For British Eyes Only

Yesterday was hard in Headache Land, but I won’t go into that too much, because remember – Rule #1. ;) So instead, we'll take specifically about the Headache Clinic (HAC).

I had a long appointment yesterday. I always look forward to going to the HAC because I like and trust the people there. But more than that, it was the first time I would try biofeedback! I even tweeted my excitement.

One of the caretakers that I see during some of my appointments is a psychologist, Mr. H. I liked Mr. H right away because he is a sports psychologist, he didn’t judge me when I told the truth, and he laughed when I said shit. He’s not a psychologist in the traditional sense – although we do talk about acceptance of my headaches, he also teaches me about the mind-body connection and how I can consciously influence that connection.

 

Like I said, this was the first time I had been hands-on with biofeedback. Basically, biofeedback involves hooking someone up to a computer and observing their physiological responses to certain stressors, and learning to control these responses at will. (FASCINATING, amiright?!?!?) This first time was really easy: Mr. H attached a ground wire to my wrist, and then pressed a sensor onto different muscle groups in my head, neck, shoulders, and back. The muscles give off electrical impulses, which the sensor picks up and sends to the computer. Tense muscles give off more electricity. I was facing the screen and could see the voltage rising and falling as he moved around my head.

Again, I won’t go into too much detail, but the tensest of my muscles was NOT where I expected it to be, and definitely not where I feel pain the most often. That’s not uncommon – it’s called referred pain (something I’ll write a future post on). However, this is one of the many, many things that could be contributing to my headaches.

This part of the story is the glimpse into why I love the HAC. After Mr. H documented my muscle tension, I went in to see Kayla, my physical therapist. In between, Mr. H & Kayla talked about the day’s biofeedback results. Then, Kayla and I worked on my usual exercises and stretches, but then she taught me some stretches for the muscles that the biofeedback indicated were tense. I LOVE that they all work as a team.

Because I’ve had headaches for so long, I’ve seen just about any type of caretaker or provider that you can imagine who has asked or looked at just about anything you can imagine. On top of that, strangers walking down the street seem to have ideas on why I have chronic headaches. I’ve tried an endless list of things. But the difference this time is that instead of all that crazy, I have one, focused approach; with specialists who understand my pain and the psychology and physiology behind it.

I feel like what it all comes down to is that open communication, as well as teamwork, is key. These two things are what seriously lacked in my prior treatments. I truly believe that the HAC can help me, so it is likely that they will.

Thanks for listening! Please connect with me if you’d like to talk – I’d love to hear from you!

P&L,

Julez