Yesterday, I drove down to the hospital in New Hampshire to pick up my sleep study kit. An hour down there and an hour back is a bit ridiculous for a fifteen minute appointment, but I got the kit. I had to wear it last night. Essentially, it’s a belt that goes around your chest, a breathing tube for your nose that doesn’t supply oxygen but monitors breathing, and a fingertip blood pressure cuff. The whole thing was terribly uncomfortable, and I slept in fits all night long. I was so excited when my alarm went off at 6:15 so I could take off this apparatus. Now I have to put it in the box they gave me, slap on their FedEx label, and mail it back. I’ll find out the results in 5-6 weeks.

I worked ten hour days for four days last week out of a six day work week. Let me also add that one of those ten hour days actually was a fourteen hour day. Again this week I have a six day work week with two of those days being ten hour days. I am exhausted already, and I felt it full force yesterday when I woke at 3 am with a major migraine. I took some Advil and a Maxalt and eventually fell back to sleep. When I woke again at 8 am, my headache was still raging. I stayed up for an hour or so, drank some coffee, had a bite to eat, and took my medicine before returning to bed. By noon the headache had abated and I ran some errands. However, the headache returned last night, so I went to bed early. I’m just hoping that this week, while long, will be less stressful than last week.

Since Sunday, I have had an excruciating migraine. I got some relief on Monday when I went to see my physical therapist. She knows just what pressure points to press to relieve my headaches, but after a few hours it was back with a vengeance. I left work early yesterday because I was in so much pain that I was nauseated. I went home and took the strongest meds I have and went to sleep. Still no relief. Homecoming starts today, and we will be very busy the next four days. I need to be well so that I can do my part.

I’ve recovered from my headache, but I don’t have much to say today. Instead, I give you a pretty picture.

I had a terrible headache last night, and it continues to plague me today.

All my complaints yesterday are pretty much in working order again, except for my ear. At one point yesterday the pain became almost unbearable. I had to cancel my hair appointment and my date. I also had to call my doctor. I needed to know if they could do anything about the pain or give me some advice. He said to keep an ice pack on it and to keep taking pain medicine on a regular basis. Basically, don’t let the pain relief from Tylenol or Advil wear off. They also moved up my appointment from 3 pm to 10:45 am today. I’m assessing how I feel right now, and will decide soon if I will go to work or not this morning. If all is okay after the doctor’s appointment, I may go in then, but it’s according to the pain level.