Headaches

[XIntel007]

So, I will admit this topic is only somewhat related to fishing. For the past 12 or so years I have been getting horrible headaches when I spend time outside in the sun exerting myself. My time in Iraq was so bad I took to chewing three Excedrin twice a day. Now that I have a boat and time to fish on a semi-regular basis I find myself weighing the option to fish knowing I will be down the rest of the day. Anyone else suffer from bad headaches after fishing all day??

[Jim80]

It might be related to the heat. Are you staying hydrated ? most likely you are but that would be my first guess .


Jim

[bassinbob]

Eye strain in the bright sun? I guess you wear a wide brim hat and sun glasses? The only other thing to do is fish on overcast days or early morning or late evening. Sometimes I'll get a headache when I don't take anything to eat.

[XIntel007]

Guys,
Thanks for the replies. Yes I drink lots of water and as a matter of fact the more water I drink the worse it gets. I wear Oakley's because of the wide liens and always wear a hat, although I need to find a wide brimmed hat. I've seen a neurologist about it but they have no idea what causes headaches so they are no help. I have put up with it for years, I was just hoping someone else might have an idea I have not tried.

[bcklash]

Might be some kind of migraine. Try fishing early or late and avoid the sun has much has you can.

[WTL]

I wish I could be of more help too. There are just mysteries when it comes to individual human physiology that, sometimes, I guess dont get explained. I get headaches too, and I have attributed them to allergies and sometimes heat. I feel for you on the being discouraged to go fishing part, I have felt like that before at certain times when the pollen is high.

You could nightfish, or maybe you could find a 36v cool zone like they have at the sidelines of football games and install it on the boat! ...Actually, maybe I can do that too....hmmmm

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your service!

My initial thought was eye strain from the sun, but you are wearing good quality sun glasses. You might be getting overheated-try a cold rag on your neck when it gets hot. This time of year fishing early and late is also an option-I try to avoid the heat of the day this time of year just because it is so uncomfortable.

[bamabassman]

like rebb i say FIRST, thank you for your service to our freedom and our country. 2nd, welcome to the site buddy.
as for oyu headache problem..........sorry i too can't be of much help. but instead of water, try gatorade or another form of it. wearing the sunglasses and wide brim hat might be of help too. also remember to wear light colored clothing too. the cold towel or rag might help as well. there is this thing that is supposed to stay cold (forgot the mane of it, sorry). you put it in water and it stays cool all day. maybe that would help you out.
other than that i can't help you out except to say you may need ot see another specialist.

[XIntel007]

Guys, Thanks for the help. The water chiller idea might be something to look into. When I was going through an advanced tactics and shooting course in North Carolina (Middle of July with 98 degrees and 90% humidity) I thought I was going to die. My Gunny grabbed my cover (hat for you non-Marine speaking folk) and shoved ice into it. When I put it on my head I immediately felt better. I did that Saturday to get through the day. The headache came on when I loaded the boat on the trailer and drove home. I didn't want to drip water all over the leather in my truck so I didn't have any ice on my head for the drive. I like the suggestions though. Thanks.

[bassinbob]

Turn the air on in the truck. I read where headache suffers from the sun might have a vitamin b Deficiency. Stay away from caffine. Try some slices of lemon.

[Kevin]

Hi XIntel007,

Great question... and I think I can help! (at least a little)

I too get heat headaches often (but not as much as I used too).

The heat does not bother me one bit. While I feel intense heat, I stay comfortable outside in it. Even still, it does affect me after a 12 hour day on the water...

For me, I tend to get the headaches towards the end of the day. And to be honest, I think it all has to do with physical exertion and bending over.

I've noticed that if I'm out in the heat for awhile and I'm constantly bending over and doing some kind of physical work (ie. wiping down the hull of your boat, taking boat plug out, etc) I feel a head rush of blood to the head that brings it on.

I am fairly confident it has to do with physical exertion, and much of it when in a bent over state (where blood is rushing to your head).

