Interior Design (and Life Update!)

I have some exciting news! I've signed up for an Interior Design class! The class starts this Tuesday and runs 8 weeks at the University of Calgary. We don't have an interior design degree available in Calgary, but there are certificate programs available at various schools. I've decided to take the U of C class because they have a very cool Visual Design certificate available, where I can take courses in photography, art, and interior design.
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I'm so excited!

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The bad news is that my headaches have been brutal for the past week. I was trying a new drug, which seemed to work at the beginning, but which caused insomnia as a side-effect. For the first couple of weeks, despite the lack of sleep, my headaches seemed to remit a bit. Then, the lack of sleep (4-5h per night) caught up with me and last weekend I started having brutal headaches. All this week I've had migraine activity and had 5 visial auras (visual disturbances which last about 20 minutes each), one on Tuesday, one Wednesday, two Friday and one yesterday! On Thursday night I woke in the night with an excruciating migraine on the left side of my head. That was the worst of it, but I've had moderate migraines all week.

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These conventional migraines are uncommon for me. Usually I have what they call "chronic daily tension type headache", which is an entirely different category of headache, but believed to be part of the same spectrum. These may range from mild to severe, with severe ones about once a week or every two weeks. Most days, I have a moderate headache which varies throughout the day, becoming worse at times and better at times.

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Occasionally I have conventional migraines, especially with searing pain in my right eye. But it almost never comes with a visual aura, and never becomes "full-blown" as they say. I have only had two auras in the past two years, and this week I had five, so you can see why I am troubled! My regular headaches can be severe but they feel totally different from a migraine. The pain is all over the head, diffuse, and is a dull sickening pain. My migraines are very sharp and pointed and generally sit in my right eye, or behind my eyes, or in my face.

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So....as you can guess I've stopped taking the new med to try to get my sleep, and headaches, back on track! But this drug, since it affects serotonin, should not be stopped abruptly. Rather, you work your dosages down slowly. I did this for 2 days, taking half a dose, but then I said "screw it!" and stopped cold turkey on Friday. Well, I'm now having flu-like symptoms, which my pharmacist says are withdrawal! I'm aching and sore all over, my neck is so stiff I can hardly move it, and I just want to sleep. Plus, I still have a bad headache. Last night I didn't sleep well, but I hope as this drug gets out of my system, I will return to "normal".

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I just want my life back...my same old headaches, please! I have learned to live with those (if you call it living) , but cannot handle them PLUS migraines PLUS visual auras, PLUS insomnia and feeling exhausted. I want me back!

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I will see my neurologist again in a few months. Until then, I will hobble along on the old meds and live with my regular headaches, which seem almost like a fond memory compared to last week!

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Sorry I am not visiting your blogs much. I feel like hell and just can't sit at the computer. Even this has been too much!

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I do miss you all and wonder what you are up to! I promise I will catch up soon, and see what you have been doing. Until then, thank you for your sweet words and thoughts. You are darlings, and your sentiments mean so much when I am feeling so crummy!

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See you soon!