this for the rest of my life - why not just call it quits now?
Except I won't. I might have been cursed with this headache, but I am positive I can do something to sort it out. I might, after all, have caused it (more on that in the next blog, which I will probably call 'Origins').
Anyway, with this level 5 headache, I am going to go to sleep. Too little sleep - headache. Too much sleep - headache. And whenever I wake up - headache. Figure that one out.
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