An Official Unofficial Diagnosis

Hello my blog friends,
So I have been decidedly absent from the blog world.  I apologize.  February was not my month.  It started with 2 weeks of bronchitis.  Once I recovered from that, I was hit with a week-long intense migraine attack.  This was not like any migraine attack I have ever experienced.  Typically my migraines last about a day.  I can pretty much sleep the migraine off and the next day I will be fine the next day.  I have experienced cluster migraines, but they are usually bearable and I can function at work or at home.

This was different.

Monday - I got what I thought was a bad case of car sickness.  I was fine all day until my husband picked me up from work.  Somewhere along the commute home, I felt pressure in my head and became really nauseous.  After getting sick (read = vomit), grabbing some dinner, shoveling the snow, and blogging, I was fine.

Tuesday - I was able to drive myself to work, but felt mild pressure in my head all day.  One of my coworkers noticed that I was in pain and asked if I was getting a mirgraine.  Since the pressure was all over my head (and not focused over my right eye as my normal migraines occur), I told her that I didn't think I was.  I thought that maybe I was becoming more sensitive to the weather fronts that were coming through Michigan (Snow storm, then forty degree weather, then snow storm again).  However, when I drove myself home, I got carsick again!  This time I didn't get sick, but the pressure increased through the evening, and I missed yet another pint night. 

Wednesday - Woke up and immediately got sick.  I took the day off from work and went to see my doctor.  He couldn't tell what exactly is the cause of the pressure, but gave me medication (an anti-inflammatory and vicodin) to manage the pain.  I also got a CatScan done to see if there was nothing more serious that was causing the pressure (my scans came back clear).  After that, I pretty much slept through the rest of the day.

Thursday - I went to work (even though I was still feeling pressure all over my head).  I attempted to get as much work done as I can, but after I would complete a task, I would run to the bathroom and got sick.  By 11:30 am, I couldn't take it anymore and I went home.  I called the doctor and he wanted me to try Motrin + vicodin and sleep it off.  If I didn't feel better by the next day, he wanted me to come in.

Friday - Felt worse than before.  Went to the doctor, got sick twice in his office, had another CatScan (results were clear again), and was prescribe an anti nausea in addition to the anti inflammatory and the vicodin.  Again, I slept through the rest of the day and evening.

Saturday - Started to feel a bit better.  I still felt some pressure, but not as intense as it was during the week.  I was able to run errands with my husband, but he had to drive.

Sunday - I would say that the pressure came and went.  Late afternoons and early evening was the worst of it.  I was still taking all three of my meds (reserving the vicodin for the evening so that I can sleep.

I felt 100% back to normal by the following Wednesday.  On Thursday, I threw up a new page on my blog so that I can do something creative now that I was feeling better. 

I also got a MRI done.  While the MRI didn't show an exact cause of the intense pressure, it showed something else.

I have what the doctor called a "developmental vascular anomoly" of the brain.  In short, the blood vessels in my brain developed in a different position than most people.  I am quite literally "wired differently."  So while this is not a cause of the pressure, it may play a role in my migraines. 

Official Diagnosis:  There is no immediate or life threatening cause to the intense pressure that I felt for a week.

Unofficial Diagnosis:  My brain is wired differently which may or may not play a factor in my migraines . . or the attack.

I'm going to take my MRI results to my neurologist and see if this changes anything in my migraine management.

As a result of this week long attack, the following things have developed:

1) Extreme thirst:  When I got better, I also got extremely thirsty.  I would drink 16 oz of water when I woke up, chug water like it was nobody's business throughout the day, and drink another 16 oz of water before I went to bed.  This habit has subsided quite a bit, but there have been days when I just feel like I can't get enough water.  I told the doctor about this when he called about my MRI results.  He told me that if it persists to call him again.  Since it has subsided, I think I'm in the clear.

2) Dead sleep:  I've been sleeping deeply throughout the night.  Up until I got sick, I was having a bit difficulty staying asleep.  I would wake up at the same time, about an hour or two before my alarm would go off, and not fall back asleep.  Now, I just sleep through until my alarm.  If I do get up, it's to use the bathroom, because of all the water I have been drinking, but I can fall right back asleep.

I wanted to ease back to my normal routine by first starting with work.  I had ALOT of catching up to do and evening events to finish planning.  Next up, my social life.  Since I was a social piraya for the month of February, I NEEDED to get out like it was nobody's business.  I got to have dinner with some friends, workout with other, go shopping (got a nice dress for my honeymoon!), and just hang out! 

So now I'm getting back to blogging.  I have some things up my sleeves to help me ease back into it while still getting the rest that I need.  I'm hoping that something more substantial comes out of my appointment with my neurologist.  I have my thoughts, but I'm not a doctor.