Uh-oh!!! This is bad... [long]

[AnqeIicDemise]

My hair is currently the longest it has been since I was 8 and I have a problem. But first, let me give you a brief history of my hair:

When I was really, really little, my hair was beyond classic. It was to my thighs. When I was eight, I got tired of dealing with the relaxers and the perms (mom liked having my hair relaxed and my bangs permed for 'ultimate control and manageability.' Mom can't handle natural curls.) Mom trusted dad enough to take me to get my hair trimmed and permed but once I got there, I threw such a stink about having any of this done nothing was accomplished. EXCEPT cutting my hair.

I somehow conned my father AND the hair dresser into feeling so sorry for me that they'd cut my hair as short as I wanted. I went chin length. (Oh yeah, my hair poofed super bad. I had a fro!) Sadly, I couldn't take care of my short hair fro, back to the salon I went a few months later for another relaxer.

-shudder- I hate those damn things. The stink and they burn.

Anyhow, my hair got super, super damaged. It was breaking off left and right. Relaxers weren't helping. Blah-blah. It believe it was a puerto rican hair dresser who did my last relaxer convinced my mother to knock it off and to try infusium 23. i don't know what happened between that relaxer and shortly later but my hair was never the same. I think it may have been damaged and hormones (I sincerely doubt the shampoo changed my hair so much.) that kept it from ever having a nice, deep curl like those of S2. She has some gorgeous 2as that she fights tooth and nail against. :( I do admit that the infusium 23 stuff helped nurture my hair back from the Old Ranch status. [Rancho Viejo = old ranches with hay roofs. Yes, that was my flippin' nickname as given to me by my mother.]

Anyhow, by the time I was 13 and with the help of some seriously coney conditioners my hair just.. layed.. there. Flat as a fruitcake. I somehow went back to the perm. I permed for about two and half years. See, now that I had short, although curly hair, I wanted it long... but I couldn't grow it long because my hair would break. See, since I was using super coney stuff, the perm would be weighed down and I'd go get it permed again every other month. -cringe-

I don't know what it is about perms but my mom was happy with them. Being the dutiful teenager I was, I declared war against mom. See, by that time I'd already put 2 and 2 together: perms = BAD. Hair breaks off. Period.

So by the time I was 15, I'd grown out the perm and I was at WSL. Being the smart-ass, know-it-all teenager I was back then, I refused to listen to Mom when she suggested I buy a fall, curl the fall and use that as my pony tail for football games/pep rallies etc. I'd wake up at 3 am every Friday morning, take a bottle of aquanet, heat up my curling tongs and go to town. I'd separate my hair into pieces small enough to be foiled, loaded it with the spray until it was drenched, then curl it. I'd smile in satisfaction at the sizzling:draw:. I knew my hair was 'done' when the smoke stopped spiraling into the air. It'd then pin my hair to death with bobby pins and I'd walk to school. I knew this would last until the end of the day, then I'd repeat the process a second time after school so I'd have perfect curls for the game. :horse:


Needless to say come the next summer, I no longer had WSL hair. At some point after the football season and Spring, my hair resembled old straw and was breaking off in clumps. I had a cute little pixie!

And I wore that pixie for about eight or so years. When I decided to start growing my hair again, I had a huge shed. I went from iii to low ii. I also had a horrible lice infestation and back to a pixie I went. It wasn't until after I moved away and lost my bff of the time (she was the lice carrier) that I actively started growing it out.. again.

I give all this background because it has been a little over a decade since I've had hair longer than my collarbone. Is it possible that my scalp can no longer tolerate the weight of my hair?

Since I've gone on thyroid medication, I've noticed a decrease in the shed. I'm now to a solid ii and I assume that if I keep doing what I'm doing I'll be slipping into iii (I hope! I miss my thick hair!) Its also now skimming hip if I tilt my head back ever so slightly. (I'm 2 inches away or so from hip).

