Bad dreams and bad headaches.

Hi Everyone:

Woke up this morning as my Husband was trying to tell me something before going to work. Too many days he leaves without saying goodbye as I just can't get up quite that early. This morning I was in quite a deep sleep but I was having a very frustrating dream. A dream where I was trying to clean up a place that looked nothing like my house but was so messy. I have books about dreams and do look up some to try to make sense of it all. My forehead is scrunched up in a frown, I can't see as my eyes are swollen, sore and tired.

Anyway I got up and tried to listen to him. I just was not functioning very well. I am standing looking at him but feel like a zombie. When he left I had a tea and cereal and meds. Had to lie down as I still could not function. Woke up around 10:00. Soaked in the tub but it has not helped much.

I've no idea what percent of my head pain is to do with the Fibro. My Husband just does not understand it at all. Neither do I. He is correct that many times I am not concentrating. I find it so hard to function with pain. He should understand. He had a taste of pain with shingles.

We do have rain in the forecast - maybe that is the problem.

Better days ahead I'm sure.

Loring

Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Chronic Daily Headaches, I.B., Hard of Hearing....

I have a super foggy brain in the mornings, especially after dreams like that that are so realistic and frustrating. It seems counter-intuitive, but I take some norco when that happens and it helps clear the fog quite a bit.

Oh don't get us started on weather again!! Lol!

Hope your feeling better. I can relate to everything you said. My joints are aching on this on and off rainy day. It's miserable.


Dawn

My mornings are super slow. I've been trying to add just 15 minutes to my sleep by going to bed a little earlier, as that helps me. I don't always make that 15 minute point, though. Too many things to finish up before bedtime!

My dreams seem long and very involved and detailed. Sometimes that's okay, and other times they seem too much for my poor tired head.

My medications are from 2 Doctors. I have a Family Physician/Nurse Practitioner and a Headache and Pain Relief Doctor.

I first tried melatonin and 5 HTP, per my Doctor's instructions. Neither caused any severe problems but I did not sleep through the night. I thought 5 HTP was helping some with pain. A Dentist put me on Nortriptyline for the symptoms of Neuralgia. I had used it before but came off when I began Lyrica. For me, Lyrica did not seem to cause me any bad symptoms. My stomach was working well. Weight gain was a problem and frankly still is.

I find the Nortriptyline gives me a deeper sleep. It is not foolproof but for the most part I am sleeping better. I take 40 mg of Nortriptyline after dinner and 50 mg at bedtime. I take 10 mg of Baclofen - a muscle relaxer and I use Magnesium Calm at bedtime - having constipation issues. Nortriptyline has stopped nerve spasms and restless legs. It is not a cure of course.

I did not have a good response to Fentanyl Patch. I got quite sick and thought it might have been the meds. I stopped using it. Oxycontin was way over the top for me. I did not need this strong of a med. Yes, I opted not to continue this medication. These two were tried by another Pain Management Clinic at a Hospital. Then, the Doctor who I was seeing said he would not prescribe any more pain meds. Told me I needed long term physio in a community environment.

Last year, when off Lyrica, I was not doing so good. I have continued to travel sometimes with my Husband. Went with him to San Francisco. My Doctor prescribed Tramadol to use if I got in too much pain. The trip was a group thing with my Husband's work. Lots of walking and I sure could not tackle the hills. I do use my soft collar if I need it and especially on transit. I did try the Tramadol a couple afternoons. Per directions I took the med and rested. I still have some Tramadol left. It has not stopped my pain. It may be that you have to take it on a regular basis to see its effects?

In January I was given a small prescription for Hydrocodone to help stop coughing. I had such a bad coughing virus and could not sleep for days. While using it I had an episode of sleep walking and I had a bad fall from the stairs to the hard wood floor. I did not feel myself falling. I have walked in my sleep before - one time banged my head into the corner of a wall. I luckily have no fractures. An X-Ray and then a full body bone scan were done. Mild uptakes of Osteoarthritis were seen on many joints. Hurt my elbow badly in the fall. It is slowly improving. More nerve problems. My N.P. said the meds may have been too strong.

Thanks for all the posts.

