Yet Another Pounding Nigerian

Originally posted December 18/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


OK, in case you don't now what the hell that title means: The spell check on a writing program I use does not recognize the word "migraine," and it's a word that I use a lot. The best the program can come up with is to suggest that I have a "pounding Nigerian," which quite frankly sounds like a whole lot more fun than the headache I'm stuck with...

Yes, it's yet another happy, happy migraine day. It's getting ridiculous. Every other day I've at least got a headache that makes it feel like my brain is trying to bust out of my skull; on really special days like today (a few times a week) I get added dizziness and nausea. Some fun, huh?

Obviously I'm not calling in sick every time this happens. Not only would I lose my job, but being at home isn't that much more relaxing, anyway. I do just as well to take my Advil liqui-gels, suck back a pot of tea and stumble through the work day. Good thing a trained monkey could probably do my job. I'm pretty sure customers suspect that I'm drunk on days like today... The distinct disadvantage to being at work with a headache is the incessant BUZZING. You can't get away from it at the store. The lights buzz- a high-pitched whine, like a mosquito singing in your ear in the middle of the night. Then there's this other, lower buzz, which I think has something to do with the ventilation system. Customers complain, but nothing has been done yet. Staff complain, too, with the same result. It's annoying on days when I don't have a headache; on days with one, it's almost unbearable. But at least I'm making money... sort of.

I found out last night that migraines are actually a withdrawal symptom for many people coming off Effexor, which I take a fairly high dose of every day. Could that have something to do with my increasingly severe (and frequent) headaches? I'm not in withdrawal, but I just wonder... I think it's time to see the shrink again to ask about switching meds. It's a terrifying prospect, especially considering what I've gone through on other antidepressants, but between the headaches and the other unpleasant side effects, it might be time to give it a shot. Maybe there's a medication out there that will help with the screwed-up chemicals in my brain while allowing me to NOT have a pounding Nigerian- I mean, migraine- every time the air pressure goes up. I won't know unless we try, right?