I've been dealing with on-and-off headaches for about four months now. I didn't realize my hair was an issue until two days ago. I had a migraine that only felt better when I let my hair loose. However, I was at work and it was hot, so I threw it up on into a pony tail. Cue instant migraine. So.... I took the length and braided it. I WAS going to bun the length but I couldn't. I lost my spin pins and the calls were so frequent that I had no break to even slip my spare stump of a hair stick in place. (This back up is a chopstick I broke with a bun. I used a pencil sharpener to smooth the end, then blunt the tip. Works amazing!) The headache only got worse as I realized I now had all the weight of my hair on one point.


I felt like chopping my pony off with those dull paper scissors I have at my desk. :(

Despite all this, I thought I was maybe dehydrated and hungry, then shoved the idea of my hair being an issue until today. Its wash day. As I soaked my hair to prep it for washing that familiar pain started to come back. It somewhat helped when I bent at the waist and washed my hair that way... but I still had to deal with the weight while it air dries.

I keep feeling this massive tug around the crown area. it only stops when I gather my hair in my hands and just hold it against my shoulders or if I slip my fingers against the roots, lift and hold.

I don't want to cut my hair! at all!! I still have this huge line of demarcation on the last six inches from where Dumb Hairdresser thinned out my hair two years ago! I *detest* layers. They stick out all over the place whenever I braid my hair unless I leave gigantic tassles. -sob-

What do I do? I'm starting to get really, really irritated. I'm cranky all the time. I'm starting to snap at people. My head hurts too much. Braided updos help but how are those going to help dry out my hair?!

ETA: Is it possible to condition my scalp into getting over the pain in some way? Will it ever get accustomed to its current weight if I maintain for a few months? :(

ETA2: I also can't be taking ibuprofen or other pain meds very much for two reasons: I have a high threshold of pain (so me complaining now means its really bad) so I am tempted to double/triple amounts of medication. 2) I have a sensitive liver. I've been asked to avoid taking things like tylenol for this reason. I have to have a liver panel every year.

[Yozhik]

Try scalp massages -- maybe they'll help.

Also, I know this is standard hair advice, but maybe you should experiment with sectioning so that the weight isn't centered at one spot (vortex buns or anything that redistributes the weight would be good for this). I hate the way pins feel in my hair, but I can wear different hairtoys, so it might be that, too.

I hope your migraines go away and you find a solution that does not involve cutting your hair. :flower:

[swearnsue]

I wonder if you are in a vicious cycle of stress, tension, pain. Can you talk to your doctor and get a mild antianxiety medication foruse as need for a couple of weeks? You can even cut the pills in half if you want to take less (because of your liver).

[AnqeIicDemise]

I wonder if you are in a vicious cycle of stress, tension, pain. Can you talk to your doctor and get a mild antianxiety medication foruse as need for a couple of weeks? You can even cut the pills in half if you want to take less (because of your liver).

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. I am in a certain legal matter right now that I hope gets resolved by September. I don't see how that can cause my migraines to kick in when my hair gets wet, etc. :\

I can do some weight distributing up dos but they won't help when my hair's wet and drying. Ugh..

[kallarina]

I get bad headaches from having my hair up too. I wear it in loose braids when I need to keep it out of the way, when it needs to be all the way up, I pile it on top of my head in a topknot, so the weight is on top of my head rather than pulling at my scalp. Try that on a day you have nothing to do so that if you get a headache, it won't disrupt your day. This helps me a lot, but never completely solves the problem. Don't be afraid to wear your hair loose sometimes. I know it's not widely advocated here, but your hair is more resilient than people might think.
I haven't had the problems that you've had with breakage and all that, but I did have short hair for a long time before growing it out. I'm at BCL now, and didn't have problems until around hip as well. The length just gets to a point where it's too heavy for certain updos. I don't think you have any particular inability to handle long hair. You just need to adjust how you put it up, I think.

