Dealing With Headaches

One of the fist symptoms of stroke is a sudden migraine that seems to come from nowhere. There’s been plenty of previous posts on how to detect the symptoms of a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA) along with many urges to get to the hospital as quickly as possible should these symptoms occur. This is because part of your body can become paralyzed due to the death of brain cells from the stroke.

Having a stroke isn’t the end of the world, as this piano player Art Gonzolas shows. After a stroke, he lost the use of his left arm, but has adapted to play with just his right hand. First, he plays some Elton John, then Moody Blues and then finsishes the set with an orginal piece of music. Thanks to “Rockin’ Al” for getting this little film together.

Although that looks neat, you really don’t want to have one side of your body paralyzed. It’s just not that much fun. So, if you or your loved ones start getting these symptoms, dial or punch in an emergency telephone number right away, even if the victim argues with you:

• Sudden migraine
• One side of the face droops
• Sudden difficulties speaking
• Sudden dizziness and consfusion
• One limb or part of a limb goes numb or you can’t control it

Stroke victims get to the top of the waiting list in many emergency rooms. Even people with stab wounds have to wait for the stroke and heart attack patients. When you get to the hospital, you’ll be given a crap load of high tech and low tech tests. But you also get some good drugs.

We’ve had recalls of just about everything else in the last couple of years, so I guess it was inevitable — recall of dozens of prescription drugs, including oxycodone, the generic version of opiod painkiller OxyContin (otherwise known as hillbilly heroin). All of the drugs were made in by KV Pharmaceuticals, which is a small fish in the giant belly of Ethex Corporation.

Say WHAT?

This is a voluntary recall from the comapny itself. The reason is simply stated as ” may have been manufactured under conditions that did not sufficiently comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)”. However one of the defects was that some medicines with a higher dosage was placed into packaging with smaller dosage on the label.

Whoops.

How Can I Find Out Who Made My Drugs?

If you go to your prescription bottle, there should be a place on the label telling you what company manufactured your generic medication. If you can’t find the name of the company on the label, call your pharmacy. They should have a record in their computers about where your shipment came from.

Should I Just Stop Taking Them?

Don’t just stop taking your meds because of nasty withdrawal symptoms or from other more dire complications. Call your doctor first in case you find your meds are from KV and match the lot numbers listed below.

Since people with chronic headaches or migraines often have many other drug problems, I’m just going to copy the whole list on here. You can go see the list for yourself at the FDA’s website.

Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 10mg (58177-538-26 & 538-11)
Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 2.5mg (58177-536-26)
Amlodipine Besylate Tablets, 5mg (58177-537-26, 537-07 & 537-11)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 10mg (58177-342-04 & 342-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 20mg (58177-343-04 & 343-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 40mg, (58177-344-04 & 344-08)
Benazepril HCl Tablets, 5mg (58177-341-04)
Benzonatate Capsules, 100mg (58177-091-04 & 091-08)
Benzonatate Capsules, 200mg (58177-092-04 & 092-08)
Bromfenex ER Capsules (58177-019-04)
Bromfenex PD ER Capsules (58177-020-04)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 10mg (58177-265-04 & 265-08)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 15mg (58177-309-04 & 309-08)
Buspirone HCl Tablets, 5mg (58177-264-04 & 264-08)

