Dealing with doctors and medical facilities can give a healthy person a vicious headache with all the forms and referrals and medical b.s.

I'm glad the pain has dialed down in intensity (or maybe you have just increased your pain threshold).

Have you thought about a nice relaxing vacation? Maybe you've been more stressed about the fast paced life you've been living than you realize.

Anytime you want to visit VT, sit next to a bon fire and watch shooting stars, just let me know.

My best friend is working on her D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy). I'm not sure I could explain to you what she does, but if you're looking for another option you might look into it. I know she's helped to alleviate a lot of my pain and with much less cost than I've spent going to other doctors. I had never heard of it before she studied it, so I wanted to share just in case it was something that could help you.

Anyway, I hope that you do feel better soon. I'm a frequent reader and enjoy your blog very much. :)

I've been meaning to comment on your never-ending migraine. Last year around May my mother experienced the same thing (ironically she was also in the midst of completing her first half-marathon) she developed a migraine that wouldn't go away and just like you, for months she tried everything. All the things you have done. Then all of a sudden, after 4 months, it just went away. Poof, gone. She has no idea what did it. She does think stress might have been involved, although she also didn't think she had been that stressed out. She has also been going to massage therapy for the past year still and she thinks that it actually has helped a lot, she just has to be consistent in going. But ultimately she couldn't pin down one particular thing that would have made it stop the way it did.

This might not be very helpful to you, but I just wanted to let you know there is hope that it will eventually go away, and I really hope it does.

When I had a serious and scary operation several years ago, after I got out of the hospital I developed a horrible headache. On a hunch, I called the hospital and asked what they had given me to put me out. They were pretty scared to tell me, but I insisted on knowing. My skills as a pushy reporter helped me through that part!

I took the list of drugs, went to the local college library and looked them all up. Yes, this was pre-Internet! When I saw that side-effects for several of them were headache, I relaxed, drank tons of water to flush my system, and the headache went away after 'just' a month.

So, you and your posters who are guessing stress is a component of your pain are probably right. I'm still praying though, just in case. :-)

I have lost 4 lbs. since surgery,but I am WAY over what the BMI (Big Mama Index) chart says I should be. 5'6" and 195lbs. It sucks. The new goal is to lose a pound a week. I figure that if the pasta queen can drop nearly 200 lbs, I can lose 35lbs or so. I won't ever be on the cover of shape magazine,but I will be healthy. Hang in there, Jeanette.

Cheers to getting through the pain and unknown and here's to a celebratory and fun summer.

Maybe if you had several children, it would work in reverse in your case, and you'd stop having headaches!

Well, anyway, I'm glad they're a little bit better.

You just have to keep plugging through and hope that the moments where you feel good are going to be more frequent than the ones where you want to rip your eyes out to avoid the light. It will get better, I know it. In the darkest moments, it's hard to believe it, but it will.

I'll send some good thoughts your way.

Also, you may consider yoga. A good yoga class will give you a good workout and is medatative and de-stressing. Our rec center here in town has a great one, but I'm guessing a class in MA is maybe too far for you.

This made me lol! So sorry about the headache - maybe you should try a strawberry vicodin margarita? I'll bet House has tried that a time or two (that is my favorite show btw!).

I'M TOTALLY KIDDING ABOUT MIXING PAINKILLERS WITH ALCOHOL!!!! (if I don't put that disclaimer in there someone will surely get ticked!)

I figure you don't need any more advice about getting rid of your headache, so I'll just say I'm sending happy pain-free vibes your way!!

Do you think there's anything significant in the ice cream helping? Seriously, is there some ingredient (possibly sugar) that helps? That would be a hilarious prescription for a doctor to write: 1 pint Ben and Jerry's taken orally qd.

Then had a diet soft drink...got a headache. Didn't connect the two. A week or so later, had another diet soda...shortly after, another headache. Makes me think the artificial sweeteners triggered it.

Decided, perhaps the artificial sweeteners did affect me, but I'd gotten used to them over the years.

Now I avoid all diet soda...if I crave soda I have a small regular one...12 ounces is 90 calories...it's an occasional treat now.

For years I ate a lot of sugar. When I started my current diet last fall I cut way back on high sugar foods, eating them only on occasion. Now I notice when I do eat a lot of sugar it makes me feel like I'm hung over.

Experiment with eliminating certain foods/things one at a time...see what happens.

Also, one more odd thing you might try--it sounds "quacky" but...if you use antiperspirant switch to deodorant so that your body can rid itself of some toxins through your armpit sweat.

I switched during menopause---supposed to help with the hot flashes...and it did help me feel cooler. Deodorant kept me from being "offensive" as in B.O... But I did notice my armpits had a chemical odor (even deodorant clogs your pores and inhibits the release of toxins)...so out of curiosity I tried natural mineral salts, also called a crystal---it works better than deodorant! My armpits, when sweaty have no odor...makes me think it's because my body was finally able to rid itself of the toxins in that area.

I know this sounds flaky---I've heard stuff like this for years and discounted it...but my hot flashes were so miserable, and having had cancer and unable to use hormones, I was desperate to try anything...

