Totally off the topic, mind if we e-mail you about something else? Totally unrelated, but it’s something that’s been causing us some grief lately.

Yup, all very familiar. I dubbed them “matrices” a long time ago, and I’ve been deliberately causing them to form almost as long, by throwing data at them until they seem to be stable. If I want to add another interest to the cycle of recurring ones, I try to keep it active until it’s formed at least a minimal matrix. Getting over that threshold also seems to make it a lot more likely that I’ll remember what I’ve learned.

The other pain (that took so long to get treated) was neuropathic pain which responds to Neurontin and little else, so that’s what I take for it.

jennifer:

There’s no company name, it’s a pilot program where I live. It’s based on a similar, older one in Wisconsin. They use sensors around the house to track my movement at night during non-staff hours, so if I get stuck or something, they’ll know. Every time an alarm goes off there’s a phone that opens two-way communication between here and there. And then they can get someone here in five minutes if necessary. It’s meant to be a substitute for roommates in people who’d normally be assigned a roommate.

Here’s some stuff about the Wisconsin program. You might be able to contact them and local people about getting something similar in your area, but I’m sure it’s one of those things that has to be planned over the long term, to implement an entire thing like that in any particular area if it’s not already there yet.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound trite, but I am so glad someone was able to articulate this phenomenon. This is eerily similar to how my learning and skill-acquiring process works as well…it’s particularly dramatic at work, where I’ll sometimes spend weeks looking like I’m not making progress, but then one day I suddenly have this huge coherent structure in my head and I’m able to just Do Stuff without having to consciously process every action. I can’t force the coherent structure to form…it forms over time and emerges only when there’s enough data and pattern-material to make it possible, though I never know exactly how much data that is…

I’m also sorry about your headache. I know how they don’t really stop but just go in and out of intensities. Mine have become like that with hypertension and stress related headaches. I have sometimes resorted to more simpler meds as of late rather than indulge myself in propoxyphene or hydrocodone, valium, klonopin, neurontin and all that jazz. i.e.: I used this liquid capsule (comes in green) ibuprofen. It worked this time. Going lighter on the other neurochemical drugs and going for a blood / anti-inflammatory actually helped more this time. I’ve had one not long ago and wrote about as well. (it was actually a couple days ago).

BTW, I’m not suggesting you do what I’ve done medically at all. Do what you know in your best judgment regarding these migranes. Hope you feel better.