[AnqeIicDemise]

I get bad headaches from having my hair up too. I wear it in loose braids when I need to keep it out of the way, when it needs to be all the way up, I pile it on top of my head in a topknot, so the weight is on top of my head rather than pulling at my scalp. Try that on a day you have nothing to do so that if you get a headache, it won't disrupt your day. This helps me a lot, but never completely solves the problem. Don't be afraid to wear your hair loose sometimes. I know it's not widely advocated here, but your hair is more resilient than people might think.
I haven't had the problems that you've had with breakage and all that, but I did have short hair for a long time before growing it out. I'm at BCL now, and didn't have problems until around hip as well. The length just gets to a point where it's too heavy for certain updos. I don't think you have any particular inability to handle long hair. You just need to adjust how you put it up, I think.


Mreh.. Yeah, I can put my hair up in some braided do's to distribute the weight. Damn.. I'd gotten so used to my standard buns (i.e. versions of the lazy wrap etc.) My main issue is air drying. I can't just keep my hair up all the time.. and having my hair loose while its that much heavier just sucks butt.

Out of curiosity I did measure my pony circumference. I'm right at slightly above 4 inches. Yay! Ow...

[kallarina]

Congrats on gaining thickness! I'm sure that's not helping with the weight though... I usually shower and then lay my hair over the arm rest of the couch while I lay down for a bit before bed, so it can dry a little. Maybe try to work your shower times into your schedule so you can do some form of that? I know it's hard to find time for things like that in a busy schedule, though.

[HumanBean]

I know you said you didn't want to cut your hair, but if you have six inches of layers you don't like, it seems to me you could find some relief in a small trim. Otherwise I'd agree with everyone else that you need more evenly distributed updos with sectioned hair, or half ups or loose to give your scalp some relief.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Congrats on gaining thickness! I'm sure that's not helping with the weight though... I usually shower and then lay my hair over the arm rest of the couch while I lay down for a bit before bed, so it can dry a little. Maybe try to work your shower times into your schedule so you can do some form of that? I know it's hard to find time for things like that in a busy schedule, though.

I do usually shower a few hours before bed so I suppose I can do the same. I don't know why I didn't think about that. Proof positive I'm not exactly firing on all pistons right now.

[kallarina]

Sometimes, we just need to bounce ideas off others to realize how things may be done more simply. ;)
I hope that works for you. I would hate for you to lose all that progress by having to cut!

[BlazingHeart]

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. I am in a certain legal matter right now that I hope gets resolved by September. I don't see how that can cause my migraines to kick in when my hair gets wet, etc. :\

I can do some weight distributing up dos but they won't help when my hair's wet and drying. Ugh..

Well, a lot of people (myself included) have migraines that are triggered by tension in the shoulder, neck, and head muscles. The sub-occipitals are the most common muscle to be the immediate cause, but they don't usually get wound up tight unless something in the neck is tight. Tight shoulders can pull the neck tight, which can pull the muscles in the head tight, and you end up in Migraineville.

Getting a massage may help a lot, especially if you ask them to do occipital release and focus on your neck and shoulders. I also know some stretches and whatnot that may help, and I'm happy to share if you're interested. Extra tension in these areas is very often related to emotional tension and stress.

Anyhow, this kind of trigger would interact with your hair getting wet and updos is because the muscles in your head, neck, and shoulders would already be working towards a migraine, and your hair getting heavier or the weight being focused on one spot can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.

I hope I'm making sense. This sort of thing is my primary trigger for migraines, so it's something I have far more experience with than I'd prefer.

~Blaze

[AnqeIicDemise]

Well, a lot of people (myself included) have migraines that are triggered by tension in the shoulder, neck, and head muscles. The sub-occipitals are the most common muscle to be the immediate cause, but they don't usually get wound up tight unless something in the neck is tight. Tight shoulders can pull the neck tight, which can pull the muscles in the head tight, and you end up in Migraineville.

