Whiplash 10 years later - headaches/migraines

Did you ever suffer from whiplash, or do you have migraine headaches?

Ten years ago I was playing soccer on a high division women's team in Denmark, when I encountered my first injury. (After playing soccer, running track and swimming since age 5 without any injuries)

My team had just moved up into the first division, and we were so excited as we were playing against a great team. I remember running for the ball with high speed, when a player from the opposing team ran into me/tackled me or someting. I don't remember the details, as I was in the air headed towards the ground with my head first. The next thing I remember is opening my eyes on the sideline looking at some very relieved teammates. Our coach told me that I had hit my head and blacked out.

This was the beginning of a summer, where I do not remember much but sleeping and going to work. When school started, I kept getting headaches, and the doctor's diagnosis was monocleusis and possibly a case of whiplash. I did not know much about whiplash, but what I did know was that you get whiplash from being in a car accident.

I was forced to take a month of from school, during my senior year in high school mostly because of the risk og passing on the mono. I started physical therapy for the whiplash injury, and I was given prescription medicine for the headaches. I remember the doctors told me that I could suffer from these headaches for years, if I weren't careful, and after having been very active all my life this was devastating news. I had been training for a marathon, and my soccer team had finally moved up to a higher league.

Well, there was no soccer, no running and no physical ed. for me during the next year. After a month leave from school the mono got better, and I returned to school still on pain medication for the whiplash. I had kept up my school work from home, and I started back on my job as well.

After a year of physical theraphy the headaches got better, and I slowly started back with my physical activity.

Now, ten years later I am so relieved, because I have managed to control the whiplash headaches for the most part. I can no longer run as this triggeres the head aches, the eliptical machines are off limits, and I have to be careful looking up or to the side. I only get headaches on rare occasions, and most of the time I know what has triggered the headache.

Today was one of those days. I went to Linen' n Things this morning, as I was looking for a mattress pad. Well, the queen size that I needed was located almost at the top by the ceiling, and I had to look up to figure out, if this was the type, size and prize that I needed.

I moved back a bit to avoid looking up too much, but I could not move back far enough to completely avoid that whiplash trigger position. I remember thinking about this very consciously, and realizing that I might have to face the consequences later.

At noon I picked up my son from pre k, and I felt a headache sneaking up on me. By 3 p.m., the headache had taken over, and I could hardly think, because it hurt that bad. I had to call my husband, and ask him if he would mind cooking dinner, which I felt really bad about, since he had been working all day.

Then came the nausea, and I ended up getting sick. This is the first time, I have ever tried getting sick because of a headache. The headache is almost gone now, and I am so thank ful.

Have you ever suffered a whiplash? If so how and when did you get it, and do you still have symptoms? If you suffer from migraine headaches, do you get nausea and throw up?

What do you do when you have a bad headache/migraine? Do you have some special remedy that helps?