Here's an approximate chronology of events:
~ 9:00 PM - I savored some delicious chocolate ice cream from Kline's that Jeff and Josiah and David had just brought home for me...that fact has nothing to do with what is to come, except to show that Jeff is my hero--and pleasure can very quickly disappear
~ 10:00 PM - I went to bed with a mildly-aching, stuffy head, a condition I have had for the past 4 or 5 days
~ 11:00 PM - I awoke with excruciating pain in the right side of my head...it was centered behind my eye and throbbed with every beat of my heart...I, being the highly logical person that I always am in the night and when in pain :), "knew" I must be having a brain aneurysm so I decided to let Jeff know what was going on so that when they found me dead, they'd know what had killed me...Jeff, being the highly rational person that he truly is when he deals with my health conditions, assured me that it wasn't an aneurysm and I wasn't going to die...he called my dad and woke him from a sound sleep...Dad came up the hill with some strong pain medicine for me, then upon hearing of my stuffed-up condition, made another trip up with some nasal spray to try to open up my sinuses...I took the medicine and sprayed the nasal spray, then at Jeff's urging (since he suspected the headache was from sinus pressure), took a nice hot shower to try to open things up even more and relieve the pressure in my head...it helped somewhat, and I was able to go back to bed and sleep decently with a reduced amount of pain until...
~ 12:15 AM - I once again awoke with pain so bad I couldn't believe it...it was beyond description...I knew it was way too soon to take more pain medicine, so I stayed in bed for a while, hoping to drift off to sleep again (and succeeding to some extent)
~ 1:30 AM (approximately) - the pain was unbearable...I woke Jeff up to tell him; then again took a hot shower...this time, it didn't help a bit...he called dear ol' Dad (another hero of mine!) again to see what more could be done for my pain
~ 2:15 AM (approximately) - Dad trotted up the hill once more, this time with a shot for the pain...I've probably never been so glad to get a shot in all my life...as a girl, I would plead with my big sister Donna, "Don't let him give me a shot!!!" thinking that surely, she would protect me...it never worked, but my family still likes to remind me of that...in the wee hours of this morning, however, I was willing to grovel and beg for a shot: ANYTHING to take the pain away...Dad gave me the shot in my arm and told me it would make me sleepy...that sounded great to me, and I laid down on the couch and actually got some broken but decent sleep until Jeff got up to leave for work and told me I could go back upstairs to bed :)
~ 8:15 AM - my mother arrived to help with the boys this morning so that I could go back to bed and sleep off more of the pain...she had to leave to meet my brother Doug in town since he was passing through the area; but in the early afternoon, Jeff was able to slip away from work to come home and help out...Mother made supper for us tonight, and she and Dad made several trips up the hill to carry it in to us...I feel very blessed and taken care of!
One way I saw God comforting me even in the midst of the pain was during my concern over how the medicine might affect my baby, God kept that little one active the whole time! I thought maybe the strong medicine might temporarily "knock out" the baby or cause a decrease in movement, but my anxiety over that was outweighed by the intensity of my pain and need for relief. I knew that Dad was very aware of the fact that I'm pregnant and wouldn't give me anything dangerous for the baby, but I did feel joy and gratitude by all the movements (even hiccups) that I felt from the baby last night and today. It was as if God didn't let me waste a minute worrying about that!
Today the pain has been much diminished, and I am understandably overjoyed at that! I still feel a dull ache in the right side of my head, but it's NOTHING compared with the pain last night. Jeff told me that he had not seen me in that much pain since childbirth, and I'm sure he's right. I think I'm being honest when I say that was the worst headache I've ever had. It was also possibly the first true migraine that I've had; and I hope, by God's mercy, to not have a repeat for a very, very long time.
Suffice it to say that my level of compassion for migraine sufferers has risen exponentially by the events of last night!!
5 comments:
Oh, Davene! Oh my goodness! I would have thought it was an aneurysm, too. Praise God for your doctor father who lives nearby, and for the baby who vigorously kicked throughout the ordeal. Am so glad you're better, and hope that - as I write - you're catching up on sleep. And that your dreams are blissful and fill you with great contentment.
What a horrible night -- head pain is so awful because it seems all-consuming. I hope you're on the mend now.
Isn't it wonderful to have family near by that will come at any time to help us out? That is a blessing! Glad to hear that you are feeling better...I know your pain...I've had migraines for years and they can knock everything out of you!
Oh, Davene! That was terrible, all that pain. Pain can wear you out like crazy. I have never had a migraine, and only once have I ever had a bad headache (it felt like the side of my head was going to blow off)--and it went away with Tylenol and rest. God sure has been merciful and all-sufficient, with your dad a doctor and right nearby. I'm sure it saved you a trip to the ER in the middle of the night. I'm also glad you have a wonderful, clear-headed husband. I hope you are on the mend, and that this doesn't occur again for a long time. BTW, I may call you soon to see when we can get together. Hannah & Paul are finally just about totally well.
I hope that you are feeling better. I'm sure it will take some time to recover from that. Migraines usually knock me out for a day and then it takes another day or two to feel normal again. How blessed you are to have so many special people looking out for you! Hugs.
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