If you believe in coincidences, this is one for the books! if you don’t, just an odd happenstance I suppose.
Just a normal Monday
As I was just about to start up the mower, I received an almost pannicked text from my sister’s roommate. It seems that my sister was having a debilitating headache, the third in six days! She wanted me to come over and check on her.
Having suffered from cluster headaches for years, as well as migraines, I of course went right over. They can be so miserable it could be frightening to someone that hasn’t ever experienced anything like it before.
The “Headache Position”
When I arrived, she was in the perfect pose. Lying on the couch, drapes closed, lights off, cold compress on her forehead. I asked the typical questions about nausea, vomiting, changes in vision, dizziness, any other symptoms, trying to make sure there was nothing more serious happening.
When light and sound hurts your head, agreeing to try methods to ease the pain is difficult. When moving hurts, you usually refuse to cooperate. This presents problems with most of the treatment methods I have in my toolbox to combat anxiety, which I believed to be the root of my sister’s headache.
Researching the Problem
How on Earth did I get to that conclusion? The headaches came on the first two times while doing phone interviews for a new job. No problems over the weekend. Then number three started on Monday morning when work dumped a ridiclulous amount in her email. Obviously it’s not concrete evidence, but it sounds pretty logical.
“Babysitting” for the Afternoon
We attempted some deep breathing exercises to help her relax, but she only cooperated for a few minutes. She declined any ideas of music or tapping. I did get her to pet her dog for a bit, and that may have helped. Ultimately, I think it was the combination of the medication, better position, ice instead of a cold compress and heat on her legs that won the day. She finally relaxed enough to fall asleep for a bit. She woke up feeling better, thank goodness!
Good Timing
While I sat there with her, feeling a little bit helpless, I also was thinking that this is crazy… I am in the midst of making a website about anxiety and how to manage it, and here I am trying to help my sister do that very thing!
I didn’t feel quite as helpless after that realization, I felt empowered. I felt that sharing this story, though it’s not riveting, is a good way to give examples of how easy it can be to spread this information when it’s necessary! An example of just how easy it is to utilize some products or methods that can help calm and quiet your mind, even when it’s so hard to even comprehend moving.
I invite comments and feedback!