Codeine Phosphate/Guaifenesin Tablets, 10mg (58177-223-04)
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets, 10mg (58177-312-04)
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets, 5mg (58177-311-04)
Dextroamphetamine Tablets, 10mg (58177-312-04)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 120mg (58177-061-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 120mg (58177-061-19 & 061-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 180mg (58177-062-09 & 062-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 180mg (58177-062-19 & 062-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 240mg (58177-063-09 & 063-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 240mg (58177-063-19 & 063-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 300mg (58177-064-19 & 064-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 360mg (58177-065-09 & 065-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 360mg (58177-065-19 & 065-26)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 420mg (58177-066-09 & 066-11)
Diltiazem HC1 Capsules, 420mg (58177-066-19 & 066-26)
Disopyramide Phosphate ER Capsules, 150mg (58177-002-04)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 1mg (58177-266-04 & 266-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 2mg (58177-267-04 & 267-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 4mg (58177-268-04 & 268-08)
Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets, 8mg (58177-269-04 & 269-08)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, .25mg (58177-432-40)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, .5mg (58177-433-40 & 433-09)
Ethedent Chewable Tablets, 1mg (58177-434-40 & 434-09)
EthexDerm BPW-10, 10% (58177-929-65)
EthexDerm BPW-5, 5% (58177-928-65)
Ethezyme 650 (58177-868-02)
Ethezyme 830 Papain-Urea (58177-816-02)
Ethezyme Papain-Urea (58177-804-02)
ETH-Oxydose Concentrated Solution (58177-914-04 & 914-56)
Guaifenex DM ER Tablets (58177-213-04)
Guaifenex GP ER Tablets (58177-373-04)
Guaifenex PSE 120 ER Tablets (58177-208-04)
Guaifenex PSE 60 ER Tablets (58177-214-04)
Guaifenex PSE 80 Tablets (58177-413-04)
Guaifenex PSE 85 Tablets (58177-478-04)
Hista-Vent DA Tablets (58177-227-04)
Hista-Vent PSE tablets (58177-426-04)
Histinex HC Liquid (58177-877-07 & 877-12)
Histinex PV Liquid (58177-883-07)
Hydrocodone Bitartrate & Acetaminophen Liquid (58177-909-07)
Hydrocodone Bitartrate/Guaifenesin Liquid (58177-881-07)
Hydrocortisone and Iodoquinol Cream, 1% (58177-803-02)
Hydroquinone 4% Cream w/SS, 1oz. (58177-802-02)
Hydroquinone 4% Cream, 1oz. (58177-801-02)
Hydro-Tussin CBX Liquid (58177-924-07)
Hydro-Tussin DHC Syrup (58177-926-07)
Hydro-Tussin DM Liquid (58177-906-07)
Hydro-Tussin EXP Liquid (58177-927-07)
HydroTussin HC Syrup (58177-915-07)
Hydro-Tussin Liquid (58177-890-07)
Hydro-Tussin XP Liquid (58177-916-07)
Hyoscyamine Orally Disintegrating Tablets, .125mg (58177-423-04)
Hyoscyamine Sublingual Tablets, .125mg (58177-255-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate ER Tablets, .375mg (58177-237-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate ER Capsules, .375mg (58177-017-04)
Hyoscyamine Sulfate Oral Tablets, .125mg (58177-274-04)
Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 120mg (58177-201-04)

Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 30mg (58177-222-04, 222-08 & 222-11)
Isosorbide Mononitrate ER Tablets, 60mg (58177-238-04, 238-08 & 238-11)
Meperidine/Promethazidne Capsules (58177-027-04)
Morphine InveAmp, 20mg x 1mL (58177-886-56)
Morphine InveAmp, 5mg/.25mL (58177-888-80)
Morphine Sulfate Concentrated Oral Solution 20mg/1ml (58177-886-01, 886-03 &886-05)
Morphine Sulfate Concentrated Oral Solution, 20mg/1ml (58177-886-57)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 100mg (58177-340-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 15mg (58177-310-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 200mg (58177-380-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 30mg (58177-320-04)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tablets, 60mg (58177-330-04)
Morphine Sulfate IR Tablets, 15mg (58177-313-04)
Morphine Sulfate IR Tablets, 30mg (58177-314-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .3mg (58177-323-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .4mg (58177-324-18 & 324-04)
NitroQuick Sublingual Tablets, .6mg (58177-325-04)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 15 grams (58177-839-45)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 30 grams (58177-839-46)
Nystatin Topical Powder, USP 60 grams (58177-839-61)
Ondansetron Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 4mg (58177-363-22)
Ondansetron Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 8mg (58177-364-22 & 364-56)
Oxycodone HCl Capsules, 5mg (58177-041-04 & 041-11)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 10mg (58177-461-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 15mg, (58177-445-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 20mg (58177-462-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 30mg (58177-446-04)
Oxycodone HCl IR Tablets, 5mg (58177-625-04 & 625-11)
Pangestyme CN 20 (58177-030-04)
Pangestyme CN10 (58177-029-04)
Pangestyme EC 100 (58177-031-04)
Pangestyme EC 250 (58177-031-06)
Pangestyme MT16 (58177-028-04)
Pangestyme UL12 (58177-048-04)
Pangestyme UL18 (58177-049-04)
Pangestyme UL20 (58177-050-04)
PhenaVent Capsules (58177-078-19)
PhenaVent D Tablets (58177-444-04)
PhenaVent LA Capsules (58177-095-19)
PhenaVent PED Capsules (58177-079-04)
Plaretase 800 (58177-416-04 & 416-08)
Potassium Chloride ER Capsules, 10mEq (58177-001-04, 001-08, 001-09, & 001-11)
Potassium Chloride ER Capsules, 8mEq (58177-677-04 & 677-08)
Potassium Chloride ER Tablets, 20mEq (58177-202-04, 202-08, 202-09 & 202-11)
Prednisolone Sodium Oral Solution (58177-932-05)
Prednisolone Syrup 15mg/5mL (58177-910-05 & 910-07)
Prednisolone Syrup 5mg/5mL (58177-912-03)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 150mg (58177-331-04 & 331-11)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 225mg (58177-332-04)
Propafenone HCl Tablets, 300mg (58177-333-04)
Pseudovent 400 Capsules (58177-096-04)
Pseudovent Capsules (58177-045-04)
Pseudovent PED Capsules (58177-046-04)
Tri-Vent DM Syrup (58177-925-07)
Tri-Vent DPC Liquid (58177-923-07)
Tri-Vent HC Liquid (58177-920-07)

Products Recalled to RETAIL PHARMACY Level:

Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 2mg (58177-620-04 & 620-11)
Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 4mg (58177-621-04 & 621-11)
Hydromorphone HCl Tablets, 8mg (58177-449-04)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 50mg (58177-369-04, 369-09 & 369-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 100mg (58177-368-04, 368-09 & 368-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 25mg (58177-293-04, 293-09 & 293-11)
Metoprolol Succinate ER Tablets, 200mg (58177-358-04, 358-09 & 358-11)

Any wholesale or retail customer inquiries related to this action should be addressed to ETHEX Customer Service at 1-800-748-1472, faxed to ETHEX Customer Service at 314-646-3788, or e-mailed to customer-service@ethex.com. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm CST.

OxyContin is the brand name for the opiod painkiller oxycodone. On the street, it’s called “hillbilly heroin”. OxyContin is sometimes prescribed for migrainuers. It’s been around since 1995 and it’s arguable that it’s hurt more people than it’s helped.

Opiod painkillers are thought to be the most abused kinds of prescription drugs, especially oxycodone. Why? Well, although I’ve never personally tried it, you can get high as a kite on the stuff. Reportedly, this high is similar to the highs you can get from cocaine.

So Why Am I Banging On About This?

I recently accepted an assignment from another client to find facts about OxyContin abuse — particularly, how many in the world people die from it each year. I had to turn the assignment down because I could not find the numbers of how many people in the world die from OxyContin abuse a year.

So, I decided to narrow my sights and find out how many people in America die from OxyContin abuse or overdose. Couldn’t find that number, either. I could find it for states or for cities, but not for America as a whole.

I find that a litle odd. We seem to take the time to determine how few people die of a peanut butter product salmonella outbreak, but deaths from OxyContin? Nah — who cares about that? If anyone does know the recent numbers, I’d love to see them just out of morbid curiosity. This graph was the closest I could find, from 2005.

Signs Of Becoming Addicted

Not everyone who takes OxyContin will get addicted. If that was true, then we’d probably get rid of the gold standard and use the OxyContin standard. Also, my Mom used to take OxyContin and did not get addicted.

