unhappy head

My head has been UNHAPPY for the past week. Un-un-un-unhappy.

Guess it started on Thanksgiving? I got all stressed out about what to wear, same as I do for every holiday. Pictures! People! Overheated kitchen! Not good.

Then the day itself was pretty relaxed, but the headache came before dinner. Karl (my brother-in-law) actually noticed it on my face. He stopped me and said "You look like you have a headache right in the middle of your forehead." And yes, yes I did.

Overeating at dinner didn't help. Not drinking enough water didn't help.

Then Friday, MRI day. I was stressed getting there because there were 50 million thousand tourists out. Holiday + gorgeous weather = cranky-ass Debbie. And then the contrast agent fucked me up. I wasn't actually dizzy, but I felt really odd. Like I shouldn't drive. So I didn't. And then my left arm felt off as well. I didn't feel the contrast going in, but I definitely could tell that it was in there. But it was all so subtle, it almost felt like I was making it all up. Or that it was all in my head. Hahahahahahahahaha

So those were the big factors. Life otherwise has been pretty normal. Visited a friend and her new baby, Starbucks with the neighbors, seeing a friend's play. Maybe more activity than on a normal weekend, but nothing overly strenuous or stressful. Work has been meh, but that's more due to my unhappy head and not external stressors.

But my head's still unhappy. Headaches, sometimes pretty intense, never in the same place twice. And then my head just feels weird. Like there's pressure on the outside of it, but what makes it feel better is when pressure is applied. If this feeling were in my throat, I'd cough.

Yes - that's it. It's like a really annoying throat tickle. Except on my head. I have a head tickle.

And then it's winter & cold, especially at night, and that seems to exacerbate the head tickle. So I've been sleeping with the covers up over my head - pretty standard issue for winter in my drafty, drafty house, but it just doesn't seem cold enough for that yet. Yes, it's cold. But it's not frigid. Covers-over-the-head is usually reserved for frigid temps. Even odder is that it doesn't bother me for the covers to be on my face, usually a big no-no. It's like my body wants to hibernate early.

Last night the head tickle started early so when I got home, I immediately put a bandana on my head. I really wanted this soft, pretty, light blue cashmere winter hat that I got years ago, but I think it's up in the attic. I was not in the mood to climb up into my possibly stink bug-infested attic at night. Nope, not happening. So bandana. My gray one because it's nice and big and the color is comforting. And didn't clash with my red pajamas. And it worked pretty well. I slid it down over my forehead and ears and the tickle subsided. My head was actually halfway happy. At least for 3/4 of the evening - the last 1/4 I was really wanting that cashmere beanie. At bedtime, I kept the bandana on and added the blankets and slept very well.

But my head's tickling again today. And I have a concert to go to and fun to have, not to mention my normal workload. I got things to do, man! I don't have time for a head tickle. It's totally making me grumpy, making me distracted, making me blog about being grumpy and distracted, which means my work is piling up even more, which makes me even more grumpy.

Bah.

I think it might be due to my menstrual cycle. I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating right now, which could be the cause of the headaches, the head tickle and the distraction. How can I work when my body is telling me to procreate? I mean, really! Biology always takes precedence in my body. No wonder I have a freaking meningioma.