notes from the insomniac

A couple of days ago I mentioned weird shooting pains I was having on the right side of my head. They were gone the next day and have yet to come up again.

Here's the best thing I could possible interpret from them in light of the fact that I've been Migraine-free since Sunday: THE PAINS WERE MY MIGRAINE EPISODES SAYING GOODBYE! Several especially painful Migraine episodes from the past were doing their own version of waving goodbye, having set up residence my head for years. They finally decided to leave me alone, and as the most painful ones left my world forever, they zapped their way out for a memorable exit.

Welcome to my dream world, folks.

In truth, I felt pretty amazing Monday, health-wise (especially in the evening), a feeling I've not experienced in a while now. Tuesday was even better, and today's pretty good but not as good as the first two days of the week.

Let's talk about what's not so hot: NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP. That's right, kids: that little insomnia problem I've not mentioned much on here reared its ugly head again. (Awhile back, a friend led me to a little song I love about insomnia--I pretend the song's about Migraines. I mention it in a post that's over two years old. Unfortunately the link to the free download isn't working right.) In the last couple of years, I've had some sleep issues, and they've really plagued me during their short stays. When I got off Amitriptyline a few months back, the glorious side effect it causes--sleepiness--was gone. I had trouble staying asleep through the night, and forget about 3 AM bathroom breaks. Those left me tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, nervous I would miss out on too much sleep and be tired or headachey the next day.

This insomnia is markedly different. I can't fall asleep at first but am not worried or frustrated about the problem. In fact, I haven't been sleepy at bedtime in a few days now! Very different from how I was feeling up until last week when I was exhausted almost all. the. time. Usually I feel exhausted when I wake in the middle of the night, it's just that I can't fall asleep. For the past few nights, I've felt energized and wide awake during sleepless times. Last night I couldn't fall asleep 'til 1 (after having climbed into bed at midnight). Woke up at 2:30 to pee and was up until 3:45 or so. Fell asleep for thirty minutes or so and was back up again at 4:15 and stayed awake 'til 6. My alarm went off at 7:20 and I snoozed a bit (yes, in the morning I was able to snooze) and then got up and was pretty chipper and energetic.

This afternoon I took a nap, which was probably a mistake for someone who wants to sleep normally at night. But I cannot read a book without getting sleepy-eyed (even if it takes an hour during insomnia bouts), and around 4 PM I fell asleep despite my not feeling tired.

I'm a real piece of work, I tell you. Let me know if you can identify with this issue--and definitely let me know if you think I'm right about the Migraines waving goodbye and leaving me forever. Ha.