Pain in the Head

I’m trying to figure out what exactly I need to do to keep myself from having pain when I vacation.  This weekend we’re going camping and while I’ve been spending time getting the camping gear together, I need to make sure I bring a kit in case the ice pick shows up in my head.  I’ve had relatively good luck with the migraines lately but I know I have to prepare for the worst.

Part of the problem with being on vacation and having migraines is you never know what could happen.  If you’re traveling with one person or ten people, you kind of feel like you have an obligation to not “ruin it” for the other people.  I plan on keeping a good stock of my abortive drugs on hand and not getting myself wrapped up in the triggers like alcohol.  I don’t want to be a stick in the mud either but I will stay aware of how I’m reacting.

I know that most people that know I have migraines are understanding if there is a problem when we’re out having fun.  I still feel it’s my responsibility to keep the party going, however.  I probably got that from my mom who wouldn’t tell you if her arthritic joints were locking up if it meant going home.

So simply be aware of what’s going on around you and don’t be afraid to tell people you have boundaries.  Most of the time they’ll understand, and you know what if they don’t, screw ‘em.  I’ve been out at a club/bar too often having to suck it up to keep the night going.  I also didn’t know where I should have stopped.  Don’t feel afraid ordering the bottled water or going with the bland salad if it’s going to keep you migraine free for the night.

Camping shouldn’t be a problem but in August we’re driving out to Niagara Falls and that could be interesting.  Hopefully the temps stay down so I don’t get overexerted.  Nothing like being hot, crabby, and migrainy to ruin a time that’s supposed to be fun.

School is finally over for the spring semester and I have some “between time” until summer session starts next week.  Since this past weekend and I Tazz have:

• Got the garage resided (well, we watched)
• Refreshed the flower beds out front & planted pretty things (they haven’t been used for three years easily)
• Fixed the garage spot light (me on a ladder & electrical wire)
• Removed the 30 year old non-functioning fluorescent lights from the garage
• Put a new, efficient fluorescent fixture in the garage
• Mowed the lawn
• Pulled the weeds/creeping charlie
• Emptied and removed the scary barrel (more later on this)

Whew that’s a lot.  And there is still more to do.  I’ve noticed over the past few years that we’ve let things slide around the outside of the house and a number of things inside too.  I keep a to-do list of household repairs, etc on tadalist.com and it hasn’t changed in a long time.  School is the primary reason but I think, in general, I just gravitate towards lazy.  I’m hoping this motivation sticks with me through the summer!

The scary barrel mentioned above is actually a 50-ish gallon barrel that has been hidden behind our garage since we bought the house in 2001.  The previous owners said they had no idea what was in it so they left it.  Tazz and I were actually afraid to know what was in there until in approximately 2004, I opened it.  It took a lot of effort since it was sealed pretty heavily.  What I found was a bunch of stale water, a wrench, an oil filter, and about 8 quarts of used, degrading motor oil.  The smell was that of a sewer.  I didn’t know what to do with this and neither of our cars at the time would let me safely transport it to a hazardous waste site.  So it’s sat back there, like a nagging blemish.  Sometimes I swear it was calling to me in the night.

I finally came up with an idea on how to get rid of it.  I ended up buying two 5-gallon buckets from the hardware store and carefully emptied the stinky, migraine-inducing contents into the two buckets.  Come to find out the idiot put holes in the barrel up the side and it’s been leaking oil on the ground for years.  Anyway, I got the oil/water/wrench mixture out and have let the barrel dry out.  There is a little bit of oil left but now it can be thrown out.  Now we have two pretty buckets full of gunk.  I wonder how many years they’ll sit in the garage?

I’m in the tunnel known as final projects week in school.  I’ll be able to regain some sense of normalcy after the 5th of May when I take the last test for the two classes I’m in right now.  I am going to be taking a summer class but it’s online and should allow for a little bit of flexibility.  I know I bitch about school a lot but that’s pretty much how life it.  What else is a blog good for if you can’t complain incessantly about how horrible your life is?  Hahaha.