So, how can you tell if an addiction is happening? Well, if you need to take more OxyContin to get the same pain relief, that’s a bad sign. Faking pain at a doctor’s is another sign. Buying from no prescription Internet sites (which is often just as expensive as getting it from a pharmacy) is another warning bell. Hanging out in bars waiting for the guy that sells hillbilly heroin is a really big giveaway.

You’ll get sick from a person’s sneeze more often than from a dog bite, but this is still infor you need to know. Any dog or cat bite that breaks the skin needs to be cleaned and cared for promtly. Well, any cut or break of the skin needs to care for promtly, for that matter. Even if things look okay and you suddenly get a headache, you may have an infection. These need to be treated promptly so that they don’t get so bad you drop dead.

About Staph Infections

You know those staph infections on the rise at hopsitals and clinics? You can also get them after a dog or cat or any other animal bite, just as you can get them from a needle or from surgery. They are caused by harmeless bacteria that always live on your skin. The bacteria only becomes harmful when it enters a break in the skin, like a cut, hyperdermic needle or animal bite.

My Mom nearly died of a staph infection at a doctor’s office a couple of years ago, so you are not being paranoid by going to the hospital if you get a sudden headache, fever or dull ache at the bite site.

What Else Can Go Wrong?

There’s also another fun infection that can happen called pasteurellosis, which has symptoms similar to a staph infection. This is caused by the bacteria living in a dog or cat’s saliva — even the healthy ones.

What If You Rearely Get Headaches?

If you rarely get headaches or migraines and suddenly get one within 24 hours after a dog or cat bite, please call your doctor. That could be a potentially deadly infection starting. Don’t wait for the bite site to swell up or ache.

Pfizer, already the Mr. Big of Big Pharma, think it isn’t big enough and want’s to swallow — er, merge — with another Big Pharma company, Wyeth to the tune of $68 billion dollars. Even if merger plans ultimately fall through, Pfizer’s stock is rising.

Bad News For Consumers

Mergers are not necessarily a good idea in the pharmeceutical biz. I know folks who worked in Smith-Kline Beecham and are still reeling from their merger in 2000 with Glaxo-Wellcome to become the mutant power now known as GlaxoSmithKlien. A merger did not drive down the proce of any of it’s products and many peope lost their jobs. However, the CEO at the time, JP Garnier, who was already filthy rich at the time, could probably pay of the US deficit now.

The only thing that happens in these mergers is that the upper management gets richer and the company itself becomes more powerful politically, getting huge breaks in taxes and environmental standards. Hopefully, the US government will not allow the merger (although recent news makes that look really doubtful). If they merge, they’ll be like…well, like Disney World, which is it’s own autonoumous entity within Florida.

What’s Pfizer, Again?

Pfizer has offices in many countries, but is originally an American company, starting in 1849 in Brooklyn by two immigrant cousins, one of which was named Charles Pfizer. Their first big medicaine was to kill parasitical worms. We need some of that today in Big Pharma to kill off these greedy CEOs.

Pfizer’s top drugs are Viagra, Lipitor and Zoloft. They also make the migraine drug Relpax.

Nope — you can’t get away from Obama — not even here! BWHA-HA-HA!

No, seriously, since it’s inaugeration week and President Obama seems serious about changing some things like closing down Gitmo and pulling out of Iraq, there may be a possibility of a federal government change on the stance of medical marijuana, which is a very effective painkiller. Although medical marijuana is usually prescribed for glaucoma, cancer and inoperable tumors, there are many migraneurs who use it to kill the pain and nausea of a migraine attack.

There are a few clips on YouTube that deal with Obama talking about marijuana in general, but I think this is the best one. Why? Well, he does mention that decriminalizing medical marijuana would not be very high on the priority list as soon as he got into the White House. That brief moment of honesty is rare in any politician. Also, he does state that he doesn’t think the Justice Department should wste it’s resources on busting someone for medical marijuana possession or to bust doctors who prescribe it. Every little bit of a change helps here.

Do I take medical marijuana? No. But I have taken it for a toothache when I was homeless and seeing a dentist was out of the question. For many people, going to a dentist or doctor is out of the question. But they still have pain. Medical marijuana is a cheap way to not only manage pain, but to make sure you eat and sleep regularly. And it helps you keep a sense of humor.

