random thoughts – Day 1,222 – (Saturday) – headache season

Another day, another headache.

In June I had an extra annoying number of headaches. The trend continued well into July, with the visitation of a headache every day from the 1^st of the month through the 15^th. Every. Single. Day. And night. Let’s not forget the nights. 

It usually felt like I was wearing a too-tight hat, and often included aching eye sockets, cheekbones and jaw. The greatest (only?) refuge was sleep. 

On an interesting note, I noticed in the daily Facebook memories that headaches are a recurring theme for me in July, going back many years. I just don’t remember having them for such a long string of consecutive days and weeks. Then again, I don’t remember if I had breakfast this morning or not, memory can be faulty and frail, and that is why I write down so much stuff.

There aren’t many theories floating around in my crowded cranium as to the cause of the headaches. Life has stress, sure, but that happens all year long. Unless, maybe the first half of the year is for planting and cultivating, and July is the bountiful headache harvest. Is this covered in “The Old Farmer’s Almanac”?

My only reasonable guess, for this June and July anyway, is the weather. Maybe the frequent clouds and rain are exerting extra pressure on my brain. It doesn’t sound any crazier than some of the other kooky theories floating around in the world lately.

Perhaps related, perhaps not – the first day without a headache in the month of July was the day I got off the couch, joined the gym, and exercised. I had been reluctant because of the leg that was hurting for weeks (but only when I walked or stood). Trying to pedal a bike, walk on a treadmill, or do leg machines when 50% of my legs already hurt felt like a gamble. Plus, the gym closest to the house was closed for several weeks for renovations and the level of self-awareness is sufficient to know that if the gym isn’t convenient, I probably won’t go.

Last Sunday, the gym reopened, I ignored the leg that hurts and joined and exercised and that day the cranium experienced some peace. And the leg also felt better. There was also no headache on Monday, and the gym was visited again after work. No headache on Tuesday, and a trip to the gym after work. No headache on Wednesday, but the gym was replaced with sweating my butt off mowing the yard after work because it looked like a jungle and it also wasn't raining. No headache on Thursday, and there was a trip to the gym after work. No headache on Friday, and it had been declared a rest day from the gym.

There is a headache in those
shimmery reflections.

It turned out there were Friday headaches later in the day. They appeared in the basement, floating lazily on the puddles pooling from the rain. They looked like gentle ripples directly over the hairline crack in the concrete floor and gurgled in steams of water flowing from the walls. They shimmered with the reflections of the ceiling lights. The weather, the basement water, the presently on strike sump pump float … a headache.
Bummer.

And guess what Saturday arrived with? Yeah, a headache, right from the get-go. But it was a terrific run of 5.5 days without one. Hopefully the run can be repeated. Bested even.