happypamama Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Sunday morning, I woke up not feeling great. By Sunday afternoon, I insisted that DH take me to the ER. I was crying because of pain (far, far worse than natural childbirth!). The pain did abate a bit, to a tolerable level, after we'd been at the hospital for an hour, but gallbladder was suspected. They did a bunch of tests, and shortly before midnight Sunday night, I was in surgery for appendicitis. (So much for gallbladder!) I was in the hospital for just Sunday night and came home about 5 pm yesterday (Monday). I had a couple of doses of IV painkillers (two of morphine sometime early Monday morning, one of something else, I think, in recovery), and one pill (I think oxycodone) Monday afternoon. I took 400 mg of Advil when we got home Monday, at 6 am today, and at 3 pm today. My stomach is a little sore but not in terrible pain. I'm able to eat and drink and move around a bit, although I'm taking it easy. My back, legs, etc. haven't complained about the extra work as of yet. Throat is a little sore from the breathing tube but not bad. But my head. It hurts SO much today! I didn't sleep much the night in the hospital, although I napped a lot yesterday while still in the hospital. I did sleep quite well last night, and I took two good naps today. I have eaten three good meals today and have drunk quite a bit of water. Still, terrible headache. Any ideas as to what is causing the headache, and/or what I can do about it? Advil, sleep, and water usually fix headaches for me. They're not touching it right now. Caffeine withdrawal? I usually drink about 12 ounces of coffee in the morning, and I did not have that yesterday or today, nor any caffeine in the hospital. I have a small can of Pepsi from the hospital that I might drink, but the bubbles don't feel good on my throat. Is this likely to be a reaction from any of the drugs from the surgery? I don't recall it hurting yesterday, but of course, I was on the IV painkillers. It's not migraine status, but it's making me pretty non-functional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Call your surgeon's office. Hopefully it's just an anesthesia reaction, but call to make sure. Hope you feel better soon! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I am betting caffeine withdrawal but it wouldn't hurt to check with the doctor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I was thinking caffeine withdrawal before you even mentioned it. I'd drink the Pepsi. Stir it up really well to flatten it a bit and maybe it won't be so bad on your throat. I'd rather have a sore throat than a caffeine withdrawal headache. Then call your doc JIC. That will guarantee the Pepsi will do the trick! Feel better! :grouphug: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Thanks, all! Okay, I'm drinking the Pepsi. Might try to get DH to massage my shoulders a bit, in case it's partly a tension headache. I'm looking for where the surgeon's info got stashed in my bag so I can call them in the morning if it isn't better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Pain medicine and me do not get along. I would call doctors office for their opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Pain medicine and me do not get along. I would call doctors office for their opinion. That was the morphine. It gave me the weirdest feeling. I can't really describe it. The best I can say is that it felt like a hot, tight, headache all over my upper body, head, and neck, which lasted for a couple of minutes. The nurse did it a little slower the second time, and the reaction wasn't as bad, but they opted for something different after that (oxycodone). It's been well over 24 hours since I've had anything; I would have thought it would be out of my system by now, but maybe not. I think they gave me something in recovery too, but I'm not sure what it was. The guy put it in the IV, and I immediately felt nauseated. He brought me a basin but put some Zofran into the IV right away, and the feeling passed. But maybe pain meds and me do not get along either. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I second calling your dr. last time I had surgery, I'd reached the end of what painkillers they could give me, . . . :glare: A crushed ice-pack on the back of my neck and then just relaxed onto it. my roommate asked for one too. cool-damp cloth on forehead can be a nice addition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 I second calling your dr. last time I had surgery, I'd reached the end of what painkillers they could give me, . . . :glare: A crushed ice-pack on the back of my neck and then just relaxed onto it. my roommate asked for one too. cool-damp cloth on forehead can be a nice addition. I normally detest being cold, but I'm desperate and just might have to try that. Thanks! The last time I had surgery, I was ten, and I had a tonsillectomy. This has really walloped me. :) I think the Pepsi is helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Caffeine withdrawal. If coffee doesn't help, then call your doc. I don't think a pepsi will be enough caffeine to fix the headache. I hope you feel better! :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Caffeine withdrawal. If coffee doesn't help, then call your doc. I don't think a pepsi will be enough caffeine to fix the headache. I hope you feel better! :grouphug: Thank you! I'm chasing with a cold can of Coke that also happened to be in the fridge. Hopefully they will be enough. I was kind of contemplating giving up my morning coffee habit, but ugh, if it means headaches like this, I might not. I'd like to be off of caffeine, but the headaches are miserable! Hopefully I will feel better in the morning, but if not, I'll call the surgeon's office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Thank you! I'm chasing with a cold can of Coke that also happened to be in the fridge. Hopefully they will be enough. I was kind of contemplating giving up my morning coffee habit, but ugh, if it means headaches like this, I might not. I'd like to be off of caffeine, but the headaches are miserable! Hopefully I will feel better in the morning, but if not, I'll call the surgeon's office. It's bad bc you went cold turkey. Hopefully, you won't go thru something so emergent but if it happens again, you can ask for caffeine at the hosptial. If you slowly cut back on the coffee, you won't go thru this. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 After my kid sister had her second baby, she had to be taken back to the hospital after a couple days of a horrible headache - she had had an epidural and been told to sit up too soon afterwards. Anyway, call your doctor as such a bad headache does not sound normal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 It's bad bc you went cold turkey. Hopefully, you won't go thru something so emergent but if it happens again, you can ask for caffeine at the hosptial. If you slowly cut back on the coffee, you won't go thru this. Oh, good. They wouldn't let me eat or drink anything from about 4 pm Sunday until after surgery, and then it was only small sips of water throughout the night, then clear liquids for breakfast. So no coffee at breakfast, and then I felt super dehydrated afterward and really just wanted to drink water. I did contemplate asking for a Pepsi but knew that I really needed the water. After my kid sister had her second baby, she had to be taken back to the hospital after a couple days of a horrible headache - she had had an epidural and been told to sit up too soon afterwards. Anyway, call your doctor as such a bad headache does not sound normal. I have heard that about the epidurals -- that sounds awful! (As a side note: I'm not doing too badly, but it was a bit rough sleeping and walking to the bathroom the first night. I cannot contemplate how hard it must be to do that after a c-section, while caring for a newborn! C-section mamas are tough and have my respect!) I am feeling a little better now. It's almost time for more Advil. I think I'll take a little more this time, and hopefully I will feel better in the morning. If not, or if it gets worse, I'll call the surgeon. Thanks, Hive!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Well, 8 ounces of room temp Pepsi and 12 ounces of cold Coke later, and the headache seems to be gone! I'm heartened to see that it's probably not related to any of the meds, not so heartened to think that I need to watch the caffeine intake. It's summer; coffee in the morning is less exciting than it was when it was cold. The Hive knows everything! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cottonwood Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 sometimes if they give you a spinal to numb you from the waist, down, a bit of spinal fluid leaks out which causes migraine like headaches for up to 14 days. mine started on day 2 after my appendectomy and i laid in a dark room for 13 days unable to function at all. woke up on day 14 with no more headache. it was excruciating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 sometimes if they give you a spinal to numb you from the waist, down, a bit of spinal fluid leaks out which causes migraine like headaches for up to 14 days. mine started on day 2 after my appendectomy and i laid in a dark room for 13 days unable to function at all. woke up on day 14 with no more headache. it was excruciating. That sounds horrific! I was under general, so no spinal. I can't imagine how awful that must have been for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Glad to read toward the end that you are feeling better, but sending :grouphug: of sympathy and prayers for an uneventful recovery anyway! Caffeine withdrawals are definitely painful. I use caffeine often when I need to get off schedule (generally staying awake at night) and have definitely learned to come off of it slowly when finished! Lack of enough salt also gives me horrid headaches, but I think that's more unusual (most people appear to need far less salt than I do). If you're feeling better, my guess would be the caffeine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cottonwood Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 That sounds horrific! I was under general, so no spinal. I can't imagine how awful that must have been for you! Glad you were under general. Yeah, I'll never forget that pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 sometimes if they give you a spinal to numb you from the waist, down, a bit of spinal fluid leaks out which causes migraine like headaches for up to 14 days. mine started on day 2 after my appendectomy and i laid in a dark room for 13 days unable to function at all. woke up on day 14 with no more headache. it was excruciating. I think that is what happened to my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Sounds like the caffeine but some antibiotics can cause a bad headache too. If it comes back after your next dose, it could likely be the culprit. I get a horrible headache from one of the IV antibiotics that they use in hospitals. I think it is the Rocephin abx that causes a horrible migraine for me. It goes away about 12 hours after the remove the IV, but while I have it, there isn't much that will make it feel better other than sleep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Glad to read toward the end that you are feeling better, but sending :grouphug: of sympathy and prayers for an uneventful recovery anyway! Caffeine withdrawals are definitely painful. I use caffeine often when I need to get off schedule (generally staying awake at night) and have definitely learned to come off of it slowly when finished! Lack of enough salt also gives me horrid headaches, but I think that's more unusual (most people appear to need far less salt than I do). If you're feeling better, my guess would be the caffeine. I do think it was the caffeine. I had a small cup of coffee this morning and will make some more if the headache comes back. I remember one of my midwives telling me that I should have some extra salt if I got headaches during my summer pregnancies, so that makes sense too. Sounds like the caffeine but some antibiotics can cause a bad headache too. If it comes back after your next dose, it could likely be the culprit. I get a horrible headache from one of the IV antibiotics that they use in hospitals. I think it is the Rocephin abx that causes a horrible migraine for me. It goes away about 12 hours after the remove the IV, but while I have it, there isn't much that will make it feel better other than sleep. Thankfully, I am off of the antibiotics; they just gave me the few doses in the IV in the hospital, so I haven't had any in about 48 hours. That sounds pretty awful for you! Head is okay this morning. I think the 800 mg of Advil last night wiped out the last of it, and hopefully it will not come back. