Turns out I may have been panicking about my neck....

After posting a couple of days ago and feeling quite depressed at my painful neck artery, I decided to run some quick checks on what other people are experiencing.

Now it turns out that my right side Carotid artery is probably a little distended due to all this blood pounding to the top of my head during migraine headaches.  (I should mention, I'm in my late 40s.)

This 'excessive dilation', that eventually leads to there being a distention of the Carotid artery, is more than likely the result of the long term nature of my migraines.  

So I was relieved to learn that pain from this excessive dilation (and eventual distention) of the neck artery during and after migraine is apparently quite normal, and a survival mechanism that results from whenever there is any experience of pain in the head.  

This is how we are made: to flood our brains with blood at the least sign of threat to cranial survival.

I found a great article on this very subject that is really helpful: Vascular Neck Pain by Leonard  L Lovshin M.D.

After I read it, I sat and thought hard about the progression of my headaches over the years and recalled they were always as a result of a kind of 'nervous exhaustion' scenario, typically striking after I'd tried to pack too much into my life and not taken time out to relax.  

(Before I even had full blown migraines, I had pre-migraine symptoms that consisted of episodes of Vertigo that lasted for about 3 long and horrible days.  I used to get terrible nausea for no apparent reason, at least once a month, or more.  I'm only now discovering the significance of those symptoms.  

I had my first, really awful ice-pack-inducing migraine about 8 years ago, while I had pernicious anaemia.  The anaemia was so bad, the migraines were not that important by comparison.  Plus I always managed to get rid of them after say half hour with an ice pack on my head and some paracetamol.)     

So today, after a very restful night's sleep, I went food shopping.  I felt fine, my hair was OK and my complexion was back to normal.  The bright lights in the shops, my hot overcoat, and all the crowds, surprisingly, didn't have any adverse effects on me.  

Then, in the aisle between the pasta and the coffee, I remember turning round (too) quickly to go back for something, and suddenly I got this awful whooshing sensation in the top of my head and I felt that I was momentarily losing my balance.  I slowed down and waited to feel better.  It was nothing really but it showed I wasn't totally out of the woods.

Turns out, I might not bother to have the Carotid artery scan after all (?), as I really don't have the time and I would rather keep an eye on our dear dog.  

New Medicines

I decided to buy some more pills today.

This time I bought 5-HPT, which is supposed to be really good and I hope it will work in conjunction with Rhodiola Rosea, as I really like that.

The other thing I'm going to start taking is Potassium.  The reason for that is, its another in the group of Electrolyte process minerals and it has a bearing on salt intake.

Because I'm pretty certain of one thing, Sodium is somehow a part of my migraines.  As, so often they begin in the night, when I'm too hot.  I don't have a lot of salt in my diet, as we're a household that is very anti-salt.  But the fact is, salt is really important to temperature control and what I've noticed in the last 3 years is that I don't really perspire like I used to.  I get really hot, hot enough to have caused me to perspire say 5 years ago, but now a rising temperature is not the trigger for perspiration, in the way it used to be, at all.  I'm going to have to look into that, because that too is a survival mechanism and mine seems to be up the creek? 

I'll make sure I provide relevant links to what I've read about Potassium next time.

Have a great weekend !

I missed out some information from my last post

In my last post I forgot to mention some things I had noticed in the lead up to that last awful migraine.

First off, about 2 weeks ago, I noticed that every time I lean my head to the right, first my neck feels uncomfortable, then if I remain in that position, after only a couple of minutes, my head will pound in exactly the same area where I suffer my migraine pain. 

This observation is also affecting my sleep.  I find I cannot really sleep on that side for any great length of time, as my neck and then my head, will complain.

I have just now taken the pulse on both sides of my neck and the pulse on the migrainous side is weaker and not quite two beats, more like 1 1/2 each time?  Compared to the pulse coming from the left hand Carotid, which is crisp, and clear and much stronger.  

The trouble with the Carotid is that it forks and where it does that is a classic harbour for plaques and calcium build-up.  

