Migraines and Vertigo Redux

I started having headaches about halfway through last week.

On Friday, they turned into migraines and icepick migraines.

On Saturday, the vertigo returned, and the headaches stayed.

I got a few hundred words written on Saturday and again on Sunday on WARPAINT, but did not do anything online.

I’m working on LESSON 23 of the Self-Pub Expansion of HTTS today, and again, am working through migraines and vertigo.

I’ll answer the additional story and writing questions from the party as quickly as I’m able, but it won’t be today.

I apologize for the delay. I had a wonderful time at the party. Thank you again for coming.

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20 responses to “Migraines and Vertigo Redux”

  1. Lovelyruthie Avatar
    Lovelyruthie

    Just found your site as I am dabbling with writing a children’s novel & found the information on formatting a manuscript particularly helpful. Very early days at the moment, but I am hopeful I can stick with the writing!

    I suffer with migraines myself & discovered mine were related to hormone levels, which is unfortunately one of the many joys of being a woman. I am managing them through ibuprofen administered in a timely fashion & have been prescribed a triptan type drug, which, if I mis-time the ibuprofen is meant to halt an attack if taken at the height of pain. I have actually yet to take them as the fear of what it may do seems to have actually stopped the migraines LOL! Touch wood, I’ve been free of pain for about a month. I totally sympathise with you, but wonder if, like myself, mindset has a lot to do with triggering the migraine. There’s never a convenient time to have one, but without fail I had been getting them at what I would have termed the most inconvenient time, like a self-fulfilling prophesy.

    Best of luck in getting to the bottom of your traitorous brain! & thank you for the excellent advice on your site.

    ~*Ruthie*~

  2. sirt Avatar
    sirt

    I had vertigo a few years ago. It came suddenly. I had two or three attacks per weeks for many months.
    Until my doctor prescribed Prednisone.
    Vertigo disappeared and never came back.
    I don’t remember exactly the dosage, but it was for one week, with a high dose at the beginning, and gradually less each day.
    Hope it can help.

  3. Ava Felsenstein Avatar

    Dear Holly!
    First, sorry to hear about the migraine, that’s a real devil for a writer. Second, sorry for my bad English, I’m from Germany. I’m reading your blog and newsletter, since I subbed it a while ago.

    Reading about the migraine and the comments partially makes me *facepalm*. Sorry, but.. Propranolol… Tylenol… Aspirin… Irlen…
    As a smart person that you obviously are, who has written a lot of books, many hundred thousands of words over the time, not to forget you worked in a medical related job, isn’t it time to consider WHY there REALLY is this ache? I mean, from a most (self)honest point?
    As you surely know, pain, no matter what part of body, is a natural sign, there’s something wrong. With remedies I can kill the pain for a while, but not the actual cause.

    If I got stuck in a bear trap accidentially, hooray, how funny and nice, I got an injection with morphine with me! But, after a while, the pain is back, the leg still in the trap – another injection or trying to get the leg out of the trap?

    Now, what could be the reason for a migraine after writing books, year by year? COULD be a lot other things, but how about the most obviously cause?

    Cold water on the forehead and eyes is nice for the moment, a solution for the rest of life could be to take a break. Or at least to cool down the machines. Veeery low. For a while.

    Just my two cents about how to interpret and handle “signs”, developed by beloved and smartass mother nature over millions of years, to show us in a pretty raw but clear way (we often WONT hear/see), what song is playing. Loud…
    Hope you get well soon and you stay in that better health condition! 😉
    Sry again, if only the half of the text is an understandable English. Oh my… ^^

    Ava

    PS.: I write ~2500 words a day, but I only want to write exactly ONE book in my life. I think, that’s enough for me. Don’t want to fight with Mr. Migraine 😉

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      I write for a living. If I don’t write, I don’t eat. So the suggestion you’re making in a round-about way—that I quit writing—won’t work.

      I like to eat, my family likes to eat, and the roof over our heads is actually sort of important, too.

  4. Libby Cuskelly Avatar

    Hey Holly

    Sorry to hear about the migraines persisting. Last thing you need is more unsolicited advice, but from ex-nurse to ex-nurse I really can’t help myself.:-)

    I had the same problem as you and could easily lose 3 days a week to migraines. Everytime the doctors would suggest the list of off-label prescriptions used for preventative means, I would shudder at the thought of being on constant medication … until I just couldn’t function anymore.

    I finally succumbed and after having a failed attempt on some old antidepressant (just made me sleep alot) I tried propranolol. It worked almost immediately. I now take it everyday and only ever have a rare migraine.
    It really got me my life back which meant it gave me writing time. I can’t tell you how much better I feel and every time I read about your migraines I remember how awful it all was.

    You may have already tried some of these and if you have ignore me, and I certainly don’t want to suggest you go against your convictions about taking medication, but from one who’s been down that road … it was so worth it.

    I hope you feel better soon.

  5. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    So sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well. I’m sure you’ve checked into a lot of things, but my husband has a friend who was experiencing the exact same symptoms a few years ago. They finally figured out it had something to do with what he was eating. It was a reaction to gluten, if I remember correctly. Don’t know if you’ve looked into that. Hope you feel better soon.

  6. R.C. Mann Avatar
    R.C. Mann

    Have you had a BP test done recently? An in depth one? My wife used to get migraines until her hypertension was brought under control.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Yeah. And an MRI, and a bunch of bloodwork. I’m in perfect health.

      Excluding, of course, month-long migraines and vertigo.

  7. Stephanie Avatar

    Well I’m coming into this quite late, but I hope you feel better by now Holly. Don’t overwork yourself, even if you are feeling better.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      I’m not. Have had incessant migraines and vertigo every day since I posted this, which is why I haven’t been around.

      There are probably medications out there that would stop the pain, but I will not take anything other than Tylenol or aspirin. Will never again touch anything that could alter my ability to write or create.

      So at the moment, having had all the necessary standard medical tests, and having reached the limit of medicines I’m willing to take, I’m following up on a friend’s recommendation to have Irlen testing done.

      1. Stephanie Avatar

        I hope that gets you some answers. Being sick is bad enough, but being sick without understanding why is a nightmare.

  8. R.C. Mann Avatar
    R.C. Mann

    Hope you are all right.

  9. SJ Collins Avatar

    Feel better soon Holly!

  10. David Nevin Avatar

    Get well soon! Lots of water is my favorite cure for headaches.

  11. TerriAnn Gill Avatar

    Ugh!
    Feel better soon. I’ll say a prayer for your speedy recovery.

  12. Tim King Avatar

    So sorry to hear that, Holly.

    FYI, I always throw your name in with my prayers. I know you’re not religious, but I remember you once said you believe prayer works. Always hoping for the best for your health.

    -TimK

  13. R.C. Mann Avatar
    R.C. Mann

    Go lay down with a cold washcloth over your eyes.

  14. Walter Spence Avatar

    ::flinching in empathetic sympathy::

    Hope you feel better soonest.

  15. Caitlyn Avatar
    Caitlyn

    The party was great. Congratulations on Warpaint (I just love that title!) and I hope you start to feel better.

  16. Rebecca Anne Avatar
    Rebecca Anne

    Holly Sorry you are not feeling well and I enjoyed your party.

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