Rule #1: Don't Talk About Your Headaches

I finally met with my new doctor last Wednesday, November 21, 2012. After talking for a bit, he started scribbling on his pad. He finished writing and I looked down at my first prescription: “No Pain Talk.”

Long story short: I have had chronic headaches for as long as I can remember. Some days are good and some days are bad, but it’s always there. I am finally being treated by Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s Pain Center. I am a patient with their Headache Clinic.

A lot of people are confused about this. Sometimes I am too. The Pain Center does not necessarily exist to find a cause for pain, but rather show you how to live with it. I, just like any other person with a chronic illness or pain, have run the gamut of tests and evaluations with no findings, results, or success.

This sounds kind of depressing, but please look past that part. Although I have only had two full appointments (and I’m breaking Rule #1 right NOW, lol), I am already feeling more positive about the situation. Yes, I’d love to know WHY I have a headache; but the reality is, I might not ever know, so I have to find a way around that. I don’t know what that means for me, but I think right now, I’m just where I’m supposed to be.

Finding my place.

I have mentioned my head/back/neck pain about 10 times since receiving instructions not to talk about it. My thoughts have been even more of a struggle. I am trying (and learning) to take my attention away from my pain, while at the same time, recognizing it and taking one or more of several approaches to relieve it. I have to find what works for me.

You may be asking yourself right now: “If Rule #1 is “Don’t Talk About Your Headaches”, how do you expect to get away with blogging about them?” Well, I’m a talker. And not talking is hard. And if you tell me NOT to talk about something, I’ll probably want to talk about it even more (can you say “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”?). Regardless of that fact, I am exploring writing about my journey as a coping mechanism. We’ll see how that goes. Most importantly, I have found that one of the best qualities in my new caretakers is compassion: they understand what it’s like to live with constant pain. If one person is comforted by reading my struggles, then the pain was worth it.

Please, check out my blog, and connect with me! Headaches are a big part of my life right now, but they are not the only part. I would love to talk with you, and share ideas or tips!

P&L,

Julez