When I had my stroke back in 2011, there were signs. All sorts of signs ... for weeks ... maybe months. I had terrible headaches ... dizzy spells. In my defense, I went to the doctor ... they said it was a combination of vertigo and migraines. Every time I took the migraine pills, I threw up ... but the vertigo did pass. It's a shame they didn't do a MRI at the time ...
In any case, since then I've been terribly careful. I take my medicine like I'm supposed to. I don't ignore things. Summer of 2012, I had a week's worth of intense headaches, so I went to the ER and had a scan done ... just to be sure. They said the scarring from the old bleed was there ... but there was no new damage. I paid a couple hundred dollars to be told, "You're having muscle spasms in your neck." I felt stupid ... but the nurse gave me a big hug and a smile and said, "Better safe than sorry."
So ... it's fall. It's that time of year. I have had a splitting headache all day. I'm sure it's just sinuses ... it's mostly around my eyes and forehead. I've slept with the window open for the past two nights ... and I think it's catching up with me. Tylenol hasn't helped ... neither has Excedrin. If it's still here tomorrow, I'll take some Allegra or DayQuil. What can you do? It's life. But it's weird how something can change you so drastically. For my entire life ... until that one moment ... a headache was just a headache. Now? I'm much more careful.
Maybe it's part of getting older? We just have to take better care of ourselves ...
"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today
To calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
Rolling Stones -
Mother's Little Helper
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