I’ve been hijacked by head pain. I’ve lost 10 days. I really would like to believe that superstition is meaningless, but it is quite astounding how every time I take a chance on sharing good news, I get walloped. I waited 5 weeks to write my last post — until I was sure this small uptick was lasting — and I was so excited to share a positive update with my family and readers for a change…. And don’t tell me it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy because it’s not. I didn’t fear jinxing myself so much that I manifested this pain. Once I wrote the post, I got on with my life with renewed hope.

Friday the 29th, I was dragging and it felt like I was coming down with something. Saturday the migraine hit in earnest and I’ve been crippled ever since besides a random afternoon of respite this past Saturday when my friend Z and her daughter were visiting (and Z commented on how much more I was able to engage since the last time she visited (there I go broadcasting improvement again)).

Bowie loves baby A (who isn’t really a baby anymore).

I heedlessly declared “It’s gone! It’s gone!” and, that night at 4 in the morning, I started to get a migraine aura — those jagged, moving silver lines that blot out your vision in certain spots. It was like the migraine slept, regained some energy and came back with renewed determination. Yesterday and today, I’ve been in tears.

I’ve tried all my tricks (caffeine, feverfew tea, cervical spine stretcher, ice, heat, acupressure, extreme hydration, fresh air etc.), but this isn’t one of my normal chronic headaches. I feel it moving around in the morning, when I bend over the pain explodes, my neck hurts, I’m sleeping more, but it’s not helping and I have horrific nightmares every night. I thought it was hormonal, but my period came and went and the head pain got worse, if anything. I thought it was because I increased my probiotic or was eating a lot of cottage cheese, but I’ve stopped both for days. I finally risked buying a mattress topper: it’s natural Dunlop latex and had hardly any smell at all, but it seems the most obvious culprit. I took it out of my bedroom a week ago, though.

I’m starting my Monday immunoglobulin infusion in about an hour. I have this hope that the Prednisone, Benadryl and Tylenol will kick the pain away, but I have this fear that the Gamunex will make the headache worse. After all, that is the most common side effect and I suppose this could be some reaction to the IG that I’m about to double-down on by infusing again.

Anyway, a few days after my last post where I told the gods to cover their ears (which they obviously didn’t do), we were watching Downton Abbey and Anna says to Mr. Bates, “Bad harvest, bad harvest!” and explains that this is what the farmers would yell so the gods wouldn’t be jealous of their bountiful crops and take them away. A timely reminder that my superstitions have been shared by our ancestors for hundreds of years and it’s okay that I’ll be yelling bad harvest! at the sky like a crazy person, spitting over my shoulder, pulling on my earlobes and knocking on wood the next time I dare to tell you something good. Feel free to join in.

This is what I miss on all that days I don’t go outside for fresh air.