Now I am a firm believer that we should allow our bodies to sweat via the arm pit area and anything that clogs that area inhibits the release of toxins..over the years, they accumulate...true some are released through "over the body" sweat, and other bodily elimination.

Anyhoo... a couple of things to try..you never know what the magic bullet is...sometimes it's not just one thing, but a combination of things...trust me...I know from life experience.

You are a trooper and I think you are an awesome example and human being. You are going to get better...believe it.

I can relate to the crying at the doctor's office - I was doing a drug test. The highest category was "7+" for # of hives. I showed them the 100+ hives on my back alone. The largest category was "Quarter-sized+" Among those on my back was a hive the size of my fist. Oh yes, there were tears.

The good news is that the hives did go, eventually. Sometimes I get mental itching, but the little beasts have not come back. I hope the same happens for your headaches!

Your blog/book has been such an inspiration. I wish you weren't dealing with these headaches. How frustrating that you don't have a diagnosis/solution for them yet. Hang in there, and keep seeking answers medically for what's going on with you.

The chiro will probably do an x-ray of your spine to see if there is any compression of disks, etc. My mother has C5-6 degenerative disk disease (you are pretty young for that, but could be early stages) and traction helps her. There is a device I got her that she wears (a little collar that inflates and elongates the neck gently) that helps her.

Anyhow, I'm mostly a believer in chiro because I have so many clients and family members who benefit from its effects. I hope you'll check into it and maybe see if your friends or your company HR department have some recommendations for you.

Sorry for the wordy response...it just really bothers me to think you have been suffering for so long. I hope you have a resolution of it soon, in whatever method works for you.

Take care,

Catherine

My own trip through chronic pain hell has taken years, sorry to say. It's been trial and error, lots of error. But I've got a "management plan" that works for me, and I've reduced the incidence and severity of the attacks. So, don't give up hope, and all that.

Stress does cause all sorts of physical symptoms - I know my headaches are often brought on that way and I also used to get IBS (nice). I have also cried because I felt so bad. I hope your head continues to improve as you get your life back. Maybe worry about what was causing the headaches was causing a vicious cycle?

As you know, my husband has drug-resistant depression, so I can very much relate to the difficulty of trying to remember your medical history for yet another doctor...

No processed food, no salt, no dairy
you can eat extra fruit or greens if you get hungry
For a week or so you may experience worse headaches as your body rids itself of chemicals, etc., but then they will go away; follow this for
at least 4-6 weeks. Then if your headaches have disappeared, you can gradually add other fruits and beans next and then gradually other natural foods, but staying clear of dairy, meat as much as you can (minimal) and yeast breads/sweets, etc.

I hope this helps--if it is impossible for you to follow, I think as much as you can follow it, it will help you...Take care

For the readers that feel the need to comment on their political views, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of political blogs that would be a more appropriate forum for those comments.

Thank you :)

P.S. I fully support House's vicodin habit as well! Okay, so you're the second person who really gets it... but House isn't real and thus, that'd really make you the first... but second... but first person to 'get it' :)

My husband is a Chiropractor and sees patients for headaches all day long. Have you ever thought about seeing a gentle technique chiropractor? www.GentleChiro.net is my husband's website. He would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I wish you the best of luck with your health, I know how frustrating it can be. I suffered from severe migraines until I started regular chiropractic care. GOOD LUCK!!!

My husband had chronic headaches from the time he was twelve years old. After going to different doctors all during his adolescence and no one finding a cause they simply gave up. He eventually ran the gamut of diagnostic tests and nothing showed. When I met him he was 30 and he'd had headaches almost daily for eighteen years.

Fast forward five years later, we were out on a drive through the local state park and at one point when we reached a higher altitude he had to pull the car over his headache was so intense. It lasted the rest of the day and he went to bed early.

During the course of the night he woke me up twice having petite mal seizures I didn't recognize because they looked like instances of sleep-walking. He'd sit up in bed as if still asleep and dreaming, ask some bizarre incoherent question involving the time, and point to the clock frantically as if he were late to an appointment. Shortly thereafter he'd seem to fall back to sleep.

What makes me want to kick myself is that he'd done this off and on for the past five years I'd known him, but these seizures were nothing like I'd seen before even though my mother was epileptic. The situation was made worse by the fact that they only happened at night and didn't last very long, so it's doubtful anyone else had seen them either. Since he'd been single up until the time we met they'd been missed completely by the doctors and he was unaware they occurred and so couldn't report them.

All he knew was that some nights he felt he hadn't rested well. Other symptoms were occasional difficulty sleeping and increased fatigue during the day for no apparent reason. This was simple chronic sleep deprivation caused by the seizures, but since everyone can complain of sleep deprivation now and then I can see the doctors found it difficult to see as a serious consideration during diagnosis.