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Sunday morning, I woke up not feeling great. By Sunday afternoon, I insisted that DH take me to the ER. I was crying because of pain (far, far worse than natural childbirth!). The pain did abate a bit, to a tolerable level, after we'd been at the hospital for an hour, but gallbladder was suspected. They did a bunch of tests, and shortly before midnight Sunday night, I was in surgery for appendicitis. (So much for gallbladder!) I was in the hospital for just Sunday night and came home about 5 pm yesterday (Monday). I had a couple of doses of IV painkillers (two of morphine sometime early Monday morning, one of something else, I think, in recovery), and one pill (I think oxycodone) Monday afternoon. I took 400 mg of Advil when we got home Monday, at 6 am today, and at 3 pm today. My stomach is a little sore but not in terrible pain. I'm able to eat and drink and move around a bit, although I'm taking it easy. My back, legs, etc. haven't complained about the extra work as of yet. Throat is a little sore from the breathing tube but not bad. But my head. It hurts SO much today! I didn't sleep much the night in the hospital, although I napped a lot yesterday while still in the hospital. I did sleep quite well last night, and I took two good naps today. I have eaten three good meals today and have drunk quite a bit of water. Still, terrible headache. Any ideas as to what is causing the headache, and/or what I can do about it? Advil, sleep, and water usually fix headaches for me. They're not touching it right now. Caffeine withdrawal? I usually drink about 12 ounces of coffee in the morning, and I did not have that yesterday or today, nor any caffeine in the hospital. I have a small can of Pepsi from the hospital that I might drink, but the bubbles don't feel good on my throat. Is this likely to be a reaction from any of the drugs from the surgery? I don't recall it hurting yesterday, but of course, I was on the IV painkillers. It's not migraine status, but it's making me pretty non-functional. I'm sorry! It sounds like it is an anesthesia reaction to me. I have heard this happens. Hopefully, it will be out of your system very soon. Oxycodone is useless in my experience, less effective than Advil. Have you tried Advil Migraine? If it doesn't get better, go to the ER. I would be concerned about an aneurism or something (NOT trying to scare you, and I'm sure it WILL get better). At least they got your appendix before it burst. I had no pain, just felt bad. I stayed home 3 days. Too long! Edited: Good! I read you are now feeling better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 sometimes if they give you a spinal to numb you from the waist, down, a bit of spinal fluid leaks out which causes migraine like headaches for up to 14 days. mine started on day 2 after my appendectomy and i laid in a dark room for 13 days unable to function at all. woke up on day 14 with no more headache. it was excruciating. Yikes! That sounds worse than just toughing it out! I didn't really have pain with my burst appendix. Just felt like I had the flu so I stayed home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I normally detest being cold, but I'm desperate and just might have to try that. Thanks! The last time I had surgery, I was ten, and I had a tonsillectomy. This has really walloped me. :) I think the Pepsi is helping. Yeah, it's tough. I don't think I felt "normal" for months. But then, I'm older than dirt. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cottonwood Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Yikes! That sounds worse than just toughing it out! I didn't really have pain with my burst appendix. Just felt like I had the flu so I stayed home. Can you tough out appendicitis? I wasn't given that option. Something about it being an emergency if it burst. They told me....awwww, don't worry. Only .5% of people have the migraines and if the person administering the spinal knows what they are doing, no fluid will leak out. That's when I knew I would be that .5% because that stupid stuff usually happens to me! I was 20 with no children yet and I was so worried that if I had to have a C-section one day, I wouldn't be able to take care of the babies within the first 2 wks. Thankfully, I didn't have C-sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Can you tough out appendicitis? I wasn't given that option. Something about it being an emergency if it burst. They told me....awwww, don't worry. Only .5% of people have the migraines and if the person administering the spinal knows what they are doing, no fluid will leak out. That's when I knew I would be that .5% because that stupid stuff usually happens to me! I was 20 with no children yet and I was so worried that if I had to have a C-section one day, I wouldn't be able to take care of the babies within the first 2 wks. Thankfully, I didn't have C-sections. They can try a blood patch to seal the leak where the spinal fluid is coming out. If you get a spinal headache with an epidural, it is usually bad bc the epidural needle is bigger than the spinal needle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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