My headaches have been on and off lately.  Since coming off of verapamil the frequency has evened out to 2-3 a week that require NSAIDs but they’ve been shitty ones.  I think the benefit of having a clear mind far outweighs the headaches.  The antiseizure medications really put me in a cloud of confusion and that doesn’t work too well in school when you’re giving presentations every other week.  My body told me in other ways it didn’t like the meds including digestive issues if you get my drift.  There’s nothing like being confused and getting cramps all the time.  Fun times, seriously.

I can’t remember if I mentioned it before (and I’m too lazy to look back at my entries) if I talked about my dad being in the hospital.  He was having chest pains when doing shoveling and ended up going into the hospital for observation and multiple tests.  They delayed the catheterization procedure twice because he had the flu.  In the end, he has 30% blockage in a smaller artery which they’re going to treat with meds.  No other reason was given for the symptoms.  I really think it’s his management of his diabetes that’s the underlying issue for the health problems.  Being on pills for diabetes and being overweight would be an indicator I would want an endochronoligist (sp?).  He feels his crack-head family doctor is good enough and he knows how to manage his diabetes better than any doctor.  This coming from the man that eats a piece of cake and takes an extra pill to “make up for it.”  Stupid parents. 

I feel like a fool.  Well, okay, that’s a little severe.  Life has continued to be busy and I always feel like I’m letting things slip by.  That’s primarily due to school and my keen ability to do everything but homework even though I’m sitting at my desk with the books out.  Suddenly the wash needs to be done, or I have to vacuum, or I have to make that unimportant phone call.  Self-distraction is so easy with me.  Damnit!

I had like three migraines yesterday.  I think there may have been a correlation between them and the odd weather system moving in.  I woke up with one, had one midday and then had a lovely rebound right before going to school.  It was lovely.  My manager noticed I wasn’t acting “right” and asked if anything was wrong.  I think the droopy eye and lightning bolts coming out of my ears might have given it away.

Work has been “okay” for the past few weeks.  I am on a project that had some high intensity but I’m now waiting for some people to finish subtasks before I can continue.  I want to get the damn project finished but alas, it’s out of my hands right now.  For the past week, I’ve been trying to keep myself entertained with little tasks here and there.  I find it strange for a client to not keep “the help” busy that is billing them at over $100/hour.  They were also the client that forced my employer to take me off of other clients so I could be there full time.  I shouldn’t bitch since this client is awesome and a good assignment.  I’m slated to be there through the end of the year, which is apparently rare and it looks good on my part.

Life has pretty much been school, work, sleep, and eat.  My trip to San Antonio was nice, however short.  I got to spend time with my Aunt, Grandfather, and my quasi-cousin (long story).  I like going down every six months or so since it kind of breaks up the year and it feels more like another home every time.

Monkey Colors

Originally uploaded by Astralbodies

Well, it’s not migraine-related but it’s something pretty to look at until I get a real post up.

I have been back in San Antonio the past five days visiting my Aunt and Grandfather.  I can’t believe the time is almost gone and I’ll be heading back home this evening.  My Grandpa is doing better with the passing of my step-Grandmother last month.  I’m glad I got to come down and spend some time with them without the hectic pack of wolves better known as the rest of my family.

Surprisingly I did not get a migraine while I was down here.  I felt the tingle of my left temple trying to scare me into taking an NSAID last night when I had eaten chocolate pudding.  Chocolate normally isn’t a trigger for me so it may have been a coincidence.  I have been taking Claritin to help with my allergies to cats as I’m staying with my Aunt who has cats.  So far so good and I haven’t had a sneezing fit. 

When I get home, I’ll most likely crash as I do have work tomorrow.  I’ll need to get back on the homework bandwagon pretty quickly.  That’s about it, I really need to get cracking.