Finally that same night he had a grand mal episode and I realized what I was seeing, called an ambulance, got him to the hospital and related what happened to a doctor. He was again given scans but this time they found evidence of a very tiny blood vessel in his brain that had been bleeding out periodically, causing a bit of pressure and bringing on the seizures and headaches. It was most likely influenced by atmospheric pressure and the weather as well as his stress levels and occasionally blood pressure, and since it was so small it had to be found while the bleeding was occurring to be picked up by a scan.

He chose to have corrective surgery and although the headaches still occur occasionally - caused now by minor scarring left over by the operation, but at least we know - they happen with less intensity and frequency.

Having said all this I hope something similar is *not* the cause of your problem. But hey, who knows. Every little bit helps. Personally I hope they find the cause in your teeth as another reader posted. That would be so simple to take care of and reasonably painless.

Wishing you continued good luck in finding a cure!

I've gone through something kind of similar, myself, last summer. Rather than being a constant headache (it was close, though...), I was getting migraines 5+ times per week. That got old. I went to an allergist, to see if I had any allergies contributing to this (nope, but I did turn out to have a previously-unknown allergy to almonds). I went to a neurologist, who determined that it was not a tumor.

I now control them through a combination of diet (I avoid onions, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and chocolate- although you might want to read "Heal Your Headache" for some more info/options before you try an elimination diet) and supplements (fish oil, magnesium glycinate, and a good multi). I also tried a medication called periactin for a while- it was AMAZING at stopping the migraines, it also made me want to sleep ALL THE TIME.

So... good luck, and hang in there.

Your weight loss is amazing and a great inspiration. All will be well, PQ. Be blessed.

It helps me because I have such a rigid, black & white approach to everything I try to do. "If I can't do it perfectly, then I can't be bothered to try." Of course that thinking gets in the way of my fitness program. It helps me to see you keep plugging away even when things are really tough for you and you have setbacks.

And, I really, really hope the damn headache goes away pronto. Good luck.

I'm so sorry that you are continuing to have your headache. I hope this is the beginning of it quickly fading away, never to return.

I read my autographed copy of your book. *smile* It was awesome!! I plan to write a review on Amazon soon.

Sending lots and lots of good thoughts your way!

I know this is your experience, and yours alone. And no matter what all us well-meaning readers have to say, it may not have any bearing on you whatsoever. I do not mean any harm, nor am I attempting to force you to look into this particular avenue all that seriously, I just thought it might be worth it for you. The medication (and spinal tap) I've been given has made the difference between continuous pain and a semblance of a normal life. We are still sorting out the dosage, but being 'normal' again is fantastic. I haven't felt 'normal' for over a year, maybe two. And I fully understand the bawling into t-shirts experience. Often, if I can, if I can't do anything else, I go for a walk, and on those walks it is highly likely that some stranger will see me crying my eyes out. I thought I was going crazy (still am some days), I was so desperate for any sort of cure. It's amazing what pain can do to a person. And it is amazing what lengths a person will go to to resolve that pain.
So, it is with good will and solidarity that I am thinking positive thoughts and wishing you a hasty recovery. All the best, and keep on blogging, your story is so very motivating!

Do you still have the headache? WOuld love an update.

BTW-as an old person who is pretty computer illiterate, I have never blogged before this. (

After reading about your headache, I have to tell you (briefly) of my experience. Ten years ago, I was almost totally crippled from head to toe with Rheumatoid Arthritis--from my jaw to my feet. I could barely move/walk, or even chew food. (But I gained more weight than ever) I also had horrible headaches and terrible GI problems, constantly. Went to every freakin doctor and submitted myself to every poisonous treatment on earth. They almost killed me several times with the crap--but still, nothing but Prednisone helped the pain and inflammation.

Today, (and for the last 10 years) I can do about anything. I do have a lot of residual damage from the RA and surgeries (over 25 in all), including all new artificial joints in my hands (right hand was even all replaced once), but I now have no pain, no headaches, no GI problems.

It was all caused by food/other ingested chemicals. (No, I don't have food allergies.) My body became increasingly unable to throw off toxins like a normal body and I am now like a lab rat--whenever I ingest something that is toxic, the next day I am crippled with pain. (One dose of a hormone replacement and I was crippled with pain and had a headache that made me want to rip my head off for 3 weeks). But now when I have a flare-up, I fast, then eat tons of fruits and veggies and I am well again. But flare-ups are extremely rare, now that I know what I should and shouldn't eat. When I have a flare up I can easily pinpoint the cause by observing anything I ingested in the last day or two that was new/different.

I have passed my list of foods to avoid to people who suffer with RA, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and other ailments and they have had the same results. Amazingly, some people refuse to give up things they like to eat and say "forget it." Man, I'd eat dirt or even give up chocolate if it kept the pain away!!!! (Chocolate is not on the ""bad" list--thank God)

From your book/blogs I can see you are sick of people's "diagnoses/cures." (Been there--tried every supplement and cure-all that people recommended, with no change.) I am sick of the medical communities poisoning me/others without any results. If you are interested, email me and I will tell you the rest! If not, I'll never mention it again.....promise.

I just wanted to tell you that you are an inspiration--but then you've heard it before.