Bad Headache

(Cathy Schroder) #1

I am trying (yet again) to try and make it to 72 hours with a fast. I’m quite prepared to end it if my body needs me to, but I am not sure what is happening today. I’m almost 48 hours in and overall I feel quite good. I just have this wicked headache that does not want to quit. I have been taking Murray River Pink Salt (Australian) that has magnesium and potassium every couple of hours as well as my regular magnesium supplement. I’m drinking about four litres of water each day. I’m accustomed to a mild headache when fasting but not this. I don’t feel weak or dizzy at all.

Do you think this headache is incidental to the fast, or is it connected? I have a feeling that I will reach the 72 hours this time and I really would like to succeed, but not at the expense of my health.

Headache advice needed
(Carpe salata!) #2

This is where ‘listen to your body’ is important. You can tough it out or you can break it and go at it another time. After all, pain is nature’s warning.

#3

Unless you are having cafiene withdrawl headache, i would susptect migrain. Migraine Headache is commonly precipitated by a fast. This phenomenon has been well described in muslims during their fast month. If this is a recurring issue for you then perhaps dont fast completely, have some coffee w cream instead of an all out fast or abandon fasting as a technique. Migraine which I suspect you have is miserable.

(Carpe salata!) #4

I used to get migraine and figured out (for me, everyone’s different) they were from dehydration - or changes in salt balance. Migraines often go with slight nausea and possibly vision effects as they start. They can be a mild headache up to a whopper. Anyway hope you figure it out.

(Cathy Schroder) #5

Thanks Peter

I do listen to my body - hence finishing my previous fasts before I got to 72 hours. This just feels different though. If it weren’t for the headache I would feel amazing. Suspect that @Virchow may be on the money with the caffeine reference.

(Cathy Schroder) #6

Thanks! I think that you may be correct in your reference to caffeine. I had been drinking Coke Zero for a couple of days before the fast (filthy habit I know). I’ll see how I travel and break the fast tonight if I don’t feel any better.

(Thomas Yates) #7

Hey there.

I was planning for an extended fast of 7 days or so but in the middle of day two got this headache. I toughed it our for about 10 hours but no matter what I tried to do to get electrolytes balanced or to hydrate it was just getting worse. I finally broke down about 2 hours ago and made some tuna with mayo and ate it with some pork rinds. I then took a nap and when I woke up found the headache dissipating. It definitely feels mgraine-y more than a regular headache but am pretty sure it is going away. I’m gonna go for a walk and take a sauna and call it quite for a couple days, but I want to try it again soon. Just have to figure out what went wrong.

On the bright side of things I dropped 8 pounds of fluid out of my system the day and a half I was on it so all was not lost! :slight_smile:

(Cathy Schroder) #8

Well done! I figure if I feel bad then I stop. If I can’t fast longer then I can’t. Who knows, maybe one day it will be easier!

(Thomas Yates) #9

Well after my walk last night I thought I was feeling better, but after I took a shower the headache started coming back strong. I waited for awhile but after a few hours of trying to sleep and let it work itself out I broke down and took one of my SO’s sports drinks. It had electrolytes and was 17 grams carb. Anyway, I had had 0 carbs for two days and I was beginning to think from reading around that it was low blood sugar. After drinking that (I diluted it into a huge glass of water) I quite quickly felt the headache subside to about half its strength, at least enough so I could go to sleep.

Woke up this morning really early with the headache about 25 percent what it was. I jumped out of bed and felt like I was going to faint, so sat down awhile to even out. I went downstairs and ate a couple scrambled eggs with lots of sea salt, and took a couple potassium pills and a magnesium pill, drank some more water, and went back to bed (it was really early).

Woke up about two hours later and felt much better, especially after a long hot shower. Had a cup of coffee and went to work no problem, waited till noon to have lunch, a couple eggs and some stir fried pork (I live in Thailand). Am feeling much better now, headache about 10% of it’s original strength. I’m really clear headed and have energy now.

I think I just had a really intensive keto flu (though I might have shocked my system with getting my blood sugar too low). I don’t think I was keto adapted yet but I wanted to fast, probably should have eased into it. I’m going to stick to IF starting tomorrow at a 19/5 window for a few days then try my fast again. Progress, not perfection!

Also, from Monday morning 6am to Thursday morning 8am I lost 12 pounds. I know I was bloated and this flushout has done me wonders. My ultimate goal is around 200 pounds, would like to get to around 260 by mid august for my annual trip home. Will work hard though and be happy with wherever I get, as long as it’s lower than now. Does 260 seems a too big of goal for two months?

My weight record for the last couple days.
6/27/2017 6:01:35 - 329.4
6/27/2017 18:58:29 - 324.5
6/28/2017 8:14:09 - 322.6
6/28/2017 21:03:40 - 318.6
6/29/2017 9:02:36 - 317.6