I'm not over-weight or unhealthy in any other regard except that I noticed on my last batch of blood work, that my cholesterol was up - due to my Hypothyroidism.  

It may just be that because my migraines are dreadful, the inflammation of that artery runs down from my head into my neck, or I have some kind of constriction in the vessel as a result of calcium build-up?  Or worse!

The whole thing is very worrying, but I need to stay calm and just take one day at a time.  I also noticed that my neck really hurts on that side when I laugh, cough or visit the bathroom.

The other thing that's noteworthy is that I now seem to have to massive migraines twice a month.

The first when I start the progesterone mid-cycle, and the other at the end.

Both these phases are marked by a sharp drop in Oestrogen.  

I think it must be that my own Oestrogen levels have dropped so much that this HRT stuff is quite pathetic by comparison to the real stuff?

Then again, it could be stress that's making everything much, much worse.

Stress is horrible like that, it aggravates your body and makes everything worse.

The dog's condition has stabilised.  The kennel said they would accept him but that I had to know the risk.  I told them I'm fully aware of the risk, but half the ground floor is covered in bathroom items, where we had to curtail the refurbishment and its just not practical to continue living like this.  I added if they did take him for a week or so, this would enable us to keep him for longer because no one else would look after him now.    

They were nice about the whole thing and said they have experience of seizures and senility and would keep an extra eye on him at the times that he might have another.

If seizures are like migraines, I kind of wish I had those instead.  For a start the dog's health has been better since his seizure, whereas my migraines go on for 2 days and sometimes 3 and my guts are up the creek for ages afterwards.  

What I really detest about my migraines now, apart from the lost time, is the stomach upset.  I have stomach trouble 2 days before, during and about 2 days afterwards.  The whole episode is just awful.  Maybe the hospital will tell me my troubles are in my bowels after all??????  

I know what will happen when I get to the hospital, they'll want to know why I think my carotid is to blame, then I'll tell them the pulse is weaker on that side etc etc, then they'll say "what the hell do you know about anything anyway, you nobody-nothing-person" like they do when they feel threatened by an internet autodidactic.

That's when I'll hit them with some scary facts that will make them sit up.... I wont go into that now because I'm scared and I just want that scan.

What Medics Have Recently Misdiagnosed about Me and My Dog

My hypothyroidism was missed, they kept telling me to take more iron.

My pernicious anaemia was mis-diagnosed, they should have seen my hypothyroidism.

My 'suspected' Insulin Intolerance was actually temporary Hypoglycaemia brought on by their overdosing me with Levothryoxine.

My dog's seizure pattern was missed, due to their only focusing on his senility.  

O-oh, guess what happened to me...I got a terrible migraine (groan!)

The working week began badly.  I learned on Sunday that I had to do everything in my power on Monday to prevent a deal going out the window.  I had incredible stress all day long and there was nothing I could do about it except work methodically and try to keep a watch on possible migraine triggers...

By Monday evening I thought things were looking a little better, I had done everything I needed to do from my end of things.  I was pleased therefore that I could manage to sit down with the dog and watch  Drives, Diners and Dives (which I adore!).  

I was just getting settled into the episode I'd recorded, when I noticed the dog was acting weird.  Something made me watch him as he came round the corner for the third time, as he tends to do a lot of repetitive things this was not so weird but on the third occasion he came round the corner, his right side gave way under him.  

I thought he had just tripped over but continued watching him.  He then flips onto his back, in silence (which should have alerted me) then starts to have a kind of fight with himself, then his eyes went really weird then I realised he was having a seizure.  

OMG I jumped up, screamed up to DH, who came (lumbering) down the stairs at his usual speed (slow).  He comes into the room and I tell him what's happening.  He says he thinks its not over.  The dog's eyes remained opened the whole time, staring at me.  I rang the vet, only spoke to receptionist, said vet will ring later and told me to turn off the lights and not leave him.  

I go back to dog and DH.  Dog has managed to flip back onto his side, after twisting himself into a silent corkscrew shape for what seemed like an eternity.  We watch him.  He looks at us but seems dazed.  He tries to get up, but cannot.  