Getting a massage may help a lot, especially if you ask them to do occipital release and focus on your neck and shoulders. I also know some stretches and whatnot that may help, and I'm happy to share if you're interested. Extra tension in these areas is very often related to emotional tension and stress.

Anyhow, this kind of trigger would interact with your hair getting wet and updos is because the muscles in your head, neck, and shoulders would already be working towards a migraine, and your hair getting heavier or the weight being focused on one spot can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.

I hope I'm making sense. This sort of thing is my primary trigger for migraines, so it's something I have far more experience with than I'd prefer.

~Blaze


Hmm.. that does make a lot of sense. I have noticed I've been waking up in the mornings with my jaw clenched tight to the point that my teeth grind when I release the tension. Though I thought I was doing the stretches a message therapist told me of last year. I say 'thought' because hey, I haven't exactly been the most... observant lately. (Its amazing how clenching lead to migraines and a broken tooth that led to me being diagnosed with vit D and a bad thyroid. O.o This bone is connected to that bone... ~.~)

I'll call up tomorrow and see if I can get a same-day massage at the salon. -crosses fingers- I'm hoping this is more tension related than weight related. I will be heartbroken if I have to go and get the thinning shears be brought to my hair. If its a little bit of both perhaps releasing tension will help to a tolerable level.

In the interm, got any ideas? Although tomorrow's Sunday and there's one particular massage therapist I may be able to get in to see.. there's always a chance I'll lose the spot to a paying customer. My migraine's going on day 3 and its being made worse since today was wash day. :\

[BlazingHeart]

Well, I'm happy to share the stretches I got from my physical therapist. I have rather chronic back/neck/shoulder problems (along with issues with all of the major joints in the body, varying in degree), so I have a LONG list of daily stretches.

I'm not a medical professional, so I'm just sharing what works for me, not recommending a treatment plan, okay?

If you grind your teeth, sleeping with a mouthguard may help with your jaw pain and your migraines. You can buy the exact same kind that people wear for sports, which you can often get for under $10. It should have directions for custom fitting (typically you drop it in boiling water, let it get good and hot, pull it out and let it cool enough so you don't burn yourself, and then put it in your mouth and bite it. I will warn you though that for some people, a mouthguard makes things worse. You'll know if you're one of them after the first time you wear it. It makes me more sore, but a thin plastic guard like the retainer I had after I got my braces off at least protects my teeth even if it doesn't help my jaw.

Do you know where your occipital bump is? If you feel the back of your head, the occipital bump is where the skull suddenly increases in size. Reach up and over your head and grab your occipital bump. Bow your head forward and let the weight of your arm pull gently on your head. Hold for a count of 15. Release, but keep your hand up there. Turn your head towards the side of the hand you're holding your head with, bow your head towards your shoulder, and let the weight of your arm pull on your head again. Hold for a count of 15, release, switch hands, and do the same thing on the other side. I then go back to the center but rotate my head (so I'm looking towards my shoulder) and lean my head straight forward and down, then turn my head to the other side and do it again. If you slowly work from one position to another, you'll find that some spots are more tight than others. I usually end up holding in 8-10 different angles to get all of the places in my neck that bother me.

Next, we get a similar one, but it stretches the muscles that are affected by clenching your jaw. Reach up and over the top of your head with your left hand, grasping your head just above your right ear. Lean your head over so that your ear is coming close to your left shoulder and let the weight of your arm pull on your head. Hold for 15, release, and do the same thing on the other side.

Sit on the edge of something (bed, chair, it doesn't matter, as long as you can sit on the edge and have a little space in front of you). Sit up straight with your shoulders back and your head high. Use your left hand to grab your right arm just above the elbow, and pull downward. Be careful to maintain your posture while you're doing this. Hold for 15, release, and do the same on the other side.

Put one fist under your chin. Tuck your chin down so that your fist is between your upper chest and your fist. Use your chin to squash your fist. You should feel this as a stretch in the back of your neck.

