Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Tuesday 12 December 2006

Migraines - are from hell!

So the reason I will never be an Olympic athlete is because my body is not a sports car, it is more like a vintage Ford. Simple, reliable, easy to maintain, and idles perfectly smoothly - but don't push it! If you rev it too high, or run it too hard you'll blow a gasket.

The result is that I plod along, and do my fitness maintenance routine. I am fit and healthy and all is cool. But let me try to push hard to increase my fitness, or burn some extra kilojoules, and go beyond my body's screaming, 'Stop this nonsense and let me be' message, I will pay for it.

So at least I now know why I innately back off if I feel it getting too hard, and it's not about laziness, lack of willpower, or gumption. It's pure self-preservation.

Last night I blasted out a 5km run on the treadmill (peaking at almost 14km an hour for brief intervals!) and then did an intensive kata-box class. I was getting tired, but it was fun so I pushed through those messages telling me to slow down and back off. After all MCQP is days away so I was on a mission.

I drove home in a bit of a daze, and then had a too hot bath. I was rewarded with horror of all horrors a migraine.

Despite my best efforts at mental willpower, conscious breathing, and trying to stay calm and relaxed I could not get it to go away and the familiar headache, numb arms and other awful symptoms would not abate. GAH!!!!!!!

So today I have a head full of shards of glass and lights are too bright.

Something between over exertion, a very hot bath (blood pressure related?) and possibly hormones kicks these things off, and nothing is worth getting them. Next time I will have to listen to my body telling me to take it easy.

1 comment:

  1. I don't *think* it's sinus related... because the pain and symptoms are no where near the sinuses.

    My whole family is prone to migraines, but previously I was the only one who seldom got them, they are getting more frequent now.

    I am fairly sure mine have a strong hormone link, and then tiredness and especially dehydration and over heating seems to be a factor.

    I seem to only get them after a heavy work out now, and especially if combined with elevated blood pressure (argument and/or rushing somewhere) and maybe lowered blood pressure (from a very hot bath)...

    I get partial blindness (blind spots) and or bright flashes, sensitivity to light and sound, tingling lips and mouth and tongue, numb hands and arms, and searing stabbing headache pain, either in my eyes or at the back of my head.

    By far the worst symptom is forgetting stuff. With me it is specifically nouns I forget. You can visualise something but have no idea what it is called, and if you do figure it out or get told the word sounds weird and not right. it's very strange!!!

    The next day your brain feel sensitive just like having a bad hang-over and bright lights are still disturbing. If I move my head fast or hang my head down it hurts a LOT.

    Not like a normal head-ache at all...

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