4.27.8
Today i woke up with a mild headache. Although I don’t generally get headaches, over the past week or so I’d been taking aspirin nearly every day to fend them off. I was traveling back home, and with the humidity and altitude shift (as well as increases in sugar and coffee ingestion), frankly I wasn’t surprised. Then, the night I returned (4.25.8) I had a headache the intensity of which was totally debilitating and required taking a narcotic painkiller. Finally I went to sleep.
So, the headache I woke up with quickly gained intensity. Within 20 minutes it had become so excruciating to bring me to tears. I took another painkiller. And another. And then one more. Still, it hung on as I tried to drift off into sleep in hopes of resetting my brain. This ‘sleep-reset’ was a technique I had used when, several years ago, I had had another bout of these headaches. It lasted a few weeks and then went away. The cessation of the headaches coincided with a spiritual and physical cleansing and healing ceremony in Peru (as well as me quitting my job as a fry cook in a sushi restaurant (oddly enough).
A few hours later Daniél arrived home (with dogs!) and I had been able to drift off enough to feel better. At this point she brought up something called ‘cluster headaches’ which had apparently popped into her head the other night when I was reeling in pain.
I did a little googling and as usual, wikipedia came through (Wikipedia entry on Cluster headaches). That was in fact extremely interesting and revealing. Apparently, by ‘cluster’ is meant that the headaches come in clusters of time and are often separated by weeks, months or even years. When they do recur they will come on quickly (often in 15 minutes or less). When in the midst of a ‘cycle’ the slightest bit of alcohol can trigger a fit (i had a margarita the night i returned home).
Because of their intensity they are also known colloquially as “suicide headaches” because so strong is the pain that people can be driven to kill themselves for hope of relief (yes, I think I can relate). In fact, women who are plagued with this syndrome say it is worse than the pain of childbirth (!!!). Another reference said it was worse than having a limb amputated without anaesthesia (!!!!!!!). As for my own experiences, I shall simply say that although I have neither experienced childbirth nor unanaesthesiatized amputation, the pain is in fact so excruciating that the contemplation of self-immolation seems to offer some solace. Let me add that it does offer some vindication to read this…
Also, they are occasionally referred to as “alarm clock headaches” because of the regularity of occurrence, often happening at the same time of day, day of week or time of year. Most interestingly, this has lead to speculation of the involvement of the brain’s biological clock, more specifically, an abnormality in the hypothalamus. How interesting it is indeed to becomes aware of the misfirings of ones brain. So often are we tempted to gaze through the glass window of our mental abstraction of the world that we are tempted to believe our perceptions are in fact “the world.”
The article on wikipedia is wrapped up by alluding to various possibilities of treatment, all fairly anecdotal. Of the treatments listed, I found most interesting the rapid inhalation of pure oxygen and vigorous exercise (both at the first onset of symptoms). Also, “some people report that sexual intercourse and specifically orgasm may terminate an attack possibly by acutely modulating hypothalamic function.” Furthermore, and most significant of all to this patient, is “substantial anecdotal evidence” that serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD can abort cluster periods and extend remission periods. Apparently, these substances work by “resetting the hypothalamus” back to normal functioning. I’ll leave it there for the interested reader to seek out further reading on that subject (here).
Needless to say, this came as very “hopeful” news to me, to say the least. My last “remission” had, in fact, coincided with a trip to Peru where I went on a 10 day dieta that involved imbibing in the sacred (and psychedelic) ayahuasca. Furthermore, I happened to have a slight amount of such-and-such-hypothalamic-resetting substance lying around so to I assumed this was a medical emergency and ingested it. It is now two days later and I’ve had no resurgence since.
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