Thistle-Brain, Pseudo-Migraines, and the Sound of Silence.

You may have noticed an odd silence the last few days. It’s not a lack of inspiration - I’ve had a huge list of ideas, but none have actually made it into post form. Why not?

I’ve had Thistle-Brain.

Inexplicably, my brain has been replaced by rampant wild thistles - you know the type. Spiked flowers, over-ripe fluff, thorned stems that branch out and reach for light, trying to push through the surface of my skull…
Ok, ok, put down the giant butterfly nets, I’m not ready for the lunatic asylum, and I don’t think I have actual thistles in my my brain… but that IS what it feels like.

“Thistle-Brain” is a precursor to some rather nasty headaches I get. It usually continues during and sometimes after the pain. The most marked symptoms (other than the purple flowers sprouting out of my ears) are difficulty in co-ordination, a reduction in cognitive ability, and a heightened awareness of my brain itself.

Creepy, huh?

The invasion of aggressive flora seems to be brought on by a combination of things - allergies, stress, dehydration and low blood sugar seem to act as fertilizer, but but it’s almost always a sense of confusion and overload that trigger the brain-thistles, themselves.

I’ll be doing just fine, focused in on a task, and then something throws me off - a distraction, an unexpected problem, a program that wont work right or a bit of code that won’t resolve. It’s as if a neural circuit blows, somewhere…. a synapse goes up in flames.

Picture a network of neurons, the spiderweb of electrical pulses that travel through the brain. Everything will be working smoothly, and then… connections start to blow. Sometimes its a major line that goes, kerpow-kaboom. Othertimes it’s a series of little sparks, blowing here, there everywhere else, until the network is disrupted.

It’s very pretty, actually, like little fireworks going off (see the similarity to thistles, again? And check out the photo above.. the photographer says it’s from a mouse’s cortex - obviously a mouse who suffered from an infestation of thistles! It’s all very fractalish)

If I catch the problem early enough, and maintain focus, it wont turn into a headache. Apparently, mental focus is like weed-killer for my brain-thistles.

Seriously, this is probably a form of migraine, though few of the usual symptoms fit. For me, laying down in darkness and being still is the *worst* thing for these headaches.

Water, anti-histamines, caffeine, Advil, eating something (not sugar), avoiding stress… the standards can help. Curiously, though, the best solution for my particular issue is to intently focus on one single train of thought. It seems to work best if it is verbal, and if there is outside reinforcement to keep me focused. Having an interesting conversation on something i already understand well seems to really help. Writing this post seems to be helping, too. Go figure.

It’s as if the forced focus slowly creates a new single path in my brain, sidestepping the blown circuits. It sounds bizarre, I know - and I have no clue what is actually going on. I just know how it feels, and how it ‘looks’ when I imagine what is going on in my brain. I’d really love to fiddle around with an EEG and MRI or whatever else, and try to figure what’s actually going on, but I’m not likely to get the chance. I’ll just keep muddling along, hoping my brain never totally goes to seed!

I’ve yet to find anyone else who related to this feeling.

Anyone else know what I’m talking about? Have any suggestions?

Anyone?

Anywhere?

*sound of crickets*