Finally, a couple of simple exercises. You should do this one as frequently during the day as you can remember - doing them every hour is ideal, if you can. Sit so that your arms can hang straight down at your sides. Make sure your posture is good - head high, shoulders back, and you should be lined up so that your head is above your shoulders and your shoulders are above your hips. Shrug your shoulders up, hold for a moment, and then roll them back and down so that your shoulders are making the shape of a capital D. Do that 10 times. Then, get up out of your chair and reach up as high as you can, arching your back and tilting your head back so you are looking up at the ceiling. Hold for several seconds and then relax.

I do a bunch of general back stretches, which I'm happy to relate if you need them, but it's getting late so I'm going to stick to just the neck/shoulder ones for tonight.

~Blaze

[AnqeIicDemise]

Holy moly, I just did the neck stretches and that felt amazing. Thank you, soooo much. I'll have a chat with a therapist friend for more advice.

As far as the dental guard is concerned, I doubt it'll work. I may be an adult but I have a jaw the size of a small child (my dentist was amazed.) I suppose I'll have to follow up with him and figure out if I need to have a custom-made one for me. I haven't clenched my teeth in a long time. Grr.

You've given me hope!

[spirals]

I don't know how tight your curls are, but if you're any of the type 3s, a tunnel cut will take some weight out without obvious layers. Google "curly hair tunnel cut." I think it's worth looking at. I am ok with obvious layers and love curly hair with fairytail ends, so I layer mine and take thinning shears to it, since it's heavy, despite medium thickness. (Must be those coarse hairs in there.) But I know my method is probably heresy here. :D For you, please keep the length and find an alternative to layers. I'd hate to see you cut it. Oh, and my native-haired mama couldn't deal with my curls either. But she just gave me a bowl cut.

[AnqeIicDemise]

I don't know how tight your curls are, but if you're any of the type 3s, a tunnel cut will take some weight out without obvious layers. Google "curly hair tunnel cut." I think it's worth looking at. I am ok with obvious layers and love curly hair with fairytail ends, so I layer mine and take thinning shears to it, since it's heavy, despite medium thickness. (Must be those coarse hairs in there.) But I know my method is probably heresy here. :D For you, please keep the length and find an alternative to layers. I'd hate to see you cut it. Oh, and my native-haired mama couldn't deal with my curls either. But she just gave me a bowl cut.

I wish my hair had a natural curl. Its now to a measly 1b/1c. S1 has 2a curls, S2 has 1b/1c like I do. Its pretty funny how S2 and I thought we had straight, frizzy hair. Woops. We got Grandma's hair type apparently. I'm guessing my curls got lost when I hit puberty, and they'd gone through so much before then they were lost to me before I got to enjoy them. :(

I live through my hubby. He's got some gorgeous 2bs that I trim up around the top to enhance the curl and make it look fuller.

I don't want to cut my little waves either (pathetic as they may be.). The stretches Blaze gave me helped some. I currently have my hair dutch braided and the ends looped up into a crown. That seems to be helping too. I'll follow Kelliana's tip about draping a towel over the couch's arm rest and just chill on wash days.

If anyone else has some air drying tips that'll help with the weight issue, I'm all ears. Styling tips are welcomed too. Because, you know, if the massage route and stretches don't help, I'll have to trim up those layers I'm trying to get rid of. -.-

[spirals]

I think it's harder to style wavy layers than curly ones. But you could try twisting strands how you want them to go and airdrying. But you do need product in. Mine will stay until it dries, but I am a 3A.

[kaydana]

If your hair being wet is causing physical pain, I'd not bother with air drying. Using a hair dryer on a cool setting shouldn't cause much damage, if any.

[Mesmerise]

At what time in your hair growing did the pain start? It may be that you only need to lose a small amount of length to experience relief from the headaches. (Although if your hair is thickening up at the same time, this could be problematic). Honestly though, I'm not much help as my hair will never be heavy!

