Dreaming of A Forest

Finally Sleep and Dreams

Haven't been sleeping much this week, but I finally was able to sleep last night. As sometimes happens when I get extremely tired, I had a dream about The Headache.

I was in a wet rainy woods, with leaves falling all around me. A woodpecker flew by and settled on my head. I was enchanted by the bird and kept trying to grab it because it was sooo beautiful, but everytime I reached for it, it would flutter up and then land again when I put my hands down. The rain started coming down more quickly and the woodpecker started rat-a-tat-tatting on my head, making water fly. Then I woke up. The Headache was in one of those sharp piercing pain modes, so I think the woodpecker was The Headache.

The Headache is not nearly as bad as it was last year this time. The occipital stimulator seems to be helping (unless that's just a placebo effect), but twice in the last two days I have had moments of extreme white hot piercing pain on my right side of my brain. Left voice mail at my headache specialist, but they have not returned my call - which probably means the specialist and/or the nurse took the week off. Not sure if there is any way to medicate for these swift stabbing pains. At least the pain no longer keeps mounting into the stratosphere when the hot icepicks start piercing my brain. I can bear pain if I know it will end.

Worked more than full time the last few days. Got a lot of work caught up this week, probably will be looking for extra projects in a couple of weeks.

The Headache is slightly worse because of the activity and maybe the wet weather. I am getting back in the mode of travelling for work next week, with a couple of days onsite at a new client, then off to Cleveland on Thursday, and back to Kansas City Thursday evening. I don't know if I will stay in KC Thursday evening or not. I suspect I will because I won't be hitting town until almost midnight. My flight leaves at 5:00 am so it will be a long day for me. I have scheduled Friday off, but may work part of the day if I can.

Because of my schedule I'm not sure if I will be blogging much next week. I'm hoping The Headache will be behaving itself much better, especially if I get full programming from the St. Jude representative instead of just the four programs I have for the study. Not sure what to do if the right side problems keep up - but at least the pain on that side is not continuous.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I live too far south now to have early frosts, but I remember waking up as a child in the morning when there was an early frost and the crispness of the air and the crunchiness of the grass underfoot. We mainly have oak trees here, but I grew up around mixed hardwood forests where fall meant hundreds of shades of color as the leaves turned.

I must be homesick a little since going up "home" for the family reunion. I miss the closeness of living in a small town. The town I live near now isn't so large either - about 5000 people, but the town I grew up closest to had a population of 25. A world of difference! At the general store (which reminded you of Drucker's store on Green Acres) you could buy original Studebaker parts in Studebaker boxes from when they had a Studebaker dealership. I bought some elastic there in 1978 that the store owner's wife discounted from 10 cents to a nickel because it had been water damaged in 1956 when the roof leaked. The elastic was 3 years older than me!!! They had a checkboard out, and rang up your purchases on a big fancy old NCR cash register - hand cranked and went CHING when the cash drawer opened. They carried Dad's Root Beer in glass gallon jars, and had penny candy of all sorts. We used to tease my father (as soda pop was not often served at our house) saying "Buy us some Dad's dad, how about some pop, Pop??" Ah well, its all closed down now, and has been for many years. I'm feeling my age tonight for sure. Must be because I grew up in Hooterville and not Pixley.

KU Medical Center Day

I'm On the March to Painville

I drove to Kansas City today to see my headache specialist. Have had the appointment for a few months. Also squeezed in a visit to the Immunology department to discuss my horrid hives.

My specialist was pleased with my progress to partially functional, since I was coming from totally disfunctional territory the last time she saw me.

I told her that the Benedryl is having less and less effect, and she said that is a draw back for Benedryl. She prescribed Vistaril, another sedating antihistamine medication to take in combination with phenergan. She said the trammadol I was taking probably wasn't doing much good for the type headache I have, and I said it didn't do much, but was in assistance in sedating me when the headache got bad enough. She said the Vistaril should do the trick, even though it is a low dose. She also mentioned if the oral route of a medication doesn't help with a headache, sometimes it helps to bypass the digestive system, either as a suppository or as a specially compounded skin absorbing cream. She said there just isn't much that can be done for The Headache other than what we are already doing. She said she would like to see how The Headache does after the three month study period, when all the bells, whistles, and programming gets turned on the occipital stimulator. Me too!

The immunologist took pity on my hivey body and loaded me up with samples of some expensive medications. She also said I need to carry TWO Epipens with me. I keep one in the car at all times, but never thought of carrying two in my purse. More blood tests, meaning more co-pay. Sigh. At least I got the free samples!!! I was glad to get reestablished with someone who is used to treating chronic hives. The only allergist I found locally after my immunologist passed away last fall said he didn't treat chronic hives.

I left at 4:30 this morning in order to get to KC in time for my first appointment. I drove through dreadful rain and lightening half the way there, and then bumper to bumper traffic after I hit the Kansas City limits. I had forgotten what real rush hour traffic is like! The Headache did not behave itself, even after I fiddled with my stimulator controls.

Tonight I will be trying the Vistaril to see how it goes, but am waiting until the last minute because I am determined to get some things done. I won't be able to save myself from hurting, since the march to painville has already started and is well on its way, so I'm going to suck it up and see how long I can last. I was able to work for about an hour after I got home, so at least I am drawing some wages for today. Hoorah!