I think hydration has nothing to do with it, considering I'll drink massive quantities of water throughout the day. And yes, I've sometimes felt that drinking too much water has made it worse. Your body actually has to expend energy to warm up cold water, so try to drink "cool" water and not "cold" water. Cold water can be a shock to your system in intense heat.

The single biggest and most effective remedy I have found is caffeine (soda). I rarely drink sodas, but I will always bring one with me when I fish on really hot days (all summer long). When you start getting a headache, just drink some soda and more often than not it will go away. I'm not sure why (sugar, caffeine?), but it works great!

If you are wearing comfortable sunglasses, then I doubt sunglasses are the problems. But make sure the frames aren't too tight on your head or indent the bridge of your nose, because that can cause migraines.

Does your heart race in the heat? My resting heart rate averages about 75bpm, but in the hot sun, it can be up near or over 100bpm. The heat is tough on a heart.

Everyone is built differently. We all react in our own wierd ways to different conditions.

I don't know about your diet, but I live on a steady diet of burgers and donuts. I remember a movie about some guy who ate McDonalds for 30 days and almost died. That movie is a bunch of bologna... I've eaten worse than him for 15+ years and do just fine. But my bad diet may contribute to my heat headaches.

Try drinking a soda (or 'pop' for you midwesterners) when you feel a headache coming on. It's been a lifesaver for me. Also avoid bending over too much in the heat. Blood rushing to your head is what causes it. That and tensing up your neck muscles (where your neck meets the back of your head).

I need to bring a BP cuff with me next time I'm out in 100 degree weather... see what my blood pressure is when I start getting a headache.

Hope this helps! I think it will!

[nofearengineer]

Perhaps you have read one too many of my posts?

Sorry to make light of it. I hope you figure out what the problem is, man.

[Rebbasser]

I didn't want to drip water all over the leather in my truck so I didn't have any ice on my head for the drive. I like the suggestions though.

Throw a dish towel and a big ziploc bag in the truck. Put the ice in the towel, get it wet, and put the towel in the ziploc bag. You now have a dripless ice pack. I do that for my wife when she has a migraine, and it works real well.

[XIntel007]

Excellent advice, I will have to try the lemon thing. That is new.

It is something that does come on at the end of the day and bending over does not help. My diet sucks and I regularly drink 10 cups of coffee a day. I used to be fit and would run 3 miles a day. Part of the reason I quit was the headaches. Its no fun working out at lunch knowing you are going to suffer for it until you go to bed. Years ago my wife convinced me to give up on the coffee to see if that helped. Worst 2 weeks of my marriage. The one thing that always works to cure the headache is a 45 min nap. That will do the trick. Even most prescription migraine pain killers wont touch it. The ones that will leave me unable to operate a boat or anything else.

Next time I go out I will stock up on soda (or as we call it in Texas,.... coke) and lemons. It can't hurt. I thought I would check this board out and see if anyone else had the same problem. You never know when you might meet someone who has it all figured out.

Kevin,
Try this next time, the one trick I can do when awake to reduce or relive the headaches is to quit breathing through my nose. Yep, become a mouth breather for 30 minutes or more and tell me if your head doesn't feel strangely better. Your nose might run uncontrollably too. Its the strangest thing and my neurologist laughed at me but said there was a scientific explanation for it.

[bassinbob]

XIntel breathing through the mouth cools the air. If you curl your tongue it helps more. Funny thing about caffine, works both ways.

[rodnreel]

A good nap has always seemed to cure those headaches for me, too. Every once in a while I'll get one that is really bad, but a few Excedrin and a nap usually knock it right out. If you stock up on coke and lemons, you have the best combination ever! Nothing better than adding a bit of lemon juice to a nice cold coke. Makes it taste even better.

