Work stress and the 2-week headache

I've had a headache for the last two weeks, not including the weekend. And my job (which is a Monday-Friday job) has been a nightmare.

Coincidence? I think not.

That's all that needs to be said right now. I actually don't have too much of a headache right now (just some neck tension), so I'm going to go work out, something I haven't been able to do in, well, two weeks.

Acupuncture my butt

I had a free consultation at a local acupuncture clinic last week. Here's my experience:

The first person I met with, who is an herbalist and possibly their receptionist too, took me back in a private room and asked me some generic questions, and then asked me if I had questions. I asked her how often I would need to get acupuncture before seeing an improvement in my headaches, and she said it depends on the person, but since I've had headaches for 8 years it might take a while. Then I asked her the cost, which is my #1 concern:

$85 a session, plus a fee for the initial visit!!!

YIKES. And that is after taking the supposed 20% off that most insurance companies would offer. And she said that the acupuncturist would probably want to see me twice a week at first.

So then she went to see if the acupuncturist might have a minute to talk to me. And what do you know, he did. I felt special.

Now, I didn't want to be fed empty promises, but the acupuncturist could have at least explained why acupuncture might work and how it's helped others with chronic headaches/migraines. Instead, he simply stated how headaches were "his favorite" because he helps 90% of headache patients, mentioned one lady who quit her job and her headaches went away (what does this have to do with acupuncture...?) and then he PITCHED me, which is part of what I do for a living (in PR), and let's just say I can recognize bull crap when I see it. He flaunted his years of experience, awards, and the fact that all the neurologists in the area send their headache patients to him, and then asked me what other acupuncture clinics I had looked into, because he is head of some board and knows all about them and can tell me how good or bad they are and how much better he is.

One random thing he did was look at my tongue and tell me I was stressed because the tip was red. And he said I wouldn't need acupuncture very long since I'm young (which contradicts what the lady said).

He also told me that his office doesn't "accept" everyone who is interested, and that some people just don't want to get better and they wouldn't be able to help those people anyway so they turn them away. I can't imagine why anyone would not want to get better, but I'm not denying there are people like that out there. However, at the end, when he handed me his card and told me to call if I wanted to set up my first appointment, I played dumb and asked if he would contact me to let me know if I was accepted, and he said not to worry; that I was definitely a candidate for acupuncture.

Wow, I feel special yet again.

Why do places have to play games like that? I really want to try acupuncture some day when I can afford it, but thanks to this place, I am extremely turned off to the whole thing.

Has acupuncture helped anyone with headaches/migraines?

Imagery to Reduce Headaches

A good friend of mine cut out something on headaches from a magazine and gave it to me the other night. It's a short write-up on how "practicing guided imagery can reduce tension and headache frequency." It refers you to a free how-to video from the Mayo Clinic's Web site. Here's the link.

I've been wanting to try acupuncure, but I found out it's about $50 a session, plus initial consultation fees which vary. I'm wondering if the relaxation aspect of acupuncture is what works. So I think I'm going to try doing the video and yoga regularly to see if it helps my headaches. Unfortunately, the vido doesn't work with my mac, but I'm going to try it at work. I was able to read the transcript and it seems to be breathing exercises. The article (sorry, I don't know what publication it came from) says to "concentrate on the throbbing artery in your head and visualize it relaxing and the blood flowing more easily."

It sounds a little cooky, but as always, I'm willing to give it a try if it helps my headaches!

Going off Lexapro

So, before I started taking Lexapro, which my neurologist prescribed for headache prevention, my eye had been twitching, either from my contacts or from stress at work (I think both). The twitching stopped after I was on Lexapro a while. Now that I'm going off it (I was on 10 mg; now I'm taking 5 mg every other night), my eye's started twitching again! It only does it when I get overwhelmed with stress, which is a lot. I don't think my life is really that stressful though - I think it's more that I stress over everything.

The Lexapro didn't help my headaches, but I guess it helped my anxiety, and now that I'm going off it, I'm struggling. I usually do a lot of volunteer work and try to stay busy, so unfortunately I'm going to have to cut back on some of that and give myself time to relax. I wish I had the money to do acupuncture, take yoga classes, be a stay at home wife (haha), and go to the beach every weekend.

Oh but then I'd stress about germs on the needles, pulling a muscle, my husband thinking I'm lazy, and traffic.

Yikes.

Sinus Buster

An employee of Sinus Buster saw my blog and sent me free samples of different formulas of the nasal spray, including the "Headache Formula" pictured here. It's similar to Sinol, but it has feverfew in it, which is also supposed to prevent headaches with regular usage. I've been using Sinus Buster twice a day for about two weeks. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped prevent any headaches yet, but I'm still going to keep trying it and maybe increase the dosage. It's much easier to use than Sinol - the sprayer works better (note for anyone who works at Sinol who may be reading this!).

Check out more info on Sinus Buster here.

My neurologist is letting me go off Lexapro, which I was originally excited about since I don't like being on antidepressants. I've been on it since late last year though. I split the pills in half a few nights and then stopped taking it for about two days. My neurologist had told me to wean myself off it, but he didn't get too detailed. I got SO depressed, so right away I took half a dose (5 mg) and have been taking that every other day and will keep doing that until I run out. It's scary that medicine can affect your emotions that much.

"Good gosh, are you writing a book?" Quote from my husband. It's Friday night, and it's been a rough week at work and my world of headaches (probably related to the work stress), so I'm going to listen to the hubby.