He waits, lies down again, tries to get up again and cannot.  Does this for about 10 minutes.  Then eventually gets up and walks to the other side of the room and goes to sleep.  

I'm crying my eye balls out, DH is panicking.  The vet still hasn't phoned.  My left hand starts shaking and my latent stammer emerges.  

Vet rings, says it wont happen at night or when he's excited but we should expect it to happen as he is starting to relax for the evening (it was 6.30pm).  He said in view of his age (nearly 15) and his other problems (senile & mild kidney failure) "its not good news".  Then my DH asks about dog graves??!!??  Can you believe that, I mean can you really believe that?? I then do a lot more crying before the evening ends.

Next day the pressure continues, plus we have to watch the dog like hawks.

Later that night, about 3am or thereabouts, I start to get a really bad migraine.  No warning, no sugar cravings, no copious peeing, or depression, just there, boom. 

I get up and wonder if I should eat or be sick?  I noticed that I felt a different temperature at different points of my body?  My hands were really hot and so was my head, my chest was cold, my legs were cold, my feet were hot??  I had a hot patch around my side but immediately to the left of that it was icy cold?  This was really strange, I felt all separated and unconnected??  In view of the demands on me, I just try to work through it.  (Some hope!) 

By 10.00am it was really bad.  I detested having to waste yet another day to this crap and this deadline I had was still hanging over me.  My face looks awful, I was totally grey and my hair starts to do its own thing, like it does during a migraine.      

So the head is throbbing, DH is like a cat on a hot tin proverbial, the dog is still dazed and weird and my appetite just goes and I end up on the toilet, as usual.  

By 8pm I decide to take Maxalt Melt that the doctor gave me.  It tastes totally vile.  I sit there for about 10 minutes feeling this mounting throbbing and feeling ill in the lower regions, then from nowhere my heart starts really POUNDING, like I'm going to have a heart attack or something.  I got really scared then realised I'd read in the stoopid leaflet that this could happen. 

I count how many poundings and it was about 4.

Now this is where it gets really interesting.

I went to bed.  My limbs were heavy, my head was out of control and I felt terribly sick.  I tried to be sick but it didn't kick off.  I lie there for about half hour thinking I was going to die and how worried about the dog I was and how terribly guilty I felt about how impatient I had been with all his drooling, wetting and separation anxiety.  Then I thought about this 'deal' and how horrible the man was that was not being clear with us about signing the blasted documents and if he had sent them by FedEx or not?  Then I'm crying, going to the toilet and my neck starts jerking.  Yes jerking.  Turns out its another side effect and I still feel really sick.  

Then I had this awful vision that the dog might die while Maxalt Melt was making me feel sicker than I felt before I took it? 

Then I fell asleep.  I didn't move all night.  Then at about 1am the dog (bless him) starts barking.  I partially wake up, well enough to realise that I wasn't dead yet and nor was the dog.  

Then I lie there, not daring to move and feeling my heart beat really fast at the thought of our darling Sooty, AND THAT'S WHEN I REALISED that I could completely isolate the cause of my Goddamn migraines and they were coming from stress causing my increased heart rate and I could ACTUALLY feel the blood shoot up from my heart, through my neck and explode in the top of my head!  

In my daze, I conclude that the solitary artery that is causing me all this (shit), has to be my CAROTID ARTERY.

It was awful, totally totally awful.  So clear, so crystal clear and horrendously painful, I was in agony!

Because magnesium has reduced the spasms in the tissues that surround the pathway of pain, I've finally been able to isolate and identify exactly where the pain is coming from.

Its not the back of my neck - oh well that neck massager was a waste of money.

Its not my stomach, or bowels, its not my liver or kidneys or God-knows what else.  Its my adrenals affecting my heart, which then pushes the blood too fast and too hard to the top of my agonising head.

In view of this, I've decided to apply to the Charing Cross Hospital for one of their Carotid Artery Ultra Sound Scans.  

I bet they either end up giving me Statins or Valium, but they have to give me something??

I told DH, if the dog wasn't ill, I would have gone to A&E, for sure....