Granted, there are people who can’t tolerate pot at all. They get paranoid or suicidal after a toke. But then again, this happens to people taking any medication.

I have iron poor blood. I also have migraines, major depression, psoriasis, stutter, have monocular vision and am going deaf. It’s fun to be me. But I also have iron poor blood. Usually, iron poor blood just makes you feel exhausted all of the time. Now, I’m wondering if it could contribute to some headaches.

Remember, headaches are different from migraines in that the pain covers both sides of your head while migraines tend to be felt on just one side of the head.

Waiting For Free Iron

I was diagnosed with iron poor blood early last year and so have had to take iron supplemental pills. Although the directions say they work best on an empty stomach, if I take them on an empty stomach, I throw up, so I take them with lunch or dinner.

I certainly picked up in energy and was able to concetrate for longer periods at a stretch. And I didn’t feel as if I needed an afternoon nap. And then I ran out of iron pills.

No problem. I received a gift card to a certain department store for Christmas — I could get free iron tabs then. Since my Mom wanted to come along to this store (and since I can’t drive due to my crappy eyesight) I thought I’d wait until we could schedule a shopping trip together.

Now it’s late January and I’m too wiped out to shop. Mom’s gone off on her own to get the pills. Waiting for free iron tablets was no bargain in this case.

Why the Headaches?

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a constant low-grade headache (enough to make you miserable but not enough to send you to bed). That’s probably due to being so tired all of the time. When you’re really tired and stressed, many people get headaches in such a situation.

Hopefully, my post will be more coherent tomorrow, but if this happens to me, it may happen to someone else. Please check with your doctor before popping iron tablets.

Usually, when you get a migraine, you don’ get a fever. Now, if you’ve had a virus with a fever for some time and this messes up your sleeping habits, you can get a migraine from the sleep deprivation. But if you get a migraine and fever, this could be one of three potentially lethal problems.

Even if you think “Oh, it’s just a virus — it’ll pass,” it may not. Better to be safe than sorry. (Sorry for the cliche there, but it needed to be said.)

Stroke

Whether a mini-stroke or a full-blown stroke, a low-grade fever sometimes accompanies the sudden migraine. But more telling symptoms will include numbness in a limb, confusion, difficulty speaking or one side of the face drooping. Call an ambulance immediately.

Meningitis

This is when the fluid and/or the membranes around your brain and spial chord have been invaded by an infection. Symptoms come on rapidly and it can kill. Although often assocated with small children, meningitis can happen to people of any age. There are two major types, viral and bacterial.

Symptoms include migraine, fever, stiff neck, confusion, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting and strange rashes, sometimes like red or purple polka dots.

Encephalitis

This comes in two forms, but both of them have the same symptoms and both can be deadly. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, and when something is inflamed, it tends to expand, even within the confines of the human skull. So, you get a migraine and fever.

And you also get personality changes, confusion, stiff neck, nausea — well, basically, it’s like meningitis symptoms. Small children will have bulging of the soft spots of their skulls, too.

What is this — knife in the head month? We just had news of a woman suing a Florida emergency care center because they left part of a knife in her head . Now, the blogosphere is abuzz with another knife in the head story. Except this time, the Polish man with the knife in his head didn’t realize he had a knife in his head for several days.

Huh?

61 year old retired schoolteacher Leonard Woronowicz was tinkering in his kitchen, standing on a stool and fell. There were some things scattered about the kitchen, including knives. After he got up, he found some blood below his right ear, cleaned it up and got on with his life. After getting severe headaches for several days, he thought he may have had a concussion, so he finally went to a doctor. The doctor suspected that Leonard had a crack in his skull and ordered X-rays to be taken.

I’ll let Leonard take it from here:

“I thought they might give me an aspirin, instead they pulled a five inch knife blade out of my head.”

“Congratulations, Leonard — It’s A Knife Blade”

That’s right — no one was more suprised to discover the knife in his head than Leonard. I guess you can’t really blame him — he had a knife blade (sans handle) in his head. Not only that, but the knife blade had managed to go into his head without severing anything major — and apparently not hitting many nerves, either.

