Kristena,

Part of my pain management plan with my doctors is for me to go to sleep when I just can't take it any more. I have a combination of pills that does it every time - hydrocodone, cyclobenzaprine, and trazadone. I take them together only very rarely because I want it to keep on working. I'm afraid if I used it every time I needed it my body would desensitize to it and it wouldn't work any more.

Another thing that helps put me to sleep is very warm socks, very warm blanket, a heating pad on my tummy, and ice behind my neck and on my head. I don't know why it works for me - it might just be the way I'm wired and not everybody else.

Be sure to eat and drink at least a little. Dehydration and low blood sugar can trigger a migraine or other headache on top of IH and that's the last thing you need.

Be sure you aren't laying flat and that the top half of your body is sloped up. That usually helps for almost everybody with IH. Laid flat is usually not the best of alternatives.

Hope you feel better soon.

Pain relief on the quick when -- as my husband expressed it -- even being conscious hurts. Like Sea, I often employ the heating pad. I'll position it on the back of my neck and use a bag of ice on the temples. A percussion massager on the scalp gives me some relief when nothing else seems to help. Also, sitting upright and doing very deep breathing while stretching my neck as far upwards as I can sometimes makes a difference. Changing positions frequently also helps so I'm not causing fatigue in my neck or back, which always makes the HA worse. Gobs of water.

I remember I used to get alot of relief from cup of coffee, even though its not the best, then pain meds, off to hot shower, the i used to stand in my towel after shower lay bent at waist over my bed with my arms stretching to the other side of the bed, i know its odd but it stretched by back, arms, neck out good. I then put on my soft neck collar for up to an hour, lay inclined in bed with heatin pad, the used the tens unit on them painful shoulder/neck muscles. Lots of fluids, celery, apples, and collard greens with lots of water to drink. I would periodicly get up and stretch out again. These were some of my rituals that helped me.

I hope you get relief soon.
Mary

Thank you so very much. As soon as I get back to the house I look forward to getting wrapped back up nice and toasty plus the ice pack. Last night though I got to the point I couldn't handle the pain and went to the ER. I found out I have a sinus infection and when they called the neurologist he wanted an MRI to check how much exactly is infected...so I sit in a bright waiting room and wait for this one...

Thanks again,
Kristena

Benadryl. Lovely pink pills. Mixed with pain meds or on it's own. Not addictive, takes the edge off the anxiety of a headache and helps me sleep. Hope you feel better soon.

What the other Amy just said. They even gave it to me in the hospital when I was there for migraine treatment and not getting painkillers. Sometimes you just need to sleep to reduce the anxiety. If you wake up in 4 or 5 hours, take another.
I hope your infection is better.
Amy