[annah]

I also get migraines from tension in the neck. Crazy headaches were part of the reason I had a major chop 2 years ago, and it didn't help much. I totally didn't realize it wasn't my hair weight, until I grew back out past that length, and had no headaches.

I've been doing mostly cinnabuns, held in place with amish pins. It seems to distribute the weight pretty well across more of my head than just using a stick.

I also just got a turbie twist (think that's what it's called- the head towel thing) I've been leaving my hair in it until it's mostly dry, then taking it down to finish drying. Maybe that would help?

[Madora]

Don't know if this would help your hair drying problem but thought I'd submit it for your consideration:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=223

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[torrilin]

I also can't be taking ibuprofen or other pain meds very much for two reasons: I have a high threshold of pain (so me complaining now means its really bad) so I am tempted to double/triple amounts of medication. 2) I have a sensitive liver. I've been asked to avoid taking things like tylenol for this reason. I have to have a liver panel every year.

Uh, you do realize that ibuprofen and tylenol are not remotely the same thing? It *is* dangerous to change your tylenol dosage, because the dose where it gets toxic is really low, and quite a lot of stuff (like alcohol!) can make it toxic at a lower than normal dose. But for most people, ibuprofen is quite safe because the recommended OTC dose is really low compared to the toxic dose. Since you've got liver problems, you might not be able to take a whole bottle and live, but for most people it'd take more than a bottle to kill them. (which is not to say taking a whole bottle is fun or recommended...)

If you've got a confirmed diagnosis of migraines, your doctor should be working with you to get your pain under control. If all you're getting is patting on the head and liver panels... I'd say it's time to find a new doctor who will treat you with respect and help you find a pain treatment regimen that actually works for you. Quite often, an OTC painkiller like ibuprofen or sodium naproxen will be part of the regimen (or tylenol or asprin... it all depends on what your body responds to best). But usually you'll have at least one other drug to use if the OTC stuff isn't making a dent in the pain.

The other important part of a doctor's help is you learn to start treatments like OTC medications and massage BEFORE the pain gets really bad. It takes a lot more drug to knock out full blown pain than it takes to handle pain that gets treated at the first hint. Figuring out what your personal signs of early pain are is really important.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Uh, you do realize that ibuprofen and tylenol are not remotely the same thing? It *is* dangerous to change your tylenol dosage, because the dose where it gets toxic is really low, and quite a lot of stuff (like alcohol!) can make it toxic at a lower than normal dose. But for most people, ibuprofen is quite safe because the recommended OTC dose is really low compared to the toxic dose. Since you've got liver problems, you might not be able to take a whole bottle and live, but for most people it'd take more than a bottle to kill them. (which is not to say taking a whole bottle is fun or recommended...)

If you've got a confirmed diagnosis of migraines, your doctor should be working with you to get your pain under control. If all you're getting is patting on the head and liver panels... I'd say it's time to find a new doctor who will treat you with respect and help you find a pain treatment regimen that actually works for you. Quite often, an OTC painkiller like ibuprofen or sodium naproxen will be part of the regimen (or tylenol or asprin... it all depends on what your body responds to best). But usually you'll have at least one other drug to use if the OTC stuff isn't making a dent in the pain.

The other important part of a doctor's help is you learn to start treatments like OTC medications and massage BEFORE the pain gets really bad. It takes a lot more drug to knock out full blown pain than it takes to handle pain that gets treated at the first hint. Figuring out what your personal signs of early pain are is really important.

I just stay away from pain medications for the most part since I do tend to go a little crazy with them when the pain doesn't alleviate properly. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I have been given naproxen before to help alleviate menstrual cramps because of it is gentler on the liver AND it doesn't effect blood flow. (I've you have read some of my threads you'll know I've had issues with that too.)