As soon as the doctors saw the X-rays, they trundled Leonard off to Bialystok regional centre hospital in order to get Leonard to surgery. The surgery was uneventful, took only a few minutes and Leonard is expected to make a full recovery.

You see the advertisements a billion times a day in newspapers, bordering your emails and on TV. “Easy to use diet plans!” “All the work done for you!” “Loose weight fast!” and all that happy crappy. No matter if it’s NutriSystem or Jenny Craig, expect to get headaches if you decide to go on these plans.

Talk To Your Doctor

Diet plans that require you to buy their food are generally loaded with preservatives, sodium and more chemicals than in Dow laboratories. This is so they don’t need to be refrigerated. Please talk to your doctor before going on any of these plans, especailly if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, are at risk of a stroke or have chronic headaches.

Any sudden change to your diet is going to give you physical side effects like gas, digestive upsets and headaches. Part of this could be due to withdrawal symptoms from the foods your body is used to, but also can be from the ingredients in the new stuff you’re consuming.

And you’ll definately get a headache from the cost of these diet plans. Ouch!

Dieting Can Be Good

This is not to say that you should give up on dieting all together. But the best way you’re going to loose weight is to eat more fresh, high-fiber, low fat foods and exercise more often. Skip the sugary drinks and go for water. Fiber and water help to give you a full feeling in the belly. Stop smoking, becasue smoking can slow down your metabolism and make your digestion far more inefficient. And be careful with diet supplements.

Going on a diet is good, as long as it’s not too radical a change, you make the food yourself and you increase your activity levels.

Hope this helps. Off to get a Hershey Mini now.

When I had my migraine yesterday and it lasted for hours, my Mom (who is about the most intelligent person I know) asked me if I was suffering from cluster headaches instead of migraines. That showed me how little people are aware about what cluster headaches are and how excrutiating they can be. Although more men get cluster headaches than women, women who have them and have given birth have reported that the pain of the cluster headaches are worse than giving birth. At least there are painkillers available for giving birth.

Perhaps the very name — cluster headaches — gives people the wrong assumption that these are regular headaches that come frequently. They are far worse than headaches and far worse than migraines. “Spike Through The Head-aches” would probably be a better name. Some people do call them “suicide headaches”, but for some reason that name hasn’t caught on.

Another misconception is that many people with cluster headaches get very thin and look like heroin addicts. When hearing of their pains, some people may assume that what they are describing is heroin withdrawal.

The following ten minute YouTube clip is a British university student’s excellent documentary about cluster headaches, specifically following the story of his stepfather, Mike, who suffers from chronic cluster headaches, suffering as many as four attacks a day. The film is framed by footage from Tony Amabile, who filmed himself having an attack (or “the Beast”, as Mike aptly calls it). The footage is graphic. Sometimes the sound dips up and down, but not too much to be distracting.

About 9:30 last night, the migraine in my right eye and ear started. Usually it just stays around the eye, but now it’s taken the ear along for the ride. It wasn’t the worst migraine I’ve had. It wasn’t one of the worst 100 migraines I’ve had. I’ve had migraines so bad that I had to crawl to get anywhere. At least today I could stand up. But it kept going and going and going. Yes, folks — I had the freakin’ Energizer Bunny of migraines.

I did take the usual painkillers — acetominophen & caffeine, an allergy pill (because maybe the ear pain was sinus pressure), cups of tea — and by 1:15 this afternoon I was ready to cut my own head off. Which, I guess in a way, I did.

I Asked Mom For A Tramadol

Now, my Mom has major chronic pains due to arthritis, fibromyalgia and spinal stenosis. This is what I have to look forward to. So, she has a nice cornocopia of painkillers. I was depserate enough to beg for a tramadol (because I liked the name. I felt like I was in trauma. Seemed appropriate).

Now Big Obligatory Warning — folks, never take drugs you aren’t prescribed. Something bad could still happen to me. Right now, I feel as if the air molecules around my body have never been more comfortable. I mean, look at me — I’m blogging and there is no known cure.

