Before I get onto the topic of headaches, I was going to begin this post by apologising for not having a blog for you last week. Then it hit me people with Fibromyalgia and other Chronic Health conditions spend an awful lot of time apologising for things that are entirely out of their control. As those of you that follow me on social media will know, I found out at the beginning of the week that on Thursday I would be seeing a cousin I have not seen since I was a child. Naturally, this was an exceptional day for me, so I spend the first half of the week resting up ready and on Friday I was beginning to recover. So I am not going to apologise but instead feel grateful that I can bring you a post this week.
No Ordinary Headaches
So today, after a three-month gap I bring you the next in the series of Fibromyalgia alongside … and headaches are the focus. First of all, I need to add at this point that I have, up to recently, been very fortunate that my headaches have been few and far between. They have fitted into the category of when I get one it is terrible. The usual triggers have been weather changes and sinus problems. If memory serves me right, I think I have only ever had a hangover headache a couple of times in my life, but I am no real drinker. If you read the Has Fibro changed my rate of Exercise entry, you may have an idea why the thought of being drunk and out of control is a disgusting one to me. In the last post, the week before last, I talked about the fact I had been sick that week and a big part of it was a headache. I was shocked this week to have another headache that was bad enough to ground me for the day. Thankfully, vomiting wasn’t involved this time. Two acute headaches within three weeks are far from the norm for me up to this point, and I sincerely hope this isn’t an ongoing change in pattern.
Headaches and Fibro
I had these horrific headaches for a long time before the majority of my Fibromyalgia symptoms arrived. I thought I would focus on the main differences between then and now. Recovery is where we need to focus. Let’s face it if you are so ill that all you can do is lie down in a dark room and try to escape into sleep, having Fibro will make no real difference. In the past when I had one of these headaches, I would be wiped out the next day and perhaps have a residual cottonwool sensation in my head. Now everything is elongated. The pain seems to span more than one day, gradually getting weaker during the second day and hopefully fading away by the end of it. Then the cottonwool sensation accompanied with Fibro Fog sets in and can last for a week. No exaggeration.
Your Experiences
Are you a blogger or someone with an online presence who has Fibromyalgia and experiences these types of Migraine style headaches? If so I would love to feature some of your thoughts here. If you visit my Fibromyalgia alongside Sinusitis post, you can see how Beverley from Blooming Mindfulness has contributed. Jamie from Origami by Jamie has also added to Fibromyalgia alongside IBS. As all Fibro-Warriors will tell you one of the main complications of the condition is that everyone’s experiences are different.
A Coincidence?
I don’t know if this is purely a coincidence but something I have noticed during the past couple of weeks is that when I have a particularly bad bout of IBS a couple of days later, I have been hit with the acute agonising headache. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this experience? Please do drop a comment at the bottom if you struggle with acute headaches, or perhaps you have an IBS and Headache pattern. Or maybe share a coping tip for the worst of days. That is all I have for you today, but I look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan
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I’m so sorry the last couple of weeks have been so rough, Susan. I get migraines too (usually when I’m PMS). Thankfully I’ve only vomited a couple of times: I get the pain & visual disturbances more. I’ve found that IBS flares often come hand in hand with migraine, but I think in these cases it’s probably my hormones.
I definitely get headaches when the weather changes (what I call a ‘stabby-head’) but not migraines. As for whether it’s fibro related? I honestly don’t know.
*gentle hugs* Sarah x
Thank you, Sarah, I think with all Fibromyalgia symptoms relationships are based on the number of people who are affected. Both headaches and IBS are in the lists. I had weather change headaches, like the itching, long before I had Fibro but I don’t know whether these were not connected or much earlier symptoms. I guess there is no way to know I am just curious about these things.
Thanks again x
It was only today that I was (informally) diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I need to get it confirmed by my GP but suddenly everything is starting to make sense. The intense pain, the chronic daily headaches that never seem to ease up with medication, the stomach issues, and fatigue , all which I’ve been suffering from for years. I’m still suffering from a week long flump. Monday I was absolutely fine, but Tuesday it was migraine central then has been up and down since then. I’ve been able to leave the house today but every limb aches, every ounce of my body wants to get back in bed and sleep and part of me wants to self labotimise to stop the pressure /stabbing mixture headache from clouding over everything. If this is what i’ll have for the rest of my life, I think I finally understand what people with chronic illnesses feel like. There’s just no end, only survival
Hi Jasmine, Thank you for taking the time to comment, and I am sorry to hear you are at the beginning of the journey. Pretty much everyone with Fibro tends to know they have it before an official diagnosis, in fact, before official diagnosis you have to live with the symptoms for six months. One thing I do want you to remember is not all days are bad. Every day can be different, and for all the horrible times I have had there is an equal amount of happy times when I have felt relatively well and been able to do pleasurable (easy going) activities.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask, the Fibro community is very supportive.
Susan, I fell your pain with the migraines.While I no longer suffer with them I had extreme headaches between I was diagnosed. It was easier to count the days with no head ache than those with one.
I hope these begin to subside for you.
Thanks, Mandy, I do not know if they are official Migraines as there is no formal diagnosis but they have the Migraine symptoms of going to your stomach and needing a dark room etc. Let’s hope it was a pure fluke that I had two so close together; I can’t remember that happening before. Although, I have regularly had other types of headaches like tension ones or sinus ones. I couldn’t imagine having a headache nearly every day that must have been a nightmare. I’m hoping they are more in control now.