Doc's Cluster Headache Journal

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Meat Gone Bad

For several days after my last post, I was doing reasonably well and was encouraged that I was on an upswing. But unfortunately yesterday I had a very bad day I felt I needed to write about briefly.

First of all, I want to note that since I am trying very hard to get more rest and set aside my phobia of sleep I went to bed quite early and slept for close to eight hours which is pretty unusual for me.

I woke up with a headache, which have become so common I hardly notice them anymore. The last couple of weeks I seem to have about a 50-50 chance of waking up in pain. The headache pain was mild and disorienting all throughout the day and evening mostly non-distinct but sometimes settling in the cluster specific area of my head but more often feeling like migraine pain.

The more disturbing symptom was the feeling of stupidity and disorientation. I'm pretty sure I've described this feeling before, but it was very pronounced yesterday. The overall effect is like and out of brain experience, it's literally like someone has removed part of my cognitive ability surgically, it's still somehow remotely connected, but I have to search for it each time I want to use it, like the evil imaginary surgeon is playing a hideous game of "keep away" with parts of my brain. It's very unpleasant.

Usually I experience this during cluster cycles and so often I would describe it as having a cluster headache without the pain. But I don't know, maybe it's a separate effect entirely. Maybe it's a headache aura. From what I've read, when people start seeing spots before they get migraines it's because parts of their brain are having little malfunctions and the chemical corrections these malfunctions are eventually what causes the migraine. So, knowing that I have learning disabilities and sleeping problem since I was a kid that don't seem to be purely pulmonary, A slightly disturbing question arises... What brain malfunction is causing my headaches?

Of course that's the $24,000 question that no one seems to know yet.

Well, I don't want to make this long post about comorbidity, and everything I feel it's wrong with me. But I wonder sometimes if deep within my brain if there isn't a little messed up bit of meat that is causing a lot of problems for me.

4 Comments:

  • I know what you mean by the "bad meat" stuff you're talking about here. The confusion, lack of knowing quite where your, hmmm, concentration, or reaally any part of your head is at the time; yeah, I was there. Those are bad bad, super bad times. Sorry. hey, don't drive like that, the mind is total mush and just cannot decipher the whole red light - green light stuff.

    By Blogger deborah, at 6/04/2008 8:34 PM  

  • Sorry you are feeling down. I hope you get your mojo back. Seems like you were having better days for a while.

    I posted a comment on one of your blog entries a few months ago and you helped me in a strange way.

    I wanted to post this to thank you for helping me. Things did not work out like I thought they would, but you did help. I was having headaches and you thought I was selling something. I guess that does not narrow it down much ha ha. Well YOU suggested that I get tested for this that and the other thing.

    I actually did get poked and prodded but of course they found nothing. I had a visit with my primary and got a bunch of referrals for tests. While I was there, by luck or misfortune he told me to stop taking my Prilosec for my stomach and gave me Nexium which is a bit stronger. My headaches became multiple times worse.I also got severe joint pain.

    If that was the end of the story, I would not be thanking you. However, shortly after, a nurse was able to identify the relation between the Nexium, joint pain, and my headaches.Turns out I had a low level of acidity in my stomach which was causing candidiasis somewhere within me and it made it's way to my head. Yeast, in my friggin head no less! The brain fog I had was literally from fermentation. I was getting drunk for free. Not as fun as I imagined it to be.

    Scared to death, I took a hydrochloric acid pill. I expected amazing reflux as I had existing stomach problems. No reflux at all, I take them when I eat now, it actually stopped my reflux and the headaches have been gone for over a week now.

    Strange that I had to feel miserable to feel better. I don't think it was supposed to happen that way.

    I am going to a gastro specialist again to sort it all out as this is just too weird for me to believe. I never heard of such a thing before. Stomach still feels a little weird sometimes, but now I know why I got so sick from eating candy. Seriously.

    Thanks man, you actually kicked all that in motion somehow, as odd as it all sounds. Hope you feel better soon!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/07/2008 12:49 AM  

  • Deborah,

    As carful as I usually am, you predicted the future a bit there as I put a scratch in the car a few days back... : ( Usually I don't drive unless I have to, and don't get me wrong, I felt like I was OK to drive and I think I am a pretty conservative judge on the matter. This was just me getting flustered trying to turn around in a tight spot, I don't think I was dangerous. But still... I wonder If I would have gotten as flustered without the pain/spacey feeling thing.

    Over the last several years it has become an unspoken rule that my wife is the one who drives us places. It just takes a lot out of me... I have to really be "on" and concentrate through the haze. You know typing this makes it sound really bad... but I drive very safely. I swear. lol! Maybe because of all this.

    I would guess its one of the things that has made me "extra careful". I don't feel like I can risk driving carelessly.

    By Blogger Murdock Scott, at 6/10/2008 1:05 AM  

  • anonymous,

    wow man... I am glad you found out what was up with that! I do recall your posts, and I am sorry if I came off a bit paranoid at first about you recommending that product... I had just been having a lot of problems with marketers at that time.

    I remember you mentioning swelling, and I remember thinking that I needed to somehow encourage you to not let that slide and pursue treatment, while at the same time not claiming that I knew crap of course, because I'm just some poor goon with a throbbing head and not a doctor... but that just sounded "not good" from my experience.

    Thanks for the kind words, it is very nice to hear that you felt I helped, I was very glad to. I have to admit that maintaining this blog can seem pointless at times, but if it's being here helps people like yourself a bit now and then, then that is reason enough to keep doing it.

    I hope your gastro specialist doc gets you all back to normal. Good Luck!

    By Blogger Murdock Scott, at 6/10/2008 1:56 AM  

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