Winter Migraines

So it's Christmas Eve today and I've not got a migraine, which is good as I have had one for the last five days making it probably the worst patch so far this winter.

Since I last wrote about what's been going on since we went to GMT I went to see my GP to discuss what to do. Having look at the consultant's letter again it did say we could increase the topiramate from 100mg to 200mg per day if required and, as it obviously had helped over the Summer it seemed to both of us that if I went back to him now the first thing he'd say is "let's try increasing the dose of topiramate".

So rather than wasting his time and my money on a consultation with him I'd try try cranking up the dose. Which takes some weeks. I'm now, as of last Monday, on full dose - so that's 100mg morning and night. The consequence of that is that I've got finger tingling back big time. And my hair is thinning very rapidly on top, although it was doing that before we started increasing the dose. Apparently that's a common side effect of topiramate after about six months on it although when I mentioned it to my GP he did run me through a batch of blood tests just in case it was anything more exciting causing it but didn't seem to find anything exciting¹.

Meanwhile the headaches continue. Most days they're there, some days they're bad, some days, like yesterday, they're complete stinkers. But in truth the headaches aren't the real problem which is why I'm still cold turkey on analgesics and triptans: I've not used any since June. I find I can mentally dial the pain out and ignore it.

That's not the problem.

The problem is that at the same time that I have a bad headache, and afterwards, my brain is screwed up.

• I'm "single threaded". I can only think about one thing at once. So for example Beth talking to the dogs in the next room stops me reading.
• I can't even think about programming or doing anything in that line. Curiously of an emergency arises, for example a server needs a good kicking, I can sort that out - but going something creative seems completely beyond me.
• I can't discuss anything that requires thought or decision. So you can have a conversation with me and I'll seem quite normal, because we're blathering on about the weather or something else trivial, but ask me what we should have for supper, or where we should go on holiday next year and it'll stop me in my tracks. To the point where I start to panic in my indecision.

This is not good.

Sometimes I just end up trying to sleep it off. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, but it at least hides me from the problem for a while. Either way I waste whole days this way. Or, as was the case this week, the whole bloody week from Monday to Friday.

Anyway it's Christmas Day tomorrow so fingers crossed eh?

1. I got a marginally low platelet score which they want to check again in three months but that was all.