[coachpurdy]

Caffine dilates the capillaries which increases blood flow to the brain. Your body acclimates itself to the amount of caffine you consume each day, so if you decrease the amount it actually can cause a headache. If you catch your headache in the early stages caffine should help. I prefer Mountian Dew over Cokes, they have more caffine. The headache itself can give clues to the causes and should help with a possible remedy. If the pain is on one side of your head or to the front(behind the eyes) it could be sinus pressure. If its at the base of the skull it could be tension. If it is deep in the middle it could be caffine or a lack of slleep. Try BC powders also, they contain alot of caffine and usually work quicker. I usually save those for severe headaches when nothing else helps. Good luck, I hope some of this may help.

[XIntel007]

Coach,
Thanks, it sounds like you have had a few of these. The powders are where I got the idea to chew my Excedrin. Too many powders and too many Excedrin force me to take two Zantac a day. I had rebound headaches from taking Excedrin on a regular basis. The doc put me on low dose steroids to let me come off of the Excedrin. I now swithch up my pain killers and use NACIDs and other drugs. By the way, for anyone else in a similar boat, try an anti-nausea medication along with your OTC pain killer next time. The doc prescribed me some strong anti-nausea medication but sea sickness pills work too.

Lemon and coke is great but Rum and Coke is better (Just not on the boat).

[plugsandaxes]

I agree that it's most likely related to hydration, as it can be a common cause. What are you drinking? Hopefully, not as much soda or beer and more water or gatorade than anything.

However, if there's one thing I've learned it's to listen to your body. I can't stress that enough. I ignored mine for years and listened when others said I was being paranoid. Symptoms got worse and I had an mri done. I found out I had a brain cyst. With it being related to heat, I'd say hydration or even blood sugar, but like I say....whatever the case, listen to your body!

[southernbassguy]

Something else, do you have back aches or tight muscles in your back. If you do, like me, go see a reputable chiropractor. I have been seeing one for about 6 months and it has drasticly changed my back pain and eased my headaches as well. I used to get headaches alot but now maybe once or twice every couple of weeks. And they are not nearly as bad.

Your chiropractor will probably tell you about the blood vesels and nerves that run up your spine to the base of your skull. If this is out of line it will cause stress on the blood vessels and nerves. Resulting in a lack of blood flow(which carries oxygen) to the brain also causing headaches.

I was skeptical at first about being twisted and popped all over but was very supprised when he has not "popped" my back or neck once. Total different procedure than what I was expecting.

Good Luck!

[jooleyen]

I used to get headaches when I had plastic lenses on my sunglasses. The vision gets distorted in them and I never realized it until I got glass. It made all the difference in the world to me. Also, keep good posture, that could help.
And thank you for your service in the military.

[cassidyta]

Living on the edges of Pendleton and working on Miramar, I fish with a lot of fellow Jarheads. A lot of us experience the same symptoms when being out in the heat for extended periods of time.
The couple of things that jump out at me are your normal SNCO diet of 10 cups of coffee per day. If you are not matching that when on the water, you will get withdrawl headaches. I am not saying to bring the pot of coffee with you, but you will need the caffine burst.
Secondly will be if your evening diet is typical Devil Dog alcohol based. Even if you are not feeling hung over, your blood pressure will fluctuate as you bend over to pick up fish.

The ice on the back of the neck is a good thing. I usually have a few damp wash cloths that I have frozen and put into zip lock bags. I will often put one under my hat and shape one around my neck. This has helped me over the years.

Prior 0311 who ended up as an 0659.

[XIntel007]

Former 0231 who ended up as an 0211.

I would take my coffee via an IV but I thing the tubing would get in the way of my casting. I stopped drinking like I was 21 about the time I was 28. Now it just hurts to drink that much. Thanks for the info.

Semper Scrotus.

[texasbasser]

While wearing sunglasses is a MUST, make sure they fit your head right. I used to wear a certain pair of Costa Del Mars that were good quality, but if it doesnt fit your head you are going to have headaches.

[XIntel007]

I have had many different pairs of sunglasses in the last 12 years but I do know what you mean. Thanks for the tips everyone. I am heading out this weekend and I will put your tips to work. Fortunately it will be 85 for a high so maybe I can get a break from the heat.