Saturday, July 16, 2005

Migraine therapy

Six or seven years ago, I used to get migraines that lasted 24 hours (or 48, if I took the experimental migraine medicine that made them less severe) and ended up with me either throwing up or screaming in pain.

After a few months of acupuncture treatment in 1999, I reached a stage where I could get over a migraine in about 8 hours using a combination of Tylenol Sinus, a hot bath in a dark room, and black tea with sugar, followed by few hours of sleep. Now I'm often able to stop a migraine in a few hours using the first three ingredients, with no nap required. Pretty amazing. I come out of the migraine very, very tired and craving a dish of rice. (No idea what the rice thing is about, but it's intense!)

I've even been able, while traveling to and from San Jose, to fight off a migraine with just the Tylenol Sinus and tea, no hot bath, as long as I'm able to somehow get a lot of heat by wrapping up in a blanket on the plane or putting on wool socks and stay away from bright light.

Over the years, I've discovered that a few of our cats are "healing cats" that will stay with me while I'm suffering...or recovering. Kaylee -- usually an aloof cat -- turns out to be a "healing cat." She not only stayed with me during the migraine today, but when I got into bed she came over and put her head against mine, even though it can't have been a particularly comfortable way for her to nap!

I got over the headache just in time to go out and sit in the bright sun on the patio of the restaurant where the family was celebrating Zorg's birthday. I returned home feeling like an absolute dishrag, though. Back in the tub. Off to bed. Surely I'll have more energy tomorrow.

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