Headaches

I've had so many people ask how my headaches are that I talked about here and here. Thank you for asking & for caring. Here's an update...

After 3 doctors' visits, 5 physical therapy appointments, 1 dentist appointment, and countless other attempts, including Tylenol, Aleve, Motrin, muscle relaxers, Hydro codone, warm baths, a heating pad, ice packs, 3 massages, acupuncture, tens unit therapy, deep heat ultrasound, the stuff you roll on your forehead, and prayer, I think the headaches are finally manageable. They aren't gone, but I can deal with them. Before trying the above remedies, they were getting to the point where I couldn't function. I was taking 1-2 Hydro codone a day just to get through. I think I was almost getting depressed about it. And, I'm sure Darrin could have screamed listening to me say "My head hurts" everyday.


So what worked? On the way to my first physical therapy appointment, I prayed that God would please take away my headaches. I'm not sure why we always wait until a situation is unbearable to turn to God, but so often we do. I prayed that therapy would be the answer, or that God would point me to the answer. During that first appointment, the physical therapist asked if I grind my teeth at night. I don't, but I do clench them during the day, and therefore probably at night. Many times when I would say my head hurt, I would actually be rubbing my jaws. Darrin even asked me one day why I was doing that if my head was hurting. The physical therapist recommended seeing a dentist about a mouth guard to wear at night. I made an appointment for the next day. Over the last few weeks, I have found that a combination of the stretches I learned at physical therapy and the mouth guard has helped. I have only been having 1-2 headaches a week, and they will usually go away with Motrin.


The first couple of days the headaches were gone, I was cooking/baking one night, which is something I love to do, but hadn't felt like it lately. I was enjoying it so much when it dawned on me just how bad I had felt for so long. I am so thankful to God that my headaches are better.