@ Mesmerize they started on and off about four months ago, right around the time my hair started getting to and around waist. They were simple headaches that went away generally quickly so I never really paid attention. It doesn't help that I'm usually dehydrated (huge coffee drinker here who doesn't like water) or that I've forgotten to eat. (I had issues with food as a teenager. I have learned to subconsciously block things like hunger pains, the need for bowel movements and need to urinate. ) I'm so out of tune with my body I hardly know what is causing what until I'm forced to think about it.

Example: I'll get up, get dizzy and almost faint. I'll sit down again and hubs will ask me when the last time I ate or drank water was. I usually don't remember it was so long ago. OR I suddenly get up and run to the bathroom to relieve myself and while I'm doing this I realize I've been holding it in for hours. Like.. five, six hours.

It isn't something to be proud of but its something I've been working on. I've regulated my eating habits while at work by packing little things that get broken down for every break. I make sure to have *some* form of food before clocking in. I'll have a snack during my first break. My lunch as usual. I'll have another snack during my second break and a third one a few hours later when I'm going home.

Its while i'm at home that I've yet to figure out a schedule. I wake up, do my thing, husband gets home from work and it dawns on me I haven't had anything to eat all day. Usually because he nags me about it.

As you can see, winding up with a headache or two isn't uncommon. It wasn't until the last week and a half or so that I've been conscious of this this ever-present pressure. I know it isn't food or water because I've been doing OT and I have markers set on how much to consume. A few days ago it became unbearable after I did that pony tail braid. :\ It got so bad during my shower I wanted to crawl into the closet and not deal with light, sound or breezes yesterday. Water usually soothes me. This time it was a torture device.

Even my softest pillow felt unbearable. I also know from experience that right now, popping a handful of pain relievers isn't going to do much. I even took some black tea hoping that the caffeine kick was something that would help. (I have been working on breaking the coffee habit by switching to dark teas. I hope to get off of them and into herbal non-caffeine ones later. This pain is akin to the migraines I got when I went cold turkey off the coffee.)

@ annah :\ I don't like migraines. I wish there was a button to shut them down. sometimes they can go for days. This one is the worst I've had. Ever. It jsut won't go away.

I'll make a doc app.

@ kaydana I guess I'll have to. I only used it a bit during the winter, maybe that's why I didn't notice anything?

@madora as always, you are a wealth of information. <3 I'll give that a go next time.

[BlazingHeart]

Sorry I didn't get back to this thread sooner.

If you have a child-size jaw, get a child-size mouth guard. They make them - children do things like play football and box where a mouth guard is really necessary.

I meant to point out sooner, if your migraine runs more than 72 hours, you're in status migrainous, and it's extremely dangerous - high risk of stroke, among other things. If your migraines last more than 3 days, you need emergency medical care and may need to be hospitalized. Seriously. It's that dangerous. If you get migraines like that and you aren't seeing a headache specialist, you're doing yourself a major disservice.

An alarm set in a phone that tells you to go eat something might help with feeding yourself. I have to do similar things for my daily medication, or I forget to take it, which is serious bad news.

Also, in terms of getting more connected to your body, I very strongly recommend yoga or tai chi. They really get you more aware of your body, which helps a lot with taking care of it. If that isn't enough, they're absolutely wonderful for helping you to de-stress yourself and relax your muscles.

~Blaze

[italianamama]

I get stress headaches and clench my jaw too. I used to get migraines but I take narcotics for fibromyalgia, so I very rarely get them now. I've also got thyroid disease.

I noticed that the thyroid disease changed the way I perceived pain. It seemed I was more sensitive to certain stimuli than I used to be. I'm not sure if that's unique to myself though.

I rarely bun my hair because of the tugging/headaches. I'm usually in a braid, and that takes the stress off my neck and shoulders. If I need a bit of extra help with hair weight distribution, a french braid usually does the trick for me.

[coneyisland]

Clearly, you need for your hair to be dry -- to be at its lightest weight -- before styling.

