This week marked the official return of the Eyegraine. For years I talked to doctors & headache people and even an optometrist and nobody had any idea what was wrong with me. Finally, in the past 5 years or so I’ve started seeing information on what I now know is the Cluster Headache.

In the same family as the Migraine headache, Cluster Headaches differ in that they are usually isolated to a specific area – usually behind the left temple or eye and show up for months at a time sometimes several times a day and then stop for months. For me at least the individual headaches last from 15 minutes to an hour. I get the sensitivity to light & smells and all that lovely pain. Although they can just come on whenever they wish they can be triggered by stress, low-oxygen trance-like computer programming & pheromones (like the perfume counter at the Boscovs). I’m currently in a cluster cycle and getting a headache once or twice a day unless I’m able to abort it before it goes full blown. Actually aborting a pending C.H. is tough. By the time I feel it coming on (they have an “aura” much like a migraine) it’s too late to pop pain pills that might take a half hour to kick in. Caffeine helps but suffers the same time delay problem as pills and has the side effect of messing with my sleeping which can actually cause a cluster cycle to begin. No, for me there’s only one way to get rid of a C.H. – Adrenaline!

I wish (oh how I wish) I had learned the secret sooner, but the best way for me to kick a headaches ass is to kick my own ass. Grab the running shoes and sprint out the door or drop and knock out 50 push-ups or spend a few minutes fighting the heavy bag. Jump rope, squat thrusts, sex, it all works and it’s all good! Some research suggests that result is due to the increase in oxygen in the blood, but as I’ve personally seen an elevated heart rate & tried deep breathing techniques without relief, adrenaline is the only way to go! Its not always convenient to have sex or do squat thrusts while at the office though but I’ve found my ways around the problem. I used to walk up/down 16 flights of stairs while I was working at Spiewak. I’ve pulled off the highway and ran laps around the parking lot. I’ve dropped to do push-ups in the mall. I’ll do whatever it takes because an Eyegraine in full bloom is heinous!

So if you see me absentmindedly rubbing the back of my neck or left temple, it’s Cluster Time and you should immediately scream “What’s your major malfunction soldier Oh, does your head hurt? DROP AND GIVE ME 40!”

Headaches. They’re all in your head anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache
http://www.clusterheadaches.com
http://www.ouch-us.org

We’re half way through the year and my Resolution was to do 10,000 pushups this year. I resolved to run a 10K & do 10K pushups. Yeah, I know but crazier things have been promised on party nights, believe-you-me. Fortunately most folks forget these promises.

Anyway, I use my running log to keep track of the pushups and I’m on target for my goal. As of this writing I have pushed 5230 ups and run 85 miles including my first ever 10K. The race was all trails & all hills. I finished and ran every step. I even managed to do 35 pushups that day.

I started doing my pushups in sets of 15 and increased the amount by 5 every month. Since it is June I’m supposed to be doing 40 at a clip but I usually do 2 sets of 20 or just some other number that works for me at the time. I’ve done as many as 45 at a time but I think I’ve plateaued as they haven’t been getting any easier for several weeks now.

If you could only do one “muscle” exercise, pushups should be that exercise. They hit your triceps, pectorals, deltoids and most of your trunk for support. Do them fast to get the heart rate up or do them slow to feel the burn! My Dad always did pushups and credits them for retaining good upper body strength well into his 50s. That’s all well and good, but I need a challenge. A few years ago I researched the training to become a NJ State Trooper and noted that a requirement was to do 45 pushups in 2 minutes. Well, I didn’t intend to become a cop, but I made sure I could do the required pushups. They’ve since changed the test to a point based system rather than a flat number. Oh well. I’ll just have to make sure I can do all of the ‘maximum point’ exercises on their new list!

Know what the hardest thing about the pushup challenge has been so far? That month where the vacuum cleaner was busted and I ran out of clean patches of carpet. Yech!

Linky: NJ State Police Physical Qualification Test