Tuesday, February 12, 2008

the many faces of a MIGRAINE

migraine (mī'grān') : A severe recurring headache, usually affecting only one side of the head, that is characterized by sharp, throbbing pain and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances. Vasodilation in the brain causes inflammation that results in pain, but the exact cause of migraine is unknown

I have lots of different types of migraines. I like to name them...


I have the food headache- the headache is caused either by certain foods (like chocolate) or a lack of food. If I skip a meal at all, I will usually get a headache. If this is the only reason for this headache and I catch it soon enough... all I have to do is eat to get it to go away. When I was young Sister Awerkamp told my mom to give me french fries and mayonaise and I still to this day crave french fries when I have a starving headache.


I have the smelly headache- the one that I get from strong scents. Like a really strong perfume, candle, smoke, etc. It depends on how long I am exposed or how strong the smell is to determine how strong the headache will be.

Then there is the crying headache- this is the one that I get when I have been too emotional. Have been in a fight, even if I have had a spiritual overdose (if there is such a thing) Caused by crying then I end up crying... loose loose here!

On of the most common headaches, especially for mother, the screaming headache! This one is caused by loud obnoxious noises. Listening to long periods of loud music, scream children, and sadly enough for me, sometimes church will give me a screaming headache. Especially since my ward uses microphones in EVERY CLASS!!

There are lots more, that I dont have time to explain them all, but here are a few names:

The room-is-spinning headache
I'm blacking-out headache
I'm going-to-puke
the I Havent slept in a week headache

I'm sure you can imagine all the posibilites of headaches for us migraine-getters!! ahh!!

Every once in a while I have a really bad one that I call the snorkel headache. This is a headache that is caused by lots of different headaches. It gets so bad that I draw a bath as hot as I can stand it, turn off all the lights, find my snorkel and submerge myself completely in the scalding water. I have the snorkel so I never have to come up for air... and I basically try to burn the headache away!

Now the worst one for me is when all these elements are combined, no sleep, no good food, lots of loud noises, no medicine, weeklong headache... that turns into a fall asleep on the toilet headache. thats the one I had last night. I call it that because when I was little I would get them so bad there was nothing to do, but fall asleep on the toilet. I would be so nausiated that I would be haging over the toilet puking or trying to puke and crying and upset.. and I would stay this way for so long I would just fall asleep, all balled up on the toilet. Sad, but true!



Yes... that is me

I was finished but i kept thinking of more stupid headaches... the stress headache... the traveling headache... the weather changing headache... the reading/strudying headache... the hypochondriac headache (the one you get when you talk about them) if you get that one, sorry if I just gave you a headache!

you got anymore?

10 comments:

Charmaine said...

You forgot my favorite... the tension headache. Where you are so stressed and it hurts all the way into your neck and shoulders and back!

Chantal said...

yeah I think just got the hypochondriac headache.
I get eye headache's they feel like its behind my eyes.
Do you ever use the pressure point to relive the ache?
Cool post, I love the picture, you look pretty sick, but seeing the bathroom is sucha flash back! woow 80's

Clarissa B. said...

i always get the "im so bored at work" headache. or the "looking at the computer for too long" headache. I also get "ponnytail" headaches. and "i miss my husband" headaches. Cool post!! I enjoyed reading it. And I dont remeber that bathroom, maybe before my time?

Jenny Lynn said...

hehe. that was the down-stairs bathroom on myrna lane. not before your day, but you were young!

Nate and Lori said...

Sounds terrible!!! I get a hungry headache about once a year and I thought that was bad. I feel so bad for you. The cute little picture of you on the toilet is too cute though.

Liz said...

Boy! was I enlightened by the many descriptions of a headache. But by golly I think you are right, there are many different headaches. This made for a great laugh.

Susan Jo Ollerton Fuller said...

I am happy that you are learning to read the signs of your own body so well. You know just exactly what to avoid and what to do. You forgot after the snorkle one the just got to imerse everything, oh and there is the swetting it out one too. For me that one is the worst.

Anonymous said...

I hate migraines. I've got a "where-is-the-nearest-butter-knife-no-make-it-a-steak-knife-so-I-can-stab-it-in-my brain-RIGHT-NOW" migraine right now.

Anonymous said...

well, that got all chopped up! Basically I want to stab my right brain with a knife right now.

Sorry about your migraines...they're no fun!

andrea said...

No fun...I hate headaches! I had no idea there were so many! You're adorable!