Loring

Post Edited (Loring) : 8/14/2014 6:51:50 AM (GMT-6)

It is always good to dream nice things. It starts your day off well. Read that your mind is clearing out bits of stored data that you may no longer need. I had Al Pacino in my dreams once. Hoo Ha!

Loring

Last year I started having daily headaches. I'd go to bed with a headache, and wake up with a headache, wondering if it could be real that headaches don't go away for months at a time. It was disorienting. And even on the days that I didn't start with a headache, one would land on me by 2 pm with consistency, and linger throughout the day.

But now I've found so much freedom from them! They are not completely eradicated but I have had them consistently managed and in control for a good deal of 2014. Days, weeks, and even months go by when I realize I have not had a headache. For me, this is completely amazing and so far from where I was a year ago!

Each person is different, but this is what works for me to prevent and take away long lasting stubborn headaches which sometimes come with brain fog and less quality sleep:

- Diet restriction - This is a biggie. This is the deal breaker or maker right here. By modifying my diet, I can either cause myself pain, or heal myself into wellness.

The no no's: no unnatural preservatives, no canned foods, no jarred foods, no pickled foods, no MSG, no MSG-cousins (yeast extract), no aspartame, no yogurt, no soda, no sugary drinks, no flavored chips, no flavored popcorn, no tv dinners, no bananas, no unnecessary seasoning, no caraggenan, no seaweed, no soy sauce, no icecream with carageenan. And no MSG. Many of these things are known to be vaso-dilators. They dilate blood vessels which can contribute to head pain.

These are some of the yes's: whole foods, apples, nectarines, grapes, fresh bread that's had time to sit, cucumbers, many fresh fruits, many fresh veggies, frozen chicken without MSG solution (most frozen chicken has MSG), cheddar cheese [doesn't cause me a problem, at least], chocolate [doesn't cause me a problem, although can be for some] fish, pasta, real butter, all natural popped popcorn, small amounts of regular salt, salad, feta cheese, etc., naturally prepared rice etc.

Sleep : I should sleep about 7-8 hours each night and not too much more. Too little or too much sleep are both bad, but quite interestingly too MUCH sleep seems to be much worse than too little, in terms of headache for me! Yes, if I get more than 8.5, the chances of headache are higher. Interestingly, sometimes less than 7 can stop a headache in its tracks. I'm not sure why this is, but its happened a few times that sleep deprivation cured a long lasting headache.

Med free.

When I follow the protocol strictly, I don't have a headache. Its kind of amazing how fine tuned I've been able to become with it. And now I'm just so much more relieved. I realize each person is different and has different needs but this is what words for me as far as headaches.

I'm sad because I know there must be some people out there with chronic daily headache that suffer and do not realize diet might influence it. Obviously all people are different, but if I had not tried to tailor my diet to suit my needs, I'd be feeling so despondent a year later after months of the same headache.

And now, so much more relief! I say this in case someone who has a similar sensitivity reads this and feels inspired to examine diet more closely.

Thanks CharmCityLady for sharing your success story on becoming headache free.

I told Doctors when the pain in my head started that it was not a headache, at least not one that would stop with Tylenol. The pain began at work. I was looking down reading and all of a sudden I began to get pressure in my head. To diagnose - CT Scan, MRI on my head, neck X-ray, MRI on my neck. Neurologists believe the Osteoarthritis in my neck may be a cause of the headaches. I get relief when I go to bed. They were looking for intercranial hypotension but a Technician who read the MRI did not find that.

I am lactose intolerant and have I.B. I use almond milk and can now eat yogurt. After an infection with C. Diff I at first could not tolerate yogurt but now I can. I was, a year ago, told to stop taking Calcium supplements. Suggested either take a multi-vitamin or a Calcium supplement. I opted for the multi-vitamin.

We do eat healthy fiber, love salads and fruit. We do eat meat. I use Olive Oil. I was told I could have some chocolate every day, a small portion, the darker the better. Chocolate is a passion for me but do have to watch calories.

I have not been able to pinpoint a particular food as a trigger for head pain but for my stomach I cannot have lactose. Your posts are a reminder to beware of sugar.

Rickrick: Yes, Al Pacino was the main actor in Scent of a Woman. Love the movie, especially the Tango.

Thanks. Have a nice day.

Loring