Madora's "fanning" technique has been helpful for me [Thank you, Madora.]. My hair has only about half the ponytail circumference yours has.

Before "fanning," you might try wicking out all the water you can with one microfiber hair turban after another, after another. Some of the "dollar stores" (where any given item is priced $1) are selling the microfiber hair turbans just now.

The Chinese Braided Bun (of two braids) is very good for distributing hair weight, and those sprays of ends appearing along the braids (I always have those, too, for having a U-shaped hemline) look fairly inconspicuous with that style. You can make the area of the bun larger by putting each hairstick through under a broad patch of hair, and with one stick a couple of inches higher than the (parallel) lower one. When the bunning is done, you can secure it all around with hairpins and withdraw the hairsticks.

Have you done any testing as to the degree of your hair's porosity?

Wishes for you to feel much better soon. :blossom:

[spirals]

I was just popping in and saw the post about OTCs. The max dose for ibuprofen (in a 24-hr period) is 2400mg, and acetaminophen is 4000 mg, according to my doc's nurse.

[barely.there]

Try finding some white willow bark tea....a lot less damaging to the liver.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Sorry I didn't get back to this thread sooner.

If you have a child-size jaw, get a child-size mouth guard. They make them - children do things like play football and box where a mouth guard is really necessary.

I meant to point out sooner, if your migraine runs more than 72 hours, you're in status migrainous, and it's extremely dangerous - high risk of stroke, among other things. If your migraines last more than 3 days, you need emergency medical care and may need to be hospitalized. Seriously. It's that dangerous. If you get migraines like that and you aren't seeing a headache specialist, you're doing yourself a major disservice.

An alarm set in a phone that tells you to go eat something might help with feeding yourself. I have to do similar things for my daily medication, or I forget to take it, which is serious bad news.

Also, in terms of getting more connected to your body, I very strongly recommend yoga or tai chi. They really get you more aware of your body, which helps a lot with taking care of it. If that isn't enough, they're absolutely wonderful for helping you to de-stress yourself and relax your muscles.

~Blaze


e.e

I just have so many emergency bills, I'm really hesitant to go to the ER especially when I'm still pretty okay.

Though to give you all an update, this is a tension migraine and it has been proven.

So 4pm rolls around, our systems are slow, its hot in the office and I'm speaking with the most sweet, understanding woman ever. I wanted to snap her neck. I was at the verge of tears after the call and I was leaning over my desk just adding pressure to the sides of my head. Somehow this alleviates the pain at the crown.

Anyhow, my supe told me to get up and go see the message therapy training room. She told me to ask for the 'tension headache' essential oil blend. I guess I must have looked extremely miserable because the trainer sat me down on a chair and had the woman she was training destress me.

Now, this therapist is a licensed therapist and she's only being trained in the way our salon does things. She's reflexology, and reiki certified. After she asked me where the pain was she had me flip my hair over and she started to work on me.

I was expecting her to just dab the oil on and call it a day.

Instead she said my muscles were hard as rocks. I'm obviously super stressed and that the pain I have is caused because I internalize things. She went on to say most of the issue I have is due to clenching my jaw (and thank you, Blaze, I will look into a child sized retainer this weekend.) She also suggested I go get my eyes checked. The weight of my hair is only compounding the problem but it is NOT the issue I need to work on.

She gave me a ten minute deep tissue massage on my shoulder muscles and hit some key pressure points. By the time she was done I cried in relief and gave her a huge hug. :o

She pulled my ear and told me to come see her before work on Tuesday. She said I need more than just ten minutes to fully get rid of my tension.

As far as pain control, I'll make an appointment to see my doctor as soon as possible. I have to go in for a tetanus booster anyway. I promise to look into this and take better care of myself.

ps: I have been taking some ginger tea, as well as chamomile tea. This seems to be helping some. Just not.. overwhelmingly so.