What Is Tramadol?

Tramadol is the active ingredient in Ultram but I believe is also sold as a generic (it’s hard for me to tell right now). It’s an opiod and so let’s party. Also, keep the stuff under lock and key because people like to steal it.

(THUD).

The first blog carnival of the new year is up at Somebody Heal Me, chaperoned by the lovely Diana Lee. As you probably know, a blog carnival is a bunch of blog posts that revolve around a central topic. The topic explored (or ignored) is “What Keeps You Going When You’re Suffering.” I answered the question with, “Revenge”.

Highlights

As always, if I haven’t chosen your article, it’s not meant to be an insult. The following highlights are based soley on my personal tastes in reading:

• Rosalind Joffe at WorkingWithChronicIllness.com presents some practical advice in “What Gets You Through The Times of Pain/Fatigue or Just Plain Can’t Do?” The title is a little convuluted but the article isn’t. Rosalind used to have multiple schlerosis, had sinus surgery and therefore is more than qualified to write about pain. If you’re in a rush, skip to the list at the end.
• If you sleep on your stomach and suffer from chronic headaches, take a painkiller and read “Sleeping Off My Headache?” from Without Dash. Sadly, no mater what position my body takes to sleep, it hasn’t affected my migraines any.
• Jasmine’s “The Pursuit of Painlessness” at first seems a little too optimistic, but then smooths out with a good blend of hope and reality. The comments below are quite interesting, too.
• James presents a heaping helping of food for thought with “What Everyone Should Know About Telcagepant — The Coming Migraine Drug”. Telcagepant is hoped to work fro migraineurs who can’t take triptans.

Next Month

Next month’s topic promises to be loaded with Google ads — the theme is “Sex and Migraines”. Entries due Friday, February 6. Remember, your blog post doesn’t have to center on migraines or headaches. You don’t get paid, but it’s good publicity.

Ever have one of those headaches when it feels as if there’s a knife in your head? Well, you guess that’s it feels like. But some people actually have knifes stuck in their heads, so they have a basis of camparison. Such a person is Edith McQueen, who was stabbed in the head twice during a viscious assault in August 2005. Fortunately, she was rushed to a medical center. Unfortunately, a piece of the knife was accidentally left in her noggin, around her jawbone.

Can You Say “Lawsuit”? Sure, You Can

Edith McQueen intends to sue the Shands-Jackson Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. She claims that she never was given an x-ray as a part of treatment. She claims that she was given some wound-cleaning and some stitches and released the next day.

Then, the headaches started. I can imagine that conversation. “Can you describe the pain?” “Incredibly accurately, doctor.” Her personal doctor was on the ball and ordered her to get an MRI. That showed there was part of a knife blde in her head. Since McQueens claims that she hasn’t been stabbed in that area since August 2005, it’s a pretty good bet that knife piece came from that attack. Well, at least it wasn’t a pencil.

So, What Can We Learn From This?

The good news is that the human head is incredibly resiliant. Just in case you have a nagging fear of getting stabbed in the head or having a pencil jammed in it, the odds of you surviving for years afterwards are pretty good.

The bad news is that, if what McQueen’s claims is true, then emergency care can be pretty damn shoddy. But, if you do get stabbed in the head, be sure you insist on getting an X-ray — and lots of good drugs.

“There’s not a lot of money in revenge.” — Innigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

Then picture yourself destroying this person in any way possible — use your imagination. You could do the light sabre duel from Star Wars, you could win a lawsuit against the person or thing or you you could imagine a tornado suddenly dropping out of the sky to blow him/her/it to smithereens.

Now smile and take a deep breath — ahh, doesn’t that feel better?

Use Common Sense

Obviously, you can’t act on these revenge fanatsies. Not exactly in the way that the fantasy goes. But you can use the energy to keep on going in order to look out for ways to metaphorically crush your enemies. For example, when having a headache, I’ve written many articles condemning puppy mills and have gotten paid for them. Now, that’s sweet.