Elimination Diet

Related to the comment in the post below about food triggers, I am reading a book now that mentions how wheat is a common food allergy and can trigger headaches/migraines (there are several others of course). It also talks about how to do an elimination diet - do a "water fast" for a day, then gradually add in one food item at a time. Easier said than done in my opinion - most meals involve things that are mixed together. Are you supposed to eat strawberries all day, for example, and the next day add in carrots? Yikes. To respond to the person who left the comment, I would see a nutritionist. I'm also small (5'7''/116 lbs) and I can understand your concern. I've had to stop medications that made me lose too much weight as a side effect. I'm sorry that you are feeling depressed too. Please know that there is always hope. Start by seeing a nutritionist, and/or neurologist and/or psychiatrist/psychologist. I'll keep you in my prayers!

Are migraines more painful than childbirth?

A reader of my blog suggested that I read "The Pain Cure" by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. and Cameron Stauth. The copyright is from 1999, so it's not the newest book out there, but I decided to check it out. In one of my posts from a long time ago, I mentioned that I bet migraines are more painful than childbirth (or something along those lines). I've never had a kid but I've had plenty of migraines. Now I'd like to take a moment to say, I told you so.

Chapter 2 has a "Severity of Pain" chart that lists various ailments by numbers 1, being least painful, through 10, most painful:

1 - Moderate sunburn
2- Sprain
3- Mild arthritis, or moderate tension headache
4- Phantom limb pain, or broken bone
5- Back pain
6- Severe arthritis, or fibromyalgia
7- Invasive tumor pain
8- Giving birth
9- Infant colic

And drumroll please...10 - the most painful ailments - Migraine headache, or severe burn.

So you might be wondering, as I was, how can they tell that infant colic is more painful than those other things when infants can't even talk? I'm not a doctor, but I'm guessing someone did a study and tested brain waves to get these results. The source of this information or details involved are not listed on the chart or in that chapter, but I'm not finished with the book so maybe it discusses it more in depth later on.

But I've experienced 5 of these ailments, and I think this pain scale is pretty accurate.

Nasal Sprays

So, I haven't been using Sinol very long and right now I have a cold so when I do use it, I can't even feel the sting, but...I'm going to go ahead and jump to the conclusion that nasal sprays aren't going to help my headaches. Maybe I should try a different one like the one suggested by a reader (see comment in previous post), but I think that my headaches are from hormones or something internal that nasal spray won't impact.

I hope I'm wrong. In the meantime, I'm going to keep using the Sinol and keep trying other new things I come across as well.

And of course, I'll note everything on here.

Sometimes I wonder, what if there's some crazy cure for headaches that nobody knows about because it's so random? Like if you stand on your head for 10 minutes each day, you won't get headaches. Or eating dirt can cure a headache. I'd try it!

Sinol

(From Sinolusa.com)

I finally found Sinol, with the help of a Sinol rep. He said that CVS does in fact carry Sinol, but it is not in the nasal spray section; it is in the headache/pain med section on the bottom shelf. With a $3 off ExtraCare Card coupon, I ended up paying about $12. I tried it about 3-4 times yesterday, and boy did it sting! It was not bad though, mainly like the sensation you get when you need to sneeze. It didn't help my headache, but the directions say to use it when your headache starts and unfortunately mine started at work before I had the chance to purchase the Sinol. My neuro said I may need to use it regularly before I see results, so I'm keeping this stuff with me at all times!

My husband thought I was dumb for trying something just because someone mentioned it on my blog, but I reminded him that I spoke with my neurologist first, and I told him that it's natural and made from peppers, and he said "oh" and gave me that "fine you're right" look. Haha.

Neurology Appointment Update

At my neurology appointment earlier this week I asked my neurologist about the seizure medication I mentioned in my last post, but although he seemed to be willing to have me try it last time, this time he said it wouldn't work for me because I'm getting tension-like headaches and not migraines (I could argue that the Fioricet stopped the migraines, but I don't argue with doctors...or anyone for that matter, except my husband). He thinks that since I haven't had a migraine in about a month, the Bystolic must be working. Speaking of Bystolic, a few posts down is a very encouraging comment from someone who is taking the drug, and - get this - it's WORKING! It's good to hear that actually happens - seriously!

Also at the appointment I asked my neuro about the glucose test and he said it wouldn't show anything and that everyone gets headaches when they eat too much sugar. I also showed him a printout about Sinol and he said he hadn't heard of it but he had heard of capsaicin, an ingredient which I believe is derived from hot peppers and is clinically proven to help headaches. He seemed very interested in hearing if it works for me. CVS no longer carries it, and I couldn't find it at Rite Aid or Whole Foods either, so I e-mailed the source to find out where I can find it. I'll probably have to order it online. They revamped their Web site; check it out if you're interested: click here.

My neuro put me BACK on 75 mg of Lyrica because he thinks it worked for me at one point, which I don't remember, but I don't remember any bad side effects either, so I'm willing to try it. However, I quickly discovered a side effect the last two days - drowsiness. I take it at night but it still makes me drowsy in the morning; in fact, I turned off my alarm in my sleep and was really late for work yesterday and today. I'll have to set a second alarm Monday. Thank goodness I have a nice boss!

Meds I'm currently taking: 10 mg Lexapro, 10 mg Bystolic, 75 mg Lyrica, plus my Mirena IUD and a daily multivitamin, and Butalbital (Fioricet), Aleve or Exedrin Migraine when I get headaches.