avocado8

Caffeine Headache

I mentioned in the post about the migraine that usually caffeine causes headaches (though not usually migraines) for me. It's why I'm a dedicated decaf drinker, though I do worry that lately I've been getting more caffeine than usual given my now daily Starbucks runs. (Even decaf coffee has a little caffeine in it.)

Unfortunately, on Sunday I failed to double-check with the barista that the double-tall latte he handed to me was, indeed, decaf, and I didn't realize it wasn't until I was 4/5 of the way through the drink that it wasn't. When the headache hit, suddenly the reason for the oddly strong taste became clear. (I'd thought it was just too little milk, or that they'd brewed the espresso at too high a temperature.)

At first it just seemed like a normal headache, but by the time we got into the car to drive home from Maryland, it had all the hallmarks of a migraine except the blurry vision. In fact, the head and neck pain were worse than I had with the migraine on Wednesday, and the nausea was intense. Or rather, I should say that the head and neck pain *are* worse than I had with the migraine on Wednesday, because they haven't gone away. Yep, I've had a headache/neckache for three days now, and neither seem to respond to Tylenol or Advil (again, like a migraine).

I'm going to get a massage tomorrow morning to see if that will help, and I'm off caffeine of all kinds now (including decaf coffee and tea, since those cause a pain spike). I hope that one double-tall latte didn't ruin coffee for me forever.