Struggling to Drive the Demon From Her Head

For me the headaches started in the winter of 1997. Real estate stresses, a pending relocation, a career change and a very ill child all converged and the headaches started. Though I’d never been one to get headaches, I began to get them daily, an unwelcome guest arriving every day before noon and staying until after dinner.

At first, I tried an extra cup of tea, then coffee, then aspirin, then two, four, six Advil. But the headaches persisted for months. I went to my internist, who, after sending me for an MRI to rule out a tumor, told me I had tension headaches. She prescribed physical therapy to relax my neck muscles and more over-the-counter painkillers, which I later learned can sometimes make matters worse.

Frustrated and impatient, I didn’t understand why these headaches wouldn’t leave just as readily. Determined to expel this demon in my head, I saw a physical therapist, a massage therapist, a counselor, a chiropractor and finally a neurologist who specialized in headaches. I read books and contacted the National Headache Foundation. I tried changing my diet--eliminating all sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Then I tried stretching, massage, aromatherapy, prescription drugs and and vitamins.

While no single effort solved my headaches during this 18-month odyssey, I gradually acquired a better understanding of my problem and the things that worked for me.

I learned that chronic tension headaches frequently are caused by not one but a variety of factors. In my case, personality, genetics, muscle tension and the unique way I respond to stress all were playing a role, according to the neurologist who finally helped me solve my riddle.

On the advice of headache experts, I stopped taking the over-the-counter painkillers and switched to a preventive prescription medication, which I took for a few months until I could break the headache cycle. I added daily neck stretches to my exercise program, and worked through the stresses. The real estate matters settled down. I got used to my new city and ramped up my career. My daughter recovered completely and much more quickly than her mother.

And while I still get the occasional headache, I don’t get them every day anymore. I don’t take pills, and I don’t see specialists. I’m still “headache prone,” however, and my neurologist says that seriously stressful periods could start the cycle again. But I haven’t given up my quest to be completely headache-free.