headaches

[Anastasia Hurley <ahurley@cncx.com>]

Hi Chris, 

If you have migraines you really need to see a doctor so that he can
prescribe stuff for you. A true migraine involves sensitivity to light,
sound. It may include vision changes. Some people, like me, vomit.
Basically the blood vessels in your brain dilate. 

Drugs that work well for me include caffergot - non narc., vicodin -
narc. Other people find that the new drug, imuntrex works well for them.
People often have sensitivity to foods like red wine, aged cheese, and
chocolate. The list of migraine triggers is about a mile long  - you
have to figure out your own triggers. 

When a migraine headache  or when you have it, you can try to block the
headache by using drugs. If you do not have medicine on you can try to
drink coffee or a cola (caffeine) and some aspirin. The caffeine
increases the pain killing action of the aspirin and also has a blood
vessel constricting effect. Do not drink alcohol.  A warm bath in a dark
room with an ice pack on my neck and one on my head work ok for me. My
sister, who also gets migraines, finds that a  cold shower works better
for her. Dark room with an ice pack under your neck and on your forehead
is standard.

If you get a headache while riding, try to drink plenty of water.
Dehydration will only make a bad headache worse and can mimic a migraine
as the symtoms can be similar. I use a camelback on long rides as I find
that it is the only way that I can get enough water in me. 

A sinus headache will be located in the face area above the eyes and
near the nose. These can be very painful but generally you won't be
praying for death as people with migraines have been known to do. Sinus
medicines such as Sinutab work ok but you should be careful as they are
dehydrating. I usually start with a homopathic sinus medicine and then
if that doesn't work I go up to one sinutab. If you have sinus
headaches, warm moist heat will help. Try a hot, damp washcloth with a
little bit of peppermint soap on it.

Usually I find that if I am getting a migraine, I have advance notice
before the headache is really bad. It is like a storm rolling in, I know
that I have an hour or so before I am in trouble. I  generally take
medicine and get to cover (a dark room)
 
After suffering horrible headaches for years, I also try to recognize
stress and worry before I get the headache and try to calm down. Whether
you have a migraine or a sinus headache, being wound up will only make
it worse. 

Hope this helps, 

Stasia