Today was both a stressful and relieving day for me. I have been suffering form severe headaches and migraines for pretty much my whole life, but over the past few years they have increased in both frequency and severity. After a couple pretty bad days, my mum convinced me it was time to see a neurologist.
Today I had my neurologist appointment. I have been diagnosed with Chronic Daily Headache Syndrome as well as Chronic Pain Syndrome. It's nice to know that what I am experiences is real, and that there is an actual name for it. What is a bit harder is the treatment.
I am a naturally anxious person. It runs in the family. As a child (before the headaches first really started, which when I was 3) I was always a bit anxious and "on-edge". This has really blossomed as I got older, to the point where I could possibly have an Anxiety disorder, but today, I found out that my anxiety and stress is a horrible, terrible part of both CDHS and CPS. I just happened to get the short end of the stick. But my stress is having a really bad affect on my body. The average person's resting breathing rate is between 12 and 16 on average. Mine is 24. A normal heart rate should be between 60 and 100. Mine usually doesn't go below 85-90, and sitting here typing right now, it's 102. My body is running on hyperdrive. As my neurologist explained it, it's like my mind is telling my body a giant saber-tooth tiger is about to jump out of the bushes to eat me. My body needs to be prepared in the event that happens. But for me, that saber-tooth tiger is my uni assignments, my job-hunting, my financial situation, and my life in general. Everything is out to eat me, and my mind is telling me to get ready to run. And to top it all off, because I am stressed, the headache gets worse, and then I stress about the headache, which makes me feel worse, and it goes on, and on, and on.
Other affects of both of these syndromes are Fatigue, Mood Swings, Depression, Nausea, no response to pain medication, weakened immune system. I have all of these to varying degrees.
So it's time to start dealing with all of this. I'm about to start some meds to help with the anxiety, with the headaches, with the pain management, as well as changing my lifestyle, some of which I am not looking forward to.
So I have a question for anyone who is reading this - do you have severe headaches? I'd love to know how you deal with them, such as what helps and what doesn't. I'm also wondering if you personally, or know someone who has been diagnosed with either of these two conditions, as I would really also love some tips with dealing with it all.